“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:11, 12 )
Matthew 5:11-12 is in direct correlation w/ Matthew 10:32-33..." Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in Heaven- But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in Heaven".
Jesus is telling His Disciples that following Him is going to lead to criticism, injustice, and possibly even attack by the world- He is saying that following Him is going to cause some to ridicule the believer, and as a result, many may fall away from his Faith- But, those that endure and rely on Jesus to bring them through the periods in which they face scrutiny will be rewarded, because they were willing to stand strong in the Faith w/o wavering from it- This epitomizes what true Faith should be structured on- Verse 12 says that enduring these times of persecution and ridicule will provide the Ultimate Reward....Praise from the Father Himself, Praise from the Son, and the accumulation of Rewards and Crowns that will be returned at the Feet of God's Throne in Eternal Praise- Enduring short lived ridicule on earth leads to Eternal Praise and Glory in Heaven. --John Cochran
2 comments:
This kind of following is hard for us to understand. Ray Vander Laan has a teaching called "In the Dust of the Rabbi" where he makes a distinction of what it means to be a disciple... the Greek word is Talmid... not just following Jesus, but becoming like Him. I am challenged this morning, because I realize that people may insult me or say mean things... but is it because I am following Jesus, or merely just being Angie brushing up against and living within a sinful world. I am not sure when the last time was that I had to take a stand (or chose to take a stand) as a Talmid of Jesus, and it cost me. Not like my brothers and sisters in other countries... and yet we cannot choose the country in which we are born... may God show us today how to enter into this truth... and to find ways to stand in "followership" in such an authentic way... Lord, make us willing.
http://followtherabbi.com/guide/detail/dust-of-the-rabbi
I really feel that if the church took this beatitude to heart, it would be living into its true calling. But most churches, and the individuals in them, are content with the status quo, the ways of the world. In fact, there is great worldly reward for sticking to the status quo. I believe that disciples of Jesus are not doing it right if they are not getting a lot of persecution form the world. True discipleship is SUPPOSED to cause controversy.
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