Persecuted For Righteousness’ Sake! (Hix)

Matthew 5:10-12-Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.

Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

If you are humble and you live among the proud; and you live a pure in a corrupt world; and show mercy to the unmercifully or try to live in peace with those around you, either you will be revered or despised!!

You would think that the world would be glad to have such good people in it, but it makes people uncomfortable, it reminds them they could be better people!!

Jesus was the best person that ever lived.

He not only taught the Beatitudes, He lived them!!

And what does He get for living like that? They killed Him.

People often dislike or despise something or someone that is different, and that is why, Christians can become the victims of discrimination and persecution.

Just person trying to do the right thing can get them into trouble in the world we live in!

Oct. 2013-30 year old man fired from Wal-mart when on his lunch break he seen a man grabbing a woman, he ran over to her and asked if she need help and she said yes, and him and the man started fighting and final the police came, he was later fired, because they said, “He broke company policy.” After news media aired the story, he was offered his job back, but he was not sure he would accept it.

A 28 year old woman, was arrested after her waitress called police to report her for drinking alcohol while breastfeeding her newborn child

The waitress called police because it was 'unacceptable'

The waitress says she was fired from the restaurant for taking matters into her own hands

The mother was charged with endangering a child after the incident at a pizzeria.

The mother of the child says that the incident was 'blown out of proportion' and that she is 'not a horrible person'

Saints carry Christ in their hearts, and the cross on their shoulders.

Christ and His cross are never parted.

Of the actual manner of his death, we know only what may be stated in few words. Tradition says that it was by being beheaded; and all the circumstances of the case render that probable. The fact that he was a Roman citizen would exempt him, under Roman laws, from death by lingering torture, in the forms in which it was inflicted on many of his Christian brethren. It would save him from the ignominy of crucifixion, and would thus distinguish his death from that of Peter, who had no claims to Roman citizenship, and who, wherever he died, was probably put to death, like his Master, on a cross (comp. John xxi. 18). There were two modes of beheading among the Romans:—the one by the lictor's ax; the other by military execution with the sword. In the former case, the criminal was tied to a stake, scourged with rods, and then beheaded;1 in the latter case, the executioner was commonly one of the Imperial bodyguards, and the execution was performed in presence of a centurion, whose duty it was to see the sentence carried out. It is every way probable that Paul was executed in this latter mode. (Biblestudy.com)

There is a fable I heard years ago, it went something like this:

The Roman soldier said, “Paul, today I am going to cut off your head and today we are going to show the whole world who is in control, today the world will know there is no God but Caesar!” “Do you hear me Paul?” “Paul do you see that axe shining in the sunlight, that’s what I’m going to use to put a end to you and your religion!” “Paul do you see it?” Paul raises his head and squints his eyes, because it has been awhile since he has seen daylight, and replies, “No, but I do see something shining….Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing. (2 Timothy 4:8)

Joy Through Persecution

When times get really tough and tight like Jonah in the whale,

Or Daniel in the Lion’s den, our faith may sag and flail

When Paul was on his journey to teach and spread God’s Word,

He usually spent some time in jail everywhere he was heard

The hardships that he suffered were many ‘ere he was done,

Five times the Jews beat him, giving 40 lashes, minus one