That Peaceful Easy Feeling - John 16:33

  
“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” - John 16:33

How often I have watched the news and seen the worst that humanity has to offer us. Whether it’s ISIS beheading innocent Christians in the Middle East or just another local story about a cross being removed from its place in a county park because it offended someone. We will and we do have tribulations. How disheartening it can be when every where we turn, someone is out to get us simply because we believe in the one true God.
I have friends in whose company I can’t even bring up Jesus’s name! It’s not persecution I fear among them but their inconsiderateness for mentioning “a very controversial subject,” in their minds. So it is with the greatest joy that I am able to recall the words of Jesus when He says, “in Me you may have peace.”  In Jesus I have peace. “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” - 1 John 5:4-5. Faith in our Savior brings us peace because we know with all certainty that He has overcome the world! All it takes is that we are born of God, children of God - “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” - 1 John 4:4. They cannot hurt us in the end. The victory is ours because of who we are - children of God, born of God.  “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” - 1 Corinthians 15:57.
They can harangue us, accuse us, try us, and ultimately convict us, but of what? Our faith in Christ? Behold! There is the victory! We are convicted, not by men, but by our faith in Jesus Christ! What greater victory can we have than to be convicted by the holy name of Christ, and therein lies our peace. “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” - Romans 8:37.
No matter what takes place in this Godless world we will always have the peace that Christ has given to us in Himself, accused, tried, convicted and crucified. We are to be of good cheer because in Him we overcome the world.

The Gates of Fire - 1 Peter 2:9-10

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. - I Peter 2:9-10

    A chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and His own special people. All descriptions of a group of individuals that for all intents and purposes should stand out of the crowd. There should be no mistaking who this group of individuals is. There should be no question and certainly - certainly - no challenges or indictments against such a group. When we see these descriptions and look beyond the words to their meanings we get an even greater picture of what this group truly is.  Using Strong’s Concordance we see that “chosen” is reliably defined as “elected.” We need look no further for a more pinpoint definition. “Royal” is defined as “kingly” referring to our relationship to the Lord and King, Jesus Christ. “Holy” tells us we are “saintly” or “set apart” for God. Finally, “special,” which is better defined as “for His possession” defines us as a people acquired, purchased, and preserved as promised to us by our heavenly Father. All these things we are to God; yet, we are still at an impasse.
    As Christianity trudges forth into the 21st Century we face a Thermopyle all our own. And just as the noble Spartans were sorely outnumbered at the Gates of Fire, we too are in the minority. The secular provocateurs who wish to persecute and ultimately bring an end to us have all the worldly power in their hands. In fact, the only greater advantage they could have would be if we Christians were to shackle and betray ourselves by our own behavior. That would bring the secularists their greatest victory. It would bring the sweetest taste to their mouths if we would but help them complete their worldly crusade.
    Each and every year we see more and more attacks on Christianity. The secularists’ most recent victory has been in the realm of marriage, where they have successfully managed to turn history on its very head and proclaim to the world that marriage is no longer an institution between one man and one woman even as God, Himself proclaimed.  “He said to them, ‘Have you not read that He Who made them in the first place made them man and woman? It says, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and his mother and will live with his wife. The two will become one.’ So they are no longer two but one. Let no man divide what God has put together.’” - Matthew 19:4-6.
    This victory has brought many a Christian public official into the field of battle. Most recently a Kentucky County Clerk, Kim Davis, was jailed for six days for refusing to issue marriage licenses to homosexual couples based on her “Apostolic Christian beliefs.” It soon became public knowledge that Mrs. Davis has been married four times to three different men. I am not going to get into a discussion of Mrs. Davis’s personal life. My only point in bringing this up is the fact that this is the very type of smear upon the Christian life that secularists thrive upon. They seek human weakness, fallibility, and sin among those who follow Christ. And in followers like Ms. Davis they find them then exploit them, and in doing so ultimately cast a dark shadow over all who claim Christ as their Savior. It is this type of scandalous “Christian behavior” that makes the secularists victories so much more spectacular!
    We must think about it. When the secularists see us, do they see a people chosen, royal, holy, and special to God? What do they see when they look at us? Do they see behavior that reflects the glory of God living within us? If not, then why not?
    As Christians, we must remember the words of Peter. We are chosen, royal, holy and special people to God Almighty. We were once not a people. We had not obtained mercy. But now we are and have! Let us go forward from here seeking not to please men but to please God, remembering that we were called out of darkness into His marvelous light. Let us walk in that light unashamed of our behavior before men, but more important let us pray and walk humbly before God, knowing our battle is a spiritual one. “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”- Ephesians 6:11.
     Mrs. Davis is not perfect; we are not perfect, but let do all we can with the power of the Holy Spirit to rise above question, challenge, or indictment by the secularists even as we stand before the “Gates of Fire” to defend our God and our faith in Him.

Marching Orders - Matthew 28:18-20

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. - Matthew 28:18-20

    All authority in heaven and on earth? Who but God could ever possibly wield that kind of power and authority? And yet in exercising that power and authority He, Christ our King, gives us our nonnegotiable marching orders: make disciples, baptize them, and teach them to observe all the things He has commanded us! There’s no wiggle-room, no expansion or contraction of Christ’s parting command. Jesus not only gave us His command but described what the end result of a successful campaign would look like. “If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—  the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” - John 14:15-17.  We will all show the results of successfully carrying out our orders with the obedience and the in dwelling of the Holy Spirit in those we have proselytized to. The end-game of successfully carrying out Christ’s Great Commission is the salvation of just one more soul. “I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.” - Luke 15:7.
    Turning souls to Christ is the focus of the Great commission. As Christians we are bound in our duty to do all we can, to preach in and out of season, to declare the glory of God to each and every person on the planet! To the extent that we do so our heavenly Father will say to us
“Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.” - Matthew 25:21.
    May we all follow our Christ-given marching orders and enter into the joy of our Lord.

Everybody Must Get Stoned -Acts 7: 57

Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; - Acts 7:57

Stephen had just delivered a sermon so powerful that it cost him his life! He spoke openly about God’s covenant with His saints. He spoke without hesitation. He spoke without pretension. He spoke without anonymity. Those he had been speaking to knew exactly who Stephen was. When his audience had heard enough they did three things; they cried out in a loud voice, they stopped their ears, and they ran at him with one accord. That singular minded accord was to murder Stephen to keep him from further sharing the Gospel! And why not? They had already murdered the Son of Man for the same crime!
                           
They cried out in a loud voice-
“Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn’t argue with that; I’m right and I will be proved right. We’re more popular than Jesus now; I don’t know which will go first, rock and roll or Christianity.” — John Lennon

“When I got untethered from the comfort of religion, it wasn’t a loss of faith for me, it was a discovery of self,” explained Pitt. “I had faith that I’m capable enough to handle any situation. There’s peace in understanding that I have only one life, here and now, and I’m responsible.” - Brad Pitt

I don't believe in Heaven and Hell," he says. "I don't know if I believe in God. All I know is that as an individual, I won't allow this life -- the only thing I know to exist -- to be wasted. - George Cloony

It's an incredible con job when you think about it, to believe something now in exchange for something after death. Even corporations with their reward systems don't try to make it posthumous. Gloria Steinem

"I`m an atheist... I regard religion with fear and suspicion. It`s not enough to say that I don`t believe in God. I actually regard the system as distressing: I am offended by some of the things said in the Bible and the Qur`an, and I refute them." — Emma Thompson

"I’ve often thought the Bible should have a disclaimer in the front saying this is fiction." - Ian McKellen

"I don't believe in the afterlife. I believe this is it, and I believe it's the best way to live."- Natalie Portman

This handful of opinions about Christianity comes directly from celebrity folks who are known as being in the “A List.” These are the celebrities who everyone else tries to emulate in some fashion or other. There are people who live for every word that proceeds from their mouths. I mentioned this situation because we face the same paradigm today. These celebrities ARE the high priests of today.

Stopped their ears- In a very general sense this is the modern day response to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They don’t like it so they don’t listen! “But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’” - Luke 16:31.  I would appear that the myriad of worldly positions made by unbelievers have taken on that nihilistic tone. There are so many opinions out there that you need a crowbar and a pitchfork just to separate them. The only difference is Christianity. On that subject they all agree: they hate it; they don’t want to hear about it!

And ran at him with one accord . . .
    Persecution begins slowly like a well lit camp fire and burns and burns until it reaches it apex of might. Today I can say that we are merely feeling the sparks from the tinder. There are simply far too many examples of Christian Persecution taking place in America for me to recount them to you. If you’re a Bible-believing Christian you have probably already felt the sting of persecution at the hands of your employers or the school-board or the military establishment. Now, using the tentacled arms of anti-Christian groups like the ACLU, Freedom from Religion Foundation, GLSEN, Human Rights Campaign (they sound so “righteous” don’t they?), Americans United for Separation of Church and State, to name but a few, they attack private individuals who fail to comply with their sinful agendas. Charges are filed, judges become involved, and for the average Christian American there is no one to defend them. That is what persecution looks like NOW! There have been beatings. There have been Kristallnacht moments and the law turns its head. But we were told to expect this very thing. “‘If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.  If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.’” - John 15:18-19. Praise God the words are Christ Jesus’ alone!
We may not be suffering like those Christians in Muslim lands yet, but persecution develops by a matter of degrees. It is a slowly burning wick that will not go out. We may not hear the lions but they lie quietly, and attentively, in the grasses around us. And they are hungry.
    Fervent prayer for both ourselves and our persecutors is the strongest spiritual weapon that we have. May we enjoin with the Holy Spirit to use them often and effectively.