The world’s rejection of Christians
By Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch.
One of the clearest teachings found in the New Testament is this: if you throw your lot in with Jesus Christ, commit to being his follower, and decide to proclaim him wherever you go, you will be hated on. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about this one – the disciple of Christ will be rejected by the world.
You cannot read the gospel accounts, the book of Acts, the epistles, or Revelation without repeatedly noting how often Christ-followers are persecuted, attacked, abused and hated – all because of their association with Christ. And of course 2000 years of church history also demonstrates this conclusively.
But none of this should be surprising. As Jesus said, the servant is not above his master. So what the world did to Jesus is exactly what the world will do to Christians. And guess what? The world hated Jesus. The world rejected Jesus. The world crucified Jesus.
Trendy progressive Christians insist that if we just love a lot and don’t rock the boat, everyone will receive us and welcome us. Sorry, but no go. The most loving and gracious man to walk the earth was Jesus, yet still the world rejected him….
…“Laughter, ridicule, opposition and persecution are often the only reward which Christ’s followers get from the world.” J.C. Ryle
“I was honored today with having a few stones, dirt, rotten eggs, and pieces of dead cat thrown at me.” George Whitefield
“The world never burned a casual Christian at the stake.” John R. Rice
“Persecution is simply the clash between two irreconcilable value-systems.” John Stott
“A true man of God prepares God’s people for persecution. The false teaches them how to avoid it.” David Pawson
“If you are suffering as a Christian, and because you are a Christian, it is one of the surest proofs you can ever have of the fact that you are a child of God.” Martyn Lloyd-Jones
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