Receiving God’s Word for What It Is

Transcript

GR 1120
2/24/1985
Receiving God’s Word for What It Is
1 Thessalonians 2:13-16
Gil Rugh

I Thessalonians in your Bible and the second chapter. The second chapter of Paul's first Letter to the Thessalonians. Perhaps Paul’s earliest Letter, in the New Testament is this Letter to the Thessalonians. It is one in which he opens himself up and gives us insight into his own personal character as he ministered the word, what went through Paul’s mind, what moved him as he carried the gospel to the people in the various cities that he traveled to. In our previous considerations in chapter two, we have seen the personal dimension of Paul’s ministry.

In chapter 2 verse 7 he used the analogy of a nursing mother to emphasize the warmth and tenderness and kindness that he had for the people he ministered to. Down in verse 11 he said he was like a father to them as he encouraged, and exhorted and implored them. We noted the analogy of the mother had more of the tender; warm, compassion, emphasis where the analogy with the father has more of the firm dimension, Love is present, but there is more firm and sometimes a corrective element, that is seen in this particular aspect. Now all that Paul did in giving of himself and ministering the word and being so concerned for the people he ministered to was with one overriding goal that they might in verse 12 walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls them , verse 12 so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory. So Paul’s whole ministry was geared to transformed Lives, that people would come to believe in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, yes, that is basic, but Paul was concerned that they would go beyond that, that they would be conformed to Jesus Christ, that their lives be lived in a manner of the God who has called them.

Now Paul is going to turn his attention to the way that the Thessalonians responded to Paul’s ministry. He has been talking about the way he ministered to them, now how did they respond to that ministry. And that is what he picks up in verse 13. And for this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received from us the word of God's message, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe, Now he had previously offered his thanks to God for the righteousness that was manifested in their lives.

Back in chapter 1: 2 he said, v/e give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, so he had offered thanks for the righteousness that characterized their Lives* now he offers thanks for the way they received the gospel when it was presented, to them Note what he says: and for this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received from us the word of God's message, you accepted it not as the word of men, but what it really is, the word of God, He uses two words here. When you received from us, and you accepted it, and it gives two sides of what went on or two different dimensions. When you received it has to do with more of the intellectual emphasis, they heard and recognized the message as being from God, and then they accepted it and that word carries more of a personal or subjective acceptance of it. They had a favorable response to it. They not on Ly recognized it for what it is, but they personally we Loomed it and received it, accepted it into their own Lives. You accepted it not as the word of men, but for v/hat it really is, the word of God. Now what was so settled in Paul’s life was his conviction that the message he proclaimed was not human, and that is basic. You know if you are going to have confidence and assurance and unshakeable manner in the way you go about serving Jesus Christ you are going to have to be rooted in a firm conviction that this is indeed the word of God. This is God's word and no matter how we are opposed, no matter who opposes us God's word is true, it stands firm. It's important, because we find Paul repeatedly falling back on this truth when he is opposed, when opposition comes to his ministry. It reminds people I am presenting to you the word of God.

Look back in I Corinthians 14 You are aware that Paul had some problems in his ministry at Corinth. After he had ministered at Corinth there were false teachers who came and attempted to turn the Corinthians against Paul.

Does there seem to be ring in this. Verse 37. If anyone thinks-he is a prophet or spiritual, note what Paul says, Let him recognize that I write to you are the Lord’s commandment. You see, what I have to say is from God, and that is the standard for everything else. Anyone who thinks he has something from God, has a message from God, measure it by this, Let him recognize that what I am saying is the word of God. You see in Paul’s day the standard was the same. We have the same thing. Anybody claims to have something- from God, to be teaching something from God, Very simple, measure it according to what God has revealed and that will tell you where he stands and how true it is. This is the message that Paul said was to be passed on when he wrote to Timothy, in II Timothy 2: 2, he told Timothy, that which you have received from me, you pass on to faithful men who shall be able to teach others also. That procedure has continued down to today. I don't have to worry, about coming up with anything original, or anything new I am to take the message that has been committed to us, through the apostles; and prophets, and pass that on to others. Paul eluded to this earlier, back in Chapter 9 of I Thessalonians. I Thessalonian’s 2:9 For you recall, brethren, our labor and hardship, how working night and day, so as not to be a burden to any of you. Note what he says. We proclaimed to you the gospel of God.



That word to proclaim is the word for proclaiming as a herald the responsibility of a herald was to take the message that had been given to him and pass it on to someone else without any changes, without any additions, without any alterations, Paul says I functioned as a herald, I proclaimed to you the message I had received from God. Now he says to these Thessalonians, you received this message for exactly what it is. It is the word of God, it wasn't the word of Paul, but it was the word of God and you recognized that and you gave it a warm reception. You accepted it for yourself, personally.

He goes on in verse 13 of chapter 2, for what it really is, the word of God, Note the Last statement in that verse, which also performs its work in you who believe. What Paul is going to stress here, is it is not only God's word, but because it is God's word it is effective in accomplishing God’s purposes in Life. So it is God's word which also performs it's work. So you don't just recognize oh, this is God's word, but the fact that it is God's word, means there is something active and a live and transforming about it. That ties back to what he said in verse 12 that you might walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you. This is the word which performs its work and that statement performs its work is a translation of one word in the Greek and it is always used of supernatural activity of the work of God in the Life of supernatural activity going on. And the thought as is repeated throughout Scripture is God's work is effective in accomplishing God's purposes. There is something dynamic about the word of God that sets it apart from all other writings, all other Literature, all other material, no matter how beautiful a poem or a story. It does not have the Life changing dynamic power that the Scripture does, because the Scripture is the word of God.

Let's review just a few verses on this. Isaiah chapter 55 I think we sometimes forget this in our own personal ministry, and the fact that we are sharing the truth of the word of God, that is why it is so important that we share the truth of the word of God that's the value among others of memorizing the Scriptures, so that you can share the Scripture with someone. That's the tragedy in teaching and preaching where we talk about the Bible. I listened to a tape of a man who is graduating from seminary, and was sharing with the men on the board this week, the thing that disturbed me greatly about this man's sermon was he talked about the Bible, but he doesn't really teach the Bible, and the power is in the word of God, not talking about the word of God, but in the word of God itself. So in Isaiah 55; 11 So shall My word be which goes forth from My mouth it shall not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. Very strong statement. God says I send forth my word, and it is always effective; it always accomplishes my purposes, now sometimes His purposes are to harden, sometimes His purposes are to soften and draw someone to salvation and nurture them to maturity. But God's word is always effective. We need to remind ourselves of that when sometimes perhaps our own service and ministry seems ineffective. First thing I have to ask myself, am I faithfully ministering the word of God, then I can be sure it is effective in accomplishing God's purposes, whatever those purposes might be.

Jump over to the New Testament, Hebrews chapter 4. The book of Hebrews, toward the back of your New Testaments, and the fourth chapter, one of the best known verses on the subject of the effectiveness and power of the word of God, Hebrews chapter 4 verse 12 For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

The word of God Lays us open as we really are, that is why people are uncomfortable when you begin to share with them the truth of the word of God, when you share with them what the Bible says about their sin, about their need of salvation. They are being laid open by the word of God. Something: that is unique to the Scripture, power that is there.

Over in James chapter one just after the book of Hebrews, James 1: 21 therefore cutting aside all filthiness and all the remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. You receive the word, it is able to bring salvation to your soul, another verse similar to this.

Over in I Peter just after James, chapter 1, verse 23 for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable- but imperishable, that is through the Living and abiding word of God. -Now see what happens, salvation occurs by the instrumentality of the word of God. There is power in the word of God, this is the means that God uses to accomplish is purposes in Life. So is it any wonder that the real battleground goes around, on, through the Scriptures; whatever that ended up meaning. Did you get that? The real battle is over the Scriptures that is simple enough, why? Because if the devil is successful in undermining the Scriptures getting the Scriptures subtlety removed the power is gone. You can still have great preaching great oratory, if you will, but the dynamic and power is resident in the word of God. Salvation occurs when the truth of God's word is presented. Growth in the growth of believers occurs when the word is presented. So where does Satan work? To undermine the word of God and to remove it in effect. Boggles my mind, Men coming out of seminary talking about the word of God, but they are not teaching the word of God. Subtle the way Satan works. How are people going to grow? How are people going to be saved, not through beautiful sermons but through the power of the word of God.

Come back to I Thessalonian’s. What enables the word of God to be operative is the faith of those who are exposed to it. Operative in the sense of bringing salvation and maturity to the life so it is God's word at the end of verse 13 which also performs its work in you who believe. So God's Life, transforming work is being accomplished in those who believe. Now God's work always accompLish.es it's purposes as mentioned, for some it hardens them, as Paul wrote to the Corinthians, we are a savor of life unto life, and of death unto death, but in the context Paul is talking about where God's word performs its work in bringing salvation and bringing maturity so that people might Live in a manner worthy of God, that is in the context of those who are believing His word. He talks about the transformation that has taken place in the Thessalonians life.

Back in chapter 1:3 he talked about their work of faith and labor of love, and steadfastness of hope, the pattern of their life had changed. Over in verse 6 you also became imitators of us and of the Lord, the pattern for their life had changed, now they desired to be conformed to more mature believers into Jesus Christ Himself.

In verse 9 they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God. They had believed as a result of that faith in that word had been performing its supernatural work in their life, so that now they were a people that were walking in a manner worthy of God.

The word faith there in you who believe interestingly is in the present tense, in you who are believing, the stress there is I came to believe in Jesus Christ at a certain point in time, but I have continued to believe in Him ever since, that is not something I believe ; and then it is over, I believe and that faith in him is a permanent, settled, continuing faith that enables the word of God to be continuing continually, acting statement by a commentator that I find very accurate. A genuine faith that continuing faith, and those who have really come to believe in Jesus Christ continue to believe in Him. O.K. he goes on.

Verse 14. For you, brethren, became imitators; of the church of God in Christ Jesus, the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. What he is going to do now is offer evidence that God is working in their lives you see some of that from the transformation of chapter 1 but he wants to draw their attention to one concrete area and the area is they are standing firm under intense persecution, and that testifies to the reality to their faith in the word and in the supernatural power of the word in their life, because if the word of God was not at work in their lives they would be driven away by persecution. Remember in Matthew 13 that there are some kind of hearers that hear the word of God and they respond immediately but under persecution they wither away. The Thessalonians weren't like that, they didn't wither away, but under persecution they v/ere standing, firm, and true, and strong. You became imitators of the churches, Over in chapter 1 verse 6 they became imitators of Paul and his associates and the Lord, now here they are imitating other churches, you see there's a good place for imitation in our lives, we ought to be imitating mature believers.

We as a church ought to be imitating godly churches. You became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, in other words they were churches that were suffering for the gospel in Judea, over in Jewish territory. You know what Paul says, you are pattering your Life after them. You are suffering for the gospel just like they are over there. Notice the way Paul identifies these churches. Three things he says about them. First the churches of God, other churches that be Longed to God went through similar experiences, is what he is saying, other churches that belonged to him so don't be worried, doesn't he Love us as much, maybe we are really not his, maybe something is wrong here. You recognize you’re going through the same thing. That is always encouraging. When I as a believer goes through difficult times it is reassuring to me to know that other believers have gone and are going through the same things. That is reassuring for me in the ministry of the local church. To see that other churches of God have the similar struggles and conflicts.

That is what he uses as an example here. The other churches of God in Christ Jesus hat marks them off from any other groups, reminds them they are those who dwell in Christ, the true church, in Judea, he wants to carry them to the realm of Judea / because there the church has suffered very intense persecution, like in Jerusalem, because the Jews were present there. And the Jews become the center of stirring up opposition to the gospel and we are going to see the Jews are focal here so if you get to Judea where the Jews Live and are in authority and control the persecution way very intense. Mow note here Paul's emphasis is on Local churches. And talk about this is the way the bodv of Christ generally functions, but he draws attention to Local churches. You, the church at Thessalonica, you are suffering the same way those Local churches in Judea are suffering, because these local churches are the manifestation of the universal church and so you find out what God is doing in the church by Looking at what God is going in individual churches. Now the issue is going to come up to be the Jews. Verse 14 for you also endured the same sufferings at the hands of your own countrymen, even as they did from the Jews. For in Judea the Jews were carrying on the persecution, in Thessalonica they were suffering from their own countrymen, primarily Gentiles, but, the opposition of the gospel at Thessalonica had been stirred up by the Jews.

In Acts chapter 17 you can go back and read that; we won't go back now, it was the Jews who came and stirred up the people against Paul and his ministry, so even now as the Gentiles are persecution the church at Thessalonica it is at the instigation of the Jews and so you come to verses 15and lo important section, this is the most severe thing in any of Paul’s writings as he denounces the Jews. A biting denunciating of the Jews.

He said in verse 15 concerning the Jews, who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out. They are not pleasing to God, but hostile to all men, Very strong words concerning of the Jews. Starts out by their greatest crime and then talks about what else they do. They killed the Lord Jesus. And the way this is placed grammatically, we don't pick it up in English, there is a stress on both Lord and Jesus, the verb killed really comes between Lord and Jesus in the Greek, so that both Lord and Jesus gets stressed in His name. The Lord emphasizing His Deity, and Jesus more his humanity. That heightens how serious their crime was. They killed the one who was the God man. Now you start right out there, what greater crime could anyone commit- than to be guilty of the execution of the Son of God and you ought to note here, this is twenty years after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and Paul Lays the blame for the crucifixion on the Jews. Some discussion takes place from time to time over the issue should the Jews be held responsible and I don't want this to be misunderstood, but nevertheless in Light of the New Testament the Jews are responsible for the death of Jesus Christ and Paul places the blame right here. They killed the Lord Jesus, that is the culmination of all their crimes that have been committed over the centuries.

Back up to Acts chapter 2. Now Paul is writing this as a Jew so that doesn't means that Jews can't be saved, that doesn't mean that saved Jews should be Looked down upon but he is speaking her of the Jews as a people, as a nation, and their commitment to oppose the gospel of Jesus Christ. Acts 2:22 Peter speaks, "Men of Israel, Listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as vou yourselves know this "an delivered up the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of god Less men and put Him to death. Know what Peter says, you did it, and you used godless Romans to do it, but the responsibility of it is placed upon Israel, you killed Him, and you used the Romans to do it.

Back up to Matthew 27, Matthew, chapter 27, verse 24 And when Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the multitude, saying, "I am innocent of this Man's blood, see to that yourselves." And all the people answered and said, "His blood be on us and on our children, "You note what the nation Israel cries for here, you can hold us accountable, and responsible for the death of this Man and God does. But the nation Israel has executed their Messiah. Paul records that now for the Thessalonians and reminds them of the greatness of the crime of Israel and their continuing a pattern.

Come back to I Thessalonians 2:15 who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, They not only killed the Lord Jesus, but they killed the prophets before Kim, culminating with John the Baptist and going back through the 0Ld Testament the question comes, which of the prophets have you not persecuted, Jesus raises this issue back in Matthew 23, Stephen raises it in Acts 7, both acknowledging and recognizing it had been the pattern of the nation Israel to persecute, and reject and execute those who came with the message from God to the people of Israel.

Isn't that interesting, here is a people who claim to belong to God, to enjoy a special relationship with God, to be the representatives of God on earth, and yet when people came to them with the message from God they persecuted and executed them. Not only did they kill the prophets
but they drove us out, Paul says, and a word here, the basic word is persecution, with a preposition on the front, when it says they drove us out by persecution. Go they killed the Lord Jesus, that is what you would expect of those who killed the prophets, and how they responded to us, they persecutes us to drive us out. Paul says very directly in verse 15, they are not pleasing to God. Now you put that statement in the context, he is taking a religious people, and he is saying they are not pleasing to God.

When people today are so familiar with a verse like Judge not that you be not judge ought to get familiar with I Thessalonians 2:15. Here the apostle Paul renders a verdict on perhaps the most religious people of the day and he says they are not pleasing to God. How can I tell? Measure it in light of their response to God and the messengers to God and ultimately to the Son of God, Jesus Christ. They are not pleasing to God. Now this is so, even though, don't think that Paul hates Jews, he is a Jew, and in Romans chapter 10 he says he would be willing if it were possible to go to hell if Israel could be saved. He bears testimony to the fact that the Jews have a zeal for God, in Romans 10:2 but not according to knowledge, they are zealous for religious things. And for God but are not pleasing to God because they have not submitted themselves to the righteousness that is found only in the Son of God. They are hostile to all men. He is going to explain what he means hostile to all men, in the next statement, hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles. As always happens, degeneration occurs and people more and more from the word of God they become more and more hardened and closed in their bigoted position and thus more set in opposition to the liberating truth of the word of God because that becomes threatening to them, and that was true of the nation Israel. So they are opposed to all men or are hostile to all men, from the standpoint they attempt to keep men from being exposed to the gospel of Jesus Christ which brings salvation to them. So they are really the enemies of all men because they are keeping those men, the men of the world from that that they need the most, the gospel of Jesus Christ. They are hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved.

One writer put it this way, the worst thing about unbelief is not that it damns the unbeliever, but that it hinders the salvation of others, and the Jews were not satisfied to reject Jesus Christ, but -they were consumed with a passion that others must not come to believe in Him either. We see this issue coming to the fore today, I was readying an article in one of the magazines in the last week or two over this very issue on the conversion of Jews and debate on that matter and there is great antagonism that the gospel should be present to the Jews and a resistance to that so the Jews are set to present the to prevent the gospel from being present to Gentiles.

Now whv would that be the case. You can understand a little more if the Jews did not want the gospel presented to Jews, if they wanted to preserve their own religious heritage and integrity, but the Jews hated the Gentiles and viewed the Gentiles as dogs, what do they care what happens to the Gentiles. You know what the issue is? Salvation is being offered to Gentiles apart from Israel, and they cannot accept that. In effect the message of the gospel is saying God has bypassed Israel. You
don't have to become a Jew to be acceptable to God. The Old Testament Scriptures find fulfillment in the Messiah of Israel that has been crucified by the Jews and therefore, God has rejected that nation for a time.

The Jews could not accept that message. It implies and recognizes that God has forsaken the nation Israel at this time, and so they are totally opposed to the # 'truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul is not done, you can see how stern and severe this denunciation is hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved; with the result that they always fill up the measure of their sins. And the picture here is each act of hostility toward the messengers of God and the truth of God was pictured as adding to the cup of God's wrath. The picture of the cup being filled with water, and here the liquid is the wrath of God, and they are adding with all of their opposition, and each act of opposition and persecution more being filled to the cup of their guilt and it has been steadily filling through the ages through the time of the persecution of the prophets down through the execution of Christ, and it continues with the attitude for the church at Thessalonica. They fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them to the utmost. God's wrath is being poured out upon them. I think in the context of Paul’s Letter to the Thessalonians and the wrath here is eschatological in nature. It is a future wrath. When Paul talks about wrath in writing to the Thessalonians it seems he is pretty consistently talking about the future time of wrath we would call the great tribulation.

Look back in chapter 1:10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. The focal point there as he talks about wrath is on the wrath that is coming.

Look over in chapter 5 of I Thessalonian’s verse 1 Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. For you ourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just Like a thief in the night. While they are saying, "Peace and safety!" then destruction will come upon them suddenly like birth pangs upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape and down to verse 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. Go back in chapter 2 and in chapter 5 we’ll see when we get there, he is talking about the wrath of the coming tribulation. When he says, wrath has come upon them to the utmost, I think the prime focus of that wrath is the coming wrath people will experience in the coming tribulation which is necessary because of their sinful acts toward the word of God that was brought to them by the prophets, by Christ, by the apostles, that they have continued to fill the cup of the wrath of God. So it will take the awfulness of the seventieth week of Daniel to break Israel down and bring them to their knees and acceptance of Jesus Christ as their Messiah.

Now I think there is naturally present ramification, you know we say Looking primarily at future wrath, I do not believe we can draw a hard Line, just Like salvation, we talk about past present, and future aspects of our salvation, but you cannot draw hard and fast Line. I think that is true of the wrath of God, even though the focal point here is on the future display of the wrath of God for the nation Israel and the tribulation is that focal point. It is also true that as those destined for that judgment they are experience present aspects of the wrath of God as well and their present ramification for them as those who will experience that aspect wrath of God. Just Like, you know we say, the focal point of the tribulation you have got to realize for unbelievers
there is hell as the ultimate display of the wrath of God.

Over in II Thessalonians chapter 1 verse 6 For after all it is only just for god to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus, and these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power. There is the reminder of that aspect hell in the display of the wrath of God. There is a present display.

Romans chapter 1 talks about the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against unrighteousness and so on there is that display of it. Go I'd say when you talk about a person the sinner being under the wrath particularly for the Jews the focal point in the tribulation ought to realize that there that is a present aspect of that going on. Israel is enduring today the wrath of God for their rejection of the Messiah, that wrath will intensify and focus in the tribulation for those v/ho do not believe in the tribulation it will culminate in the wrath of God poured out on them in hell. Also, it seems that the tribulation period has special significance for the Thessalonians, because the fear of the Thessalonians was that they were even in the tribulation period a reminder that that will be a future and Paul discusses that in chapter 2 of his second Letter to the Thessalonians.

Go Paul denounces the Jews very severely because they are those who oppose the gospel. They are those who have been chosen by God to set themselves in opposition to God and thus make it more difficult for the ministry of the word of God to be carried out. They attempt to hinder people from being exposed to the gospel and experiencing God's salvation. By application we see that goes on by a variety of cults, false religions, and unbelieving- religious groups, churches or whatever today. They hinder people from the salvation that is found in the gospel. They attempt to stand in the way, to discredit it, distort it, and undermine it unless people come to salvation in Christ.

You and I ought to be encouraged if you suffer for your faith, if you suffer for your testimony, you are in good company, Paul says that is what I experienced, that is what the churches in Judea experienced, that is what the church in Thessalonica experienced. When Paul wrote to Timothy he says that all who will live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. So we recognize that this is indeed the word of God. God has revealed Himself, we have the power of God at resident in the word of God and our ministry is to share the truth of the word of God with men and women and young people as we come in contact with them so that the Spirit of God might use the word of God and bring- about transformation of Life and we ought to also realize when that occurs you will be stirring opposition, your life may be rather tranquil, rather smooth, but you take a stand for the word of God, you commit yourself for standing for Jesus Christ and ;you see if the battles don't begin to unfold, if Satan doesn't begin to bring turmoil into your Life, if you don't find opposition coming from those around you, you know what that is a signal of? That the word of God is working, the word of God is effective.

Rather than being discouraged as we often are we ought to be encouraged that is what Paul says to the Thessalonians, you know what, you are going through just what the churches in Judea went through, you are experiencing the same thing that Jesus Christ experienced, that the prophets experienced, that we experience, you ought to be encouraged that you are privileged to be persecuted because that is a sign that the word of God is working. People didn't oppose you before you presented the word of God, what happens, the word of God is a live and powerful, it pierces and it penetrates, and when that happens people either submit themselves to that word and believe the truth or they begin to oppose the truth, to build a barrier, a wall around themselves, to oppose you, to try to keep you from presenting that truth they find so convicting and so condemning. So we ought to be encouraged if we are privileged to suffer and don't think suffering is limited to one kind or one way. There are a variety of ways the devil opposes us, and resists our lives and our testimony. We ought to be sure we are planted firmly on the word. If persecution comes I don’t want it to come because of my awful personality, or because of some things I do, but I want to be sure it is because of the power of God's word is working, but I also want to be careful that I am not intimidated, that we live in an age of compromise and adjustment and so that I compromise the word.

It doesn't mean that you don’t use wisdom in sharing the word, it doesn't mean you are going to walk in to work the first thing in the morning and tell your boss, " first thing I want to tell you is the Bible says you are a sinner and on your way to hell, and there is no hope and you better believe or you won't be saved. I don't know that that would be the most effective way, to minister the word in that situation.

I do realize and want to know that we are to be getting the word out where we are. How is the Spirit of God going to bring about salvation? Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God, so must be careful, you be sensitive to the Spirit how you can most effectively minister the word to your family, to .your friends, to those you have contact with, but also be careful that you are ministering the word because salvation cannot occur apart from the power of the word of God as it is presented to men and women, and we are the ones privileged to do that.

Let's pray together