After the Superbowl this year there was a celebration in which during the presentation of the trophy no less than 3 of the winning participants acknowledged Christ as their personal savior.
It was a good moment. They gave Him the Glory.
Immediately thereafter the naysayers were out in full force.
One person even went so far as to suggest that God was so busy helping them win that He ignored the people who died in need, that He neglected the trials and troubles of the world so they could have a trophy.
This is the world we live in.
This is the persecution of Christians that will only get worse. Now it is in words and sarcasm, disbelief and ridicule.
Soon it will be overt. overly litigious and physical.
We are entering the period where Christian-phobia will be a sincere and honest thing.
We can not talk at work of Christ but protests on the job of our nation is allowed.
We can not carry bibles into school, yet they hand out free condoms.
We can not hold on to our beliefs if it goes against secular thought without a lawsuit, but they can force us to follow their views, their "freedoms" by law.
Luk_21:17 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.
Why? Why will it hate us? Why did it hate Him? It hated so much that they killed Him. We know they killed Him due to His plan, His reason. His Will.
But the hate they felt, why was it so? What caused their animus?
The truth. He told truth, He was Truth.
He was here to seek and to save that which was lost. However, the human condition is such that the ruling class, the religious class felt they were ok. They felt they had it all, the personal power and all the earthly pleasures they could handle.
Christ was upsetting that balance and making them understand that there was more than this world.
There was more than their authority. There is is Higher Authority who was not happy with them or their lack of understanding of Him.
Christ was pointing out that they had failed, they were inadequate, they were wrong. They killed Him for it.
We all know we hate being proven wrong, we hate when we are shown to be short of the standards. When our faults are pointed out we immediately go on the defensive, we immediately start rationalizing, justifying, or downplaying.
I ain't so bad, did you see what they did? I ain't so bad, at least I ain't like them.
Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. They hated Him for upending their ways. For disrupting their power. For questioning their "purity".
They will hate us as well. They do hate us. They will make sure we are silenced so they do not have to look into the deep, dark pit of their own souls.
Christ is the light into their depravity, their sin. As He is into our Sin, our Depravity.
They will hate Him. They will hate us.
So what do we do in response?
We speak the truth according to the Scriptures.
We spread the Truth, we stand firm in the faith, firm in our knowledge that To God Be the Glory.
We can do nothing in and of ourselves, but we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.
It was a good moment. They gave Him the Glory.
Immediately thereafter the naysayers were out in full force.
One person even went so far as to suggest that God was so busy helping them win that He ignored the people who died in need, that He neglected the trials and troubles of the world so they could have a trophy.
This is the world we live in.
This is the persecution of Christians that will only get worse. Now it is in words and sarcasm, disbelief and ridicule.
Soon it will be overt. overly litigious and physical.
We are entering the period where Christian-phobia will be a sincere and honest thing.
We can not talk at work of Christ but protests on the job of our nation is allowed.
We can not carry bibles into school, yet they hand out free condoms.
We can not hold on to our beliefs if it goes against secular thought without a lawsuit, but they can force us to follow their views, their "freedoms" by law.
Luk_21:17 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.
Why? Why will it hate us? Why did it hate Him? It hated so much that they killed Him. We know they killed Him due to His plan, His reason. His Will.
But the hate they felt, why was it so? What caused their animus?
The truth. He told truth, He was Truth.
He was here to seek and to save that which was lost. However, the human condition is such that the ruling class, the religious class felt they were ok. They felt they had it all, the personal power and all the earthly pleasures they could handle.
Christ was upsetting that balance and making them understand that there was more than this world.
There was more than their authority. There is is Higher Authority who was not happy with them or their lack of understanding of Him.
Christ was pointing out that they had failed, they were inadequate, they were wrong. They killed Him for it.
We all know we hate being proven wrong, we hate when we are shown to be short of the standards. When our faults are pointed out we immediately go on the defensive, we immediately start rationalizing, justifying, or downplaying.
I ain't so bad, did you see what they did? I ain't so bad, at least I ain't like them.
Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. They hated Him for upending their ways. For disrupting their power. For questioning their "purity".
They will hate us as well. They do hate us. They will make sure we are silenced so they do not have to look into the deep, dark pit of their own souls.
Christ is the light into their depravity, their sin. As He is into our Sin, our Depravity.
They will hate Him. They will hate us.
So what do we do in response?
We speak the truth according to the Scriptures.
We spread the Truth, we stand firm in the faith, firm in our knowledge that To God Be the Glory.
We can do nothing in and of ourselves, but we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.
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