Even If i Walk Alone

Instructing and encouraging you to live your life as a disciple of Jesus

persecution

Prepare for Persecution

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What is certain, but not being preached from many pulpits today, is that persecution is coming. Why pastors are not preparing their flocks for the coming trouble is beyond me. I listen to sermons from various churches constantly as I seek to learn and understand more about God and His Word. What I’m not hearing from most pulpits (thankfully, there are a few exceptions) is an urgency to repent and prepare for what is coming.

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There is no talk of how to prepare for persecution, and resources on the topic seem scarce. But Jesus told us the world will persecute us because of His name (John 15:20-21; Matthew 24:9). Because most of us live in places where persecution has not been a reality in our lives, we’ve become lazy, blind to the signs of this age (Matthew 24:3-31), and so comfortable in this world that we are ill-prepared for the coming persecution.

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This New Year

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As this year draws to a close, we look back and think of what occurred, what we accomplished, and what might have been. The end of a year brings a mix of thoughts of satisfaction, relief, achievement, sorrow, pain, and regret. There’s something about completing a chapter in one’s life that invokes nostalgia, retrospection, and hope in all of us. A brand new year promises a clean slate for us.

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Goal setting and resolutions run rampant, filling even the weakest of us with resolve and willpower for at least a day or two. Humans are a predictable but interesting lot. This new year, let’s focus less on ourselves and more on what matters. Losing weight, buying a new house, and finding a better job are worthwhile pursuits, but none of them will matter if we die tomorrow. The only thing that matters is what we do for Jesus.

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State of Our Nation

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In a world bent on rebellion, the early chapters of Isaiah will lead to a very sobering study. As I was reading through the first couple of chapters recently, it was striking by how relevant they are to our world today. The Lord gave the prophecy about Israel, but it’s almost impossible to not draw parallels with most of our Western world, particularly the USA. Some believe America is modern-day Israel in terms of biblical prophecy.

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I disagree, but that is not the point of this discussion. The point is to recognize God is consistent and will surely punish modern nations just as He did Israel in ancient times if we continue to rebel against Him. The Lord is exceedingly patient, but eventually, that patience will wane and His holiness will demand justice. Perhaps we are already seeing that justice revealed.

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Discouraged?

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Are you feeling tired or discouraged? Life has gotten more challenging for Christians in the West in recent years. While our brothers and sisters across the globe have long been dealing with pressures worse than we currently face, for most of us, persecution is new. Pastors in Canada are jailed simply for holding a church service. Churches in America are occasionally overrun with protesters.

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The pressure to conform to society’s ideas of wrong and right or face ostracization is rampant. This is not the world in which most of us grew up. Having spent most of our lives at ease, the time has come when our faith is being put to the test. For some, hope seems lost. But take heart; this is not the end. Your reward is coming.

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Prepared for Persecution

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My heart broke when I read about a recent occurrence in North Korea. That country is second only to Afghanistan in being the most dangerous place for Christians to live (see Open Doors’ “World Watch List”). Government officials raided a secret church meeting of believers. Everyone in attendance was arrested and then summarily executed.

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Without warning and without having had the chance to say goodbye to their loved ones, these dear brothers and sisters were removed from the face of the earth. From the moment they gave their lives to Christ, they knew they were living on borrowed time. They knew the risk of meeting together. They prepared for persecution the best they could and found Jesus worth the cost. But the story gets worse.

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