Worship Call 0698 When time runs out

Robert, do ya love me?! John 15:9 As the Father loved me, I also have loved you: abide in My love. An ancient story in Church history tells of the Apostle John. He would constantly repeat the words, "Little children, love one another." And his disciples became weary of the phrase. Finally, in his old age, as John was being carried to their assembly, the disciples asked him, "Why do you always repeat these same words?" "Because friends," John replied, "it is the Lord's commandment -- and if only this one were fulfilled, it would be enough." What is the greatest witness we Christians have to the world around us? I can tell you it's not only our words of wisdom, though they may be wonderful. It's not only our knowledge of the Scripture, though it may be vast. It's not only our material giving, though it may be great. The greatest witness we have is the kind of love that the Bible defines above. Have we been patient and kind with others? Perhaps instead, we've been envious, boastful, proud, rude, self-seeking or easily angered. I know I have. Have we kept a record of wrongs? Have we delighted in evil? Uggh. When we express the true love of God, we always rejoice in the truth, protect, trust, hope and persevere. Love never fails. Love can turn evil to good, darkness into light and enemies to friends. True love can totally transform the world around us. Robert, I am humbled, are you? Let's strive to start loving the way the Lord would have us love. Yeah -- you know why. 'Cause there's just so much work to be done!! Your family in the Lord with much agape love, George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah Baltimore, Maryland

Worship call 0698

Thursday July 27,2022

The persecuted

Matthew 5:10 (NASB95) — 10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

39.45 διώκωc; ἐκδιώκωb; διωγμός, οῦ m: to systematically organize a program to oppress and harass people—‘to persecute, to harass, persecution.[1]

1 Peter 3:14 (NASB95) — 14 But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled,

Who are the one’s being persecuted?

Not the righteous but the unrighteous. It is the peacemakers. It is those who are doing the work that they were created to walk in to bring sinners out of the world of darkness into the light. out of the world and into the Kingdom.

Just a warning. The Peacemaker is not one whose looking for fight. The Peacemaker does not have a martyr’s complex. A peacemaker is not stupid and seeks to avoid the pain and suffering for himself and for his family and loved ones. None the less there is a cross to bear. And the crime is not raising a rebellion against the establishment, but it is doing the work of an evangelist, living one’s life as to draw attention to the King of Kings. Yes, even exposing the lie that the rulers and society are trying to cover up.

Being light in the world exposes the darkness. A pastor in the pulpit is to teach creation exposing the lie of evolution. We are to reach out of the homosexual to expose the truth that such will not enter into the kingdom of heaven. And thought we are to live quiet lives none the less we may have to break the contrived law of man as we obey the higher Law of God. When free speech is not free any longer and certain vocabulary and content of speech related to evangelism is a violation of man’s law then we must choose to either surrender to man’s law fearing what man can do to us or we can choose to follow God’s law which supersedes all of man’s laws.

Note that the Apostles were not arrested for organizing a rebellion against Rome, but they were arrested and brought in before the courts for sharing the gospel of Christ.

The council of the Teacher of the law Gamaliel, gave counsel the body of the Sanhedrin giving them a warning that what they do against these men may be against God.

Acts 5:40–42 (NASB95) — 40 They took his advice; and after calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and then released them. 41 So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. 42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

How many among professing Christians really know Christ today to preach and teach of his word.

How many are really worthy of suffering for Christ.

Oh how important is this passage we are studying right here for the time that we live.

Jesus speaks the persecution in the Olivet Discourse.

Luke 21:10–24 (NASB95) — 10 Then He continued by saying to them, “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, 11 and there will be great earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. 12 “But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for My name’s sake. 13 “It will lead to an opportunity for your testimony. 14 “So make up your minds not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves; 15 for I will give you utterance and wisdom which none of your opponents will be able to resist or refute. 16 “But you will be betrayed even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death, 17 and you will be hated by all because of My name. 18 “Yet not a hair of your head will perish. 19 “By your endurance you will gain your lives. 20 “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near. 21 “Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those who are in the midst of the city must leave, and those who are in the country must not enter the city; 22 because these are days of vengeance, so that all things which are written will be fulfilled. 23 “Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days; for there will be great distress upon the land and wrath to this people; 24 and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

Some say this is in the future after the rapture during the tribulation in the last days. Regardless of where you stand to when the rapture comes note again what Jesus says

. 12 “But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for My name’s sake.

My Calendar does not show the exact date to when the rapture or the tribulation is going to take place but I can tell you with all certainty that we are living in the “Before all these things”

Jesus’ message in the letter to the Church of Smyrna

Revelation 2:8–11 (NASB95) — 8 “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: The first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life, says this: 9 ‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 ‘Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11 ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.’

So we are banking on a pretrib rapture (and I am not refuting that there is a pretrib rapture) where the church is removed this church is still in the world and it is going to suffer persecution.

The 10 days denotes a time of waiting for the deliverance of the Lord.

And why can’t we all Just get along. Where is this hatred coming from?

From the brood of vipers the offspring of the evil one as a spiritual animosity against the peacemaker is being cultivated in their hearts.

John 15:18–27 (NASB95) — 18 “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. 19 “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. 20 “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. 21 “But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me. 22 “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 “He who hates Me hates My Father also. 24 “If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well. 25 “But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’ 26 “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me, 27 and you will testify also, because you have been with Me from the beginning.

The Christian lives in enemy territory. And the fact is that if in the escalation of the battle and you who profess to be Christian and do not feel the heat of battle one of four conditions are apparent

1. God’s timing,

Time is the grace asset of God that the Christian can be strengthened for battle making the most of his time taking in God’s word and fortifying his heart for the battle ahead.

2. You are not a Christian, a Child of light.

You are on the wrong side. Unless you change sides your suffering will come later along with the judgement of the world.

3. You are a Christian in Cognito

You are hiding out in the world. You have little heart for the Lord. You have no fortification of God’s word built up in your heart. you have little faith that you can even share.

The age-old question applies.

If you were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you.

4. You run from the battle line.

Spiritual cowardice is what Peter initially suffered from. But with the guidance from the spirit and spiritual growth Peter became a victor. As the believer grows in God’s word under the filling ministry of God the Holy Spirit he builds spiritual muscle. but if use our time unwisely and we do not take advantage of God’s grace provisions namely Learning his word and walking in the spirit we are doomed to be cowards and at the Judgement seat of Christ I believe we will experience some shame prior to the Lord wiping away every tear.

How shall we live in this time. As we should have already been accustoming of living. Ours is to share Christ with a lost and dying world. Ours is to expose evil

Ephesians 5:11–16 (NASB95) — 11 Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; 12 for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. 13 But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. 14 For this reason it says, “Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you.” 15 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, 16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil.

We can either continue to be conformed to this world. we can deny Christ to our peril. We can run from the battle, we can even participate in the wrong battle.

But in the end we will all stand before the Lord, the Christians before the judgement seat (Bema) to receive his evaluation and non-Christians will stand before the Lord to receive their final verdict for their unconverted souls.

What will be your disposition when time runs out?

[1]Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). In Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, p. 498). United Bible Societies.