Persecution an undeniable fact of our faith

[ShareJesus]

by crazy-cajun on Sun Jun 21, 2009 11:12 am

I was going to post this in Ron's thread, "Hard Times Ahead," but, decided not to interfere with it. Even though this is related it may be better not to interrupt his work.

Anyway, here to point is the fact that the attacks, even though still subtle in many ways are growing on the true believers in Jesus as the Messiah. It is this kind of constant seed planting that is paving the way for when the full out assault does come. I suspect it will come seriously after some major or several lessor crisis events in which there may be some sort of direct relation between the event or events and spirituality specifically Christianity. This is just another nail in the coffin they wish to bury us in.

[link2]Washington Post columnist: Christians 'pernicious',http://www.worldnetdaily.com:80/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=101615[/link2]

Note carefully that review is about a gardening book, yet the connection is made between Christianity and the destruction of native Hawaiian flora and fauna. That is quite an illogical leap but for many they will jump on it it with ferocious tenacity like fertilizer in a garden to make it grow.

No sooner had I submitted the above and went back to the news and this popped up as well.

[link2]City corrals Christians at weekend Arab fest,http://www.wnd.com:80/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=101595[/link2]

[crazy-cajun]

As times grow more difficult we shall see more persecution even in the US not just by Muslims and atheist but by our own government which has strayed horribly from its Christian origins. Note our Liar-in-Chief claims to be a Christian while claiming to be a Muslim at the same time. Which lie are we supposed to believe. I say neither but to believe the truth that is Jesus the Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Here is a daily devotional from the Blue Letter Bible on line. It speaks of living by faith to access the Grace of God. The past week or so it told of those who did great and mighty things. Now it shifts to those who were persecuted, stoned, and killed for their faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I find the last line especially heart warming as it reminds us that facing severe trials is not necessarily God chastising us but using us to demonstrate for the lost what faith will allow us to endure. It says to me that even though I am not Jesus I can at least demonstrate as he did as an example how to endure what ever comes. I hope and pray this will encourage everyone that when the really serious trials come they can stand having done all that they can to stand and do it in faith knowing full well that the reward is fully greater in value than the trial leading up to it.

"Unusual" Consequences of Accessing Grace through Faith
Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented. (Hebrews 11:36-37)
Very often, when people are trusting in the Lord to work by His grace, they anticipate many delightful workings of God (such as we have seen in the testimonies of Hebrews 11). These saints "subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens" (Hebrews 11:33-34). Yet, others experienced what might be called "unusual" consequences of accessing grace through faith. They had to trust in the Lord when the aforementioned blessings did not occur. They had to trust God to sustain them in and through great difficulties of life.

Some had to endure by faith "trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment." Jeremiah exemplifies these. "O LORD…I am in derision daily; everyone mocks me…Therefore the princes were angry with Jeremiah, and they struck him and put him in prison" (Jeremiah 20:7; 37:15). Some "were stoned." Zechariah was killed in this fashion when he gave warnings from the Lord. "So they conspired against him, and…stoned him with stones" (2 Chronicles 24:21). Some "were sawn in two." Tradition tells us that Isaiah died in this vicious manner. Some "were tempted." In the midst of their sufferings, they were further pained by enticements to ungodly responses. Job endured this through bad counsel from his own wife. "Do you still hold to your integrity? Curse God and die!" (Job 2:9). Some "were slain with the sword." King Saul ordered godly priests to be executed this way, because they were loyal to David: " '…kill the priests!' So Doeg the Edomite…killed on that day eighty-five men…." (1 Samuel 22:18). Others "wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented." By faith, these saints had to endure homelessness, poverty, distress, and harassment.

These servants of the Lord (who are all examples of living by faith!) are a reminder to us that our trials, sufferings, and anguishing impossibilities do not necessarily mean we are failing to trust God. These challenges often mean that we are being given an opportunity to humbly, dependently, draw upon the grace of God in ways that we need to experience or others need to observe.

May God Bless and Keep you all.

[nobody really]

As times grow more difficult we shall see more persecution even in the US not just by Muslims and atheist but by our own government which has strayed horribly from its Christian origins. Note our Liar-in-Chief claims to be a Christian while claiming to be a Muslim at the same time. Which lie are we supposed to believe. I say neither but to believe the truth that is Jesus the Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Here is a daily devotional from the Blue Letter Bible on line. It speaks of living by faith to access the Grace of God. The past week or so it told of those who did great and mighty things. Now it shifts to those who were persecuted, stoned, and killed for their faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I find the last line especially heart warming as it reminds us that facing severe trials is not necessarily God chastising us but using us to demonstrate for the lost what faith will allow us to endure. It says to me that even though I am not Jesus I can at least demonstrate as he did as an example how to endure what ever comes. I hope and pray this will encourage everyone that when the really serious trials come they can stand having done all that they can to stand and do it in faith knowing full well that the reward is fully greater in value than the trial leading up to it.

"Unusual" Consequences of Accessing Grace through Faith
Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented. (Hebrews 11:36-37)
Very often, when people are trusting in the Lord to work by His grace, they anticipate many delightful workings of God (such as we have seen in the testimonies of Hebrews 11). These saints "subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens" (Hebrews 11:33-34). Yet, others experienced what might be called "unusual" consequences of accessing grace through faith. They had to trust in the Lord when the aforementioned blessings did not occur. They had to trust God to sustain them in and through great difficulties of life.

Some had to endure by faith "trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment." Jeremiah exemplifies these. "O LORD…I am in derision daily; everyone mocks me…Therefore the princes were angry with Jeremiah, and they struck him and put him in prison" (Jeremiah 20:7; 37:15). Some "were stoned." Zechariah was killed in this fashion when he gave warnings from the Lord. "So they conspired against him, and…stoned him with stones" (2 Chronicles 24:21). Some "were sawn in two." Tradition tells us that Isaiah died in this vicious manner. Some "were tempted." In the midst of their sufferings, they were further pained by enticements to ungodly responses. Job endured this through bad counsel from his own wife. "Do you still hold to your integrity? Curse God and die!" (Job 2:9). Some "were slain with the sword." King Saul ordered godly priests to be executed this way, because they were loyal to David: " '…kill the priests!' So Doeg the Edomite…killed on that day eighty-five men…." (1 Samuel 22:18). Others "wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented." By faith, these saints had to endure homelessness, poverty, distress, and harassment.

These servants of the Lord (who are all examples of living by faith!) are a reminder to us that our trials, sufferings, and anguishing impossibilities do not necessarily mean we are failing to trust God. These challenges often mean that we are being given an opportunity to humbly, dependently, draw upon the grace of God in ways that we need to experience or others need to observe.

May God Bless and Keep you all.

Awesome!