Linking up today with Five Minute Friday. Today’s writing prompt: WORLD
I woke up this morning with the following verses from Romans 8 on my mind, probably partly because I was reviewing them yesterday on my Bible Memory app. When we stand for Christ in the midst of a world that is hostile to His message, we will experience suffering.
“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” Romans 8:16-18 ESV
When Paul wrote these words, he knew from personal experience what it was to face opposition and suffering for simply sharing the message the Lord Jesus Christ had called him to share. Before coming to Christ, he had been one who persecuted followers of Christ, and now he was one of the persecuted. Sharing the good news of salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus does two things. It changes lives for those who believe, and it stirs up opposition from those who reject the truth.
As the Christian message in our nation becomes less and less acceptable, we need to be prepared for the fact that standing for Christ will sometimes mean ridicule, slander, and emotional pain in our lives. For some in our nation, it is now meaning loss of their businesses and even being put in prison for standing for the truths Jesus taught. But we need to learn to see that suffering in light of eternity. As Peter said in 1 Peter 4:6, “If you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.”
Today, I want to encourage you to stand strong in your faith, to be a witness for Christ regardless of what it costs you. You are not of this world. If you have surrendered your life to Jesus, you are now in a different kingdom… one that makes no sense to unbelievers. Opposition to the truth has been a part of the Christian life since the early church, and we live in a time where it is again becoming a fact we need to be prepared to deal with.
HOPE & LIGHT 
Thanks for this encouragement! There is definitely a lot of opposition here too right now and we do need to be prepared for that.
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I felt this so strongly this morning that I had already put a brief post on my personal Facebook page, before I even noticed “world” was the prompt word for today’s Five Minute Friday. As I’m doing a study of the book of Acts and seeing the level of persecution the early church faced, it’s made me wonder where the church in our nations would be today if we faced a similar situation.
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When I was going through a rough time several years ago, this was one of the verses our pastor reminded me of. The whole of Romans 8 is just so full of encouragement. I wouldn’t say Christians are exactly persecuted in Australia, but we certainly aren’t very popular at times. Two prominent Christians have recently acted in a way which has sadly exacerbated this.
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I love Romans 8 too, some of the most encouraging verses in the New Testament. We memorized verses 16 -17 in the study I recently finished teaching at our church, that we are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. The focus the Lord was putting on my heart today was more of a warning. While persecution hasn’t touched us personally, we have seen others in our nation begin to suffer for taking a stand for the righteous standards taught in God’s Word.
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