by
Kraig J. Rice
Bread On The Waters (BOW)
www.breadonthewaters.com
Introduction
Satan hates God, he hates Jesus Christ, he hates God's word (the bible), and he hates
every true Christian. He will use individuals against you.
It matters little what their excuse(s) may be towards you. Be assured the devil is behind
it all somehow.
When you accepted the cross of Christ you accepted this challenge because God warns
us in His word:
"Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer PERSECUTION"
(2 Timothy 3:12).
If they'll do it with you |
There is some talk in Christian circles about persecution making you hang onto the
cross of Christ a lot harder, however, some folks turn around and run from the cross.
Here is what Jesus said:
The story is told that one time in Communist Russia two Russian soldiers entered a church service, aimed their
machine guns at the congregation, and told those folks "Anyone who does not want to
die for Christ, get out of this church now!" Several left the church. After they
left, the soldiers put down their guns. The pastor wanted to know why they put their guns
down instead of shooting the rest. The two soldiers told the pastor they were true Christians
and only wanted to worship with other true Christians in this congregation who were
willing to die for their faith. Then they had a wonderful time of worship together!
"The rocky soil represents those who hear the message and receive it with joy.
But like young plants in such soil, their roots don't go very deep. At first they
get along fine, but they wilt as soon as they have problems or are persecuted because
they believe the word"
(Matthew 13:20-21).
"It is not persecution of the church in China that I fear. |
"But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the
city, and raised PERSECUTION against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of
their coasts"
"Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities,
in PERSECUTIONS, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong"
"But about that time, serious trouble developed in Ephesus concerning the Way. It began
with Demetrius, a silversmith who had a large business manufacturing silver shrines of
the Greek goddess Artemis. He kept many craftsmen busy. He called the craftsmen
together, along with others employed in related trades, and addressed them as follows:
"Gentlemen, you know that our wealth comes from this business. As you have seen and
heard, this man Paul has persuaded many people that handmade gods aren't gods
at all. And this is happening not only here in Ephesus but throughout the entire
province! Of course, I'm not just talking about the loss of public respect for
our business. I'm also concerned that the temple of the great goddess Artemis
will lose its influence and that Artemis- this magnificent goddess worshiped
throughout the province of Asia and all around the world- will be robbed of her prestige!"
At this their anger boiled, and they began shouting, "Great is Artemis of
the Ephesians!" A crowd began to gather, and soon the city was filled with confusion..."
If you are being persecuted now, I want you to get a lot of prayer going up to God on your
behalf. Your deliverance may depend on prayer. Here is the scripture on this, and
it is a good possibility why God placed this message in His word:
"When Herod saw how much this pleased the Jewish leaders, he arrested Peter
during the Passover celebration and imprisoned him, placing him under the guard of
four squads of four soldiers each. Herod's intention was to bring Peter out for
public trial after the Passover. But while Peter was in prison, the church prayed
very earnestly for him"
What happened then? God sent an angel to come and release Peter from prison. God worked a
miracle for Peter in response to intercessory prayer made for him. And God may very well
work a miracle for you, as well, in response to intercessory prayer made on your
behalf.
(Acts 13:50).
(2 Corinthians 12:10).
(Acts 19:23-29).
(Acts 12:3-5).
Here is what Jesus had to say:
Here is what Jesus had to say about Revenge:
"You have heard that the law of Moses says, `If an eye is injured, injure the eye of
the person who did it. If a tooth gets knocked out, knock out the tooth of the person who
did it.' But I say, don't resist an evil person! If you are slapped on the right cheek,
turn the other, too. If you are ordered to court and your shirt is taken from you, give
your coat, too. If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles.
Give to those who ask, and don't turn away from those who want to borrow."
Here is what Jesus had to say about about Love for Enemies:
"You have heard that the law of Moses says, `Love your neighbor' and hate your enemy.
But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!
In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For He gives His
sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and on the unjust, too.
If you love only those who love you, what good is that? Even corrupt tax collectors do
that much.
If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans
do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect."
"God blesses those who are persecuted because they live for God, for the Kingdom of
Heaven is theirs. God blesses you when you are mocked and persecuted and lied
about because you are My followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward
awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted, too."
(Matthew 5:10-12).
(Matthew 5:38-42).
(Matthew 5:43-48).
Here is what Jesus had to say:
"Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore
(1) wise as serpents,
(2) harmless as doves, and
(3) beware of men
(Matthew 10:16-17).
You have to look at this extreme persecution from God's point of view, and NOT from man's
point of view. God has the total picture and plan of what He is working out and oftentimes
we don't know what it is. We know that martyrdom spreads the faith. And we have the
The history of the Christian church is loaded with the martyrdom of it's saints.
The Bible itself and Bible tradition has many examples.
By Their Blood, and Fox's Book of Martyrs, are 2 books that deal with this subject in great detail.
Genesis 50:20 rule: "They mean it for evil, but God means it for good" (my
paraphrase). We are called to walk by faith- in good times and also in evil times.
One day at Bethany Bible College in class, Rev. Norman Arnesen was discussing martyrdom,
and he asked us this question: "Is it harder to live for God, or is it harder to die for God?"
Whoever you are- it is not wise to persecute any of God's true Christians. Why?
Because there is a spiritual law that
can't be broken and it holds true for Christians and non-Christians alike. It is called
the Law of Sowing and Reaping. Here it is:
You want a few examples from history. OK, here are a few:
"You will always reap what you sow!"
(Galatians 6:7b).
Did King Herod reap what he sowed?
"Instantly, an angel of the Lord struck Herod with a sickness, because he
accepted the people's worship instead of giving the glory to God. So he was
consumed with worms and died"
"About that time King Herod Agrippa began to persecute some believers in the
church. He had the apostle James (John's brother) killed with a sword"
(Acts 12:1-2).
(Acts 12:23).
Did King Herod's daughter, Herodias, reap what she sowed?
History tell us that one day the daughter of King Herod was ice skating on a frozen lake.
She was going at a considerable speed when she broke through the ice, cutting off her
head. Is there any doubt that she reaped what she sowed?
"It was Herod's birthday, and he gave a party for his palace aides, army officers,
and the leading citizens of Galilee. Then his daughter, also named Herodias, came in
and performed a dance that greatly pleased them all. Ask me for anything you
like," the king said to the girl, "and I will give it to you." Then he
promised, "I will give you whatever you ask, up to half of my kingdom!"
She went out and asked her mother, "What should I ask for?"
Her mother told her, "Ask for John the Baptist's head!"
So the girl hurried back to the king and told him, "I want the head of John the
Baptist, right now, on a tray!"
Then the king was very sorry, but he was embarrassed to break his oath in front
of his guests. So he sent an executioner to the prison to cut off John's head and
bring it to him. The soldier beheaded John in the prison, brought his head on a
tray, and gave it to the girl, who took it to her mother"
(Mark 6:21-28).
Did the ones who persecuted Jesus to death reap what they sowed?
"That is what has happened here in (Jerusalem) this city! For Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate
the governor, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were all united against Jesus,
your holy servant..."
Pontius Pilate was committed to a mental institution with padded walls. He died there
knocking his head against those walls, loudly lamenting the fact that he had killed
the Son of God. In 70 A.D. God allowed the Roman army to destroy Jerusalem and haul off it's
inhabitants into slavery. Did they reap what they had sowed?
(Acts 4:27).
So, when you are wondering how to handle persecution in your life, act like Jesus did
and leave the vengeance to God. He will stick up for you. Be comforted in the fact that
they will reap what they have sowed. God will make sure of it.
You and I have to forgive our persecutors. Why? Because they deserve it? No, because the root
of bitterness will spring up into your heart if you don't. And you and I have to pray and
ask God to do a convicting work in the hearts of our persecutors to lead them to
salvation. This is following the pathway of love.
"Every trial endured and weathered in the right spirit |
It is simply walking through life with love and responding with love to all personal
injustice. This proper response
is in line with how Jesus acted and this pleases the Father. This is the ultimate goal for
every believer, however, God has created some individuals who have trouble living up to this
ideal (not necessarily by choice but by their internal make up). If you find this difficult
you can ask God to help you and He will. He will give you His power if you will ask Him.
He will work on your behalf and show Himself faithful to you. He will be strong through you.
If you feel that you have been really wronged, there is another option.
That option is the
Imprecatory Prayer Request
if you ask Him persistently and meet His conditions. But keep in mind that God is in the
saving business first and anything else last.
"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save
the world through Him."
(John 3:17).
"Expect trouble as an inevitable part of life, and when it comes, hold your head high. |
Anyone can accuse anyone else of anything they want to, but that don't make it so, does it!
You can accuse me of having green skin color with purple stripes. And a lot of people, who
think negative, or who believe gossip, or who want to believe it due to their bias or evil
hearts, may believe it. So, how does a true Christian protect his or her reputation if
some suspicion, half lie, or distorted truth is told about them? The answer is that you don't
protect your reputation. If you are innocent you just keep on living a godly, holy life
and your reputation will take care of itself.
Getting the matter out in the open (not hiding
any secrets) and telling what really happened is good. This is called clearing the air.
One time the police thought I was guilty for something my oldest grown son had done. I went down to
the police station and told them I had nothing to do with anything that he was involved with.
You can confront church gossip in much the same way. But, just remember, God is under no
obligation to protect your reputation if you are as guilty as sin.
Don't Stone the Devil's Dogs
Index of Testimonies |
Encouragement For Ministers |
How To Survive a Job's Trial
Encouragement For Suffering
Overcoming Discouragement
Distress and Deliverance