“And he said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.'” Acts 9:5
July 25, 2023
We should not be surprised that there is a high cost for following Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself said there would be a price to pay (Matt. 10:16ff.). Persecution takes us to the very heart of what it means to follow Christ. His is a call to come and die (Mk. 8:35, “Whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.”). Because we have died with Christ we will take risks and suffer pain, and even die physically if necessary for the sake of the gospel. When Saul was an unbelieving persecutor of the Christians, he was attacking Jesus Christ. In that flash of light on the Damascus Road Saul, the persecutor, became Paul a new creature in Christ. His world got turned upside down. He came to realize that he had been striking blows against the Head of the Church (Gal. 1:3, “I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure, and tried to destroy it.”). What a story of the transforming grace of God. Pray for the suffering church in Somalia. According to “Open Door”: “The violent insurgent group of Shabaab has repeatedly expressed its desire to eradicate Christians from the country, and have intensified their hunt for Christians.” Who knows what may be in store for Christians in America?
H
“Blessed are the risk-takers. Blessed are the grieving and the broken, Blessed are the brave and the outspoken.”