To Be A Christian, Means Persecution

To Be A Christian, Means Persecution
By: Rev. Joe Kramer

 

(21) “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. (22) You will be hated by everyone because of me,w but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. (23) When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

 

(24) “The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master. (25) It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!
-Matthew 10:21-25 (NIV)

Today I want to reflect on Christianity. This goes along with what we talked about yesterday. In the United States we don’t worry too much about this persecution, but you know what? We should be. There are multiple stories out there about Christians being attacked in public. (See example below). This is becoming more popular here in the U.S. than ever, and the news isn’t reporting it, or they spin it to make it look like their fault! They say things like, “well they were disturbing the peace.” Ridiculous. When did the fundamental right of free speech not apply to certain groups? But anyway I digress.

Muslim Group Attacks in Dearborn Michigan

(Please note that this is 22 minutes long and does contain profanity. However it shows the true animosity against Christianity that is rising in our nation.)

In verses 21-25 Jesus promises we will be persecuted for our beliefs. Not that we might, but we will. In the United States we have enjoyed a time of relative peace from this kind of persecution (physical death), however that time is starting to come to an end. We must be aware that because we are Christians, it will not only make us unpopular but will cause dissension amongst families and people; which may even lead to death.

Let me ask you this question. Would anyone accuse you of being a Christian by the way you act or behave? If not, why not? Yesterday we talked about hiding our light. Are you doing that? If so maybe you aren’t His. Won’t you let your light shine? The Choice is Yours.