Written By Fortune Neluswi
“If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” — John 15: 18, 19
Are you on God’s side?
If you are not on the firing line for God; and not contending for the faith; and not spending and being spent in telling the world about Christ; and not a zealous soul winner who is reaching out to lost souls in hospitals, prisons, on the streets, at the workplace; and not doing one-on-one house to house visits; and not persevering in preaching, teaching and observing all those things that the Lord has commanded us, then the verses above do NOT apply to you!
Christianity is not an ice-lolly pop covered in raspberry cream as WRONGFULLY taught by celebrity T.V preachers. The Bible teaches that all they that will live godly in Christ SHALL suffer persecution. If you are not experiencing any persecution in your life, then there is very little proof to substantiate that you are Christ like! Jesus said that those who live like him and are Christ like (Christian) WILL suffer persecution. Sadly, the heretical prosperity gospel T.V preachers have managed to convince people that being saved means living in a world of strawberry ice-cream cakes served on silver platters! That is far from Bible truth. We fight against known and unknown evils that come our way every day! Christianity is a FIGHT, an all-out war (1 Peter 2:11).
Godliness and persecution go hand in hand!
Living godly in Christ comes with persecution (2 Timothy 3:12). Our Lord clearly warned that we WOULD (not might, but would) be PERSECUTED in this world. If your life is persecution free, then it also lacks godliness! The world hates Christ and the cause of Christianity. If everyone likes you, something is VERY wrong…“Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.” (Luke 6:26).
The Devil sets up traps to persecute Christians who are zealous soul winners. Some of you are not aware that if you take up your cross daily to be in the Lord’s vineyard sharing the Gospel, the Devil will attack you too. The Bible teaches that a stand for God always brings persecution from all around. If you never take a stand for nor against anything, then you’ll never be persecuted for your Christian faith; but if you raise a flag for the Lord, you will be targeted and attacked by the enemy. The Bible tells us plainly in Proverbs 29:27…
“An unjust man is an abomination to the just: and he that is upright in the way is abomination to the wicked.” (Proverbs 29:27 )
There can be no harmony between Light and darkness, no union between righteousness and unrighteousness, and no agreement between right and wrong. Living godly in Christ Jesus means much more than merely attending church. Living godly in Christ Jesus means sharing the Gospel, with lost sinners. Every Christian believer is expected to sow the Seed of the Gospel, “…woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16) (Psalm 126:5-6)
If you are actively involved in fighting the good fight of faith, people WILL hate you. Jesus said, “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” They will not love you, “But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because THEY KNOW NOT HIM that sent me.” Simply put, Jesus is saying, these people do not have the Spirit of God in them that is why they fight against those who are at the front of the battle line for God.
Hated by the world
If you are actively involved in fighting the good fight of faith,
people WILL hate you.
For some time, I have been a public activist using signposts, banners and conducting public talks against abortion, false bibles and the ensuing New World Order. Please note that only the King James Bible is the true Word of God. All other modern English bible versions are corrupt! One day, after putting up public notices against the dangers of using false modern English bible versions, a gentleman that I knew in the community began telling people to stay away from me. Since he was a strong proponent of the New Age bibles, he went around purporting that I needed to see a psychiatrist. He literary defended the Devil against me! He began convincing people that I had a mental state issue and some people believed because most people are no less knowledgeable about the changes in the New versions than they are about the weather.
At one point, I showed people about the evils done by modern English versions of removing the world “hell” not knowing that I was going to upset some religious leaders in the community! After a seminar on Hell at a local college, a charismatic minister of a local Pentecostal church said I am frightening people and warned his followers from listening to me. I was reliably told that he made great efforts to warn his congregants on how wrong it is to talk about Hell as a literal place burning with fire and brimstone. He made people hate me for telling them about their fake bibles and the truth about Hell. Imagine telling someone who has been heading a church for many years that they have been reading a perverted Bible: trust me, they don’t take it as good news! My talk about the doctrinal inaccuracies in the new versions made him “lose” his stature as a “prophet” in his follower’s eyes since he did not manage to “see” these differences. A couple of people left his church after that, which made him more furious and bitter against me.
One day I was teaching people about Christian forgiveness and how wrong it was to unfairly replace members and how a small misunderstanding should be corrected sensibly and must be done in a godly manner. I then quoted beautiful verses like Ephesians 4:32,
“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:32)
The group leaders (who always sounded very religious) became irritated by my constant reference to the Bible and conspired to have me kicked out of the group. The head of the group literary said that I was “unbearable”! The three group leaders hated my guts of quoting scriptures outright to explain being kind hearted to others. Eventually (as expected) I was expelled from the group! You see, when you carry your marvelous Authorized King James Bible then open your mouth to tell people about Christ’s Doctrine, all hell will break lose!
Anyway, I considered myself extremely lucky when I was removed from the group because I escaped without a single scratch on my body; as opposed to a near death encounter when I was robbed twice by some gangsters who were armed. I once had ALL my belongings and other luggage stolen from me and only remained with the clothes I was wearing and a bus ticket! This world is just harsh to people who have the Spirit of God in them. In rainy days, I feel comforted when I read scriptures like Revelation 21:4
“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” - Revelation 21:4
Its not easy
I have been scoffed and publicly insulted by people I thought where “brethren.” I have had two of my computers sabotaged, then stolen. I was publicly told that I am a small boy and should not preach the Gospel. As you can expect, I have also been insulted with strong vulgar words. Trust me, when you carry your flag for Jesus, you will hear all sorts of phrases that you never dreamt existed, which are fired to slice you into mince meat! The Christian journey is indeed a walk to endure.
When you upset people who are not on the same side of the fence as you are, then you are probably doing something very right for God. In times like these, I am always reminded of sweet promises from the Word of God that were spoken by Jesus:
“Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. (Matthew 5: 11-12)
Identity Crisis
Christians who feel extraordinarily comfortable being on this Earth really confuse me. Surely they DO NOT cherish verses like Hebrews 13:14 “For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.” How does one live comfortably on this Earth, when they are expected to be in a raging warfare day and night? It’s either such people are of the world (not saved) or they only have a form of godliness. Otherwise, something is VERY wrong with their Christianity. The Bible is clear that those who are truly saved by the blood of Jesus are not welcomed guests in this cruel, gruesome world. This world will ONLY accept its own.
“If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” (John 15:19)
How can any born-again believer be truly happy living in the midst of such a filthy, sexually degenerate, murderous, unthankful, arrogant, greedy, selfish and sick-minded world? You can’t, which is why Jesus said we would be sorrowful and weep. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.”( John 16:20). Jesus said that Christians would be sad and sorrowful while the sinful world rejoices. Oh, how I long for that day when the trumpet shall sound and we shall meet the Savior in the air. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Amen!
Speak The Truth: Be Hated
Christian persecution in the Bible clearly shows that all righteous men of God who were persecuted were hated for speaking the truth. Daniel was persecuted and conspired against by the 120 princes for standing by the truth. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were persecuted for publicly, and openly rejecting the symbol of a false god. Noah was mocked for speaking the truth about the flood. Stephen was stoned to death for telling the truth about Christ. Moses was hated for challenging the Israelites about worshiping a symbol associated with paganism and Egyptian gods. No one in the Bible ever suffered persecution for speaking fallacies and deceptions. All holy men in the Bible were hated for the truth!
Until Christ returns, we are responsible to stand against the evils of our day (Psalm 94:16). The truth will make people angry. The truth is emotional. The truth demands an answer. The truth cannot be ignored forever. The truth is the truth! In addition, EVERY believer is commanded to speak out against the wickednesses of our day! Televangelist preachers of today will hide the truth from people and claim that, “We don’t preach anything but the gospel.” Often they would be angry because of something bad someone did to them and then they turn it into a sermon.
In the book of Acts, we read that the early believers were worrying Satan and giving him cause for concern. It is not surprising that Herod killed James in Acts 12:2 with the sword. Acts 12:3 says that the Jews were pleased with James’ execution, which prompted Herod to also put Peter on death row. The Devil doesn’t care what you believe, just so long as you keep it to yourself. But if you open your mouth and warn people, you WILL be conspired against and people will speak all manner of evil against you.
False Brethren
Satan is not preoccupied by religious enthusiasts who play church every Sunday because he knows that they have no influence in winning souls to Christ. There are some lazy “Christians” who simply go to church to sit, sing and then go back home without bothering to share the Gospel with the lost. Scripture is abundant with teachings that there are people who think that they are saved, yet they are on their highway to eternal damnation (Matthew 7:13-15, Revelation 2:13, John 5:42).
The Bible tells us that the enemy has planted his own seeds in the field whose purpose is to choke and harm Christians who are on the firing line for God. The bible warns us that Christian persecution will not only come from heathens but even from those who claim to be saved. At times you may wonder why people who say they are Christians just CANNOT keep their tongue from speaking evil words against others! Paul expressly says he suffered persecution “in perils of false brethren.” (2 Corinthians 11:26). Certain “brothers” and “sisters” will say bad and evil things against you to discredit you. The Devil will ALWAYS try to look for a reason to discredit a Christian who is on the firing line for God. ALL men of God who were persecuted were strong, frontline fighters of the cross. The Devil knows those who belong to him and he will use such people to harm the children of God in order to progress his agenda (steal, kill and destroy). I came to understand this many years ago as some of my harshest criticisms have been from other professed “Christians” around me.
Churchianity and Communication Media
The Devil is known as the accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:10) and he will use spiritual weaklings to try and destroy the image of a frontline Christian soldier. The Devil is using social networking platforms to spread sour words about brethren without their knowledge. In these last days, people spend more time on social media and talking on the phone, butchering others instead of spending time on their knees in prayer talking to God!
Social media is another shrewd way that is being used by the Devil to communicate the destruction of other brethren more sourly and faster. It is to no surprise when someone walks up to you with a STRANGE look on their face…it is because someone, who knows someone, who knows someone, knew someone who said something on social networks about you! Please don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with using technology to communicate with one another.
Social networks are destroying Christians in the background, whilst at the subsurface; people hug and greet you with a fake smile. That is the reality on the ground! If people’s cellphones had to be audited and the results put on public display, some people would wish that the Earth would just swallow them up!
Televangelism deception
Televangelists have deceitfully promised people a trouble free life of a prince here on earth. They tell people that they are sons and daughters of a King and Jesus suffered so that they could enjoy life. Please note that the Bible teaches that Jesus suffered so that we could get to Heaven by grace through faith in the precious blood of the Lamb! The Word of God teaches that we are set free from the spiritual suffering of eternal damnation in hell fire because we can now be saved by grace through the blood of Jesus without purifying ourselves with our own works (Ephesians 2: 8-9).
Televangelists erroneously teach people that we should not go through any suffering, sickness, problems or challenges if we are Christians. This is a grossly incorrect understanding and deception that is meant to deter people from doing the Word of God. Jesus said if you are godly, you WILL suffer persecution for the sake of the Gospel. God does not contradict himself. The world is hostile to Christians who are fervent in the things of God (John 15:18, 1 John 4:6, 1 Corinthians 4:12).
Proponents of the demonic prosperity Gospel also spread the heretical teaching that if you are a Christian then you should NEVER get sick. This is also incorrect. Please note that whilst God has the power to keep you in all good health after you are saved, this DOES NOT mean that you will never fall sick.
The Bible has many examples of people who lived all their lives with different ailments in their bodies, but were devoted Christians; Paul had an eye sight problem, Timothy had stomach problems, Moses used to stammer, and Lazarus had sores all over his body, yet all these men were righteous before God. Therefore, it is not true that being sick means you are not holy. NO, sir! As a matter of fact, some of the diseases are for the glory of God,
“When Jesus heard that, he said, This SICKNESS IS not unto death, but FOR THE GLORY OF GOD, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby”
(John 11:4).
We have to understand that God will allow certain things to befall a Christian for different reasons and all is done to His glory. Children are born blind, crippled and with distortions and God says he does all this
“And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?” (Exodus 4:11).
If you want to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ, you need to turn off the television and open your Bible!
Foolish beliefs and false godliness
“But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.” (Colossians 3:25).
Do not misunderstand persecution in serving the Lord with punishment for your own wrong doings. Just because you are going through some problems, it does not necessarily mean that you fit the persecution taught in 2 Timothy 3:12. Let us look at some practical examples. If you are caught driving beyond the speed limit on your way to church and you get fined for over speeding, this is NOT Christian persecution. Similarly, if you are persecuted by your unsaved family members because you call them names and despise their sinful life, you are NOT being persecuted for the cause of Christ! On the contrary, if they hate you because you preach to them about Christ, WITH LOVE, then that is something totally different. You see, there is a very thin line between faith and foolishness.
Evils of our day
Persecution that is associated with godliness are the troubles that a Christian will go through as a result of carrying their cross and being a faithful ambassador of the cross of Christ. The Bible clearly teaches that taking a stand for God always brings persecution. If you take God’s side in any controversy, you will be targeted by the opposition as an enemy. Christians who take God’s side against the evils of false bibles, abortion, homosexuality, evolution, the New World Order, symbology, influence of secret societies, feminism, et cetera; will be hated and persecuted.
“The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify off it, that the works thereof are evil.” (John 7:7)
Today’s self-acclaimed Christians purport that they are serving God yet they do not obey the master’s command to go out soul winning and fight the evils of our day. Soul winning is the act nearest to the heart of God and living godly in Christ is about carrying your cross DAILY as a worker in God’s primary business. If you are born again, it is your duty to go soul winning and preach the Word, being instant, in season and out of season. Matthew 28:18-19 is known as the Great Commission and demands that we carry our cross DAILY and go soul winning. Those who are not winning souls to Christ by TELLING others about Christ are fruitless branches of the vine. Simply living a “good” Christian life for the world to see will not save a lost sinner. As far as the Bible teaches, we ought to share the Word of God with the lost and show them, from scriptures, how they can be saved (Romans 10:14). Lazy Christians who do not bother to witness to the lost NEVER face oppositions, trials and temptations because the Devil knows that they are guilty of disobeying God by not doing Matthew 28:18-19. Luke warm Christians never know what it means to be persecuted for the cause of Christ and always mock and making jesting when those who are on the front line for God are fighting the food fight of faith.
Pray always
It does not matter how long you have been saved, a prayer-less Christian is a powerless Christian! All the giants of faith in the Bible where prayerful; Jesus used to rise up in the early hours of the morning to pray (Mark 1:35) Daniel prayed all the time (Daniel 6:10), Paul was a prayer warrior (Colossians 1:9). A single day for a Christian has many trials and temptations. If you want to be able to withstand the challenges that will come your way, you have to be prayerful. Remember, if you are godly, you WILL be persecuted. People who are not prayerful are seldom peaceful because their weak spiritual state attracts and allows evil spirits to easily influence them to become the enemy’s tool. Jesus said,