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 The Unique Annointing of the Persecuted

1 Peter 4:14
If you are reviled, for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God fest on you.

There is a precious, sweet anointing that rest upon the persecuted church and those who have suffered for Jezus. I have gone to two VOM conferences and come away having listened to those who have suffered for Christ. Indeed having been in their presence I feel as if I had encountered Jesus Himself.

Perhaps this is why some are drawn to the literature of the persecuted. When one picks up Pilgrim's Progress, or Tortured for Christ or Martyres Mirror they experience that special fragrance coming off those pages of saints that have fellowshipped with Jesus in His sufferings. One sees how shallow their faith really is who have not gone through His sufferings. My, faith is ever so shallow after reading Bunyon, Wormbrandt, and the Anabaptist. But ny heart longs for more of Christ. Even to felliwship in His sufferings.

Perhaps this is why the persecuted take great delight in the New Testament. For much our New Testament, maybe all of it was written by men who were persecuted for Christ. Eric Sanders tells us in a quote that for the Christ centered saint every single page is His word is stained by the crisom blood of Jesus Himself. Every page of the New Testament could be said to have been written by nen who shed their blood for Christ.

I cannot tell you what I am trying to convey. But these thoughts resonate in ny heart as I pray for and read about the persecuted. Perhaps their message to us is to experience the sweetness of suffering for Christ. God grant that message be written on our hearts.

For His Sake.

Blaine Scogin
9/21/13

 2013/9/22 8:34
proudpapa
Member



Joined: 2012/5/13
Posts: 2936


 Re: The Unique Annointing of the Persecuted

Hi Bear, good subject

Martyrs Mirror :

/OF THE GREATER DANGER THERE IS AT THIS TIME, THAN IN THE BLOODY AND DISTRESSING TIMES OF THE MARTYRS*
These are sad times, in which we live; nay, truly, there is more danger now than in the time of our fathers, who suffered death for the testimony of the Lord. Few will believe this, because the great majority look to that which is external and corporeal, and in this respect it is now better, quieter and more comfortable; few only look to that which is internal and pertains to the soul, and on which everything depends,"for what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" Matt. 16:26.

These times are certainly more dangerous; for then Satan came openly, through his servants, even at noon-day, as a roaring lion, so that he could be known, and it now and then was possible to hide from him; besides, his chief design then was to destroy the body: but now he comes as in the night, or in the twilight, in a strange but yet pleasing form, and, in a two-fold way, lies in wait to destroy the soul; partly, to trample under foot, and annihilate entirely, if this were possible, the only saving Christian faith-- partly to destroy the true separated Christian life which is the outgrowth of faith. Ps. 9l:5, 6.

He reveals himself on the one hand as an angel of light, II Cor. 11:14, 15, as a kind, pleasant, yea, even divine messenger, with humble countenance, downcast eyes, plain garb, and living in seclusion from the throng of the worldly-minded, even as the holiest people, yea, the martyrs of God, formerly did. His words are modest, trembling and full of contrition-seemingly coming from deep meditation, inward fear and apprehension, lest he might speak amiss or untruthfully. Meanwhile, and before one is aware of it, he seizes hold and tears like a wolf in sheep's clothing, robbing the innocent lambs of Christ of their precious faith, which, he pretends to be of small importance, but without which faith it is impossible to please God, Heb. 11:6, nay, without which we, according to the words of Christ shall be condemned, Mark 16: 16; for (says Paul), whatsoever is not of faith is sin, Rom. 14:23.

It grieves us to the heart that we must live to see these times, and therefore speak in this wise. O Lord, strengthen our faith! help Thy weak, trusting lambs, that they may not be led into error, nor moved from the foundations of the most holy faith.

On the other hand, through his instigation, the world now reveals itself very beautiful and glori-


* When Israel under Pharaoh, in Egypt, had to burn brick, and to perform other hard labor, for the king, they remembered God, yea, cried unto the Almighty, so that God was moved to compassion Ex. chap. 1, 2, 3, etc.; but when God had delivered them, anti brought them into a goodly land where it went well with them according to the body, they forsook the Lord, and became wanton. Dent. 32:15. This difference is found to exist also between the times of oppression and the times of freedom.
Page 9
ous, more than at any preceding time, in a threefold pleasing form-the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life.* Almost all men run after her, to worship her as a queen supreme; but all are deceived thereby; yea, many who have drunk of the poisoned wine of her lusts from the golden cup of her iniquities and deceptions, die a spiritual death.

As the first design is aimed at the faith, so this is directed against the true Christian life. Here lies great danger. Who shall escape these snares? He that would at no time be taken unawares by it, must indeed be cautious and watchful. But our very flesh seems prone to it. Here must be fasting, watching, praying, and calling upon God for help, otherwise there is no escape.

Many of the ancients who supposed that they had been circumspect and observed their duty, were deceived hereby-; some were lulled into a careless sleep, so that they paid no heed to themselves or to their vocation; others were brought to despair of the divine truth; others were drawn away totally from God; some died a spiritual death; others died both spiritually and bodily; and some have plunged themselves helter-skelter into the abyss of the disfavor of God, to be punished by Him soul and body and forever.

These things which we tell you are no riddles or blind speeches, for we speak the truth, or the Word of God must be false; but as the Word of God cannot lie, what we have said is certain and infallible since God in His Word bears witness of it, yea, declares it emphatically and abundantly. Other histories which make mention of this, we pass by in silence and dismiss them altogether, because we do not hold them in equal estimation with the holy Scriptures. It was the world and its lusts that of old caused all the great calamities of which we have spoken; and not only this, but it has also caused thousands who live in various cities, countries, kingdoms, empires, yea, on the face of the whole earth, to mourn, weep and wail, on account of their natural misery as well as on account of their experiencing the wrath of God in their souls because of the magnitude and enormity of the sins perpetrated by them.

It certainly was through worldly lusts that the old world perished; that Sodom, Gomorrah, Zeboim, and Admah were consumed, overthrown and totally destroyed by fire from Heaven; that in forty years, through serpents, fire, and other plagues, the wanton and lustful people of Israel perished to the number of over six hundred thousand in the wilderness; and that the mighty mari.../

http://www.homecomers.org/mirror/martyrs001.htm#6

It might be that we are indeed experiencing the greatest test and trial of faith that their is, with our lives of freedom from persecution and luxury.

VOM's Executive Director, Tom White could handle 17 months in a Cuban prison and keep the faith.
but if the allegations and details are actually true, than it would appear that he was incapable of keeping the faith through the freedom from persecution and luxury that we live with.


 2013/9/22 9:06Profile









 Re: Proud Papa

My dear brother, if tbis was written in Martyres Mirror in the 1500's. Then I wonder how dark the church has gotten today. Having been seduced by Satan to the things of this world.

God please have mercy on us and bring us back to the testimony of the martyres.

Bear.

 2013/9/22 9:39
murrcolr
Member



Joined: 2007/4/25
Posts: 1839
Scotland, UK

 Re:

Quote: There is a precious, sweet anointing that rest upon the persecuted church and those who have suffered for Jesus. I have gone to two VOM conferences and come away having listened to those who have suffered for Christ. Indeed having been in their presence I feel as if I had encountered Jesus Himself.

Quote: Even to fellowship in His sufferings.

It interesting that you noted about being around these men and what I will write I hope will not in any distract from what these guys went through as they will be rewarded by our Father for what they have endured in Jesus name.
Recently I spent a bit of time in prayer seeking the death of self and I beleive that God opened up some truth to me.

That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death Philippians 3:10

The men you mentioned suffered physically for their faith in that the beaten and persecuted but beating and persecution (I don’t want to take away in any shape or form any of that) but rather try to get to the heart of the matter and that is being conformed unto his death so that we may know him and the power of his resurrection. As this is why you could sense the very real presence of God around these men.

I believe that in any suffering God works in us a suffering to conform us to Christ death, so that the very life of Christ springs forth.

2 Cor 1:8-9 For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, in so much that we despaired even of life: But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:

In this passage we see Paul in Asia despairing of his life but we also find that the suffering caused a sentence of death in him so that he should not trust in himself but rather but rather trust in God. The suffering within suffering is the death of self, it’s the end of self-reliance or putting the trust in self.

So as you hear the call of God on your life and you respond by embracing the cross set before you, that choice of suffering will cause a sentence of death in you and as you yield to that internal suffering you’ll know him in that you will be conformed to death, but you’ll be raised a new man knowing the power of his resurrection.


_________________
Colin Murray

 2013/9/22 13:14Profile





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