We live in a culture that is becoming more and more hostile towards Christians and Christianity. We are living in a culture that seems to be more and more opposed to what Jesus taught. It only takes speaking out, sharing the love of Jesus, and sharing what he taught, to have that become crystal clear.
I know far too many people who share with me, in private messages, that they want to speak up more, they want to share the good news more, but they are worried about losing their jobs, having people in their towns stop speaking with them, and about being cancelled online.
The reality is that we are living in a culture that seems directly opposed to the truth of Jesus. In many instances, simply mentioning his name today will often bring out a negative, vile, nasty, and outright evil response. Through my Significant Man page on Facebook, I’ve received my share of those messages.
The opposition is very real. But, the opposition is not new. Paul ran into this opposition plenty when he was out sharing the good news of Jesus. We read some about this in the book of Acts. In Chapter 17 there is a section about Paul teaching in Thessalonica, when troublemakers were gathered to form a mob and start a riot, looking to drag Paul (and Silas who was with him) out into the crowd.
Later in Acts, Paul and Silas are preaching in Berea, where they are met with opposition again, and it was so serious they had to flee for their own safety. Then in Acts is yet another example, this time in Ephesus, of the crowd being filled with anger against Paul. The opposition is not new. A hostile culture is not new. From the earliest moments that Jesus began teaching, there was opposition. From the earliest moments that his disciples began teaching, there was opposition.
But knowing that there is this hostility, knowing that there is this opposition is just one part of the equation. The Bible teaches us that we are going to have trouble, that we are going to have challenges, struggles, and opposition, so we know this. And even though it can feel like it, we know it’s not new.
So what do we do with this knowledge? It’s one thing to know that anger is coming, to know that conflict is coming, but something has to happen with that insight. So what is that “something”?
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