"For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men." 1 Peter 2:15
Since the advent of Christianity, adherents have had to endure a variety of treatments and persecutions because of the faith. While Christ was on earth, those he came to save persecuted him and ultimately participated in his death. His apostles were publicly humiliated, thrown into jail, beaten and killed. This fate was shared by many early Christians and can still be seen in various parts of the world today.
Though we today rarely if ever endure the same type and level of persecution as our ancestors in the faith, the cause of Christ still has enemies. More and more Christian liberties are being challenged and ultimately lost. Prayer in schools has already been lost. There is an effort to remove "In God We Trust" from currency and representations of the 10 commandments from public courthouses. More to the point, individuals are criticized and castigated for holding biblical views about creationism, sexual immorality and simply believing. Humanists are attempting to get rid of God all together by influencing the educational system which influences our children.
Beloved, between the fall in the Garden and the second coming of Christ, we have and will have to endure circumstances associated with a world influenced by the enemy. And though this is primarily a spiritual thing, it manifests itself in our day to day interactions. God, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit has provided a remedy: always do the right thing. Throughout history, Christians have been blamed for many things (like the burning of Rome for example). The strategy then, as now has always been to be godly. Godliness may be fought against, but it cannot be confounded and it will ultimately prevail. There will come a time where naysayers, persecutors and unbelievers alike will bow the knee and confess with their own mouths that Jesus Christ is Lord. Until such time, let us be what we have been called to be; we are children of the Almighty.
Rejoicing in the Lord,
Lee
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