Steven A. Bush - October 31, 2021
Persecution's Just A Stone's Throw Away
In Matthew 10:32-33, Jesus says: "So everyone who acknowledges Me before men, I also will acknowledge before My Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies Me before men, I also will deny before My Father who is in heaven." (ESV) The Word of God gives numerous accounts of persecution, the maltreatment endured by the children of God. Jesus not only promised it, the disciples experienced it, and so have Christ's followers down through the centuries. In Matthew 5:11-12, Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, our Lord declared: "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (NKJV) Many spout a false gospel that coaxes people to 'Just try Jesus and He'll make you healthy and wealthy and cause your wildest dreams to come true!' But Jesus always laid out the immense cost for following Him. The Apostle John even encountered the martyred saints in heaven, those who, "Loved not their lives even unto death." So when Jesus tells us to take up our crosses and follow Him, it behooves us to remember where He was headed with His. And likewise where so many of His followers were headed with their's...