Being a Lover

No surprise to you, my readers whom are Christians, that we are to be lovers surrounded by a world full of haters.

John 15:18-25

Don't expect the world to love you.
Well for that matter, they did not love Jesus when He was here and they sure did not appreciate that whole resurrection He pulled three days after successfully planting him!  So, if they hate Him, you are guaranteed the world is going to hate you.  You don't see this in your life?"  Well, maybe you are a little too much in the world then?

Slap a Christian bumper sticker on your car, wear a Christian tee shirt in public (my favorite!) and just be prepared to encounter hate in return.  At the very least some very odd looks.  Yeah, I get a the occasional nice comment concerning my shirts but usually it is stares or avert looks or outright aggression......

"You are a Christian?", confusion fills their eyes.  Yeah, the world has been taught that we are superstitious, naive, bigots, closed minded, of low intellect.  Really?  The exact opposite is what is really true!  If you are a Christian, living a Christian life, you will be the exact opposite of all of these items, except perhaps for the intellect part.  But, I have known many very smart Christians - they just do not blow their own horns as much as the world blows the horns of those opposed to us.

Conversely, I have known some mighty dense Christians, but that does not take away from their Christianity - they were still living their faith, witnessing and ministering - just not involved in philosophical debates with anyone, nor coming up with better ways to kill each other.  God can use both the intellect and the faith a person has, to the extent they have.  Awesome!

Don't take their attacks personal!
Remember, you are not the real target, Jesus is.
All people hate what is not like them.
You can not help what  you represent as a Christian, anymore than they do as a non-believers.
Realize that they just do not understand, nor perhaps even know, the Gospel yet.

When persecution comes:
Know that you are in good company!  The history of the Christian Church is literally based upon the blood of the martyrs and saints through the ages.  Even into our own 21st century, Christians continue to be persecuted and executed for their belief in a God and the Son whose death brought you life.....