John 15:18-27 (NLT)
18 “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. 19 The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. 20 Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you. 21 They will do all this to you because of me, for they have rejected the one who sent me. 22 They would not be guilty if I had not come and spoken to them. But now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Anyone who hates me also hates my Father. 24 If I hadn’t done such miraculous signs among them that no one else could do, they would not be guilty. But as it is, they have seen everything I did, yet they still hate me and my Father. 25 This fulfills what is written in their Scriptures: ‘They hated me without cause.’
26 “But I will send you the Advocate—the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me. 27 And you must also testify about me because you have been with me from the beginning of my ministry.”
As I read these verses, I thought of a man that I know here in the Czech Republic. He is a faithful follower of Christ and spends much of his time out in public sharing the word of God with strangers on the street. Often, he is ignored, but he has also faced assault and harassment. He has been yelled at, spit on and hit. He has never once responded in anger or retaliation. And he continues to evangelize on the street regularly. He is persecuted for the sake of Jesus.
Having spent most of my life living in a country that is accepting of Christianity and open to it, I’ve never experienced anything like this. Unlike many of my brothers and sisters around the world, I have never been jailed for my faith or beaten for my beliefs. I know much worse has happened to others.
The worst I’ve endured as a Christ follower is minor ridicule or the loss of a dating relationship. I am grateful for this.
As we see here, Jesus says we will be persecuted, as He was persecuted. He tells us that we must be ready for it, that we will be hated by the world because we are no longer of this world. He is honest – there is no sugar-coating what may happen to us as His followers. We will face judgement, condemnation, ridicule, violence and even death, just as He did.
Jesus suffered in horrific ways. He was humiliated, judged, abandoned by His followers and beaten. He had nails driven into His body and was left to suffer and die on a cross.
And He did it for us. For you and for me – so that we can be forgiven, so that we have a way to eternal life.
Then He conquered the grave. He rose again. He gave us life and truth.
So are you willing to be persecuted for Jesus?
Am I?
Yes, I am. I am willing to face persecution in the name of my Lord and Saviour. Because I am no longer of this world. I don’t belong here. My home is in heaven.
If we, as brothers and sisters in Christ, stand together in unity, in the face of persecution, with God on our side, nothing can stop us. I truly believe this.
Our song for today is You Never Let Go by Matt Redman.