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Welcome to Jesus Quotes and God Thoughts. I work for the Christian Training Center International as the Director of Digital Ministry.
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19 Saturday Oct 2019
Posted in God is Great, God Thoughts
Christian Persecution
I should expect to be persecuted. Jesus said it. it is normal for a disciple.
Why? Because following Jesus and living in His righteousness threatens so many. Want to find out how threatening it is? Proclaim the truth to the “new atheists” and see what happens. Live in a socialist or communist country and follow Jesus.
God’s people have always faced persecution. The prophets were reviled, tortured, and killed. History records that ten of Jesus’ disciples were executed for preaching the Messiah. Tradition states that Peter insisted on being crucified upside down because he counted himself unworthy to die in the same manner as his Master. Yet he wrote,
“If you are reviled for the name of the Messiah, you are happy, because the Spirit of God and of glory rests on you” (1 Peter 4:14).
We have gotten comfortable in the U. S. Persecution is coming.
“Happy are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Happy are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. | Matthew 5:10–12
The apostle Paul was jailed, beaten, shipwrecked, and stoned numerous times for preaching the Messiah, but he considered suffering not even worth mentioning compared to the reward he knew awaited in paradise.
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