The Kings Table - Born for Endurance (Memory Verse) Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you. Rejoice and be glad... Matthew 5:11-12 A heritage of endurance Endurance in persecution is part of the heritage of the believer (2 Timothy 3:12). Down through the ages, in every generation, Christians have experienced persecution and have responded with great endurance. This is because of the opposition between God and this world’s godless system. “...if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God because you bear that name” 1 Peter 4:16. Early Christians endured The Early Church experienced great persecution but in the midst of this opposition, the Church flourished and grew. “Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions” Hebrews 10:33-34 (read also verses 35-36). Promises for endurance As Christians who endure under persecution and trouble, we are given some very special promises: • The strength of God (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). • The joy of the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:41). • The comfort of Christ (2 Corinthians 1:5-9). • Great reward in heaven (Matthew 5:10-12). • A crown of life (Revelation 2:10). Fellowship in His suffering We need to understand that when we experience persecution, it is not us that people are persecuting. They are in fact persecuting Jesus (Acts 9:4-5). When we are persecuted for the name of Jesus, we participate in the suffering of Jesus Himself (2 Corinthians 11:23-28). This experience pro- duces perseverance. “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings...” Philippians 3:10. Victory in persecution No matter what we face in life, God’s plan is that we experience victory. The victory we experience in persecution can come in two forms: Delivered from persecution “Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us” 2 Corinthians 1:9-10. Victory in the midst of persecution “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” 1 John 4:4.
Posted on: Mon, 12 Jan 2015 02:41:14 +0000
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