March 3, 2010

Currently Reading: Daily Readings From The Life Of Christ by John MacArthur

Matt 10:17-18 “Beware of men, for they will hand you over to courts and will scourge you in their synagogues...”

The devil persecutes the church of Jesus Christ through men – men who are wolves that slander, oppress, imprison, torture, and kill believers. The Lord warns us to be on guard and discerning in relation to these enemies. Many Christians insist on putting the best spin on every evil. This does not show love, however, but rather foolishness and self-deception. It's one thing to love our enemies and to not return evil for evil, but to deny that they are our enemies is something else.
Jesus had already promised blessing for those who are persecuted (Matt 5:10-11). Here he promises the actual persecution that brings blessing. The Lord's purpose was not to frighten the disciples and make them suspicious of every nonbeliever. Their mission was to reach the unsaved and to see them transformed from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. But the apostles needed to realize, as we do, that the world usually will not receive the gospel and it's messengers with open arms.
We must also remember that the ultimate enemies who seek to persecute us are Satan and his demons, those described by Paul as “the rulers... powers... world forces of this darkness... the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph 6:12). Satan will enlist as many unbelievers as possible in his battle against God's kingdom, and we, with the Lord's help, must be prepared for the struggle.