Preacherman blogged a question about whether or not people have been persecuted for their faith. That raises questions for me. My questions are: If we aren't being criticized or persecuted, is that indicative of a problem with our faith? Scritpure says we WILL be persecuted if we follow Jesus. If we aren't being persecuted, should we be? Should we be worried if we aren't being persecuted?
My brother has been quoted as saying,"If someone isn't hacked off at you, you are irrelevant." There might be some truth to that. Persecution may be an indication of our relevancy. We have to make sure we are being persecuted for following Jesus, not for following religious dogma. Being persecuted for spewing religious nonsense is lame...its like being rejected for cramming religious indoctrination down an unwilling throat...that is not the persecution God is wanting for us to go through. You deserve the harshest of persecution for that...all for nothing. Fake faith deserves the harshest of criticism, rejection and persecution.
I think if we live radical love, sacrifice and devotion to Jesus (not our religious denomination) we WILL be rejected...criticized...persecuted for following Jesus. Pure faith will draw the arrows of persecution and criticism....It puts a target on your back. That kind of behavior makes sinners and the religious establishment take notice and be convicted in their own heart. They will hate you for that.
This brings up the 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 theory. You want 1/3 of the people to hate you, 1/3 of the people to be apathetic toward you, and 1/3 of the people to love you. Those are Jesus' numbers. Jesus' life was about speaking truth, radically loving and healing people, doing his Father's will, and being light to a dark world. Not everyone loved him, not everyone "got" him. I think he was OK with that. If our goal is to please people, we may miss opportunities to serve God.
Do you want approval or persecution? That is the real question. You have to face the possibility of rejection and persecution to follow Jesus. You have to be relevant and bold enough to be persecuted and rejected.
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I agree that you have to "face the possibility of rejection and or persecution to follow Jesus." However, do I agree with the 1/3 comment earlier in your post. Do I "want" people to hate me or find me irrevelent? Nope. Do I seek to be a light? YES.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you ksr. I pray we can be light, however God wants to use it, it this dark world. Thanks for dropping by...
ReplyDeleteGood thoughts. There is a difference between relevance and approval, as you pointed out.
ReplyDeleteThere a huge difference between the two. Approval may feel good in the short term but it is like a diet of cake for every meal...sweet but unhealthy.
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