BWA6067@TAMAGEN (01/17/90)
Eric recently wrote, David recently replied, and then Bob amplified: ------------------------------------------------------------ >>I want persecution to come. Even to the point of death. >I don't think that's very wise. Is it not true that when Jesus was teaching >His deciples how to pray, one of the items He told us we should ask of the >Father was to 'not put us to the test' (translated in the KJV as 'lead us >not into temptation')? But when you are committed to living a holy life, committed to be separate and holy unto the Lord, you cause others to be uncomfortable. By being on fire for God you alert the enemy...he who is the god of this world. By seeking to be consumed by the fire of God, to open your life up completely to the searching of the Holy Spirit...indeed to *INVITE* that searching...you are setting your life apart from the cold and lukewarm. And the cold and the lukewarm and the enemy do not like that. And that is where persecution comes from. 2 Timothy 3:12 Acts 14:22 Acts 5:41 ------------------------------------------------------------ The Scriptures indicate that, to be sure. It is not always the case, however, that the discomfort of others is due to a conscious rejection of the message that we're bringing. In some cases, it's a result of a tired annoyance that the pagan has because of the continual efforts to proselytize him against his will. There is a difference. Is it possible that on occasion, we cast pearls before swine under the guise of zeal? Is it possible that on occasion, we're doing nothing but spinning our wheels for zeal's sake, just so we can rejoice and say we're being persecuted, when actually we're being nothing more than an annoyance? That's the struggle I find myself in right now. When does preaching the good news end and the pearl-casting for self-justification begin? queue ball