With appreciation for Rev. Adrian Rogers…..Love Worth Finding.
Matthew 5:10: ” Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
If you are living a life that is poor in spirit, that mourns over your sin, that lives meekly through His strength, that hungers and thirsts after righteousness, that is merciful, pure in heart, and making peace…then you will be exceedingly glad for the persecution that comes your way.
You see, the world is going in the opposite direction and they are trying to push you into their mold. Yet you are a twice-born man among once-born people, and you are going to go against the tide.
It costs to serve Jesus Christ-every day and every step. But you are blessed!
When was the last time you took some flack for Jesus?
Great is your reward in heaven.
When asked if I have ever been persecuted, I’d have to say maybe only in the softest sense of ridiculed, mocked, or shown disdain for my beliefs. I have taken some flack from time to time on behalf of the Gospel of Jesus….. having to take a stand in some institutional settings when advocating for what was the right and just thing to do on behalf of some women under my discipleship care…. advocating for access to appropriate and respectful medical care, for legal justice, appealing for mercy for a second chance, exposing lies, calling out abuse, even standing toe to toe with a church leader over abuse of some women in counseling and another time on behalf of financial abuse of an elderly widow by a church’s finance committee, and another time over out and out religious and physical abuse in a secret “deliverance” ritual performed in a church under cover of darkness. It’ll get you a reputation as a troublemaker…. it’ll cost you jobs, cause conflict, and you’ll lose friends and be misunderstood. None of that really matters in the long view of eternity. You have to be prepared to stand alone sometimes when no one else will stand with you because they have too much to lose… or they don’t believe the women you are advocating for are worth it. But what I’ve experienced can’t begin to compare to real persecution endured by many across the globe, some under threat of their very lives for teaching the Word of God and upholding Christian principles.