At the church where I attend, a beloved member, who went to be with the Lord shortly after his conversion, one day exclaimed in a mixture of frustration and determination that "There oughtta be a warning label on this thing called Christianity!"
God never promised that He would take away all the troubles that you will have to face throughout your life. He never promised life would be easy. He never said, "Believe in me and I will keep evil away from your doorstep." Nay, to do so would be to rob God of His glory!
No, what God did promise, however, was that He would walk through the fires of your life with you. He would show up and show out any time you called on His Name. He would guide you and keep you during the darkest and most fiercest storms of your life. Finally, no matter how bad you mess up, He would never let go of the life-line He's thrown you. All you have to do is grab it.
Jesus warned what would happen to you if you chose to follow Him.
Luke Chapter 21:
10 Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
12 But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.
and
16 And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.
17 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.
This is kind've scary, huh?
In the same breath, Jesus said in Luke Chapter 21:
13 And it shall turn to you for a testimony.
14 Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer:
15 For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.
AND
18 But there shall not an hair of your head perish.
In Matthew Chapter 10, Jesus said:
16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
17 But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;
18 And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.
19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.
20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.
21 And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.
22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
Yes, when you become a Christian, you should be ready to stand persecuted, spit on, walked over, and hated simply because you are Christian. The reason for this is that Satan is angry when he loses a good sinner. He is going to do everything in his power to get them back.
So, in honor of the beloved convert who exclaimed that a warning label was in order, here is your warning:
When you become a Christian, you dive headfirst into the fight of your life for your eternal soul. And, as if that isn't enough, the only thing you can do in return for the ill treatment is:
Matthew 5
39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.
41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
What does God promise to those who accept Christ as Lord and Saviour and determine to "endure until the end"?
Peace (Ezekiel 34:25)
Joy (Isaiah 29:19)
Abundant life (John 10:10)
Eternal Life (Romans 6:23)
Daily provision (Matthew 6:30)
These are just a few of God's promises to those who believe and obey.
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