Paul said, everyone who leads a godly life in Messiah Jesus will suffer persecution.

Jesus said, if we were of the world, the world would love us as its own, but because we are not

of the world and he's called us out of the world, therefore the world will hate us the way it hated

him. Even in the beatitudes, right in the sermon on the Mount, Jesus said,

blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness. Their is the kingdom of heaven.

And then speaking directly to his disciples, blessed are you? The people persecute you and

insult you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake, rejoice and be glad.

Great is your reward in heaven.

That's how they persecuted the prophets before you.

Paul wrote that we will share in the Lord's glory as we also share in his suffering in this world.

Persecution for the faith is a given in the New Testament. It's mentioned in virtually

every single book of the New Testament, almost everywhere you find it reference, you find it spoken

against. Jesus said that the great return that we get a blessing in this world, and Mark 10,

he said it comes with persecution.

This is reality.

John wrote and said in the book of Revelation,

I'm your companion in the tribulation and suffering and kingdom.

It's all hand in hand as we follow Jesus.

Often in America, we don't experience it in the same way. Maybe there's

some verbal attack and maybe here and there some assault on our freedoms and rights by the

government or different individuals. But we can get on a street corner and preach Jesus. We can

get on our podcast. We can get on social media. We can talk about the Lord.

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