Persecutions

Do you ever feel like you have been misunderstood?  Have your words ever been used against you when you were trying to help someone?  I seem to run into this problem quite often.  Have you been misunderstood while trying to share your faith with someone and been persecuted in some way for it?  How did you feel when that happened?

I remember many years ago being out knocking on doors trying to get parents to allow their kids to come to a Christian movie that a pastor friend and I would show, we would use it as a ministry and witnessing tool for the believer and the lost in Binghamton.  It was sort of like a coffee house get together where people could go and have snacks, drinks, fellowship, watch a movie, be taught and discipled and have a great time.  One time when I was out knocking on doors I went upstairs to a second floor apartment and knocked on the door and before I left one of the men there wanted to throw me down the stairs and was very verbal about it.  

Many times over the years witnessing was fruitful and I have seen many conversions, praise the Lord!  But there were many times over the years I have been rejected by people I was witnessing to.  Sometimes it was very, very discouraging and I would feel terrible, sometimes felt confused and even angry at times not knowing what to.  There aren’t many things in life that are more important than the Lord using you to win a soul to Him and not many things are more exciting.  

I did a blog on Jonah a while ago and it is hard to imagine how angry he was when he finally went to Nineveh and spoke the Word of the Lord to the people there.  That should have been the highlight of his life, he should have been so excited, yet he was so angry he wanted to die.  Just think of it, he spoke the Word and everyone from the king to the least important person put on sackcloth, which was a symbol of sorrow and repentance, and ate no food and drank no water, even the animals.  According to Jonah 4:11 there were over 120,000 people that responded and God relented and didn’t bring about the calamity He said would, what a revival that must have been!  Jonah had such a great response from the people but a very bad attitude.

But it doesn’t always happen that way. Sometimes the opposite response happens and people won’t accept your message no matter how you try to present it and you can have very mixed emotions.  I just want to encourage you not to give up witnessing regardless of the response you get, do it in love with the right attitude and you will be blessed and the Lord will be pleased.  This is what Jesus said about this is Matthew 5:10-12, “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” 

So be encouraged and never give up, the Lord loves you and He will never forsake you, He will help you.  Because I didn’t give up I had the pleasure of praying for a lady that said the sinner’s prayer with me about a month ago to receive Jesus as her Lord and Savior, praise the Lord!  I hope this has encouraged you, have a great day and may God bless you and yours!!