January 24, 2015
Today’s reading from Encounter with God

Persecution

Please see the links to our EXTRA Bible Study notes at the bottom of the page.

Opening Prayer

Gracious God, today may my actions validate my belief in You, and may the glory be Yours, always.

Read Matthew 10:17-31

[17] Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. [18] On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. [19] But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, [20] for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. [21] “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. [22] You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. [23] When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. [24] “The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master. [25] It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household! [26] “So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. [27] What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. [28] Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. [29] Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. [30] And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. [31] So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Reflect

“What we have here (10:5-42) are travel instructions (5-15), trouble instructions (16:23), and trust instructions (24-42)” (Dale Bruner). When we follow Jesus, opposition will come. We are reminded to trust our Heavenly Father in such times (29-31).

Today’s passage makes sobering reading. As the disciples listened to Jesus, many of them were probably initially excited about getting the opportunity to do the sorts of things he had been doing. Then he started to talk about them being hauled up in front of the authorities, punishment by flogging, family conflict and betrayal, persecution and being constantly on the move. The promise was that it wouldn’t be glamorous or easy–opposition and persecution were guaranteed! The disciples weren’t to be surprised when they suffered persecution.

For most contemporary Western Christians this is far from our experience. Rather, we’re seeing the church move to the margins of society, and the “persecution” we mostly encounter is indifference. Christians have to grapple with the church being increasingly regarded as an anachronistic institution that should no longer be at the heart of the nation’s life. Our Christendom-related claim to a special place with automatic influence over matters of morality, ethics and social policy is being eroded. Our challenge is to find fresh ways to be salt and light in society, taking timeless God-given truths and translating them into a largely secular post-Christian context. And if we are persecuted we need to ensure that it’s for the right things.

Reassuringly, Jesus doesn’t stop at the persecution bit! The bigger picture is that ultimately nothing will be hidden; all will be revealed of God’s purposes for humanity. Because God sees everything, his loving oversight and presence bring intimate, detailed knowledge of our situations. Consequently, disciples of Jesus then and now can engage in God’s mission with confidence and with the Holy Spirit’s enabling (20).

Apply

Find out about the persecuted church across the world from www.persecution.org and pray for Christian brothers and sisters suffering for their faith.

Closing prayer

Sovereign Lord, in times of trouble may my cry always be, “My God, I trust in You, I trust in You.” I lift up my Christian brothers and sisters suffering for their faith.

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