DREAM: GET READY FOR PERSECUTION

The Lord put it on my heart to pray for what we, as Christians, need to be warned about and prepared for regarding what is coming in the future. In light of that, I woke up from a dream today and dreamt of persecution that is coming to Christians because of our belief in God’s Word that says homosexuality is a sin. Because of this belief, in the dream law enforcement authorities set me up as a criminal and false evidence was planted against me in order to bring me down. I was framed, and was shown that this was

because of the gay pride movement.

It seems that many that stand by the Bible and all of its truth, including God’s view about homosexuality, will face this kind of persecution in the coming days. While authorities may not be able to charge and arrest Christians based off of their belief in homosexuality as a sin, they will try to make up charges against us by setting us up and making up evidence against us.

I am thankful that God loves all men, no matter how lost, and that this is the day predominantly of His grace. I am thankful that God came to love mankind (for God so loved the world that He sent His only Son!) and that God calls all of His people to love ALL mankind as well, no matter how sinful, as even Christians are sinners. But I am also thankful for God’s truth and the gospel, by which men might be saved through His love, conviction and new life! I’m also thankful that it is by truth that men see Jesus and also their own lost and evil state, and so are led to a heartfelt repentance of their old life and sins, and an acceptance as Christ as their Saviour. Now, as always, Christians must love the unsaved and that includes those that are homosexual. And that love for both the unsaved and the homosexual remains the same- we must not only be kind to them, but we must also show them (with our lives and words) and preach to them (with our lives and words) the gospel, which includes the whole truth about sin and the judgment of sin which we deserved but which was placed upon Christ in our place, and the grace and life that comes to those that repent and turn to Him. If that brings persecution, then so be it (and Christ will take care of us through that anyway). For our first concern must not be for ourselves, but for His Kingdom (seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness) and for His lost creation.

Now, more than ever, Christians need to stand for the truth in love, and speak the truth in love. Just like we preach about love, sin and forgiveness to the lost, so must we do to those that are homosexuals in their lost state- for both camps are in need of a Saviour. If we water down the gospel and water down the truth, we water down the very medicine that Christ has specifically chosen for lost mankind:

Romans 1v16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.

Luke 5v29Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. 30But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

31Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

So get ready, persecution is coming, but that doesn’t mean we should not shine His light before men:

Luke 11v33“No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light.

The light within us will shine anyway if we are living for God but we should make it shine in every way we can (not just by a life lived but by words spoken). Even if we are only Christians and never speak of homosexuality as a sin, it is very likely that when the world sees Christians as those that believe in what God says about it, that we will be persecuted anyway, as we will be seen as hateful and as those that are detrimental to society and its wellbeing. While this is sobering, we should not be afraid, for God is sovereign even over persecution, and will be with us in and through whatever we may go through because of what is coming. He will work His purposes through whatever persecution we go through, and as the Word says, Romans 8v28: ‘And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.’