Not funny

Not funny

Bible: Philippians 1:12-20

Reading

Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted
(2 TIMOTHY 3:12).

As I was walking through a shopping centre, I came to a T-shirt stand. As I browsed the different tops, I noticed one with an upsetting message. It read, “So Many Christians, So Few Lions.” I know it would make quite a lot of people smirk. But that T-shirt, talking about a time when Christians were thrown to the lions in the Colosseum in Rome, wasn’t funny to me at all. Being attacked for our trust in Jesus is no laughing matter. In fact, for many of us it is very real and very painful. No, we’re not thrown to the lions, but we are laughed at by friends, rejected by family and maybe even beaten
up by the school bully. Paul wrote, “Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted [attacked]” (2 TIMOTHY 3:12). Persecution is going to happen in some way to all of us, which makes it a very serious thing for us to think about. In fact, at this very moment Christians around the world are really suffering in Jesus’ name. What can we do about it? Firstly, we can pray that God will comfort them in their suffering. Secondly, we can support anyone we know who’s having a hard time because of their walk with Jesus. Thirdly, we can pray now for bravery should we face persecution. When Paul was put in jail for his faith, his bravery kept many others going (PHILIPPIANS 1:14)

PERSECUTION ISN’T AN IF, BUT A WHEN.
SO LET’S PRAY ABOUT IT.

Youth Edition – Our Daily Bread Ministries