Main Point and Overview:
Pressure is often the dividing line between a committed and a complacent Christian. No one truly looks to happily engage with pushback, but when it’s inevitable, the authentic disciple doesn’t run away from it! Jesus made it clear to his disciples that Christianity was NOT a movement of popularity but of purpose. Being a disciple was not going to give them a life of ease but a life of expectation. The Gospel divides. It demands selfless commitment that threatens the lifestyles of the majority of people. When it’s preached, it is convicting! Who wants to be convicted of their lifestyle of sin? Nobody. Therefore, when you decide to “take a stand” for Jesus, it normally involves a cost. Are you willing to be bold for Jesus? If you are, you can guarantee that persecution is going to come your way. Maybe it’s in the form of a friend’s rejection; maybe it’s in the form of a physical threat; maybe it’s in the form of a workplace injustice, but whatever it is, you can count on it coming! There are too many American churches that are filled with “prosperity-driven” disciples! In other words, what can God do to make my life easier. The fact is that the church was never meant to “coast through life unscathed from the culture!” We need churches filled with disciples who love one another and preach the truth no matter what the cost! Jesus made it clear that the evidence of his words and miracles were undeniable. Someday, those who have opposed him would stand before him guilty and condemned. In the meantime, they are going to wield their power to abuse Jesus’ disciples. Just as Jesus suffered, we must be willing to suffer for the Gospel’s sake which means that we must not be silent or stagnant in our testimony of the Christ! Remember the popular saying… “no pain, no gain!”
Pressure is often the dividing line between a committed and a complacent Christian. No one truly looks to happily engage with pushback, but when it’s inevitable, the authentic disciple doesn’t run away from it! Jesus made it clear to his disciples that Christianity was NOT a movement of popularity but of purpose. Being a disciple was not going to give them a life of ease but a life of expectation. The Gospel divides. It demands selfless commitment that threatens the lifestyles of the majority of people. When it’s preached, it is convicting! Who wants to be convicted of their lifestyle of sin? Nobody. Therefore, when you decide to “take a stand” for Jesus, it normally involves a cost. Are you willing to be bold for Jesus? If you are, you can guarantee that persecution is going to come your way. Maybe it’s in the form of a friend’s rejection; maybe it’s in the form of a physical threat; maybe it’s in the form of a workplace injustice, but whatever it is, you can count on it coming! There are too many American churches that are filled with “prosperity-driven” disciples! In other words, what can God do to make my life easier. The fact is that the church was never meant to “coast through life unscathed from the culture!” We need churches filled with disciples who love one another and preach the truth no matter what the cost! Jesus made it clear that the evidence of his words and miracles were undeniable. Someday, those who have opposed him would stand before him guilty and condemned. In the meantime, they are going to wield their power to abuse Jesus’ disciples. Just as Jesus suffered, we must be willing to suffer for the Gospel’s sake which means that we must not be silent or stagnant in our testimony of the Christ! Remember the popular saying… “no pain, no gain!”
Posted in Devotional