Monday, July 22, 2013

The Necessary Tribulations of Discipleship - Acts 14:21-22

It is all too often in 21st Century America that Christians feel the rising tide of intolerance lapping at our doorsteps. I didn’t say “religious intolerance” because we all know that other religions seem to get a pass as opposed to Christianity. There doesn’t seem to be a week go by without some group or individual challenging the gospel of Jesus Christ. Their affronts are routinely vicious and condescending at the same time. From celebrities to educators to scientists to politicians to the media, they crawl out of their holes, their stingers poised to attack anyone and anything they see as “Christian.”
    Many believers feel the weight of “culture-pressure,” and it can often lead to feelings of disconnect with the rest of the world. Let me say - that is good news. Consider the words of our Lord and Savior in Matthew 10:38, “take his cross;” Mark 8:34, “take up his cross;” and Luke 9:23, “take up his cross daily.” Jesus told us from the beginning that following Him would not be easy. Following our Lord would be tantamount to bearing one’s own cross just as He bore His own cross . . . for us!
    Tribulations and persecution were always part of following Jesus Christ. It has never been any other way. It has never been an easy road to follow.
    Perhaps one of the main reasons Christians, real Christians, are persecuted so often is because we have an exclusive faith. It is exclusive because our belief (Holy Scripture) tells us that the unregenerate will not and cannot be saved; that those who refuse to repent and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior . . . cannot be saved! There is no magic formula for behavior that will open heaven’s gates for us. We acknowledge that good works will never be our key to eternal salvation and glorification. And so we are seen as and perceived by the unregenerate as exclusivists. And we are. But it is our willingness to “take up our crosses” that sets us apart and makes us holy.
    Part of our path to discipleship has always been and will always be “mined’ by those who hate us for being Christians. No true Christian could ever miss the pitfalls, the accusations, and the traps set for us by the unregenerate for they are truly sons of the devil.
            Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.”
- John 8:42-47
    This is where our persecution comes from. But this is where our strength comes from -
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have[a] peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.  Romans 5:1-5
    Yes, as Christians we will face many tribulations, just as the early Christians did. And also, just as the early Christians did, we will persevere in spite of our tribulations.
    May God grace be with you always.

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