Am I trying to avoid persecution at the expense of my full allegiance to Christ and the truth?

34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.  35  For I have come to turn "'a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— 36  a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.' 37 “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; 38 and anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.  Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

INSIGHT:     True faith in Christ is very divisive.  My mother never had a real problem with my belief in Christ, since even she had been baptized and would go to church often.  My mom’s problem came when I started intentionally obeying Christ.  When God began asking me to obey Him in ways that made no human sense, my mom became frightened and incensed.  For 3 years, it was an intense spiritual battle.  The more I obeyed God, the worse it got.  Out of her own fear, she tried to control me, and when I resisted, she called me ignorant, deceived, and mentally ill.  At one point she even asked me if I had an evil spirit controlling me.  It was extremely frustrating and hurtful for both of us.  I still loved my mother, but I did not like her at all.  She was my enemy, and I managed the relationship as best as I could.  I even cried out to God, “Why are you allowing the woman you used to bring me on the planet to treat me this way?”

After a difficult dispute, I was lamenting to God about my frustration that no matter what I said, or how I said it, she just wasn’t getting it.  Suddenly, I had this vision in my mind.  I was carefully and artfully coloring a page in a coloring book.  When I finished it, I handed it to a blind man and said, “How do you like this drawing?”  He replied, “I can’t see it.”  So, I took the picture back and began re-coloring it, pressing very hard with the crayons.  The picture was bright and thick with color now, so I handed it back to him and he still could not see it.  Instantly, I saw the lesson.  No matter how passionately, loudly, or clearly I proclaim the truth to someone, they cannot see it until and unless God opens their spiritual eyes (Jn 9:39). 

Because eternal souls are on the line, this has been one of my greatest weaknesses, and hardest lessons to learn.  Nothing has fascinated me, or frustrated me more, than spiritual blindness, especially among those who count themselves believers in Christ.  I have felt compelled to not give up against the lies they believe, or the sin they hold on to, but that is not what Jesus did.  He let them go (Mat 15:14, 19:22).

Just last night, Lisa and I hung our heads low in sadness and defeat, as we let go of yet another brother, whom we tried so hard to help.  We made perhaps a dozen messages, loaded with Scripture, pleading with him to see his deception.  When we confronted him on his false belief that a wondering eye towards the opposite sex is justifiable, or that Joel Osteen is a fruitful and true minister, or that Donald Trump was the Lord’s chosen and good servant, or his outrageous belief that Judas Iscariot is in heaven because he was a “believer” in Jesus Christ, his audio replies to us were totally void of any Scripture to support his beliefs.  He supported his deception by saying, “I feel this…I just feel that”.  It was all feel, feel, feel”.  The worse part is that he believed himself to be such a mature and fruitful Christian (Jn 9:41). 

Soon, the Lord led me to Mat 10:14, and I told Lisa I was so sad, but I obeyed the Lord and left him to his stubborn deception.  His final reply, was very similar to the many others whom I have confronted, but then refuse to repent.  Their narrative becomes that I am prideful, unloving, and self-righteous, that I have changed, that I have been deceived by Satan, that I have sinned.  My friend, if you go all the way with Jesus Christ, there is no escaping this kind of persecution and painful division from those you love.  The Lord himself brings this sword.  And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not. (Mal 3:18)