Acts 16:16-34: Paul, Silas & the jailhouse rock.
Friend— the question before us is: is the laidback, lackadaisical, lukewarm, Laodicean church prepared for the coming persecution?
I believe we have somewhat answered the question with the question we asked.
Now then: NOBODY wants to endure persecution.
Nobody wants to live with rejection and suffering.
No one in their right mind would relish being ridiculed and mocked on account of their faith in Christ Jesus our Lord, Savior and soon coming King.
Yet, this is precisely the pathway of the pilgrim who is following hard after Jesus Christ.
This is the promised fate of those who live godly in Christ Jesus.
How often have we sung that song: “To be like Jesus. To be like Jesus. All I ask: is to be like Him. All through life’s journey, from earth to glory. All I ask, is to be like Him.
Oh— REALLY?
Which Jesus do you wanna be?
The one who healed the sick?
The one who raised the dead?
The one who had crowds following him?
The one who was lauded and praised as He rode into Jerusalem on the beast of burden?
Or…
The one who was beaten to a pulp until He was unrecognizable?
The Jesus who was spit upon, slapped and mocked repeatedly?
The one who rose early in the morning to pray and was known to have prayed all night?
The one who sweat great drops of blood as He pleaded with the Father?
The one who was tempted of the devil, accused by the Jewish leaders and hierarchy and horribly misunderstood, maligned and mistreated?
Which Jesus do you want to be like?
Paul exclaimed:
I want to know Christ — yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.
— Philippians 3:10,11
The Apostle’s End 👉
The Early Church Father’s Fate 👉
Are tough times ahead?
It is my contention that the only way the church can be ready and prepared for the coming persecution is the following:
I. A praying church is a prepared church.
Ephesians 6:18
- Look at anybody in the scriptures who had a life that honored God: they were a praying person.
- Christ set an example with His prayer life.
- The apostle Paul prayed before, during an after his hardships.
II. A praising church is a prepared church.
Ephesians 5:18-20
- Praise is an attitude.
- Praise is a lifestyle.
- The apostle Paul praised God before, during and after his trials.
III. A prophetic church is a prepared church.
- Open Bible, fruitful life. Closed Bible, a dry and miserable existence.
- How often did Jesus proclaim, “It is written?”
- Look what Christ predicted for His children.
Dear one: BUCKLE UP and SNUGGLE UP… to Jesus.
This is NO TIME to be following from a distance.
🎶 This is the day. This is the day, that the Lord has made, that the Lord has made. We will rejoice, we will rejoice and be glad in it. And be glad in it. This is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. This is the day. This is the day, that the Lord has made.
Leave a Reply