rjones
Member
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2007
- Messages
- 314
Persecution is inevitable. In fact, it is a promise from the Lord Jesus to all those who would follow Him (Mk. 10:30). We are at war with the powers of darkness (Eph. 6:12). Satan's dominion is in direct, violent opposition to the advance of the Kingdom of God (Mt. 11:12). If you are living in obedience to God, that opposition is sometimes going to touch your life (Lk. 12:49-53).
God Uses Persecution
"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed" (1Pe.1:6-7).
Persecution launches us into the same life as Jesus
"...and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me" (Phil. 3:9-12).
Persecution brings comfort to others by our experience
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer" (2 Cor.1:3-6).
Persecution encourages other believers to be courageous
"Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly" (Phil.1:12-14).
Persecution keeps us from becoming conceited
"To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Cor.12:7-10).
Persecution trains us in righteousness
"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees" (Heb.12:11-12).
Persecution teaches us obedience
"Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him" (Heb. 5:8-9).
How are we Victorious?
We are more than conquerors
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution?...No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us" (Rom. 8:35,37).
We have overcome the world
"...for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith" (1 Jn. 5:4).
We have a treasure in jars of clay
"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us" (2 Cor. 4:7).
We count ourselves dead
"Yet God forbid that I should boast about anything or anybody except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, which means that the world is a dead thing to me and I am a dead man to the world" (Gal. 6:14).
We experience the grace of God
"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness'" (2 Cor. 2:9-10).
We experience a supernatural joy
"The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name" (Acts 5:41).
God Uses Persecution
"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed" (1Pe.1:6-7).
Persecution launches us into the same life as Jesus
"...and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me" (Phil. 3:9-12).
Persecution brings comfort to others by our experience
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer" (2 Cor.1:3-6).
Persecution encourages other believers to be courageous
"Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly" (Phil.1:12-14).
Persecution keeps us from becoming conceited
"To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Cor.12:7-10).
Persecution trains us in righteousness
"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees" (Heb.12:11-12).
Persecution teaches us obedience
"Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him" (Heb. 5:8-9).
How are we Victorious?
We are more than conquerors
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution?...No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us" (Rom. 8:35,37).
We have overcome the world
"...for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith" (1 Jn. 5:4).
We have a treasure in jars of clay
"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us" (2 Cor. 4:7).
We count ourselves dead
"Yet God forbid that I should boast about anything or anybody except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, which means that the world is a dead thing to me and I am a dead man to the world" (Gal. 6:14).
We experience the grace of God
"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness'" (2 Cor. 2:9-10).
We experience a supernatural joy
"The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name" (Acts 5:41).
