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......In Christ Jesus we are given great and precious promises. The bible also reveals to us that God has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness thru Jesus Christ. Thru Jesus Christ and His power we are redeemed, we are saved from hell and from the wrath to come. In these truth we rejoice and in these truths we press on in faith.
......Yet right now the Lord wants me to make emphasis on some other very important truths that His Spirit says to many are wanting to side step or ignore all together. We as believers who believe and belong to Christ, truly we have incredible promises to rejoice over and praise God about, but at the same time we must remember that we are not promised by Jesus nor by the Father that we shall suffer NO TROUBLES, NOR ANY PERSECUTION. To believe we should not suffer troubles nor persecutions is to believe a lie. That is a deception. Paul wrote, those that live for the Lord in godliness SHALL SUFFER PERSECUTION.
.......We are not saved from persecution, persecution comes with the calling of being a christian and living for Jesus in what we say and do.
........Recall with me the day that Jesus appeared to Saul of Tarsus who was on his way to persecute Christians. The bible says Jesus appeared unto Saul who later was renamed by Jesus Paul the Apostle; And Jesus said to Paul, I have appeared unto you in this manner to wake you up, to open your eyes, to convert you, to make you My minister to the gentiles and to show you HOW MANY THINGS YOU WILL SUFFER for My Name Sake. (Acts 9:1-16). Jesus did not tell Paul how rich and famous he was going to make him on earth, but how much his calling was going to bring persecution into his life.(Now Jesus can do that if He chooses to make a man rich on earth for HIS PURPOSE. We know this because He did so with Solomon and the Solomon Blessing in the old Covenant to bless and to build that glorious Temple for the Lord. It is as the Lord wills.) But to Paul Jesus told him he would learn much, see much, be revealed much and suffer MANY THINGS for Christ Name Sake. Jesus loved Paul enough to prepare Paul for the things ahead that would be coming into his life as a Christian in those birthing the church days.
......... Paul did suffer those many things, but he found great joy rose in his heart and soul for doing so. It is not all dread, dry, and dead serving Christ faithfully, but even in the darkest of days light rises and dawns, and in the days of persecution for His Name Sake, a special grace is imparted to the soul and a joy comes into us like a river of of Christ oil of gladness. Even a special Presence of the Lord is known to be granted and manifested in many in that same hour. Stephen as he was being stoned to death, Jesus opened his eyes and Stephen SAW JESUS in glory standing at the right hand of God giving Steven a standing ovation. Stephen testified to the Vision to those stoning him and then he left his body excited to go be with Jesus in the paradise of God.(Acts 7 entire chapter).
........Even to the 12 first disciples, Jesus after telling them of great blessings that can come from forsaking this world and following Christ faithfully, after mentioning to them THE BLESSINGS, he loved them enough to tell them ALL THE TRUTH not just partial truth, (truth taught that way is incomplete doctrine).. He ended the BLESSING TEACHINGS saying these conjoining words, These blessings are promised and will come to those who forsake all to follow and obey Me, but they also come WITH PERSECUTIONS (Mark 10:28-30)...So marvel not if the world hates you (John 15:18-21).
.........I wished we could all bank on NO PERSECUTION, NO TRIALS, NO TROUBLES, NO AFFLICTIONS, NO FRICTIONS AT ALL for obeying Jesus and for following Him in this world, but such would be delusional faith and not full and correct doctrine.....Nonetheless God can make such grace abound unto us that even when we do suffer for Christ Name and Truth Sake, we can do so with a heart full of joy the Holy Spirit imparts (Acts 5:40-42).
.......So count it ALL JOY when you fall into diverse testing and trials (James 1:2)...Peter who was often persecuted for Christ sake learned from Jesus that he was suffering his persecutions and beatings because the Spirit of Jesus was in him and the Spirit of glory RESTED UPON HIM. Those things were not coming upon him because his cup was empty of the Spirit of the Lord but because the opposite was the truth. His Cup was full of the Spirit of the Lord. That's why the wolves of this present blinded world came after him...They saw in Peter Christ GREAT LIGHT...... (1 Peter 4:12-16).......deno.....share freely.
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