Persecution of the faithful: the devout followers of Jesus Christ is prevalent all over the planet. In the Middle East, ISIL or ISIS has been capturing Christians and torturing them, mutilating them, and killing them publicly. Here in America it may seem that we are beyond persecution, but the truth is that a different kind of persecution pervades over the saints here. Instead of being slain or stoked over a fire, Christians in so called free countries like the US are threatened by persecution from churches, psychologists, and even family.
Those who seek a radical faith in Christ; to be all in and follow Jesus with a passion like the Early Church Fathers will find that priests and pastors alike will not be thrilled. Instead of welcoming the zeal and fervent ardor of man or woman seeking to know Christ at a deeper level; clergy often chastise and condemn such devotion. The reason is that a sincere believer reveals that they are sell outs or that they have lost that "First love" they once had. It threatens the leaders of the Church because someone who is a Jesus Freak cannot be controlled and they are well connected to Christ and the Holy Spirit and thus have potential to effect people in way they cannot.
If persecution does not come from the Church, it is found in the form of the psychiatrist, psychologist, and psychological counselor. Psychology is quickly become a god of the West and people flock to its clergy called a Counselor, Psychologist, and Psychiatrist to help them with their problems. These psych mystics often will try to convince a devout Christian that they are delusional, that if they hear the voice of God or see demons that they are Schizophrenic and having hallucinations. If a Jesus Freak persists and does not give into the power of the psychologist, he or she may find themselves in a straight jacket, locked up in an insane asylum or what is more common taking medication prescribed the psychosis clerics. While there is some truth to psychology, we as Jesus Followers must beware of those who use psychology to trap sincere Christians and place them under the dominion of disbelief and the devil. There are psychologists who use their practice to protect their problems while simultaneously placing curses and diagnosing healthy Christians as crazy all for their twisted purposes.
Finally, persecution can be found in our own families. If a follower of Christ really have transformation and wants to live their life completely for Christ, the family will come against the ardent believer. The family will try to convince them that they are going to far and that Jesus would never ask someone to give up comforts and wordily wealth to serve Him. The family can quickly turn into anti-christs who will try to convince the devout Christian to settle and be like ordinary pew sitters. If the family fails, they will demonize the Jesus Freak and paint their devotion as abnormal and delusional. In some cases, the family can even turn so against the Lord that they make the Jesus Freak tongue tied and afraid to speak about what they have seen in the Spirit or to pray or even talk about Jesus because the family is so against their devotion. As result the persecution takes shape in making the Disciple of Christ feel unable to be themselves around those they love and have to keep quiet about the very things they have deep passion and love for. The same kind of persecution can come from friends, but with friends you can end the relationship, while with a family it is much harder to distance yourself completely without fully cutting them off for your Faith.
These are just some of the silent persecutions. When I say silent I mean they are not like the torments of being tortured, beaten, and martyred. Those saints who die at the stake or sawn in half are heard because they stood true to the Faith even in the wake of death! But the silent persecuted are not threatened with blades and bombs, they face emotional and spiritual abuse and the scars are on the inside not the outside. I am not endeavoring to compare someone being tortured or martyred to someone being painted as crazy and being betrayed by those they love because of their Faith. Those persecutions are different, but both tare at the soul of a saint. Being subjected to silent persecutions I want to say to anyone who has suffered at the hands of churchmen, psychologists, family or even friends; you are not alone! This is the cross we carry, while our other brothers and sisters face mutilation and death. We should pray for one another! Hold true to faith in Christ Jesus! Do not listen to the liars and haters of your relationship with the Risen Lord! You are not crazy! You are not delusional! You are not proud! And you are most certainly not foolish! Those who want Jesus Christ more than anything and follow Him with all their being shall know Him deeply and be rewarded in the next life! (Matthew 6:20). Hang in there! I have met the envious ecclesiastics, the psychotic psychologists, and I still suffer at the hands of fuming and fierce family members. Do not give in but keep the Faith and follow Jesus no matter what they say or what mind games they try to play to convince you of their lies. Trust in the Lord and let Him be your strength!
Comments
Post a Comment