"To consider Jesus better than everything else in the world is at the heart of what it means to be a Christian. It may be worth reading that last sentence a couple more times, until it feels uncomfortable. Many of us are so quick to console our hearts when the least bit of unsettling winds blow through. But what about conviction? It’s a good thing not to be comfortable with a watered-down Christianity foreign to the Bible. It’s not works-righteousness to say that saving faith in Jesus means we have to really love him. It’s works-righteousness to think that our really loving him is the reason we’re saved. Paul said that everything is loss compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus. Paul said that and so should we."
The above quote is from an article posted in Desiring God this morning. As Christians we often struggle with persecution through harshly spoken or written words. We are promised in scripture that we will be hated for the truth.
"If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefor the world hates you." ~ John 15:18-19 (ESV)
Even if it means verbally being reprimanded or even "de-friended" from a social network because you speak out against unholiness, we should never compromise the truth of the gospel.
"Never let us be guilty of sacrificing any portion of truth on the altar of peace." ~ J.C. Ryle
The gospel was meant for broken people, those who need healing from a life of sinfulness. This does not mean standing on the sidelines when controversy arrises, but we are to suit up for action and take a stand for Christ's sake. Let them see the light of Christ in order to bring them out of darkness. Now you may be thinking, "well, Christ was always loving and accepted people for who they were." Yes, our Savior was known to sit with sinners, but he also called them to REPENT and leave their lives of sin behind them. Just as Christ's example, we are to deliver the message of the gospel and not sugar coat everything just to appease the listener.
To read the full article from Desiring God go to:
http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/how-christians-prepare-for-suffering
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