Sue J Love
Loyal
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2015
- Messages
- 3,049
“We put no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.” (2 Corinthians 6:3-10 ESV)
As followers of Jesus Christ, when our lives are surrendered to the Lord Jesus, committed to doing his will, and we are being led by the Holy Spirit in where to go and in what to do and in what to say, for the glory of God, and for the salvation of souls, we are not going to be voted “most popular.” We are not going to have huge followings and people clamoring to have our attention, not usually, anyway. There may be exceptions. But the Scriptures teach that we will be hated and persecuted just as Jesus was treated.
So, it should not surprise us if we do not have a huge “fan club.” And it should not surprise us if we face a certain amount of opposition and people fighting against us and even falsely accusing us of what we did not do or say. That should be “par for the course” if we are out in the world sharing the message of the gospel that Jesus and his NT apostles taught, as taught in the appropriate context. Or it could be that we are just being ignored and cast aside as unwelcome and as unnecessary, and we are long forgotten.
Depending upon where we live in the world may depend upon the level of persecution and mistreatment that we might face for our walks of obedience to our Lord in surrender to his will and purpose for our lives. For in some countries in the world the Christians are being faced with the kinds of persecutions that Paul and Timothy and the other apostles experienced for their testimonies for Christ and for his gospel. Where I live, such physical persecution as mentioned here is not something that is predominant.
For Christianity in America is, generally speaking, fairly watered down to where it appears that not many are serving the Lord Jesus with the same kind of commitment and diligence that the apostles were in getting the truth of the gospel out to the people, in opposition to the lies which are spreading like wildfire. Christianity in America today is generally more in the category of the Laodicean church, which was neither on fire for the Lord nor completely opposed to Jesus Christ, but were lukewarm (halfhearted).
But that does not mean that American Christians are not being persecuted. Those who are committed to following the Lord in obedience, whose lives are surrendered to the will of God, and who are following him wherever he leads them day by day in sharing the truth of God’s word for the salvation of souls and for the spiritual strengthening of the body of Christ are being faced with opposition. For the majority seem to be following a cheapened and altered gospel message that makes no to little demands of its followers.
But the Scriptures teach a salvation from sin that involves the believer in Jesus dying with Christ to sin, and not just once, but daily, and walking in obedience to the Lord and to his commands, in practice, by the grace of God, and in the power and wisdom of God, as led by the Spirit. The Scriptures teach the life of a follower of Christ as one of surrender to the Lord to do his will and of submission to his Lordship over our lives. And we are to be spreading the message of the gospel to other people.
[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-21; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]
So, right now in America we may not all be experiencing the depth of persecution as what the NT apostles endured, but we should be experiencing, to some level, both honor and dishonor, and slander and praise. We should know what it is like to be treated as though we are impostors, being falsely accused of what we did not do or say, having our reputations smeared without evidence that the accusations against us are true or not, and having people screaming at us because we follow Christ.
But through it all, whatever opposition we might be facing, we must remain true to the Lord and to his word, and we must keep doing what the Lord has called us to do, no matter how much bigger the waves get against us. We must not retaliate against the opposition, but we can defend our own honor, as Jesus did, and as his NT apostles did. And we must forgive our persecutors and treat them with love and kindness. And then we just have to keep moving ahead, going where God sends us in doing what we are to do.
[Matthew 5:10-12; Matthew 10:16-39; Matthew 24:9-14; Luke 6:22-23; Luke 21:12-17; John 15:18-21; John 17:14; Rom 5:3-5; Phil 3:7-11; 1 Pet 1:6-7; 1 Pet 4:12-17; 2 Tim 3:12; 1 Thess 3:1-5; Jas 1:2-4; 2 Co 1:3-11; Heb 12:3-12; 1 Jn 3:13; Revelation 6:9-11; Revelation 7:9-17; Revelation 11:1-3; Revelation 12:17; Revelation 13:1-18; Revelation 14:1-13]
Oceans
Songwriters: Joel Houston / Matt Crocker / Salomon Lighthelm
You call me out upon the waters
The great unknown where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep my faith will stand
Your grace abounds in deepest waters
Your sovereign hand will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You've never failed and You won't start now
Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior
And I will call upon Your Name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine
Caution: This link may contain ads
As followers of Jesus Christ, when our lives are surrendered to the Lord Jesus, committed to doing his will, and we are being led by the Holy Spirit in where to go and in what to do and in what to say, for the glory of God, and for the salvation of souls, we are not going to be voted “most popular.” We are not going to have huge followings and people clamoring to have our attention, not usually, anyway. There may be exceptions. But the Scriptures teach that we will be hated and persecuted just as Jesus was treated.
So, it should not surprise us if we do not have a huge “fan club.” And it should not surprise us if we face a certain amount of opposition and people fighting against us and even falsely accusing us of what we did not do or say. That should be “par for the course” if we are out in the world sharing the message of the gospel that Jesus and his NT apostles taught, as taught in the appropriate context. Or it could be that we are just being ignored and cast aside as unwelcome and as unnecessary, and we are long forgotten.
Depending upon where we live in the world may depend upon the level of persecution and mistreatment that we might face for our walks of obedience to our Lord in surrender to his will and purpose for our lives. For in some countries in the world the Christians are being faced with the kinds of persecutions that Paul and Timothy and the other apostles experienced for their testimonies for Christ and for his gospel. Where I live, such physical persecution as mentioned here is not something that is predominant.
For Christianity in America is, generally speaking, fairly watered down to where it appears that not many are serving the Lord Jesus with the same kind of commitment and diligence that the apostles were in getting the truth of the gospel out to the people, in opposition to the lies which are spreading like wildfire. Christianity in America today is generally more in the category of the Laodicean church, which was neither on fire for the Lord nor completely opposed to Jesus Christ, but were lukewarm (halfhearted).
But that does not mean that American Christians are not being persecuted. Those who are committed to following the Lord in obedience, whose lives are surrendered to the will of God, and who are following him wherever he leads them day by day in sharing the truth of God’s word for the salvation of souls and for the spiritual strengthening of the body of Christ are being faced with opposition. For the majority seem to be following a cheapened and altered gospel message that makes no to little demands of its followers.
But the Scriptures teach a salvation from sin that involves the believer in Jesus dying with Christ to sin, and not just once, but daily, and walking in obedience to the Lord and to his commands, in practice, by the grace of God, and in the power and wisdom of God, as led by the Spirit. The Scriptures teach the life of a follower of Christ as one of surrender to the Lord to do his will and of submission to his Lordship over our lives. And we are to be spreading the message of the gospel to other people.
[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-21; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]
So, right now in America we may not all be experiencing the depth of persecution as what the NT apostles endured, but we should be experiencing, to some level, both honor and dishonor, and slander and praise. We should know what it is like to be treated as though we are impostors, being falsely accused of what we did not do or say, having our reputations smeared without evidence that the accusations against us are true or not, and having people screaming at us because we follow Christ.
But through it all, whatever opposition we might be facing, we must remain true to the Lord and to his word, and we must keep doing what the Lord has called us to do, no matter how much bigger the waves get against us. We must not retaliate against the opposition, but we can defend our own honor, as Jesus did, and as his NT apostles did. And we must forgive our persecutors and treat them with love and kindness. And then we just have to keep moving ahead, going where God sends us in doing what we are to do.
[Matthew 5:10-12; Matthew 10:16-39; Matthew 24:9-14; Luke 6:22-23; Luke 21:12-17; John 15:18-21; John 17:14; Rom 5:3-5; Phil 3:7-11; 1 Pet 1:6-7; 1 Pet 4:12-17; 2 Tim 3:12; 1 Thess 3:1-5; Jas 1:2-4; 2 Co 1:3-11; Heb 12:3-12; 1 Jn 3:13; Revelation 6:9-11; Revelation 7:9-17; Revelation 11:1-3; Revelation 12:17; Revelation 13:1-18; Revelation 14:1-13]
Oceans
Songwriters: Joel Houston / Matt Crocker / Salomon Lighthelm
You call me out upon the waters
The great unknown where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep my faith will stand
Your grace abounds in deepest waters
Your sovereign hand will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You've never failed and You won't start now
Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior
And I will call upon Your Name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine
Caution: This link may contain ads
