In Luke 21 Jesus is speaking about the end times and tells of the great famine, earthquakes, miraculous signs from Heaven, and many other signs and wonders that will show the end is near. Luke 21:12-14 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; In this discourse called the Olivet Discourse Jesus is sharing of things to come in the near future, Soon after He goes to heaven. Then after a long time, there will be other things happening before His return. Some followers were put in jail and some were put to death and that persecution has continued through the ages until the present day. We know this persecution is going on every day all over the world because the Center for the Study of Global Christianity estimates that 90,000 Christians were martyred for their faith last year alone. That is one Christian being killed because of their faith every six minutes.
Of course, we have no understanding of this in our area because Christianity has become a sort of “calling card” for those in the south and it seems that everyone thinks they are a Christian because of where they live or that they attended a church. It is easy to be a Christian in the American south, but those times could be changing to line up with the teachings we find in the Olivet Discourse. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ and you have been born again then you are part of “the resistance!” The Resistance you are a part of is a group of individuals who no longer trust the world for their hope and happiness. This resistance group classifies themselves the moment they share that Jesus is the only way to heaven and aggressively seek to reach more converts in light of the faith they follow. In the mass killings at Columbine High School one student Rachel Scott was asked if she was a follower of Jesus and when she said “yes” she was killed. Rachel is a modern day Martyr and there are more examples in our country where Christians are being persecuted every day. Whether you like it or not. You are part of the Resistance. You resist the world’s teachings that teach that hope is found in many gods. You resist the world’s teachings that say there are many ways to heaven. You resist the world’s teachings when you follow the teachings of the Word of God. You are a part of the resistance. Or are you? Are you living a life that does not follow the world’s way of thinking? Are you sharing your faith, as many martyrs do and lift up the name of Jesus as the sole authority of truth and hope? Are you fighting the good fight of the faith by not allowing false teachings that blend the world and the Bible to be more palatable for listeners to be the foundation of our faith? If not, then maybe you aren’t part of the resistance, but part of the resistance to the resistance.
Those who live this kind of Christianity will never be martyrs because they are not totally sold out and following Christ with a fervent, no looking back faith. They look a whole lot like the world in their lifestyle, their convictions, and their lack of desire to follow the teaching of the Word of God. Look at verse 13 in Luke 21 13 It will lead to an opportunity for your testimony. Those who are not vibrant, follow Jesus at all cost Christians, will find themselves unable to share their faith and will find they have no longing to do so because they are resisting being a part of the resistance. I love going to the beach and swimming in the waves of the ocean. Part of this whole action is predicated by a person fighting the incoming waves to get to a place of calm. If you don’t fight the waves then you will be defeated and never get beyond those waves to the calm water. A person’s initial resistance to the waves gets them beyond the beating of the waves, but if they resist having to resist then they will never experience all that is offered beyond the breakers. Are you resisting the need in your life to resist….the world? Then there need to be some changes.
Give in. Don’t resist the urgings of the Holy Spirit to stand for Christ. Don’t resist the teachings of the Word of God where it says to “take up your cross daily and follow Jesus.” (Luke 9:23) . Don’t resist being a part of the resistance to the world’s way of thinking. Become alive, or alive again and follow Christ and Him alone. SURRENDER to Jesus in all things. Paul wrote to the church in Philippi “For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better.” The writer of Hebrews gave this affirmation where he wrote in Hebrews 12:4 You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; Start to make a difference by rejoining the resistance that proclaims Jesus, and Him alone and see what God can do through your life.
The Pilgrimage continues…..
David Warren
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