Persecution - Flee or Fight?

 

Persecution – Flee or Fight?

 

“But, GOD demonstrates His own Love toward us; in that while we were yet sinners, CHRIST died for us.” Romans 5:8

“How can we talk of making a sacrifice for the Son of GOD? Our salvation is from hell and perdition and then we talk about making sacrifices!” Oswald Chambers

 

JESUS told us that we would be persecuted for believing in Him, He told us that those who were persecuted for His Name’s sake were blessed. JESUS told us when we were persecuted in one city to flee to another. JESUS told us to love our enemies, JESUS told us to turn the other cheek, JESUS told us to pray for those who persecute us.

 

The Church in America and Western culture in general is coming under much more persecution, serious persecution; and there is much discussion about what to do!

 

In the Epistles we are told to relish in being persecuted for CHRIST, we are told to submit to rulers and we are told to be obedient to CHRIST and His Word to the death! We are told to battle against evil deeds in our own life and to speak the Truth of GOD’s salvation and deliverance to the lost. We are told that our warfare is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual powers and our weapons are from GOD’s SPIRIT. In the Epistles and Revelation we are told to persevere under persecution until the end or death.

 

We are told to have the same mindset that CHRIST had; to only do what The Father said and showed. We are told to be Holy to GOD because He is HOLY. We are told to be obedient, to be conformed, to be transformed, to be renewed from this world into CHRIST JESUS by His Word and His SPIRIT and our submission and obedience.

 

JESUS spoke the Truth and pointed out sinners to their face; but He did not battle against them and He did not attack them. JESUS did not resist them when they came to try Him and murder Him for our sake.

 

The testimony of the Church is not our resistance to the world it is our obedience to CHRIST, by His example. To be CHRIST like is not to fight and demand our rights as Christians or Americans; it is to be obedient to The Father’s Will and to do the works of His Kingdom in the earth.

 

The testimony of the persecuted is not our apologetics but our CHRIST like obedience to The Father’s Will even to death. Love your neighbor as yourself and pray for those who spitefully use you. These are not good ideas these are commands! JESUS said if we wanted to be His disciple we had to keep His commands.

 

There has been much discussion in America and the Church about our rights and fighting back against the injustices and crimes of the government.  When JESUS was in the earth there was much religious and political injustice in Israel and the world. He did not call on His followers to resist or attack. He demonstrated speaking the truth – The Gospel that The Kingdom of GOD is here; and doing good works; feeding people, healing people, delivering people from demons.

 

As a nation we have the right to defend ourself against other nations that want to control us. As the Church we have the responsibility to obey GOD and proclaim the Gospel no matter how we are treated by the world. If the Church wants the blessings that our forefathers established in the founding of our nation then we – like them – have to seek GODs face, repent of our wicked ways and pray! Only then will GOD hear our prayers, forgive our sins and heal our land. As the Church we have to stop seeking the favor of the government and society, we have to stop acquiescing to the ways of the world and what they want us to be. We have to seek GOD first and His Righteousness!

 

I’m writing to Christians and if you are not familiar with the scriptures I am talking about then you are not a very good Christian. GOD did not call us to sit and listen to what others have to say about GOD and His Bible (including me). We are called to seek GOD by prayer – not asking for His blessings and stuff to make us happy and comfortable – asking Him to search us and make us know what He knows about us. If we seek Him everything that we need in life will be provided as He sees our need. We are called to humble ourself before GOD, not society or the government; that means being honest with ourself and listening to His SPIRIT who will correct us, council us, teach us and use us. We are to know GOD by His Word – JESUS is The Living WORD – we are not to just listen to it we are to read it, study it, meditate on it, memorize it and share it! Being a Christian is not about not going to hell but going to Heaven – it is about doing the works of GOD’s Kingdom in the earth as it is in Heaven, of not doing my will but doing His Will!

 

This is the time in America when our government and society need Christians to be the Church that is the Body of JESUS in the earth with our Head seated at the right had of GOD’s Throne. We have to be light to those who are in the dark, we have to be salt where there is the decay of evil, we have to have integrity when there is no integrity, we have to be moral when society rejects morality we have to be the presence of The Kingdom of GOD in a world that rejects GOD!

 

Seek GOD, pray, fast, listen and obey!

GOD Bless, Bob