They
Call Us Haters
5/24/2012
“Marvel not, my brethren,
if the world hate you.” 1 John 3:13. The idea
behind this verse is that we (the Ekklesia of Christ) should not be surprised
as we see the world becoming more hateful towards us. They’ve hated
Messiah Jesus for the last 2,000 years so of course they’re going to hate
His followers. The world of the perishing has no clue as to what Christians are
all about. Many of them see us as haters. God tells us to love our neighbor as
our self. But our neighbor hates us because we live our life in accordance to
God’s will through His word. Then, as His children, we promote a godly
lifestyle in the face of all adversity. Sometimes it’s easier to just
walk away, or stay away, from those who think us haters, but the fact of the
matter is they will never stop hating us until they see the truth for
themselves and become a part of the same body of Christ.
There are many who hate the followers of Jesus
Christ, but one group of folks who continually refer to Christians as haters
are homosexuals, as do those who agree with and condone such a lifestyle. Why?
Because all true born again Christians are fundamentally opposed to such a
lifestyle. Most of us are steadfast and unwavering in our convictions of
God’s truth. Taking a stance against homosexuality these days is not very
popular. We are called intolerant, religious fanatics, haters that the world
would do well to get rid of. The world is growing more hostile toward Messiah
Jesus and His followers than ever before. Dark times are approaching.
It seems as though the homosexual agenda is to
force their lifestyle into the mainstream of thought, that by doing so they can
persuade through collusion all humanity to become as they are –
homosexual. In order to be fully accepted into society they know that everyone
must become homosexual or else there will always remain some who oppose that
lifestyle, and any opposition is a conviction of sorts. They don’t want
to be convicted so they need to rid the earth of those fanatical people who
stand in their way, a way, I might add, that includes full on perversion.
All who stand opposed to the homosexual lifestyle
are now known worldwide as haters. We are referred to in this manner because we
believe in God, and His word is clear, He is diametrically opposed to the homosexual
lifestyle. Those who call us haters, for the most part, don’t believe
there is a God, thus they see us only as a mean spirited bunch of Neanderthals.
Through their unbelief they take God’s glory from Him and place it upon
themselves. The judgment of God is on those who reject Him but especially on
those who work to change Him into a created thing. They are His creation and
yet they see themselves as their own gods. “And
changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to
corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things
...Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the
creature more than the Creator” Romans 1:23, 25. Their bodies and especially abhorrent sex is
their god.
“For we are unto God a
sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: To the
one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life
unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?” 2 Corinthians
2:15-16. The fact is the cross is offensive to all those who are
perishing. Those who refer to Christians as haters have a very stanch, intense
desire to see us hurt. It is their goal to abuse us, persecute us, and even
destroy us, all just so they are no longer confronted with the truth. To those
who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who
are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. When people hate Christians they
are actually saying they hate God. They hate the children of God even though
they don’t believe we have a Father in Heaven.
Not all professing Christians have a problem with
the homosexual lifestyle. There are many who profess a faith in Christ but who
are fully into practicing this ungodly abomination themselves. I would be remiss
if I were not to point out the following statement of fact. When a person
speaks about their faith, that doesn’t necessarily mean they are
professing a faith in Christ. Many simply have faith in their own
self-sufficiency. Until a person admits that the Gospel of Christ is true, they
are not saved. They may repeat a statement such as “My Christian
faith”, but until they say yes to Jesus Christ (from the heart) and
become born again they remain as lost as those who hate and reject Christ altogether.
The born again are admonished to uphold God’s
word as truth. We are to live our lives according to His precepts. God’s
word is our authority and we need to embrace His truth. When He says
homosexuality is an abomination, we need to stand firm on His word of truth.
Remember Jesus’ words, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord,
shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father
which is in heaven.” Matthew
7:21. Standing against God’s will (His precepts) is a real
good indicator that a person doesn’t know Jesus; the Holy Spirit is in
every saint but that verse above makes it obvious that God’s Spirit is
not in every person who professes to be Christian.
Standing contrary to God’s precepts would
certainly fall under the category of grieving the Holy Spirit, which we are
admonished not to do. “And grieve not
the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of
redemption.” Ephesians 4:30.
Those who are sealed with God’s Holy Spirit find it next to impossible to
stand contrary to His word. Poking our finger in the eye of God by condoning
what He refers to as an abomination is not a good idea. By refusing to believe
or follow His word we call Him a liar, another bad idea. These are just two bad
ideas in a whole line of bad ideas promoted today by many who profess a faith
in Christ.
“Jesus Christ the same
yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” Hebrews 13:8. Ignoring God’s
inerrant Word or using the power of line item veto upon His Word whenever
something arises that conflicts with our own preconceived ideas is the same as
saying God is out of touch and insignificant, especially concerning current
cultural trends. This is simply not the attitude of a truly born again in
Christ believer, and God’s judgment is upon those who remain in this
mindset.
Christianity is highly promoted as a tool to be
used in political corners as a springboard for helping politicians get elected,
or to remain in office. In many cases their Christianity is only a facade. But
that facade is removed when it comes to ignoring God’s written word while
remaining politically correct. The political climate of today only adds fuel to
the flames of fire that promote hatred toward Christians. Representing our God
as well as His truth is contrary to our current political system.
There is another group of folks who continually
refer to Christians as haters; they are those who stand firm on a woman’s
right to chose to murder her unborn baby. Murdering babies while they grow in
the womb is a deplorable act of selfishness and pure hatred. Condoning this
abomination as well as the homosexual lifestyle is akin to standing in full
rebellion to our Creator God. In many cases, when a person comes to the
realization that they’ve been an accomplice in the murder of their own
baby their hearts are broken and only the love of Christ can heal that broken
heart. As
with all sin, once we truly ask for forgiveness, He is faithful to forgive.
Christians who show the love of Christ through
the way they live their lives and interact with others, even though those
others may hate them and want to destroy them are doing God’s will. If it
weren’t for the body of Christ on earth, this planet would have imploded
many years ago. I know that many atrocities have been committed in the name of
Jesus Christ. But those who murdered and destroyed lives, even though they used
His name to justify their actions, were not living or acting according to
God’s will and percepts.
As saints we are commanded to love our fellow
man. The ones who call us haters have nothing to fear from us. We are only here
to promote the Gospel of peace. We live for Christ and we love our fellow man
and hate should never be a part of the life of a born again believer. The truly
born again have one main goal, which is to spread the word of truth. We are to
see to it that everyone, whether they call us haters or not, are given a look
at the other side, Christ’s side.
“For God so loved the world” John 3:16a.
Homosexuals and abortionists are nonetheless loved by God, but God will not
abide their rejection of Him. We love our neighbor no matter what he/she is
into that contradicts or offends God. Loving our neighbor doesn’t mean we
want to go live with them, but it does mean that we have a burden on our hearts
to see that they learn the truth about Jesus before it’s too late.
“Blessed are they which
are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven.” Matthew 5:10. Instead of letting these
folks get to us and anger us let’s show them how to love by loving them
no matter what hateful maneuverings they bring against us. Stand firm on
God’s precepts without wavering. When we stand firm in our faith in God
and on our convictions that His words are true, even the hardest heart and the
weakest minds begin to be more receptive to our message.
“Blessed are ye, when men
shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against
you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your
reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before
you.” Matthew 5:11-12. It won’t be long
before Jesus calls us to meet Him in the air, and then to give us our rewards.
Hold fast to that fact. The Kingdom of Heaven is nigh at hand for all who know
the Lord.
God bless you all,
Ron Graham
All
original scripture is “theopneustos” God breathed
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