Matthew 5:11,12
“Blessed are you
when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against
you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your
reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before
you.”
How
often do we who are called by the name Christian use the Scriptures to say what
we want them to say, but not in keeping with the thoughts and message of what
is written. A good policy is to ask who
is this addressing; Christians who are being persecuted falsely only because of
their standing for Christ. What is the action being ask
for by those who are reviled and persecuted?
Rejoice and be glad and remember this is not something strange that is
only happening to you, for it is clearly stated the prophets were also
persecuted before you.
Now,
this is not the most popular topic for any service at church, but can you
imagine a pastor or priest using it with the Easter or Christmas only crowd? Have you ever been to a Bible Study that is focused
on preparing the student for being reviled and persecuted for standing for
Jesus? If one is given and you’re the
teacher, first and foremost, if you are not being persecuted and reviled for
the service you are giving to our Lord, please let people know that truth, and
if you are the teacher in the American church, do not be surprised if the class
is small in attendance.
This
writer has been called a Bible thumper to his face by one of his close kin, he
has been ask by cousins to remove them from his blog list, but this writer has
never been reviled or persecuted for his actions on standing for Jesus, and I
know few who have in the American Church.
But I do have an example of a righteous man, whose ministry is to the
family, Jim Dobson has been named enemy number One by the progressives, and
they have said all kinds of evil about him, and have attacked his character,
his ministry and his love for Jesus Christ.
Now the good news, I doubt that Dr. Jim Dobson would see himself as one
who falls into the same category as the prophets of old.
So
lets look at what some of the prophets suffered because they obeyed the voice
of the Lord. Beginning in 2 Chronicles
24:20-21, “Then the Spirit of God clothed Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the
priest, and he stood above the people, and said to them, “Thus says God, ‘Why
do you break the commandments of the Lord, so
that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord,
he has forsaken you.’” But they conspired against him, and by command of the
king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the Lord.” This is the
account of the prophet Jeremiah, “Now
Pashhur the priest, the son of Immer, who was chief officer in the house of the
Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things. Then
Pashhur beat Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the
upper Benjamin Gate of the house of the Lord.” (Jeremiah 20:1-2) If you look at chapter 32, you find Jeremiah
locked up in the court of the king’s guards, for telling the king what God is
about to do. Many examples of men of God
being faithful to what God tells them to do or say are persecuted for their
faith, and if you need more insight, go to Hebrews 11:36-39.
All over the world people who are obeying God are paying the
price, for they understand the promise of rejoice and be glad, for they know
God keeps His word. The American church
is soon to encounter the reality of Matthew 5:11 and I pray that I will be
faithful, and as Peter said, I find joy that I could be trusted with suffering
for Christ.
From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice
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