So many times, we can feel overwhelmed by the cares of this life. Families, finances, health, employment... Yet, are these the type of persecutions Jesus forewarned us of in the Scriptures?
All around the world, brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ are being threatened, injured, maimed, and murdered for refusing to deny the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Many times we verbally proclaim that we believe in Jesus and that He is our Savior and Lord. Are we prepared to stand by that claim...until the death?
It is not a matter of will power, for if you try to do so in your own strength, you will buckle. You must be born again by having the life of Christ; then it will be Christ who stands within you in times of great adversity.
Are you ready to be a witness for Jesus Christ, against all odds? Do you know that the Greek word for "witness" is martyreÅ which comes from the root word martys? Martys is where we get the word martyr.
Martyr: a person who willingly suffers death rather than renounce his or her religion; a person who is put to death or endures great suffering on behalf of any belief, principle, or cause; a person who undergoes severe or constant suffering.The next time you are of a mind to complain or murmur about your current condition, just remember those highlighted in this video below. Pray for an attitude of gratitude and a heart that intercedes for the church of God worldwide.
May God have mercy on His people and may He prepare us for the days to come.
"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." Revelation 12:11
"Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you." Matthew 5:10-12
"Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city." Matthew 23:34
"And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life." Mark 10:29-30
"Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute." Luke 11:49
"But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake." Luke 21:12
"Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also." John 15:20
To read one woman's perspective on what it was like to withstand persecution for her faith, please click here to read the testimony of Corrie Ten Boom.
As an American, and also a short term missionary, I think we all need to see the true poverty that others suffer, and view a culture that hostile to Christians. Both tend to get the focus on doing something about it, as opposed to sitting around hoping for God to drop bags of money on our doorstep and feeling sorry for ourselves that He didn't do it again today.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed the post. David
I find videos like these very difficult to watch. You hear of things like this happening, but, hearing and seeing are two different things. People wink at these things and pass them off because these things "don't happen to them" but, for loving the LORD things things very will could happen and WILL HAPPEN! GOD is a GOOD GOD! And I thank him every day for what he has done and what he is doing currently in my life and what he is going to do in my life. I love the LORD and if these things were to come to pass in my life, so be it, I love the LORD more than life itself which is a gift from HIM. It's hard to imagine but, people have got to have faith during these times and they need to endure through these times because a time will come when we all have to stand before CHRIST and be given account for ourselves. I do count it as joy because this is a sign from GOD of his return, and for those that love HIM and trust and believe in HIM and HIS word, this is a great thing! I just pray that we all continue to stay strong in the LORD and depend on HIM.
ReplyDeleteI would like to share what I read today.Zechariah 13:7-9 (King James Version)
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