When Persecution Arises
Scripture: Mark 4:17Devotional Series: The Integrity of God's Word
Teaching: The Integrity Of God's Word pt. 3 (SUN_AM 2021-06-20) by Pastor Star R Scott
Stony ground. We saw it just recently. A couple of young men that were hanging around for a while. They came in all excited, but the first thing you’ll notice is that they began to want to make judgments, to tell you how to do it. Now, they’ve been saved for a week or a month or whatever. But the interesting thing about these people is, not only their zeal and their excitement, but many of them will go immediately and gain knowledge, then try to put people under the law. Immature Christians are always legalistic Christians. We see here in the Scriptures these that come in that are immature. How many of you know that in your own life, you revert back to spiritual immaturity in the way you act sometimes?
Selfishness is very interesting. We get that way sometimes in the flesh as baby Christians. We carry that fleshly attitude over into immaturity. We see then that when these come in, they’re zealous. The next thing you know they become legalistic. It could be disciplines that are brought on them at this particular time that will cause them to get their nose out of joint and leave.
The Scripture goes on and says that one of the things we do know is that when the heat comes, see what it says in verse 17. They endure but for a time, and when affliction or persecution arises, for the Word’s sake, immediately they are offended or stumbled. They become critical, become divisive, or whatever it might be. So, this person that’s shallow in their relationship with Jesus, they get excited about things. These are people that really get off on miracles and signs and wonders. They get off on the dancing and jumping and running around the church.
There’s a place for all of that, but there’s a place, about choosing to become a servant, choosing to die to yourself, choosing to become one that cares for the community, as Corinthians says, so that we might have the same care one of another. Choosing and believing that no one gifted person among us is greater than any other. The gifts are all necessary to the edifying of the body of Christ. You should rejoice because the greatest gift to you is the one that you are faithfully carrying out for the glory of God, for the edification of the church.
So, we don’t stand, Corinthians says, and envy one another for their opportunity to be a soloist or to be one of the people that gets to oversee groups or becomes a deacon or whatever it is. There’s no place for envy in the body of Christ. What we see in the mature is rejoicing when a brother gets promoted. We delight in that. We say, “Praise God! They’re the exact right person for that job.” “Well, I actually think I could have done a better job.” Well, you’re more talented than them in every way except that last statement; amen? That’s why they have it.
Selfishness is very interesting. We get that way sometimes in the flesh as baby Christians. We carry that fleshly attitude over into immaturity. We see then that when these come in, they’re zealous. The next thing you know they become legalistic. It could be disciplines that are brought on them at this particular time that will cause them to get their nose out of joint and leave.
The Scripture goes on and says that one of the things we do know is that when the heat comes, see what it says in verse 17. They endure but for a time, and when affliction or persecution arises, for the Word’s sake, immediately they are offended or stumbled. They become critical, become divisive, or whatever it might be. So, this person that’s shallow in their relationship with Jesus, they get excited about things. These are people that really get off on miracles and signs and wonders. They get off on the dancing and jumping and running around the church.
There’s a place for all of that, but there’s a place, about choosing to become a servant, choosing to die to yourself, choosing to become one that cares for the community, as Corinthians says, so that we might have the same care one of another. Choosing and believing that no one gifted person among us is greater than any other. The gifts are all necessary to the edifying of the body of Christ. You should rejoice because the greatest gift to you is the one that you are faithfully carrying out for the glory of God, for the edification of the church.
So, we don’t stand, Corinthians says, and envy one another for their opportunity to be a soloist or to be one of the people that gets to oversee groups or becomes a deacon or whatever it is. There’s no place for envy in the body of Christ. What we see in the mature is rejoicing when a brother gets promoted. We delight in that. We say, “Praise God! They’re the exact right person for that job.” “Well, I actually think I could have done a better job.” Well, you’re more talented than them in every way except that last statement; amen? That’s why they have it.