The Godly Shall Suffer Persecution

From the Pastor: Dr. M. J. Seymour, Sr.

“Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse deceiving, and being deceived.” (II Tim. 3:12-13)

When we are engulfed within the salvation of God, as naive babes we have the tendency to believe that from this point on all will be well and only goodness will fill up our lives. We imagine that the consuming nature of God in our lives will cause others to think well of us. This would truly be wonderful, but it is soon found to be a foolish assumption. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The world because of its enmity towards God equally despises those that are indwelt by His Spirit and purchased by the holy blood of His Son. The populations of the world are overwhelmingly anti-theist; they loath the very thought of the true and living God of all creation. They do not hate religion, but they abhor heaven wrought godliness. Hence, they attempt to extinguish the very presence of it.

As those born out of the Spirit, it is our nature to seek to live in holiness and in a manner that would lift up the names of God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grant you, there are many under the umbrella of “Christianity” that have no such desire and are an embarrassment to the very name of it. Keep in mind that these of such a character in truth are not born out of God; they have a form of godliness, but deny the power of it. In short, they are masqueraders and deceivers.

If one would take the time to review the history of the sons of God back to father Adam, they would discover the godly have always suffered persecution. Even the first murder was Cain killing Able because Able served God in true righteousness, and Cain sought to establish his own way of righteousness contrary to the decree of God. Of those who sought to live godly and suffered persecution, God proclaimed: “Of whom the world was not worthy.” This sinful putrefying world population is not worthy to have the godly dwelling in the midst of them. Yet, they must until their pilgrimage reaches its completed end, then they will ascend on high. Brethren, if it is your purpose to live in true godliness, do not think it to be a strange thing that you must suffer persecution. Persecution is the outward evidence of the wicked ones’ hatred for God. Many are in religionist “churches” like the anti-theist Cain.