Mat 5:Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

I have been a Christian for nearly 40 years now and often come across Christians who have been hurt in fellowships where they loved the brothers and sisters and served faithfully for a long time.

They have been hurt by leaders they used to trust. This is very sad but very common. It causes pain and disappointment that is usually greater than what you experience from an abusive, narcisistic boss.

The sad thing is that many of these dear brothers and sisters have sought reconciliation to no avail. They may be able to forgive to a degree, but they will not forget and stay withdrawn from fellowship to prevent being hurt again. This is understandable, but is it right? They can become cynical and critical. I have sat with many of them trying to help them back into fellowship. Their stories can make one cry.

The truth is, that almost everyone who walks close with the Lord will go through this experience sooner or later, and sometime and again and again.

Coming back the above bible verse, we often forget, that the Lord knew these things would happen. He knew that the slander would mostly come from religious people, who have a form of godliness and maybe bible knowledge and even enjoy popularity, but are distant from the Lord.

We are sad and very hurt when this happens, but the Lord assures of of the opposite: Rejoice, and be exceeding glad!

That goes totally against the grain of any sensible person, but the Lord knows what he is talking about.

I truly believe, that being reviled is a lesson, that many, if not all who have a serious walk with the Lord will, and yes, must encounter!

Being under godly and caring leadership is a great blessing for sure, but an even greater blessing I believe is to experience slander and persecution by religious backsliders, but only if you overcomeand forgive and pray for them.

I want to encourage those who had this experience. Do not marvel, it is much more common than you think. Forgive them, you have been forgiven too. Thank God that he carries you through. Never give back tit for tat.

This is one of the greatest opportunity to truly grow in grace. You will be able to mourn with the mourning, but you can lift them up, too. You can say, brother or sister, I know, I have been there, I went through the same, but let's pray for them and forgive them and seek forgiveness for not forgiving them.

Recently a person who had done us harm turn friendly towards us again. They have not sought forgiveness yet, but I still rejoice and thank the Lord for them.