Matthew 5:11-12 "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Over the course of this past week, I have been thinking a lot about community. Now while I could go into great depths on how we are going to be persecuted and revile, how we are going to be slandered, etc, I shan't. Instead lets look at this as an opportunity. This is an opportunity for the believers around us to gather encouragement. This is an opportunity for those who have yet to know Christ to see believers in action. This is a chance for those of the world to see true unity. Yet we often times do not see the unity even among ourselves. Rejoice and be glad that we have people around us to share in our pains.

Can you imagine what it would be like to have no one to encourage you when you suffer? Can you think of what it would be like to feel that the only person who is going through what you are going through is you? This is why Christ gave us the church. This is partly why He told us to fellowship together. It is when we gather together as a community that we can assist each other. Only those who know truly what it is like to follow in Christs footsteps can truly rejoice with us, can cry with us, and can encourage us. In Ecclesiastes 4:12, we are told that a cord of three strands is not easily broken after being told that one man against another will likely be defeated. This just illustrates how important it is to have a fellowship base to be there with you when you suffer defeat after defeat after defeat (in our eyes).

Remember that if the world killed the prophets, if the world crucified Jesus, if the world tormented the disciples, if the world martyred those who went forth to speak the name of Christ, will it stop trying to abuse us, or will it bring its full weight to bear oppression down on us?

Yet rejoice! We are counted worthy to be as Christ. We are worthy to be oppressed. No one badgers an opponent who is not considered a threat! Yes we are indeed a threat. We are a threat to lies, we are a threat to dishonesty, we are a threat to hatred, we are a threat to the solitary nature of sin, we are a threat to Satan, because he wants to hurt God the only way he has left which is to deny our Lord the very souls of those He gave is life for.

It is in such times of oppression and victimization, of mistreatment and harassment, of torment and teasing that our community of believers is there to stand with us and to encourage us to remember that “This too shall pass” We can deny the fallen one that which he desires, and that is why he pesters us, all of us. If we weren't a threat, he would not waste his time, so lets rejoice and count ourselves worthy that we may suffer because He lives!

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, All fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living just because He lives.