In All Our Persecutions

“We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring.

“This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 

“They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 1:3-12 ESV)

This is written to the faithful in Christ Jesus whose faith in the Lord Jesus is growing abundantly in love and in service to the Lord. Yet the faith to believe in Jesus Christ comes from God, is authored and perfected by Jesus Christ, is gifted to us by God, and is persuaded of God, so it will align with God’s will and purpose for our lives. And this faith is not of our own doing – not of the will nor of the flesh of humankind. So we don’t get to choose what that faith looks like. God does, and his word tells us what that faith looks like.

Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and to self) and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to our old lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if for Jesus’ sake we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow him in obedience to his commands (New Covenant), then we have eternal life in him. For he also said that not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING the will of God the Father in heaven.

For Jesus died on that cross that we might die to sin and live to righteousness, and that we might live for him and no longer for self. He shed his blood for us to buy us back for God (to redeem us) out of our slavery to sin so that we will now honor God with our bodies (with our lives). And because he died we are to be crucified with him in death to sin. And because he was raised from the dead, we are to be raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin but as slaves to God.

And the love that we are to have for God and for one another is not human love, although that might be part of it, but it is agape love which comes from God and which prefers what God prefers, all of which is moral, upright, godly, righteous, just, honest, faithful, and obedient to the Lord and to his commandments. So when we love one another with this love we are going to care for one another and do for one another what is honest and morally pure and upright and godly and what is for our good, as God defines good.

[Hebrews 12:1-2; Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23; 1 Peter 2:24; 2 Corinthians 5:15,21; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Ephesians 4:17-24; Titus 2:11-14; Matthew 22:34-40; John 14:15-24; John 15:10; 1 John 5:2-3]

But when we love God and our fellow humans with this kind of love, and when we have the faith in our Lord which comes from God and which results in walks of obedience to his commands, in holy living, and so we are sharing the true message of the gospel of Christ with the people of the world, and so we are also refuting the lies of the enemy which are coming against the truth, then like Jesus told us, we will be hated, rejected, cast aside as unwanted, and persecuted and mistreated for righteousness’ sake.

Yet when we live this way, in the power of God, by the grace of God, we will be counted worthy of (suitable, fitting, appropriate, proper to) the kingdom of God, for which we are suffering. For we who believe in Jesus are called, not only to live for our Lord and for his purposes, but we are called to suffer for the sake of righteousness because we are following our Lord in obedience, and because we are not living like the world, and so those who are living worldly lives will not accept us for who we are in Christ Jesus.

But one day Jesus Christ is going to return for his faithful ones, for those of us who have remained true to his word, and who have followed him in obedience, and who are living holy lives, pleasing to him, and who are no longer walking in sin. And he is going to cast judgment on all who did not obey him but who decided to go their own way, instead, and who persecuted his righteous ones. So the encouragement here is to be one who follows the Lord in obedience so that you have the hope of eternal life with God.

[Matt 5:10-12; Matt 10:16-25; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 6:22-23; Lu 21:12-19; Jn 15:1-21; Jn 16:33; Jn 17:14; Ac 14:22; 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; Rev 6:9-11; Rev 7:9-17; Rev 11:1-3; Rev 12:17; Rev 13:1-18; Rev 14:1-13; Rom 2:6-8; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 5:3-6]

All Through the Night  

An Original Work / December 7, 2013

Based off Various Scriptures

Blessed are you when you’re persecuted

Because of your faith in Jesus Christ.

Blessed are you when people insult you,

And falsely say what leads folks to doubt.

Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is

Great in the heavens. You’re not alone.

When you are persecuted in one place,

Flee to another. God will be there.

You will be hated by all the nations

Because you testify of God’s grace.

Many will seize you and persecute you,

And put to death the foll’wers of Christ.

Yet do not fear what humans may do to you,

For I’m with you all through the night.

I tell you, love your enemies with my love,

And forgive as I forgave you.

Pray for those who do evil against you.

Rest in my love and grace from above. 

https://vimeo.com/379481617