“Blessed are those who are persecuted because
of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”-Matthew 5:10.
It
is fitting that the section of Scripture we commonly refer to as the Beatitudes
ends with a blessing over the persecuted.
You can be certain that if you live your life according to God’s Word;
ultimately you are going to face persecution.
Even
as we speak Christians are being persecuted throughout the world. Twenty one Coptic
Christians were recently beheaded in Egypt at the hands of the terrorist group
ISIS with an additional 147 killed by Somali militants at a university in Kenya
just days ago. Those who were executed were singled out and massacred for no
other reason than being followers of Jesus Christ.
However,
this should not surprise us. Jesus declared that, we as Christians would face
insult, persecution, and false accusations:
“Blessed are you when people insult you,
persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of
me.”-Matthew 5:11.
In
light of this, should we remain silent regarding our faith? Should we cower to their threats? Should we
back off of our firm belief in God’s righteous standards because we are being
labeled as bigots?
Absolutely
not! In fact Jesus tells us to rejoice:
“Rejoice and be glad, because great is your
reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were
before you.”-Matthew 5:12
We
should not only anticipate persecution but we should prepare ourselves for it
by arming ourselves with the Gospel message.
Jesus goes on in Matthew 5 to tell us that instead of hiding our faith
and staying silent in regards to Christ we are to prevail, proclaim, and live
the Gospel:
“You are the light of the world. A city on a
hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.
Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good
deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”-Matthew 5:16.
Persecution
is proof that God’s righteousness and the gospel message are infiltrating the
kingdom of darkness. Jesus declared we are to be the salt of the earth and
light to the world! Persecution should not silence the Body of Christ; it
should awaken us! God has given us the life transforming message of forgiveness
and repentance to carry to a world steeped in darkness.
Civilizations,
leaders, and religious zealots have attempted for centuries to silence the
message of Christ by imprisoning, persecuting, and executing those who hold to
and proclaim the teachings of Jesus. And although the Kingdom of God has
suffered violence; it has continued to flourish and grow. So let us rejoice
when we are persecuted for righteousness sake, because it demonstrates that the
Kingdom of God is impacting the darkness and the gospel message is reaching the
lost.
Pastor
Scott Burr
Dayspring
Community Church
No comments:
Post a Comment