Thursday, April 16,
2015, 6:30 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “Open My Heart.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Acts 9:1-19 (ESV).
Christian Persecution
But
Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord,
went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at
Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might
bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he went on his way, he approached
Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the
ground he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting
me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are
persecuting.”
Saul/Paul was persecuting Christians, i.e. those who had
believed in Jesus Christ for their salvation, who had died with Christ to sin,
and who had been resurrected with Christ to new lives in Christ Jesus, “created
to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (See Eph. 4:17-24; Ro. 6-8).
Because Paul was persecuting Christ’s servants and messengers, according to
Jesus, he was persecuting Christ, for we, his followers, are his body.
In our world today there has been a massive increase, I
believe, in the persecution of Christians around the world by those who would
benefit from our destruction, removal and/or our demise. So, who gains? Well,
we read in Revelation about the dragon pursuing Christ’s followers, i.e. “those
who keep the commandments of God and who hold to the testimony of Jesus” (See
Rev. 12:17). So, Satan is at the core of this persecution. He is still hoping
to destroy Jesus Christ and his gospel of salvation, because they stand against
(oppose) Satan and his kingdom work. And, under the authority of the dragon
(Satan) is the beast (See Rev. 13), which I believe is a conglomerate of various
governments, world leaders, and the wealthy, elite and powerful of this world,
etc., i.e. the New World Order. Included in this New World Order are the
Trilateral Commission, the United Nations, the Council on Foreign Relations and
the Bilderberg group, etc., which includes the USA.
So, this New World Order “Beast” is presently in the process
of conquering nations and peoples and in bringing the world’s governments
underneath a one world global rule. And, the USA is a big part of the “police
force” of this N.W.O. We can’t trust anything any of our leaders tell us, and
we especially cannot trust the news media. Anything can be faked these days,
and much is. Lies and deception abound. ISIS is a creation of the N.W.O./USA.
Our government in Washington, D.C. is party to the destruction of nations/peoples
and the persecution and murdering of Christians throughout the world. Follow
the money. Google all this while information is still available. Such
information is becoming scarcer. First we knock the squirrels out of the tree,
and then we go into save them, but we don’t really save them. Our (US) government
is party to many “false flag” operations for the purpose of going in to other
nations and conquering them in order to bring them under the N.W.O. “Beast.”
Yet, this persecution of Christ’s followers is not just from
outside the church, but it is also from within the church, i.e. there are many
false shepherds of the people who have come into the church by “another way” (See
John 10), who have brought a false gospel into the church in order to destroy
the church and the true gospel of our salvation from within. Because of that,
those who “keep the commandments of God and who hold to the testimony of Jesus”
are being persecuted within the institutional church, as well, while the church
is being led astray by these “wolves in sheep’s clothing” who dilute the gospel
to make it more acceptable and appealing to the world, and who have turned the
church into a marketplace.
Eyes Opened
But
rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” The men who
were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one.
Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing.
So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And for three days
he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
There are many today who are guilty of persecuting Christ
Jesus via the persecution of his followers (servants and messengers), via the
diluting of his gospel in order to make it more palatable to the world, and via
turning the church into a marketplace. In the church, they are pastors, elders,
deacons, Sunday school teachers and/or small group leaders, youth and children’s
leaders, and committee members, et al. They are also church members who think
salvation is merely an escape from hell and a ticket into heaven, but is a free
license for them to live however they want, claiming God’s grace covers it all.
In the world and in the church they are those who find fault with the beliefs
of Christians and who mock them, and who tag them as intolerant, bigoted,
hatemongers, disunifiers, and troublemakers who need to butt out of other
people’s lives and stop inserting themselves into the lives of others.
I believe God is calling out to them to stop their
persecuting, too, and to get up and follow Jesus Christ instead. They have eyes
to see but do not see, and ears to hear, but do not hear, and God wants to open
their blinded eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power
of Satan to God, so that they can receive forgiveness of sins and a place among
those who are sanctified by faith in Jesus Christ (See Ac. 26:16-18). Because
of God’s grace and mercy, even the worst of sinners, as Paul often referred to
himself – a reference I believe to when he was persecuting Christians – can be
saved and can be transformed into mighty servants of the Most High God in
leading others to salvation.
A Chosen Instrument
Now
there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a
vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” And the Lord said to him,
“Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for
a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a
vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might
regain his sight.” But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about
this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. And here he
has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” But
the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my
name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show
him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” So Ananias departed and
entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord
Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you
may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And immediately
something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he
rose and was baptized; and taking food, he was strengthened.
Now Saul/Paul was a chosen instrument of God/Jesus to carry Jesus’
name to the Gentiles, to kings, and to the children of Israel (the Jewish
nation). This is one of the most awesome aspects of God’s saving grace, I
believe, which is to change our hearts and lives away from sin to God and to
living and walking in his righteousness and holiness, and in making us into his
servants and witnesses to spread the message of salvation to the world around
us, no matter what we did before then.
It is so encouraging to me, as well, and gives me much hope
that our Lord can transform the lives of even our persecutors and can turn them
around to be the Lord’s servants, too. Yet that also means they will then
become recipients of the very persecution they once dealt out to us, but God
will strengthen them through that in order to give them the determination,
perseverance and the courage to remain faithful to their Lord and to continue
on in doing what he commands them no matter how bad things get.
In this passage of scripture I see such a message of hope,
don’t you? We serve an awesome God who loved us so much that he sent his Son
Jesus Christ to die for our sins so that we could be set free from the control
of sin over our lives and so we could now walk according to the Spirit and no
longer according to the flesh. It doesn’t matter where we have come from or how
many bad things we did, because we are not saved because of our goodness, but because
of God’s love and grace to us.
I also see an encouragement here to those who are suffering
at the hands of those who would oppress them, no matter how little or how
severe that persecution may be, for it still hurts. I see that God is
absolutely in control of all aspects of our lives, and that he will accomplish
his purposes through it all. We just have to trust him and believe that God
will use even the hardest times in our lives for our good and for the good of
others, that they may, too, come to know him as Lord and as Savior of their
lives. Glory to God!
Open
My Heart / An Original Work / July 2, 2013
“Be
wise about what is good and innocent about what is evil”
(Rm.
16:19b).
Open my heart. Let Your truth in.
Make of me a servant, pure within;
Sing of Your praise all of my days.
Let Your Spirit transform all my ways.
Jesus Christ died on a cross to
Save me from my sin.
“Repent of sin. Be cleansed within.
Obey all of His commands today.”
“Why do you doubt? Why do you fear?
Jesus Christ will wipe away your tears.
He cares for you. He feels your pain.
Die to sin, and life with Him you’ll gain.
Follow Him where’er He leads you.
Talk with Him each day.
Then you will know what He has planned
For your life before your world began.”
“Come unto Me, weary in heart.
Let My love and grace to you impart.
Believe in Me. Trust in My care.
Take your burdens to the Lord in prayer.
He will meet all of your needs,
And give you peace within.
Rejoice in Him! Tell of His love.
He will give you comfort from above.”
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