In his sermon the pastor asked the church, “Why don’t people believe in Jesus?” Answer: “It’s not because there’s no evidence. It’s because they hate the light. The light exposes their sin.” Then he asked, “Why are people angry at Christians?” Answer: “We testify that their deeds are evil.” Praise God for such a pastor in this Laodicean (lukewarm) age of the church Revelation 3:14 -18. Jesus said it clearly, The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify that its works are evil John 7:7. Don’t doubt it for a moment; by our changed lives in Christ we testify to the world the reality of Jesus’ words spoken first to His (at the time) unbelieving half-brothers.
Before we came to Jesus Christ the world loved us but now it hates us because we’re not part of it anymore. The light we now have not only shines in on our darkness, it shines in on unbelievers too! For newly-born again Christians: if you’re ever told the reason you’re hated is because you misrepresent Jesus or that you are Anti-Palestinian or Islamophobic or homophobic or whatever, know that that’s a lie. The true reason you’re hated is because you expose their evil deeds. That doesn’t mean you know what their evil deeds are, only Jesus knows that, but it does mean they know what they are! The Holy Spirit within us convicts the unholy spirits within them. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment John 16:8.
One primary reason today why the powers that be are not coming to the aid of persecuted Christians around the world is because of their evil deeds. The more who get locked up or slaughtered the better for these powers. In their delusion, that’s how they see a world free of Christian influence. This also explains why there’s no protest from the media and the ordinary person on the street. But, it’s also the reason why this crowd has gone out of its way to support Middle Eastern Islamic refugees. It helps them sooth their nagging conscience towards their own evil deeds. Not for the same reasons, but this truth I learned from the Holy Spirit when speaking with all sorts of “do-good” liars and frauds as a gospel messenger on the street years ago.
What I also learned from the Holy Spirit years ago, there is no better place for a person to sooth a nagging conscience towards their evil deeds than to get affiliated with a religious group of some kind, Christian or non-Christian. It is in today’s church for example, where you are very likely to be given the false reasons why Christians are hated, as mentioned in the second paragraph here. Who better to tell you that than a preacher or church elder in a pulpit, hell-bent on covering their evil deeds? You doubt that? The apostle’s Paul and Peter didn’t; they had plenty to say about it and wrote it down for our teaching and warning. Neither did Jude doubt it, the (now-believing) half-brother of Jesus Jude 1:4.
How about religious people who preach, “Jesus didn’t say anything about it,” when referring to same-sex relationships and marriage? They’re soothing their nagging conscience towards their evil deeds whether theirs be of a sexually perverted nature or not. No way will they allow the light to shine in on their darkness. These people love their evil deeds more than they do the people they claim to speak up for; such is the depth of their wickedness! That’s the real explanation for their anger towards us who are being set free from ours. They would love to be in possession of the freedom we possess, if only they could hold on to their evil deeds at the same time. Religious people told me that years ago; human nature doesn’t change.
How about the Clergy Advocacy Board for Planned Parenthood that claims the abortion provider is simply “doing God’s work”? They say, “Our religious traditions call us to offer compassion, not judgment. People who work for Planned Parenthood give care and respect to those in need, doing God’s work. For this we are grateful.” Talk about soothing their nagging conscience towards their own evil deeds! Is there a more wicked way for angry religious people to shut down protesting minds and mouths than to make a religious statement such as that? – “religious traditions……compassion, not judgment…..doing God’s work.” Adolf Hitler and his Nazis would be proud of them. They would envy them too because the laws of their day didn’t let them off the hook for their atrocities.
Speaking of religious people with nagging consciences towards their evil deeds, look at Roman Catholic priests. Not all of them are sex perverts and pedophiles, but because church hierarchy won’t expose and get rid of those who are, we can never know who is and who isn’t. Too, what better way to sooth that nagging conscience than to confess one’s evil deeds to another priest who’s possibly into the same evil thing? And then, to top it all off by preaching against such evil deeds to the people under their charge! And yes, I am aware Protestant and Salvation Army people are guilty of the same evil deeds. They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work Titus 1:16.
In reference to forthcoming persecutions, Jesus told His people, And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake….. Matthew 10:22; Mark 13:13; Luke 21:17. In reference to the hatred, one Bible Commentary says, “This hatred toward Christ will spread over the world like an infectious fever or pestilence.” Hatred toward Christ has always “spread over” some parts of the world since the inception of the church, but only in this generation are we witnessing a fuller manifestation of this prediction. Christians living on the earth during the Tribulation will witness and experience it at its fullest. Indeed, an”infectious fever or pestilence” it will be. One meaning of evil in the Bible is “diseased.”
In reference to, for my name’s sake the Bible Commentary says, “The Christianity of Christians, not their errors or personal faults, will call forth this hatred. The latter may be the pretext, yet the world has hated most those whom it was forced to respect and admire most.” Amen to that! Fault-picking is the natural trait of all such angry people seeking to sooth their nagging conscience towards their evil deeds; nothing gives them greater pleasure than to point the finger at Christians who slip up. Nevertheless, take note of what they are forced to acknowledge in the midst of it all. Take note too, If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you John 15:18. May this word of the Lord fortify our minds from here on.
If the world hates you. Theologian Albert Barnes said of Jesus’ disciples, “The friendship of the world they were not to expect, but they were not to be deterred from their work by its hatred. They had seen the example of Jesus. No opposition of the proud, the wealthy, the learned, or the men of power, no persecution or gibes, had deterred Him from his work. Remembering this, and having His example steadily in the eye, they were to labor not less because wicked men should oppose and deride them. It is enough for the disciple to be as his Master, and the servant as his Lord Matthew 10:25. What a rebuke this is to the Seeker Friendly/Prosperity Gospel/Emergent Church crowd! How sad too, that some of the angriest people towards us come from within their ranks.
Jesus gives us one of the best examples of angry religious people seeking to sooth their nagging conscience towards their own evil deeds. Believing themselves spiritually smarter than the Lord, they asked, What do You say? regarding a woman caught in adultery, in the very act – John 8:3-11. When Jesus responded with, He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first, He fixed them up quick smart; talk about light shining in on darkness! Whether they too were adulterers we don’t know, but whatever it was they were into, they were not going to hang around and risk the possibility of Jesus publicly exposing it. When the light of the Lord looks like it’s about to shine, the devil’s crowd will always slink away!
A word to those seeking to sooth their nagging conscience towards evil deeds: Unless you humble yourself and acknowledge Jesus Christ who was delivered up because of our (your) offenses, and was raised for our (your) justification Romans 4:25, you will die in your sins and your conscience will nag you for all eternity. Jesus already knows the evil deeds you’re into so give them to Him, holding none back. Let His blood wash them away and soon your conscience will be clean, clear and redeemed. Separate from all religious or non-religious phonies and pretenders; there’s not an ounce of reality among any of them and there never will be unless they act on what you know you ought to act on. Build a solid relationship with the Lord, read and study His word and live it out. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free John 8:32.