Yesterday we attended my cousin’s funeral, along with 800-1000 other people. The retired pastor who led the service talked to the crowd as if all of them believed in the afterlife and put their faith in Jesus. Was this a form of universalism and his theology? Or was this a way of making them think about what they did believe and how they respond to the Savior? Or was this a way to avoid conflict? He did quote John 14:6 but left off the part that says, “No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Some would say a confrontational gospel message has no place in a gathering of grieving people. Others think this is the best time because those people are also thinking about their own mortality, even wondering where their loved one has gone, and where they will go. They are looking for answers.
MacArthur’s devotional topic is the avoidance of persecution by silence. If no one knows I am a Christian, no one will challenge me or abuse me. This attitude is in direct contrast to Jesus’ words: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:10)
Saying what I believe is tied to salvation. It is a declaration giving evidence to genuine faith:
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” (Romans 10:9–11)
Faith in Christ is not only a ticket to heaven; it is for this life too. God is my refuge and strength for the onslaughts of life, including any rejection or ridicule I might experience. Not admitting that I have faith in Him is like slamming the door in His face. It is rejecting His power to take care of me by taking that issue into my own hands.
MacArthur says such avoidance can lead to extreme efforts to hide faith, such as approval of the world’s standards, laughing at its jokes, enjoying its entertainment, and smiling when God is mocked. Self-protection means refusing to confront sin or tell people that Jesus is the only way to Heaven. It mean living so no one can distinguish me from unbelievers and will accept me as ‘one of them’ without persecuting me, at least not for my faith. However, Jesus said:
Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets . . . . For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. (Luke 6:26-9:26)
What a terrible price to pay for popularity and for taking personal protection into my own hands. Far better to take a stand for Christ. If I live with Beatitude attitudes, I am opposing Satan’s lies and the sinful attitudes all around me. That can lead to persecution, but fearing it denies God’s grace and power to protect me and enable me to endure harsh treatment. He promises to take care of me just as He promised Joshua:
No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. (Joshua 1:5)
Jesus, I realize persecution identifies me as a believer. So does being able to share my own struggles along with Your answers. I can be silent to avoid persecution, but I can also invite negativity by talking freely about You as if You have made me perfect and my listeners are not. That negative reaction is not persecution but a justifiable resistance to a prideful, holier-than-thou attitude. For me, it is just as much a rejection of grace as trying to protect myself with silence. I need to be open about my faith, but not smug, as if I have reached a pedestal that others are not worthy to stand upon.
In other words, persecution is about rejecting the gospel, but resentment against self-promotion is not persecution. God can use such negative responses to teach me to glorify Him, not myself, but I cannot claim to be persecuted for Jesus’ sake.
For what credit is it if, when I sin and are beaten for it, I endure? But if when I do good and suffer for it I endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this I have been called, because Christ also suffered for me, leaving me an example, so that I might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. (1 Peter 2:20–23, personalized)
MEDITATE on Matthew 5:10–12 and identify what persecution is and is not.
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