Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution
Psalm 116:15
Precious in the sight of YHWH is the death of his saints.
John 17:18-21
¶ If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. 19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. 20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. 21 But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me.
John 16:2-3
They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.
3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.
2nd Timothy3:10-13
¶ But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, 11 Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me. 12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. 13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
Matthew 5:11
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Matthew 5:38
¶ Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: 39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. 41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. 42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. 43 ¶ Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
On December 8th 2020, a time when American Christians were likely preparing for the coming celebrating of Christmas, a man was murdered for doing the service for our Lord and King, Jesus the Christ.
He was Pastor Salim Stephen Surin, a part-time evangelist in the village of Rania in the West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand, India. His death is among the latest news stories we read about Christians around the world being persecuted for the fact that they believe in Jesus the Christ.
But Salim Stephen Surin’s death hits home, for here is a man who is doing what the Lord commanded him and what I myself preach all to undergo; that is to be baptized in the Blood of the Lamb, which is the water baptism in Jesus the Christ. I believe all men, woman, and children once they have a conviction of faith in Jesus Christ, should be baptized according to the Holy Bible practice set down by our Lord and his Apostles, beginning with Peter of the first day of New Church Age, the Day of Pentecost.
Acts 2:38
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. 40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
I was baptized in 2002 by both by the Spirit and in water, the blood of Jesus. Since that moment my life changed and I have since believed that all men and women regardless of who they are should be baptized in true faith.
I sit here in the United States of America able to practice my faith and able go to fellowship with any church of my choosing free from any persecution. I can even post articles on my faith in the comfort of my home not expecting that a brick, bullet or bomb shall come through my window injuring, or killing me for my faith.
We call that the right of “religious liberty”, but Jesus, the Christ, never spoke of the rights of men, nor did he preach about religious liberty.
Nor did Jesus seek to convert one at all costs, he spoke the Word that God, YHWH sent him to speak, the truth, and if the listeners did not receive it, he moved to next. He certainly did not believe “all paths” of all religions lead to one way or another to God. Jesus was very clear what he said and what he meant.
On December 8th Pastor Surin was retuning with his wife on a motor bike from Putikda village, from a baptismal service where he had just introduced five blessed people to the Kingdom of God, the Body of Jesus the Christ, the Church.
He was attacked and shot dead by several Hindu believers who thought they were doing work of their god.
His holy, precious, bleeding body lay in a road as his wife ran for her life.
According to the pastor's wife.
"They killed my husband in front of my own eyes. I was terrified seeing my husband collapse having been shot in the chest. I started to think about my children and loudly cried out to God to save me and take care of my [two] children. I ran into the thick bushes and the nearby forest. I probably walked for more than 10 hours to reach my home. I purposely did not take the road to avoid the attackers."
I’ve never physically baptized a person, well not in full body immersion, but I can’t think of a better way or reason to have given my life than that of having brought someone to Jesus the Christ.
Today in America, there are many thousands of churches and many of them seem to no longer preach water baptism rather they preach this “prayer” based on the “Sinner's Prayer” which prevalent on many a church website, whereby the potential believer is invited to Christ and “saved” having prayed this prayer to Jesus, having “given their heart to Jesus,” in “Jesus name”, all by “the grace of God.”
Never mind that the Apostles nor did Jesus ever teach or practice such an idea.
Why, there should be millions of and billions “saved” if it were only that easy.
Pastor Salim Stephen Surin gave his Life for Jesus the Christ, he died after baptizing someone into Christ, doing what likely brought great joy to his soul having done what his Lord commanded him.
Jesus said our road would not be an easy one.
John 17:18-21
¶ If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. 19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. 20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. 21 But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me.
John 16:2-3
They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. 3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.
Jesus said
Matthew 5:11
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
He taught that we should fear not what men can do to us, but Fear God.
Matthew 10:18-28
And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. 19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. 20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. 21 And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. 22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. 23 But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come. 24 The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. 25 It is enough 25 It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household? 26 Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. 27 What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. 28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Luke 12:4 And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.
Christians in America are amazed by persecution of their fellow believers in foreign lands as they complain about “persecution” and attacks and legal challenges from the atheists, or Sodomite (gay, lesbian, transgender and the like) movement, and a growing secular society.
Many Christians believe they will be “raptured out” of this world at any time in near not too distant future, and as a result, will not face persecution at the hand of the beast /anti-Christ/seven year tribulation period.
They are wrong of course, but such beliefs are the case in a land where we have religious liberty, the right to have your own beliefs and doctrine, no matter how flawed it is.
We all surely will not have religious liberty in the future. This is temporary.
As Paul said:
Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution
Jesus taught us to bless our enemies.
Matthew 5:38-45
¶ Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: 39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. 41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. 42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. 43 ¶ Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
Why?
Maybe because God can turn an enemy into a believer, just as you once were (or may right now be) the enemies to the Gospel of Christ in your unbelief.
I’m not sure how to end this sobering article other than to say keep the faith, expect what Jesus our Lord said on the topic, and listen greatly to what the apostle Paul wrote.
Romans 8:35-39
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Please pray with me for all those persecuted for Christ and the persecutors that they might come to Christ, and truly know Jesus.