The Call to Persecution
Writer Author Sylvia Huffnagle
Christian Article
:
Bible Teaching
- Fiction No
Not everyone is called to street witnessing. But everyone is called to love God with all their heart and is given a spirit that crieth, “abba Father,”(expressing a spirit of submission to the will of their Heavenly Father) therefore all will have an opportunity to live their faith and at times share their faith. True faith in Jesus is becoming more and more unpopular in America and persecution is increasing.
The purpose of this article is to prepare hearts to handle persecution should it happen to them. Below is the mind-set needed to endure persecution.
First, you should must arm yourself with God’s assurances that He hears your prayers and has promised to give you protection and deliverance.
Ps: 34:7: The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them.
Ps: 91, Proverbs 1:33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.
Mk: 11:24: 24: Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
Lk: 10:19: 19: Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
Jn: 16:23: 23: And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.
Also arm yourself with Jesus’ admonition:
Matt: l0:22-23: And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. 23: But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be
24-27: The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. 25: It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household? 26: Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. 27: What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.
28-31: And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29: Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. 30: But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31: Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.
32-39: Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. 33: But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. 34: Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. 35: For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. 36: And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. 37: He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38: And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. 39: He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
The persevering Christian’s attitude in Christ:
Isa: 50:4-9: The lord has given me the tongue of the learned that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: . . . Vs 6: I gave my back to the smiters and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair I hid not my face from shame and spitting. For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.
Matt: 5:10-13: Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 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.12: Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. 13: Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
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Rom:12:1: I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rev: 12:11 And they have overcome him by means of the blood of the Lamb and by the utterance of their testimony, for they did not love and cling to life even when faced with death--holding their lives' cheap till the had to die (or their witnessing) Amp. v.
So here is the game plan:
No.1: Use wisdom. Don't place yourself in danger unless it is called for. No.2: Street witnessing or door to door witnessing should be done in at twos or threes. And a prayer for protection and empowerment should be prayed before the witnesses start out. It would be good to bind opposing forces, in Jesus’ name, as well.
God has promised his people protection but He has also asked them to lay down their life for the gospel. They choose to live and even die for the gospel's sake. So you pray asking for protection unless God has determined that the gospel can be better promoted by your death or beating. The strong man is bound by a knowledge of God and His Kingdom. You speak God's promises and His will in prayer. Then you hit the streets in a spirit of surrender and trust to God, bearing in mind that the angels encamp about you to protect you and greater is He that is within you than he that is in the world. 1Jn: 4:4
In a hostile world, you cannot be God’s witnesses if you are fearful of the devil and man. Remember, Jesus whipped the slop out of the devil and God makes a covering over His witnesses.
Sylvia Huffnagle
Editor's Comment:
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huffnagl@verizon.net
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