We Are the Hated and Persecuted

Being a Christian is not the fast tract to winning a popularity contest. It is not a fast tract to making a lot of friends. In reality it is a path to being an outcast and to loosing friends. John 15:20 says “Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.” We are not more important than Christ. If he was faced with persecution and hate then so will we, if we are living the way he has called us to live.

If your faith and ministry never offends, then you are not doing something right.

We Are Hated

The Greek word used for hate here is miseo. This word for hate means a feeling that causes separation between the hater and what they hate. In other words they want nothing positive to do with what they hate. They want to do whatever possible to keep what is hated away and at bay. Miseo is a verb. So its not just passive it is active. So the world has an active dislike for you. They don’t just feel but act on that hate.

We are hated for the state of our heart and that brings conviction (will be studied deeper next week) to the nonbeliever.

Jesus tells us right here in verse 19 the world would love you if you were in them and not him. The love they would have for you is not the same love God has for you. The word used for love here is phileo, 1of 25 times it is used in the New Testament (Agape 143 times). It is a general love felt among family and friends. Which we were born in a fallen human state so we were born into the worldly family. Like with family their are some you would die for but many you wouldn’t. So phileo love is much more circumstantial than agape which is not circumstantial based. So this worldly love can change on a whim.

The world wants a world full of tolerance and love accept when it comes to Christianity. They want a world that looks like Imagine by John Lennon. Why does the world wish to do away with Christianity?

You turn your back on family. You do a 180 to join the family you were meant to be in.

Ephesians 6:12 ESV

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

We are in spiritual warfare where the enemy actively acts on hate with a goal to cause division. We as believers are active in spiritual warfare driven by agape with a goal to bring unity in Christ.

How does this hate look?

Hate (miseo [Gk.])- is the world’s active emotion that works towards separating Christianity from this world.

We Are Persecuted

How was Jesus persecuted?

Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness

Verbally attacked for doing good on many occasions

Ran out of town

The Crucifixion / Passion Week

Now the question is how can we be persecuted?

Temptation

Verbal attacks

Ran off

Physically

Death

We are not better than Christ so we should not be expected to be treated better than him.

If we look at the Greek here it is the word Dioko which means to “persecute, chase, hunt”. This is an active word. Lets break these three down:

Persecute. Is to mistreat / to show hostility towards someone you disagree with. So people are going to be prone to treat you with hostility.

Chase. Is to come after, it is active pursuit.

Hunt. Is to use tact to kill.

With all this in mind lets break down the world’s attitude against us. They are going to be hostile against us. In reality we shouldn’t be shocked when we read news headlines such as Christian baker sued for not making cake for homosexual/transgender/gender switch. Or the Sam Smith Unholy Grammy performance. Or the hatred in the abortion debate. Or the anti-Christian political attitude. Scripture makes it clear we are going to experience it.

The world will show hostility in actively pursuing you. We see that in our culture legally. Christians are constantly being pursued legally and this is much deeper than a cake, but a heart issue. This world is not going to leave you alone, even when you are minding your own business.

The world is going to use tact to come at you. What is the key to being a good hunter? Preparation. Different environments and different animals require different skills and weapons. So they plan and equip how to most effectively to come at you with the intention of bringing you down.

Persecute (dioko [Gk.])- The enemy tactfully pursues us with active hostility to destroy us.

In other words the world is not here to play nice but it is here to destroy you as effectively as possible. We need to take the world serious and plan to not go after them with hate but with love.

Matthew 10:16 ESV

“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

We have to use wisdom in how we approach the world. We cannot go all willy nilly. We got to use tact. Evangelizing the world is a ultra-marathon (31-100 mile race) not a 40 yd. dash.

How do we prepare for this evangelistic ultra-marathon full of obstacles?

Workout- spiritual disciplines of prayer and Bible study

Running Tribe- Church

Running shoes- scripture

Running accessories- commentaries, etc.

Medical Treatment- recognize a injury and treat it and adjust.

We will finish the race well, but we must do these things.