2015.05.10_Prayer, the Response to Persecutions

Possess the righteousness by believing Jesus Christ

God is living. Without fail, He continues to do His works. Just as time never stops, His works continue  without end. He created the heavens and the earth and humanity, and out of the countless people that filled the earth He chose Adam. Likewise, from the midst of Adam’s numerous descendents, God chose Abraham, through whom He ultimately sent Jesus Christ. Thus, we must carefully observe the works God is performing through Jesus Christ in these last days.

God’s works can be understood fully through Jesus Christ alone. God did not grant us a religion to believe, but His son Jesus Christ . By faith in Jesus Christ, we have been deemed righteous and become children of God. However, many people pursue religious beliefs, where they establish and seek their own righteousness. Such people will perish in the end like the Pharisees, who endeavoured to abide by the Law but fell away. Thus, we must remember the teachings of Jesus that, “Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 5:20).

God does not judge a man by his outward appearances, but by the presence of God’s righteousness within him. In order for us to receive the righteousness of God, we must believe in Jesus, for this is our faith. As written in the Bible, ‘Eat, drink and be clothed with Jesus´ means we should possess the righteousness of God. People who seek to establish their own righteousness by following their convictions can only grow further away from God. Regardless of how good their ideas are, if they are sourced from fleshly minds, they are adverse to God. Above all, God seeks for us to receive grace in Jesus Christ.

Those who honour God’s word must be ready for persecutions.

God cannot be seen. Given this reality, one may ask how we can place our hopes in Him. This can be achieved by seeking His words with a great sense of honour. In John 1:1, it is written, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”. How can people who honour God neglect the words of God, or the people who acknowledge the words of God overlook the Bible? This is the reason why we must honour the Bible and follow the words contained in the Bible.

It is not strange for people, let alone churches, that persistently try to live by the Bible to be pressed by persecutions. Jesus said, “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” (Jn 15:18).

Even if we were to combine the number of Christians who have been taken up from this world with the number of believers today, the number of unbelievers within the same time frames would be unparalleled. Furthermore, if we were to only account for the number of people who live a true life of faith according to the Bible without the pursuance of doctrines, this comparison would reveal a stark difference. Therefore, the persecutions towards the minority should not be considered strange.

Though the persecutions towards Christians cover the earth, these levels will continue to increase throughout the future. It is written in Revelations 20:4, “And I saw the thrones, and they sat on them and judgement was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years”. Those who possess the hope for the first resurrection should not attempt to avoid persecutions, but rather brace themselves and be ready to be beheaded .

Amid persecutions, seek the power to confirm the words of God.

When the disciples in Jerusalem were confronted with persecutions, they prayed, “For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done. Now, Lord, look on their threats and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus” (Ac 4:27~30).

When confronted with persecutions, the disciples did not become faint but confessed that everything was the work of God’s will. They firmly held onto the Word of God for His will to be fulfilled in them. Had they denied Jesus, nobody would have  persecuted them. Had they undermined the Holy Spirit by simply following doctrines, there would have been no persecutions.  Resultantly, God’s will would never have been fulfilled in their lives.

Even upon such persecutions the disciples were not shaken. Rather, they earnestly sought the manifestations of the powers that followed the Word. They knew just how futile it would be if they could not experienced the power of the Word during their times of persecution. Likewise, we are in the same position. Should we follow the instructions of the Bible, we must be able to witness the powers that accompany the words of God. Be it the persecutions of the world or religious churches, we must witness the confirmation of God’s words by His promised powers. Amidst persecution, we must not flee but rather confront and overcome them.

May the words of God, the blood of Jesus and the Holy Spirit become spiritual sense.

If we hope to be considered honourable in the face of persecutions, we must have a faith that is in line with the Bible. Thus, when we receive the words of God, we must receive them into our spirit, that is, allowing the words to become a spiritual inspiration. This does not imply that when you receive the words of God, you will feel a static pulse through your body. Instead, it to possess spiritual sense through the God’s word  means that these words remain in us by reigning in our lives.

We must have spiritual sense that is by the blood of Jesus together with the inspiration of the Word. People without the inspiration of the blood are constantly seized by anxiety and guilt. These people have a misconstrued tendency to think that their sins are the cause for their child tripping over or the distress of their husband’s company for example. However, we must realise that the punishment of sin is not to be inherited in this world, but eternally in Hell. One’s capacity to succeed/fail is based on how their conditions and environments are utilised, irrespective of whether they are a Christian or a non-believer. Some people think, ‘If I do this, I may be cursed!’ and are seized by the fear of such occurrences. We must realise that we were originally doomed to receive the punishment for our sins, but by the grace of Jesus who bore our sins on the cross, we are now receiving the eternal love of God. This blessing is not the result of anything we have done but purely by God’s grace imparted on us in Jesus Christ.

People with the spiritual sense of the blood of Jesus have the full knowledge of Jesus’ deeds that saved them and the righteousness that now dwells in them, which in turn, becomes a comforting assurance. The devil continually provokes us by declaring, ‘I know you are a sinner. You ARE a sinner’. However, we must boldly claim, ‘I am forgiven. I have been made righteous’. This type of faith is also necessary in order for us to successfully deliver our prayers to God. We cannot deliver our prayers with a doubtful mind that questions, ‘Would God listen to a sinner like me?’

Finally, the spiritual sense of Holy Spirit cannot be neglected. The Holy Spirit has entered us and we must allow Him to work freely. 1 Corinthians 12:7~10 states, “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the same spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues”. People with the spiritual sense of the Holy Spirit can certainly possess these gifts and powers. Whilst people that use God for their personal desires ultimately become enemies of God, people that offer their lives for the will of God will be cherished and nurtured by the God.

As persecutions come, we must be filled with the words of God, the blood of Jesus and the Holy Spirit all the more. It  is the Spirit that gives life, not the flesh (Jn 6:63). Do not seek God’s help simply for the wellbeing of your flesh, but for the growth and continual benefit of your soul. We must have boldness by acknowledging that our souls have put on the white robes (Rev 7:14). Leaving the church because it is receiving persecution is not a choice made for the sake of the spirit. We must neither deny Jesus before even the rooster crows, nor hide when we need to proclaim Jesus. Instead, we must  boldly face persecutions and overcome them. We must earnestly seek God’s power. We must take after the words of the Bible. We must kneel before the words of God.