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“Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles.”

Matthew 10:17-18

Not many preachers talk about the part of persecution in the Christian life these days. What we often hear is that Jesus died so we can have eternal life and live in abundance. While some of it is true, not all of it, and neither is it the whole story. Because of this “fairy tale” kind of Gospel presentation, some people profess faith in Jesus Christ but do not commit to Him and His teachings.

Being faithful to the Word of God could make people uneasy. Why? Because the message of Christ is first and foremost, offensive. It will reveal the contents of our hearts and how we fail to live the kind of life God expects of us. But the truth is the truth, regardless of how we feel about it.

In today’s verse, Jesus warns His disciples about enduring persecution as they fulfill their ministry. The initial fulfillment of this verse took place during the time of Acts, when people like Saul of Tarsus (Apostle Paul), persecuted the church and even killed some because of their faith in Christ. However, such persecution allowed the early Christians to witness to government officials and people of influence. Had they not been persecuted and sent to prison, they wouldn’t have had the chance to proclaim Christ to those people.

However, the absolute fulfillment of this verse will be realized during the Tribulation period, when governments and established world religions will join forces to persecute Christians all over the world. But this prophecy shouldn’t be a cause for alarm but excitement. The Gospel will be preached to every part of the world before Christ returns in glory to take the Church and deal with unbelievers.

I started as a numbers-first type of pastor and did everything I could to attract people into my ministry. But I wasn’t faithful to God’s Word. In my desire to show love to people, I told them things they wanted to hear instead of things they needed to hear. I realized that the most loving thing I could do for anyone was to stay true to the Gospel. To tell them about God’s holiness, sin and its consequences, Christ’s perfect life, death, resurrection, and ascension is my first priority as a preacher. Yes, it would hurt them at first, but if their response is right, healing will come later.

Pursue the Saviour today!