Being Happy in an Unhappy Worldનમૂનો

How does the world receive us? One would think a world saturated with violence, hatred, and greed would be overjoyed to meet a bunch of merciful, meek, pure-hearted peacemakers. Not so!

Paul wrote, “Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12, NIV). Jesus didn’t predict persecution; He promised it: “‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you’” (John 15:20, NKJV).

When God gathers His children in Heaven, they will bear the marks of persecution. There will be the apostles who were beheaded, boiled in oil, and crucified upside down. There will be the believers who were set afire to light Nero’s gardens.

There will be the millions murdered by their communist captors for their testimony. Missionaries from around the globe who were slaughtered by those they were trying to win for Christ will walk on Heaven’s streets of gold. The history of the church is soaked with the blood of believers.

Millions around the world secretly receive Christian broadcasts, read banned Bibles, and illegally assemble to worship, hiding in basements, knowing if they are discovered, they will be imprisoned. To those valiant pastors seeking to pursue the call of God in hostile places and the courageous Christians living under constant threat of imprisonment and torture I say, “Please know we are praying for you. You are not forgotten.”

The Kingdom of light is led by God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit with a host of Heavenly angels. The kingdom of darkness is led by Satan and the demonic powers and principalities that obey his every command.

Paul alerted us to this fact, saying, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12, NIV).

Why do the righteous suffer persecution? Because goodness always provokes opposition from a fallen world. Consider Jesus. He was meek. He was merciful. He was loving. He was a peacemaker. He was without sin. Yet He was persecuted and then murdered.

What about you? If the world came to persecute Christians in your city, would there be enough evidence to prove you are one? What do you want your story to be?