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Weekly Devotional: Early church known for persecution




West

West

“And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.” (Matthew 11:12) KJV

Was Jesus calling for a righteous revolution in the above verse, or was He stating the entrance into Heaven is going to come at a cost? I believe He was talking about a firm resolve to set our faces like flint toward the new Jerusalem.

Standing steady, rooted and grounded in His love is a must in these trying times. The onslaught against Christians in our world is no strange thing. There have been some 70 billion Christians martyred since the days of Christ. Persecution was a way of life for the early church.

We can read just a small portion from Hebrews 11. “Some died by stoning and some by being sawed in two; others were promised freedom if they would renounce their faith, then were killed with the sword. Some went about in skins of sheep and goats, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in dens and caves. They were hungry and sick and ill-treated — too good for this world. And these men of faith, though they trusted God and won his approval, none of them received all that God had promised them.” (Hebrews 11:37-39)

That is not until the rest of the martyrs are executed in like fashion as they were. Having lived in America all our lives, we’ve been spoiled and sheltered. We think it strange concerning the recent outbreak of persecution in Afghanistan. These men and women also died in the faith. Refusing to renounce Christ, they were beheaded, stoned and tortured, but today are living beyond the power of all evil while awaiting their new bodies.

The violent take Heaven by force. Their resolve was for the eternal, not looking at things they could see, but anticipating with an eager hope the things Christ has promised them that love Him. Whether we go in the rapture or by the edge of the sword, we can be confident of this one thing. To be absent from this body is to be present with the Lord.

Leonard Ravenhill said, “The early church was married to poverty, prisons and persecutions.

Today the church is married to prosperity, personality and popularity.

“Perhaps it is a good idea to soak ourselves in God’s word and in church history.

Sue West is available to speak at churches and home Bible Study groups. Contact her at preacher_west@yahoo.com.sg

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