“I have said all
these things to you to keep you from falling away. They will put you out of the
synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is
offering service to God. And they will do these things because they have not
known the Father, nor me. But I have said these things to you, that when their
hour comes you may remember that I told them to you” (John 16: 1-4).
There
it is again. Jesus repeated His warning about coming persecution. True disciples,
that is those Christ followers that diligently seek and obey His words and
earnestly share His gospel will bear Spiritual fruit that glorifies God and proves
to the world around them that they are Christ’s disciples… “By this my
Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples” (John
15:8). While this kind of holy living will draw many to Christ, it will
also incite the wrath of the unbelieving world and true disciples in every age
will suffer persecution at the hands of those who hate God… “If they
persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will
also keep yours” (John 15:20). With this warning, Jesus introduced some
graphic details. He promised that fruit-bearing disciples will be put “out
of the synagogues” and will be put to death by zealous but ignorant
defenders of God who don’t know either the Father or the Son. This was not a
conditional warning. Jesus was clear. It was not if they persecute you.
It was “they will” persecute you. It was not if their hour
comes, it was “when their hour comes”. Today the Holy Spirit
leads us to precious truth about the blessings of persecution.
In the
light of Jesus’ repeated warnings, if we are not suffering from some kind of
persecution we ought to ask ourselves if we are truly living a fruit-bearing,
Christ-embracing life… “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in
Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). The consequences of
persecution come in many forms. It may be the mild digs of close family and
friends that just don’t get our radical faith. It may be constant harassment at
work by peers or supervisors that don’t like our holier than thou attitude. It
may be rejection and alienation from Christian friends who are put off by our
determination to love and pursue truth and seek to put us out of our
local church. Though it’s rare here in our affluent and comfortable western
culture, holy living may provoke the threat of death. We must accept the truth
that serious disciples will experience the serious consequences of persecution.
Jesus
taught that there is something far worse that being put out of our local church
or losing our temporal life. The very reason for this lesson was revealed in
His first words… “I have said all
these things to you to keep you from falling away”. Far worse than the
worst the world can bring against true disciples are the consequences of “falling
away” from Christ. The Greek word for “falling away” here
is skandalizō and it means to scandalize, entrap, trip up,
cause to stumble, entice to sin, apostasy or displeasure, to cause to offend.
How revealing the Teacher is here! He makes it clear that our enemies, led by the
schemes of our relentless adversary Satan, are not chiefly concerned with separating
us from the local church or even with ending our physical lives. Their primary
goal is to cause us to scandalize our Savior. They want us to be
entrapped, tripped up, to stumble so badly that we bring reproach on the name
of Christ. They want us to make Jesus offensive to others so they can justify their
hatred for Him. But Jesus taught that the blessings of persecution are far
greater than the consequences! Persecution is evidence that we are living a
fruit-bearing life… “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” (Matthew 5:11-12). The Holy Spirit echoes
this truth through the pen of the apostle Peter… “If you are insulted for
the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God
rests upon you” (1 Peter 4:14). Finally,
persecution increases our intimacy and fellowship with our Savior… “Who
shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or
persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?” (Romans 8:35).
When we look steadfastly to Him, the persecution incited against us to cause us
to fall away from Christ will instead, produce blessings that drive us closer
to Him!
As we grow
up into Christ the hatred of our enemies will increase the opportunities
for us to enjoy…
The Blessings of Persecution.
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