T
There are two sides of persecutions in the Bible...
On the one side, you have Jesus getting mad at the Pharisees because John was sent and they wouldn't weep;Jesus was sent and they wouldn't rejoice. Other examples: Paul was not too thrilled about Christians deserting him when he was persecuted...He even appeals to being a Roman citizen so he would not be persecuted by the people that illegally held him...I do not think part of Jesus rejoiced when everyone abandoned him...I am not sure He was smiling when He was crucified...
And then Jesus says to 'rejoice when people mistreat you and say all sorts of bad things about you for so they also treated the prophets.' It goes further and says great is your reward in heaven. When two of the apostles were jailed, they seemed to rejoice and sing psalms during the night and then in the morning rejoice that they had been persecuted for being a Christian. Jesus did not appear to happy that the Pharisees persecuted him...
Okay, to make things simpler...In my own life, I am under a dilemma about how we are to react to things...I read something by 'Athaneus' (an early Christian) that suggest we should praise God no matter what He gives us and this is the highest form of perfection...but then I think about it:if God sends us sorrow, are we not suppose to weep? When friends and family persecute me, I do not feeoverly joyed, though in the deepest level I am awed that I am with Jesus and this does make me happy--but it often doesn't show in me leaping for joy when I am called names or mocked...
I have told other people that Christians experience both greater sorrow and greater joy than anybody else, because we see and care about what spiritually happens (though we know we are not in control).
So do many of you get excited with things go bad, knowing God is blessing you in disguise (which is true)? Even when it is things you truly care about like friends and family mistreating you? Do you smile or leap for joy? I am not meaning to mock here, but if it is what I am suppose to be doing I will tt to learn how to even outwardly smile.
the love of Christ
tony
On the one side, you have Jesus getting mad at the Pharisees because John was sent and they wouldn't weep;Jesus was sent and they wouldn't rejoice. Other examples: Paul was not too thrilled about Christians deserting him when he was persecuted...He even appeals to being a Roman citizen so he would not be persecuted by the people that illegally held him...I do not think part of Jesus rejoiced when everyone abandoned him...I am not sure He was smiling when He was crucified...
And then Jesus says to 'rejoice when people mistreat you and say all sorts of bad things about you for so they also treated the prophets.' It goes further and says great is your reward in heaven. When two of the apostles were jailed, they seemed to rejoice and sing psalms during the night and then in the morning rejoice that they had been persecuted for being a Christian. Jesus did not appear to happy that the Pharisees persecuted him...
Okay, to make things simpler...In my own life, I am under a dilemma about how we are to react to things...I read something by 'Athaneus' (an early Christian) that suggest we should praise God no matter what He gives us and this is the highest form of perfection...but then I think about it:if God sends us sorrow, are we not suppose to weep? When friends and family persecute me, I do not feeoverly joyed, though in the deepest level I am awed that I am with Jesus and this does make me happy--but it often doesn't show in me leaping for joy when I am called names or mocked...
I have told other people that Christians experience both greater sorrow and greater joy than anybody else, because we see and care about what spiritually happens (though we know we are not in control).
So do many of you get excited with things go bad, knowing God is blessing you in disguise (which is true)? Even when it is things you truly care about like friends and family mistreating you? Do you smile or leap for joy? I am not meaning to mock here, but if it is what I am suppose to be doing I will tt to learn how to even outwardly smile.
the love of Christ
tony