Tonight's Weeknight Bible Study of the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 24

If You're Going to Get Hated, Make Sure It's for the Right Reason

"Just as Jesus could not help but produce enemies, so [His] disciples will have enemies who hate them. That they will be hated, that Christians have been and will continue to be hated, is not necessarily a sign of faithfulness; but if Christians are faithful, they will be hated. They will be hated because those who have gone to the nations in Jesus' name cannot help but produce enemies who refuse to acknowledge the challenge that Jesus's people present to any loyalty not determined by discipleship to Jesus." [from Stanley Hauerwas, Matthew (Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Brazos Press, 2006), p.202. Part of his chapter on Matthew 24 and 25.]

It's no surprise that Christians incur hatred for their faith in Christ.

The problem with the Church today is that many Christians seem to almost want to be hated for the wrong reasons. That happens when they confuse faithfulness to Jesus Christ for being apologists for their political philosophy, their class, their social views.

God is not a Republican. God is not a Democrat.

God is not wealthy, middle class, or white.

God is God.

He has been revealed definitively in Jesus Christ.

Christians, if we're going to get people to hate us, let's make sure it's for being faithful to Christ and not for any other reason!

Faith Tidbit #14

Jesus teaches that He will return again and draw life on this planet to a close. That "day of the Lord," as the Bible calls it, holds out no sense of dread for believers. Jesus says that we're not to waste time speculating on when He will return. People who presume to know when Jesus is returning ignore Jesus' statement that He will come at an unexpected hour and that not even He knows when that will happen, only the Father.