James 5:1-6, Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.
Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.
Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.
Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.
When people say that the Bible was written for social control several things are happening--
- they are parroting back what some fool told them.
- they are looking for a way to rationalize the word of God out of their lives so they won't feel responsible to live by it.
- they unsuccessfully attempt to minimize and explain away the power of the most influential book the world will ever know. The Bible has had such a tremendous impact on civilization that they cannot ignore it, so they come up with tales to discount it.
Their willing ignorance of the Bible will not make them safe. They will be cast into the lake of fire if they die without heeding the Bible. Jesus said that every one of us will be judged by the Bible--
He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. John 12:48
The Bible has survived assaults, attacks, murders, imprisionments, tortures, burnings & prohibitions, mockings and anything else man can come up with. This is no surprise because Jesus said,
"Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." Matthew 24:35
Let's think this through.
The world says that the Bible provides social control of the masses. To a certain extent this is true because those who will live by God's commandments are model citizens--although this is not the context in which the world means it. The world thinks that when the Christian does not fight back against oppressors/persecutors that it is a sign of weakness. But is it really? Is our patience in tribulation really a weakness? Nay, my brothers and sisters in Christ. Our patience is strength because when we are weak Jesus is strong.
And he [Jesus] said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2 Corinthians 12:9
If we spent our time taking vengeance on the wicked, we'd have no time to serve the Lord Jesus. Let the Lord take care of your persecutors. If you become consumed with the deeds perpetrated against you, you will only hurt yourself with bitterness. Let the wicked occupy themselves with their own wickedness, you just serve the Lord. He is your defender.
Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I WILL REPAY, saith the Lord. Romans 12:19You better believe that He will!
Don't you worry, dear Christian soldier.
On the one hand we are condemned by a world that hates our God, but on the other hand we are loved and adored by the Lord Jesus Christ. If the world hate you, it is just a sign that you belong to Jesus--
Galatians 6:14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.James 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
1 John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
The world HATED Jesus. The world KILLED Jesus. But let me tell you one thing, it did not end there. Jesus Christ rose from the dead with all power and glory and might. He set this wicked world on fire with a flame that cannot be quenched. He exposed us for who we really are--reprobates who have transgressed His holy commandments--YET He did not leave us without hope--He shed His blood and died for our sins so that we could live. Those of us who repent of our sins and turn to Jesus Christ are rewarded beyond measure. The stiffnecked, puffed up, prideful folks that choose a religion of their own convenience will also be rewarded--with hell and the lake of fire. The truth is made known, they've looked upon it and rejected it.
Jesus said that because the world hated Him, it would hate His followers.
Matthew 10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
10:22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
10:24 The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. 10:25 It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?
10:26 Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.
10:27 What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.
10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
10:29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
10:30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
10:31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.
10:34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
When the children of the devil mock us, their mockings are only one more sign that they hate God and belong to the devil. People oftentimes write to me here at jesus-is-lord with utter contempt or ridicule. Everytime they do it, it is just another sign that they are a child of hell. If they truly believe that Christians believe fairy tales, then there is no reason to get mad at us or our beliefs. But alas, this is not the case. We testify of their deeds and they don't want to hear the truth. They are like cockroaches that hate light. The deeds they do are done in the dark. They scream and holler and lie on us, but the truth still stands. Dear Christian reader, don't take their hot air personally. They don't even know you, but they've known of and rejected your God. When they lash out at you, they are actually lashing out against the Creator of the universe. When Saul was persecuting Christians, Jesus said,
Acts 9:4 ..."Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?"
When Christians are persecuted, Jesus takes it PERSONALLY. If you are a scoffer this should terrify you. If it doesn't scare you right now, believe me, it will. You've got an Appointment coming that you will keep. Oh, yes. We Christians have been fed to lions, we've been burned at the stake, we've been ridiculed,
- ...others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:
- And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings,
- yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:
- They were stoned,
- they were sawn asunder,
- were tempted,
- were slain with the sword:
- they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins;
- being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:)
- they wandered in deserts, and in
mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
Hebrews 11:35-38
Yea, the children of the devil have had their way with us but even so, we have been filled with a joy that they will never have. As David said in Psalm 23:4-6
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
I am full, I have joy even in the midst of a people wicked and perverse. Jesus lives way down in the inner depths of my soul. He directs my feet, my hands, my mind. When I stumble, He gives me a hand up. The love of God is shed abroad in every aspect of my life. Not only did He wash me in His blood, but He keeps my feet on the paths of righteousness for His name's sake and I will glorify Jesus Christ forever for He is worthy. On the world's part, He is evil spoken of, but on my part He is glorified. Yes, sir. I'm thankful this morning for the word of God that makes it all so clear. That Book changed my whole life. Thank you, Jesus.
The more I am persecuted, the more I love Jesus and the bolder I get. I feel and see His power all over my life. What time I think I am afraid, I boldly speak my rallying cry from Proverbs 28:1,
The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.
Be of good cheer my Christian friends. Jesus Christ is the Lord and He has got your back. Don't worry about the ignorant utterings of the wicked. Shake the dust from off your feet and move on to folks that want to hear the good news.
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