Christian Living
October 18, 2011 – Offended and Deserted
9 Then they will hand you over to suffer affliction and tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10 And then many will be offended and repelled and will begin to distrust and desert [Him Whom they ought to obey] and will stumble and fall away and betray one another and pursue one another with hatred. – Matthew 24:9-10 AMP
In Matthew Chapter Twenty-Four Jesus is describing the end of time. He is speaking privately with His disciples and tells them very plainly the signs of those times. And later in the chapter He even describes the Rapture in great detail.
In my August 24th blog, The Beginning of the End, I also address some of Jesus words from Matthew Chapter Twenty-Four. In that blog I describe how we had experienced on earthquake at our home but how God had reminded me through this chapter that it wasn’t the end of world, but only the beginning of the end. Today’s passage follows immediately after the August 24th verses and is filled with a ton of useful information to keep us on track in our walk with God.
The information today is useful for two reasons. First, it enlightens us as to the signs of the end of the world, and second, it can serve as a warning to Christians worldwide to stay firmly planted in the Word of God and accept no substitutes.
Let’s look first at verse nine. The fact is that there are Christian missionaries all over the world. They are literally fulfilling the Great Commission and are evangelizing the nations of the world. I respect and admire their sacrifice greatly. It is also a fact that these missionaries live many times in very dangerous conditions. They are sometimes stationed in areas where the government may be unfriendly toward their beliefs. Sometimes they are in countries ravaged by civil unrest. Whatever the case, many are suffering affliction as Jesus said, and some are even being put to death.
Now I know this is hardly the “all nations” Jesus spoke of. We have religious freedom here in the United States, right? Sure we do. However, Christianity is becoming a much persecuted religion in our country. Our beliefs are viewed as being too rigid. We do not market ourselves to the masses. Because of this, Christianity is quickly coming to the point where it will be a religion hated by every nation in the world. Hey, Muslim nations already hate Christians as well as Jews as a general rule, so there really is not a lot of territory to cover before this prophecy becomes a reality.
Now verse ten really got my attention this morning. It’s not only talking about the unsaved, but I also believe that Jesus is talking about Christians. Many Christians will begin to distrust and even desert Jesus. I say this because those who have never followed Jesus, could never desert Him, as they were never with Him. Those who don’t believe in Him are those in this verse who are offended. I can tell you that we have had some negative responses to blogs from unsaved people. I was even called something obscene on one occasion by someone who was obviously offended.
My second book, Offensive Christianity, deals with this subject. Set for release soon, it’s not about Christians offending others, or even about those we may offend. It’s about Christians standing on God’s Word no matter what and staying on the offensive. It’s about standing alone if we have to. We should always be ready to stand for God and should accept nothing less. It is one thing for someone who doesn’t know Jesus to be offended by a Christian’s actions, but it’s something completely different for a Christian to fall away from the faith.
So how does a Christian fall away from the faith? Perhaps it was because he was hurt deeply by another Christian. It’s sad to say but it happens every day. Some people are hurt so deeply by their fellow believers that they turn their backs on Christianity altogether. Other times they receive instruction at churches that teach a watered down version of what Christianity is meant to truly be. In those times they fall away from the faith without even knowing it.
Now that sheds a little light on the how, but now the question of why remains. The why is more times than not a half-hearted commitment to God. Those who do not seek God daily and follow His ways are led away very easily by hurts, pains, and unsound doctrine (Matthew 13:20-21). Always remember that Paul says that we should work out our own salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12): leaving this part of our life to someone else will have dire consequences.
After saying these things let me say that there is absolutely nothing we can do to stop the events Jesus is speaking about here. He says these events will come to pass and they will. As people, there is nothing we can do to stop them. As Christians however, we can choose to not be participants in the falling away. We must choose today to live for God and follow His ways. It may leave those around us offended, but no matter what happens in our life we should never desert Jesus.
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