Morning Pastor John,
I wanted to express something that’s been on my mind since your last meeting when you discussed the hatred towards Israel.
If we, having God’s spirit, are the real Israel, and the ones that the world actually hates, but we are hidden with Christ in God and kept safe from that hatred, I’m trying to reconcile in my brain…how are we supposed to suffer persecution, then, If we are hidden in Christ?
Brad
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Hi Brad.
People can see that Spirit-filled people are different, and hate that without knowing who they really are. Peter mentioned this (1Peter 4:3–4): “The time that is past is sufficient for us to have done the will of the Gentiles, walking in licentiousness, lusts, drunkenness, banquetings, carousings, and lewd worship of idols, concerning which they think it strange that you do not run with them to the same excess of debauchery, speaking evil of you.”
The fleshly nature of man hates the nature of God that is in the Spirit, even if it does not understand it. Your life being hidden in Christ means only that the world does not know who you really are. John said that (1Jn. 3:1): “Behold, what great love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called the children of God! The reason the world does not know you is that it did not know Him.”
Righteous people will suffer in this world, even though the world does not really know why it hates righteous people.
Thank you for the question.
Pastor John