"Suffering Persecution"

Suffering Persecution 

2 Timothy 3:12-13 (NLT)

“Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil people and impostors will flourish. They will deceive others and will themselves be deceived.”

I was reading the story of the first Christian martyr Stephen, in the book of Acts, chapter 6-7.  Stephen was a young man with a great zeal for following Jesus. Even at the threat of death he laid out the plan of salvation to his persecutors.  Then he was stoned to death.

We sometimes think persecution comes only to the point of death and often happens in other countries.  There are different forms of persecution and the U.S. has moved into the age of persecution of Christians.  Our own government is the leader of it and the blame falls on the head of President Obama.  In the years of his presidency so much has changed including favoring of Muslims over Christianity.  Because he does this, liberals have taken advantage of his stand and in various ways are taking away the rights of the Christian.

We are called haters if we do not agree with those who attempt to stand against the ungodliness and evil being turned into laws by our government.  That is persecution against Christians and is just the beginning of a greater push against us.  We are accused of standing in the way of progress because we believe the Word of God. Now let me tell you about some things that the government has planned in the very near future.

If a minister refuses to marry a homosexual couple, the church will lose its tax-free status.  We have already witnessed a business being fined for not making a wedding cake for Gays.  If that’s not ‘okay’, then why is it okay if a business makes a rule that you can’t come in a store without shoes and a shirt? Our government is illegally fining some, but not others. 

From the Pentagon:  “The US Army will phase out its Chaplain Corp over the next 3 years, according to a leaked memo of the office of the Undersecretary of the Army for Diversity and Inclusion.”  How about our armed forces no longer allowed to have church services?

Television programs that make a total mockery of ministers and people of faith.  [It’s already happening] So many commercials now featuring homosexual families to promote their sales.  Other programs are on the increase featuring the ‘occult’ and things of demonic forces. Thank God we still can have Christian programing on TV, but that gradually will come to a place in the near future where they can no longer use the name of ‘Jesus”. 

John Blake – CNN Writer, recently wrote an article on Christians and homosexuality.  In it he said that “Christians are one of the most hated minorities!”  Get that, we are a minority in this world and in our country and are considered ‘extremists’.  This article also tells about a well-known author who is writing a book called “The Rise and Fall of the Bible” and claims that the Bible is an ‘accidental book’.  He also says that “Paul, the Apostle does not understand sexual orientation as we understand it now.”

A minister of the United Church of Christ and a religious studies professor, says, “He foresees a day that just as churches accept divorce they will accept sexual practices once considered sinful and church will not say that any sexual activity is wrong.”  Do you believe what he says?  I don’t want to believe it, but if Jesus doesn’t return soon you may see it in your lifetime.

It has come to the point that people are becoming “Closet Christians”, because they are afraid of being called ‘haters’ and of being ridiculed.  This is especially true of teens and college-age people.  It appears that the ‘Gays’ have come out of the closet and the Christians have gone in.

If you don’t think we are being persecuted in this country, you are mistaken. Pray for our young people; the attack against them if unbelievable. I hear so many of them saying, “If they want to live a different lifestyle, that’s their choice and it doesn’t matter to me.” They don’t really see anything wrong.  If you are not a ‘born-again Christian, you probably don’t see the danger in this way of thinking.

Don’t ever deny Jesus Christ; stand for the Word of God which is Truth. Ephesians 6:13 says, “Therefore take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand.”