BWA6067@TAMAGEN (01/17/90)
Eric recently wrote, David recently replied, and then Bob
amplified:
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>>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
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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