The Coming Persecution

Before we go to our time of prayer tonight, friends, I want to take a little time and read to us from a book that I wrote years ago, a book on discipleship called No Turning Back. As a matter of fact, it was published in 2005, 10 years ago. I want to read us a little bit on discipleship and then a little on our world situation today as we consider how our nation needs revival and as we pray for revival for our nation this evening.

Here now is the introduction to my book on discipleship called No Turning Back. Discipleship, do we really understand its definition, its demands, its disciplines? Has our modern day view of discipleship been redefined by the atmosphere of today's church? These questions must be answered and dealt with honestly because our only standard is the Bible and the Word of God. Therefore, we must turn to the Word of God and see what it says about discipleship.

We must hear what our master Jesus had to say and understand clearly what he said about following him. Then we must drop the plumb line of the Lord and apply it to our lives. Amos 7a declares, Behold, I will set a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel.

And as we apply the unarguable straightness of the Lord's plumb line against our own Christian walk, we will see if our current definition of discipleship is in line with the teachings of Christ. If not, then something is terribly wrong. Might this be why so little advancement of the kingdom is occurring today in Great Britain and North America? Perhaps we have tinkered with the true definition of discipleship and conformed it to our definition, fitting it to church programs or our preferred lifestyle.

The saints of Christ have much to say to us. Do we have ears to hear? There is a children's hymn that states, I have decided to follow Jesus. No turning back.

No turning back. It is only as the Holy Spirit illuminates our minds and transforms our understanding of the true meaning of discipleship that we can be true followers of Christ. For that is what discipleship is all about, following Jesus.

And I now want to read us a section from a chapter I wrote in this book on discipleship called The Narrow Way. Bear in mind as I read you these words, I wrote this back in 2004. It takes about a year for a book to come to print.

This book was actually published in 2005. And like I said, this was written ten years ago. Listen to what I wrote back then.

Jesus told his disciples they would face persecution because of him. But take heed to yourselves for they shall deliver you up to councils and in the synagogues you shall be beaten and you shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake for testimony against them. Notice the words of Christ.

You shall be beaten and you shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake. When this was said 2,000 years ago, the people of God, the Jews, were not ready to recognize and receive their Messiah. They crucified him because of their unbelief.

Today the world at large is not ready to recognize or receive Jesus. He's hated by more people living today than 2,000 years ago. Christians are no longer a moral majority in America, but a silent minority that's accustomed to being pushed around by the pagan society in which they live.

No longer is there prayer in public school. The Ten Commandments are outlawed by the courts. Gay marriage is an accepted lifestyle by the majority.

The film industry of Hollywood and the fashion industry of New York City are Sodom and Gomorrah all over again. Meanwhile, as the once-Christian America and the once-Christian Great Britain and the once-Christian Canada continue to fall into moral decay beyond any hope of return except revival, the church sleeps on a comfortable pillow of self-ease and entertainment. If the church will not rouse herself out of her slumber and return to God with a broken and contrite spirit, then God himself will rouse his bride.

This will be done by persecution. The church has always thrived under persecution and slumbered under prosperity. God will use the enemies of America to bring judgment and chastisement to the world or even our society, but mainly to the church.

Christians living today will begin to face persecution for their faith as they've never experienced in their histories. The Bible will be legislated out of the courthouse and even out of the church house. Christians will be viewed by governments as a problem that needs suppression.

Pastors will not be allowed to speak against homosexuality using biblical texts without the threat of facing imprisonment. Churches will be forced by government to hire homosexual ministers and staff people or face lawsuits which would shut them down and close their doors. The words of Christ, and you should be hated of all men for my name's sake, will be a living reality for the true disciple of Jesus Christ in America in the coming days.

Are we ready to face the same persecution and suffering that the church in the book of Acts faced? It's common whether we acknowledge it or not. Will we stand or fall? This will depend on the words of Christ, but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. Only the serious believer will survive and stand faithful during the coming days.

All of the professing believers who tread the wide road of self-interest and ease will go through a fire. They will not be able to endure. Many will deny the Lord of glory.

Their skins will be more important to them than their so-called faith in Christianity. The Christianity they subscribe to did not warn them about this persecution. It only promised happiness, good health, wealth, and freedom from care.

The test of fire will prove that many who now claim with Christ are wolves in sheep's clothing. Only the true disciple who's presently on the narrow way will survive this test of fire and persecution. Why is this so? Because the true disciple of Jesus Christ already knows the life of self-denial and suffering and death for his name's sake.

We die to sell for Christ daily. We gladly submit to the cross and climb up on it daily. We shut out the world and hide ourselves in God.

For you're dead and your life is hid with Christ and God. We know the rough places, the narrow places, the off the beaten path places of the way the master. He's never on the wide way, the highway of crowds and boisterous revelry.

He's only on the narrow way, the path that shuts out the world and its amusements. Those that join him now along this way will survive and be found faithful in the coming days of persecution. Those who remain on the wide way will perish, entering a Christless eternity and a rewardless eternity.

There's no compromise on the narrow way. It's black and white, never gray. The words of Christ were hard sayings as they were spoken some 2,000 years ago and the words of Jesus Christ are hard science today.

Many do not want to hear them. Many will not listen. Few seek him in true discipleship, but he has an army.

It's a remnant that's always existed through the centuries. It's not a large army but a dependable one. It's an army of soldiers who are battle-worn and tried and true who realize the price and cost of victory over the enemy.

The victory is already won in heaven. Jesus is presently sitting at the right hand of God because his redemptive work is done. The day is approaching when he will stand and leave the throne room and come to planet earth once more.

This time he will come not as a suffering savior but as a conquering king. He will take all those with him on the second mission of planet earth who have walked that narrow way with him and on whose faithfulness he can depend as he is faithful and true. The nations will all bow to him and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord who at that time will be found faithful who will be faithless.

The judge of the earth is slowly rising from his throne even now. He's ready to return any moment to set up his millennial kingdom. Will you be ready when he comes? Revelation 22 20 declares surely I come quickly.

Amen. Even so come Lord Jesus. Let us take this time now friends to go to our knees and pray that God in his mercy will send revival to this sin loving nation.