Reference: Luke 6:22-26
If you were going to go and look for atrue christian just what kind of a person would you be looking for? Would youlook for a person that is considered to be an outstanding citizen in thecommunity or would you look for a person that is hated and despised who's namehas been cast out as being an evil person? You have no doubt been taught byyour local church that you have joined, that a christian is a person who isreal sweet and they are very active in their community affairs and belong tomany of the local lodges and clubs such as the Elks Club or the American Legionetc. If this is your concept of what a christian is then will you pleaseexplain to me if you can why Christ said what he did in the above verses ofscriptures that are found in Luke's gospel? My friend do you claim to be a trueborn again child of God that loves God's word of the Bible more than anythingelse in the whole wide world? If you do, then you are no doubt being hated anddespised and evil spoken of in your community. Am I right about this my friend?If you are the type of person that thought a true christian is a person thateverybody simply loves and adores then you no doubt never bothered to read inthe Bible where it speaks about being utterly hated and despised for the sakeof the gospel of Jesus Christ. What about your pastor of the church that youattend, is he a man that is hated in your community for his stand for the wordof God that the Bible reveals? Do your next door neighbors look at you as ifyou are a creature from outer space? What about your brothers and your sistersof your family?
Do they cast you out asbeing a black sheep of the family? Are your most persecuting enemies the verymembers of your own household? You may think that I am crazy by making suchstatements like I have, but according to the word of God if you are not beinghated, despised, and your name cast out as evil etc. , then you my dear sincerefriend are in no way, shape, or fashion, even as little as a fraction of aninch close to being what the Bible calls a true born again child of AlmightyGod. Do you think that I am exaggerating a little by saying what I have stated?If you think so then why did Christ say what he did in the verses of scripturewritten in Luke 6:22-26? Why don't you measure yourself up with what Jesus said inthese scriptures to see if you are what you may think you are when actually youmay not be? Can you truthfully say that you fit the description of those thatChrist describes in Luke 6:22-26? If you do not, how then can you be a true born againchild of God and on your merry way to what you call heaven? Can your mind graspthe thunderous statements about how a child of God will be hated and despisedhaving their name cast out as being evil? It is a very hard thing for most peopleto believe and understand why a child of God will be thought of as described byour Lord in Luke 6:22-26. This is because most people thought that a christian wasa person that was real sweet and was very active in their local communityaffairs. The truth of the matter is that a person who claims to be a born againchild of God and they belong to many of the local lodges being very active incommunity affairs are the very people that hate and despise the true christianswith a very deep passion. The outright sinner is not the ones that persecutethe children of God. The so-called religious people are the ones that do thehating and despising of the people of God. Who do you think crucified Christ onthe cross of Calvary? If you think the drunk on the street did or the whoremongers, or the heathen, then you are a million miles from the truth of thematter. My friend it was the high-nosed religious hypocrites of the localcommunity that had head religion instead of heart religion. The very peoplethat claimed to love God and obey the law of Moses was the culprits that killedChrist. Who do you think killed the apostles after Christ ascended back toHeaven giving them the power of the Spirit in their heart and lives? The verysame religious group that crucified Jesus. If you are a person that claims tobe a born again child of God but fail to receive and obey the truth of therevealed word of God then you are what the Bible calls a hypocrite. The Biblereveals that most confessing born again christians today are proven to beblasphemers of his word instead of lovers of his word. To be a blasphemer ofthe word means to speak evil of it. Many are speaking evil of truth thinking itis false doctrine. My friend if you think that some teaching may be false whythen do you speak evil against it? Speaking evil is doing exactly what theBible says not to do. Why would a true christian speak evil against what hethought was not the truth? If I think a certain teaching is false I certainlywould not speak evil against it because evil speaking is of the devil itself.Why can't you see this simple fact? Can you remember what you may have saidwhen someone may have told you that the Bible reveals that you must be baptizedin water in the name of Jesus Christ and not in the name of the Father, theSon, and of the Holy Ghost? Have you called this teaching of the devil or haveyou consented to this truth? Do you blaspheme the doctrine of the oneness ofthe Godhead or do you pray for those that you think are in error? Do you love themthat hate you or do you treat them like they treat you? How many times have youtold a Jehovah Witness to get out of your house and take the devil with them? Ido not agree with the Jehovah Witness doctrine but I don't speak evil of themlike most people do. Evil speaking comes from the heart no matter if you hateand despise a dog. If you get mad as a riled up hornet when someone differswith your way of religion then all you have is religion and not salvation. Ifyou fall in this category of the religionist then you are one that make up allthose that persecute the true children of God. You are supposed to be the oneto be hated instead of being the one that hates someone for disagreeing withyour way of seeing things in the realm of spiritual things. You may think youare doing God a service for treating those who you think are of the devil in ahated and despiteful way, but actually you are revealing your true color byyour actions you reveal. The word of God says for a woman to dress modestly,but I guarantee that if a woman will not wear a mini skirt up to her backsidethen the average church member will avoid her like she had leprosy. If you failto go along with the filthy jokes that are told by the average person todaythey will look at you as if you are crazy. If you don't have a television inyour house people will say you ought to be locked up and throw away the key.Tell people that you don't celebrate Christmas because of the fact that it isnot scriptural, they will call you a heathen and that you don't believe inChrist. Can you show me in the Bible where it says Christ was born December 25?Why then do you have Mass on this day? Now dear friend are you what theBible calls a Christain?