Rejoicing in the Fire

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” MATTHEW 5:10-12

 

PONDER THIS

Persecution comes to those who live godly lives in Christ Jesus. This verse says, "Rejoice and be exceeding glad," as it speaks of persecution. That's incredible that God would put both joy and persecution in the same passage. Joy is the thermostat. Persecution is the thermometer. No matter what happens, the joy of the Lord is there to regulate conditions in your life.

The reason Christians are persecuted is that in a very real sense, they are divisive—they divide. They are different. To divide means to be different. Christians ought to stand out like diamonds in a coal mine or like gardenias in a garbage can. Christians are different because of Christ.

What are some ways you live differently because of your faith? What are some ways living like Christ has been costly?

What makes you afraid of persecution? How does this passage speak to your fears?

PRACTICE THIS

Talk to a Christian who stands out by living differently for Christ and ask how the Lord has helped in this.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Do You Have Any Scars?

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

MATTHEW 5:10-12

 

PONDER THIS

The word “rejoice” in this passage includes the idea of leaping and dancing. It invites us out of a pity party to remember the company we resemble. Verse 12 says, “so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

When I get to Heaven if I meet the Apostle Paul, and he asks, “Adrian, where are your scars?” I don’t want to say, “Well I don’t have any. I tried my best not to get hurt.” I don’t want to be ashamed. I want to live like Jesus, who went ahead of us and showed us how to walk through these challenges.

In Acts 4, some of the disciples were being persecuted. They’d been put in prison. They’d been beaten. But they kept on preaching Jesus. You might as well tell the sun not to shine as to tell these men not to preach Jesus. They’d been persecuted, but they reacted in such a way that the people of the world said, “They are like the Lord Jesus Christ.”

How do you typically respond when faced with challenges? How do those things reflect on your relationship with Christ?

Who has shown you how to follow Christ in the challenges of life? What have you learned from their example?

PRACTICE THIS

Who have you learned from as they walked through challenges? Encourage them by telling them what you’ve learned from observing them.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

How to Respond to Persecution

PRAY OVER THIS

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:10

 

PONDER THIS

Christians are different. Christians should stand out like a diamond in a coal mine—like a gardenia in a garbage can. We’re alive in the spirit. The world is dead in sin. We live by faith; they walk by sight. Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13), and “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). Salt irritates when poured into a wound, and light reveals. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is an irritant to the wounds of this world and the Gospel of Jesus Christ reveals the darkness of this world.

So, what do you do when you face persecution and opposition? “Bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:44-45). You’re the King’s kids! You act and respond like your Father in Heaven. Don’t get even. Return good for evil.

How do you naturally respond when you face opposition from someone?

Why is it important to remember the kingdom we belong to?

PRACTICE THIS

Talk to someone you know who you’ve seen show love to his or her enemies. Ask for insights on how to grow in this way.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Are You Facing Persecution?

PRAY OVER THIS

“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.”

Matthew 5:11

 

PONDER THIS

When I was in college, I had a job as a construction worker—I was a carpenter’s helper. The people I worked with asked me, “What are you going to do, son?” And I said, “God’s called me to preach.” Well, I got it in the neck from that time on—all the preacher jokes, all the dirty language, and so forth. And then one man called me aside, and he looked at me seriously. He said, “Young man, if you’re going to be a preacher, let me tell you how to be a good one. I know a preacher. Everybody loves him. He never talks about politics or religion. If you’ll just be a preacher that never talks about politics and religion, you can be loved.”

Now if you’re a Christian, there is a way you can escape persecution—just fail to be salt and light, just compromise. Rub shoulders with this old world. You won’t get any persecution. Let me tell you something: in the Christian life, joy is the thermostat. You can set the thermostat and decide that you’re going to live with joy because joy is internal, and it doesn’t depend upon circumstances. But if joy is the thermostat, persecution is the thermometer. It shows whether you are living for the Lord Jesus Christ.

How have you seen the truth that joy is the thermostat and persecution is the thermometer of Christian living?

Where have you faced opposition as you’ve lived for Jesus? If you’ve never faced this, what might this imply about the way you are living?

PRACTICE THIS

Ask a trusted friend this week for an honest assessment of how much your life points to Jesus regularly.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Christians Are Promised Persecution

PRAY OVER THIS

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.”

Matthew 24:9

 

PONDER THIS

Did you know this world has room for almost every religion except that of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? Our persecution is going to center in the name of Jesus. The world does not mind religion, but it resents Jesus. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). It is estimated that 360 million Christians live in countries where persecution is significant. Every year tens of thousands are kidnapped, detained, or imprisoned. Every year, thousands of Christians are murdered, and thousands of churches are destroyed*. And if you are paying attention at all, you know that Christian bashing is a favorite sport now for many forms of media.

How does it make you feel to be reminded that Jesus has promised His people would be persecuted for following Him faithfully?

Why is it worth facing this harsh reality?

*Statistics from Open Doors USA

PRACTICE THIS

Spend time today reading about a few well-known Christian martyrs. Pray for Christians facing significant persecution and for your own faithfulness to Christ, no matter what you face.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

A muddy boot brought him to Jesus

BIBLE MEDITATION

“To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either” Luke 6:29

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT

Someone asked an army officer, “Why are you a Christian?” He said, “One day we went out on a march. We slugged through the mud all day long. Our boots were dirty and our clothes were heavy. When we came into the barracks, we were cross and irritable.”

“There was a young man who had already come in, cleaned up, and was kneeling down by his bed saying his prayers. I became so irritated I took one of my muddy boots and hit him in the head with it. The young man paused for a moment and then continued praying. But when I awoke the next morning, my boots were polished and set by my bed by that young man. That’s what brought me to Christ.”

ACTION POINT

When God’s people suffer persecution for their faith, the world begins to look at us. We may not want it. We may not ask for it. Certainly, I’m not asking for it. From the human viewpoint, it is misery. From the Satanic viewpoint, it is mystery. But from the divine viewpoint, it is ministry. Don’t wait until persecution comes. Make your decision that if you are called upon, you will suffer for Christ.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

The Hour of Unusual Threat

If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. (1 Peter 4:14)

Many Christians in the world today do not know the life-threatening danger that comes with believing in Christ. We have gotten used to being free from such persecution. It seems like the way things must be.

So, our first reaction to the threat that things might be otherwise is often anger. But that anger may be a sign that we have lost our sense of being sojourners and exiles (“Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles . . .” 1 Peter 2:11).

Perhaps we have settled too much into this world. We don’t feel as homesick for Christ as Paul did: “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20).

Many of us need the reminder, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you” (1 Peter 4:12). It isn’t strange.

Have you ever wondered how you will do in the hour of final trial? The gunman has you in his sights and asks, “Are you a Christian?” Here is a strong word to give you hope that you may do better than you think.

Peter says, “If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you” (1 Peter 4:14). This encouragement from Peter says that in the hour of unusual threat (whether insult or death) there will be “a Spirit of glory and of God resting on us.” Doesn’t that mean that God gives special help in the hour of crisis to those who suffer because they are Christians?

I don’t mean he is absent from our other sufferings. I just mean that Peter went out of his way to say that those who suffer “for the name of Christ” will experience a special “resting” on them of “the Spirit of glory and of God.”

Pray that this would be your experience when the trial comes. There will be resources of endurance in that moment that we do not have any other time. Take heart.

John Piper 

Find strength if you’re being persecuted

BIBLE MEDITATION:

For whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and of My words, of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when He shall come in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels. Luke 9:26

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

How much have you suffered because you’ve said something positive about Jesus? Have you refused to budge on an issue that would dishonor His name?

2 Timothy 3:12 says, “All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” Not “may,” but “shall.”

There’s no escaping persecution for true Christians. We will be persecuted when we endeavor to “live godly in Christ Jesus.” On the other hand, if you’re not being persecuted, don’t say you must be doing a wonderful job. Very frankly, you’re doing a poor job. Let me ask you: If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? Regrettably, most people would have to say no.

ACTION POINT:

Get out of your comfort zone today. Witness to your neighbor; take a homeless person to lunch; take a walk in the park and tell someone that Jesus loves them. Check into a short-term mission trip; start a Bible Study. Step out of your cocoon.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Living the Beatitudes Brings Persecution

BIBLE MEDITATION:

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Matthew 5:10

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Before you can really understand what Matthew 5:10 means, you have to understand and be living the rest of the Beatitudes.

If you are living a life that is poor in spirit, that mourns over your sin, that lives meekly through His strength, that hungers and thirsts after righteousness, that is merciful, pure in heart, and making peace…then you will be exceedingly glad for the persecution that comes your way.

You see, the world is going in the opposite direction and they are trying to push you into their mold. Yet you are a twice-born person among once-born people, and you are going to go against the tide.

ACTION POINT:

It costs to serve Jesus Christ—every day and every step. But you are blessed! When was the last time you took some flak for Jesus? If you are experiencing persecution, remember Jesus said, “Great is your reward in heaven.”

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Do you hear hammers and chisels?

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the husbandman. Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit He taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.” John 15:1-2

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

When Solomon built his temple, he employed eighty thousand stonecutters. They chipped and shaped those stones—but not at the temple site. They did that work way out in the stone quarry before bringing them to the temple mount. Why? Because Solomon didn’t want the sound of the hammers and chisels heard on the temple mount.

In the same way, you are part of the living stones of His temple and God is shaping you here—in the “quarry” of this earth.

Part of your shaping takes the form of persecution. So be prepared for that. Don’t see your persecutors as enemies, but as God’s stonecutters at work.

ACTION POINT:

Next time someone reviles you, say “Thank God, another stonecutter.” God is shaping you to be what you ought to be.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Out of Our Comfort Zone

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“For whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and of My words, of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when He shall come in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels.” Luke 9:26

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

How much have you suffered because you have named the name of Jesus? Have you refused to budge on an issue that would dishonor His name? Second Timothy 3:12 says, “All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”

There’s no escaping persecution for true Christians. We will be persecuted when  we endeavor to “live godly in Christ Jesus.” Now, on the other hand, if you’re not being persecuted, don’t say you must be doing a wonderful job. Very frankly, you’re doing a poor job. Let me ask you: If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? Regrettably, most people would have to say no.

ACTION POINT:

Get out of your comfort zone today. Check into a short-term mission trip; start a Bible Study; witness to your neighbor; take a homeless person to lunch; take a walk in the park and tell someone that Jesus loves them.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Blessed When Persecuted?

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:10

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Before you can really understand what Matthew 5:10 means, you have to understand and be living the rest of the Beatitudes.

If you are living a life that is poor in spirit, that mourns over your sin, that lives meekly through His strength, that hungers and thirsts after righteousness, that is merciful, pure in heart, and making peace…then you will be exceedingly glad for the persecution that comes your way.

You see, the world is going in the opposite direction and they are trying to push you into their mold. Yet you are a twice-born man among once-born people, and you are going to go against the tide.

ACTION POINT:

It costs to serve Jesus Christ—every day and every step. But you are blessed! When was the last time you took some flack for Jesus? Great is your reward in heaven.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Out of Our Comfort Zone

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“For whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and of My words, of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when He shall come in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels.” Luke 9:26

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

How much have you suffered because you have named the name of Jesus? Have you refused to budge on an issue that would dishonor His name? Second Timothy 3:12 says, “All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”There’s no escaping persecution for true Christians. We will be persecuted when we endeavor to “live godly in Christ Jesus.” 

Now, on the other hand, if you’re not being persecuted, don’t say you must be doing a wonderful job. Very frankly, you’re doing a poor job. Let me ask you: If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? Regrettably, most people would have to say no. 

ACTION POINT:

Get out of your comfort zone today. Check into a short-term mission trip; start a Bible Study; witness to your neighbor; take a homeless person to lunch; take a walk in the park and tell someone that Jesus loves them.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Hammers and Chisels at Work

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the Husbandman. Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit He taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.” John 15:1-2

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

When Solomon built his temple, he employed eighty thousand stonecutters. They chipped and shaped those stones in the quarry before bringing them to the temple mount. Why? Because Solomon didn’t want the sound of the hammers and chisels heard on the temple mount.

In the same way, you are part of the living stones of His temple and God is shaping you here in the “quarry” of earth. Part of your shaping is in the form of persecution. So don’t look at your persecutors as enemies, but as God’s stonecutters. 

ACTION POINT:

Next time someone reviles you, say “Thank God, another stonecutter.” God is shaping you to be what you ought to be.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers