October 13
Keep You From StumblingJoh_16:1-4
Christ now explains to his disciples the reason for this teaching. It is that persecution is coming. All but one of the Apostles died by execution of some form. The pattern has not changed all that much today.
The nature of the oppositionFirst, understand that the opposition to Christ and his kingdom will come from our own households. Our friends and relatives will think us strange worse.
This is perfectly normal. It is the reaction the world must have to the things of God. This is not something unusual. The rare thing, which existed for a while in America, is that Christianity is taken as the norm.
Understand also that your opponents will claim righteousness. It may go by the name "politically correct." It may have any other name. But the opponents of Christ will immediately claim moral superiority. (Homosexuality is morally right, remember? You're just a bigot.)
Here is one key test: killing someone who is a true Christian is a service to God (or whatever supreme ethic is held). As one current author put it, "I know of nothing more evil and sinister than Christianity." It's a short step to taking prudent action to wipe out this ugly threat.
Why did Christ tell us this?Jesus did not want us to go astray in this. If your expectation is that once you become a Christian everything will be rosy, and people will love you, it's a real disappointment to be treated like this. Moreover, you begin to think, "I must have gotten it wrong somehow." Christ tells us that we got it right; this is the normal reaction to real Christians.
Root CauseWhy do they do such things? They are worshiping another god, one of their own making. One who smiles on their pride. Is not arrogance a "virtue" in our time? They never did know the real God, and so loudly proclaim their righteousness: self-found, self-made and self-determined. Burning inside is hatred. When it spills out, remember: you were warned.
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The Words of Christ devotions are distributed freely and Internationally in the excellent freeware Bible Study package called e-Sword.
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http://www.e-sword.net/downloads.htmlAuthor: Rick Meyer
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(My Note: STAND! and proclaim JESUS!! HE died on the Cross for you and me!!)
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