building Godly Character - February 24, 2010

Jesus said that if he was hated we would be hated even more. People do not like that we take a stand between right and wrong. They often view our nonparticipation as our dislike for them personally. This of course is not the case. We strive to love everyone while maintaining a high standard of Godliness. As long as sinfulness is in the world Christians will be persecuted.

We look to the life of Paul for inspiration and purpose. Paul was a hater of the Christians. He persecuted them whenever he could. Once he became a Christian, he became the object of sever persecution.

2 Cor. 6:4-10 “Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; ⁵in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; ⁶in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; ⁷in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; ⁸through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; ⁹known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; ¹⁰sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.”

Paul suffered greatly for his faith yet he did not give up. He continued to preach and God used these tough situations to reach the lost around him.

Phil. 1:12-14 “¹²Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. ¹³As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard^[a] and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. ¹⁴Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.”

Like Paul, we undergo persecution for our beliefs and our standards. This persecution can be hard to bear at times. Persecution is God’s way of strengthening our faith and opening doors of opportunity to minster to others. Use the persecution that comes your way to change a life…it might even be yours.

Calvary Christian Center, Assemblies of God, Lousiville, KY