Blessed To Be Counted Among The Persecuted ( Matthew 5:11 )

Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Matthew 5:11

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This text I do believe is familiar as it comes out of the beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount. This of course being Jesus first sermon in His ministry. As we know the word beatitude means blessed. As I've shared before with another verse(Psalm 94:12 ) I don't think you will see this one in any shape, form or fashion in Christian bookstores or on any Christian websites. Strange isn't it? The reason I say this is that as much as we know about persecution and it is talked about and is guaranteed for ALL who live godly in Christ Jesus( 2 Timothy 3:12 ).Then why does seem to be let us talk about it,but scared to really extend it past that approach. This isn't me being "over spiritual" or going fundamental, I'm just being biblical. The problem is today people want to hear we are blessed to get sleep, we are blessed to see another day, or this and that and yes those are true. What we must also see is the blessing in this is not that they are persecuting us. No the blessing is in being called His. Notice for whose sake it says, my sake and the my by the way is Jesus.

I truly believe in American Christianity we want to soak up on the good and don't want to have to endure the bad or let me put it this way, we don't want trials. Take a look at television evangelicals and I think you will see what I'm saying. Not to mention I see it on the Christian book websites and bookstores. We want to receive this and that. Friends,brethren I get sick of seeing so much prosperity and health gospel. What we need to get back to is being nourished by the Word of God, good sound biblical doctrine . What we need is more of those who live truly in such a way as the Apostle Peter declared in his epistle, rejoice as we are partaking in the suffering of Christ( 1 Peter 4:13 ). The Christian life is not meant nor did He(Christ) hint it to be easy.In fact He said quite the opposite, " Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. ( Matthew 7:14 ).

Now I'm not in anyway saying hey go out and look for trouble, but do not gripe when going through trials, but instead rejoice. You may say how can one rejoice in this. May we find it most encouraging that the Apostle Paul wrote his very upbeat and encouraging letter to the Christians at Philippi from prison. In fact its in that very letter the apostle writes rejoice in the Lord always( Philippians 4:4 ). So my brethren may we take a lesson and encouragement from the apostle and instead consider ourselves blessed. May we stop looking at why Lord am I going through this and instead say Lord use me for your glory and for your praise. May the focus come off us and may we affix our eyes to Him.

Consider this also my brethren that yes while we are persecuted think of what the Lord has so graciously spared us from. While we must endure much in this life we are spared from the second death. One thought I now have of persecution is I no longer take it personal. Let me expound upon that to some measure with a passage from the gospel of John, " If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me. ( John 15:18-21 ) " Like Jesus was explaining so clearly here the world hates them referring to his disciples and us today as well cause it hated Him first. This He follows up with persecution saying since they persecuted me so they will persecute you. Cause notice in between there in verse 20 it says that servant is not greater than his lord. Simply put we can not get a mind set thinking we are not going endure trials just because we are modern day Christians. Even worse when face trials we need not think we are cursed. This reminds me that just because I live in 2009 things really haven't changed much because there are those who still need to hear the gospel and just as the disciples suffered so shall I, so shall I and I will go wherever the Lord sends me and suffer whatever may be for the gospel.

Brethren I pray you find encouragement in this that when you are persecuted for His name sake you consider yourself blessed. Blessed not because of the persecution, but because He calls You His. Know that the World hates and persecutes you cause it did both to Him first. Take neither of these things personally,but instead rejoice in the partaking of the suffering of Christ.May we be as the early believers and meet persecutions with boldness. Why today have we strayed from this and instead squeeze under pressure? Do we count it a blessing to be persecuted? Instead of seeing it with such gloom consider what scripture does clearly indicate to us that He will never leave us nor forsake us ( Hebrews 13:5 ). May I leave you with these words from the Apostle Paul and I pray it encourages you:


" We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. So then death worketh in us, but life in you. "
( 2 Corinthians 4:8-12 )



Good night and God bless,
John W. Whybrew III <><