Shalom,
We do need the Lord to be with us and to live in us because He is the only one who is able to forgive us and restore our lives.
Question: When we are not in church (at home, office, school, in the society), do we still have the Lord in us that the unbelievers could see Him through our words, attitude and actions? Will we still keep our faith despite Jesus’ being rejected?
Not many people were able to accept Jesus though He did many miracles. What happened to Jesus after He was rejected by those who hated Him? “Pilate, therefore, wishing to release Jesus, again called out to them … But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices that He be crucified. And the voices of these men and of the chief priests prevailed. So Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they requested. And he released to them the one they requested, who for rebellion and murder had been thrown into prison; but he delivered Jesus to their will (Luke 23:20,23-25).
Pilate representing the government at that time was unable to defend Jesus because he was outnumbered. As an example; if we give the bible to those who hate and reject it, they will do whatever they like it. Maybe they will tear the Bible or even throw it into fire. Whose ears and hearts will gladly receive the word of God?
Ironically, when Jesus was rejected and was about to suffer, Peter denied Him three times and the other ten disciples left Him alone. They feared being arrested to suffer along with Him even though they had received the power of healing and casting out demons (Matthew 10:1). They all failed to follow Him until His sacrificial death on the cross.
Introspection: Would we still have strong faith if we were in their position at that very moment? Or would we also be terrified and deny Him?
In our following Jesus (after He was resurrected), we always have two options: to keep faith or to leave Him. However, we can learn from these two people:
- Demas left Jesus while he was on the top of his ministry.
Demas left his teacher, Paul when he was in jail (2 Timothy 4:9-10). Why? Because Demas loved the world more.
Why was it said that Demas left God when he actually only left his teacher? The Bible clearly says whoever loves the world and anything in it, does not love the Lord (1 John 2:15).
Who was Demas? He was not a newbie, but had been a senior co-worker of Paul for quite a long time. So Demas should have received many teachings about the Word of God from Paul while he was with him. Luke also knew him and sent greetings to Colossians congregation from himself and Demas (Colossians 4:14). When Paul was in jail, he wrote a letter to Philemon through Onesimus and sent greetings from himself and also Demas (Philemon 1:24). Demas certainly knew of Paul’s suffering. Unfortunately, he left Paul when Paul was about to be executed (67 AD) because he chose to love the world.
Where did Demas go? No one knew. Did he return to Thessalonica, a city with geographical advantage but also full with idolatry (cf. 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10)? No matter where he went, it is written that he went back to his old life, ceasing following and working together with Paul in his evangelism because he loved the world more. There were many people leaving Paul who was in jail because of the true Word of God despite the fact that they became believers because of him.
What is the world?
⊕ World (Greek: Cosmos) means an order and delightful, loved, well-maintained decoration. The world’s system requires its inhabitants to follow and respect the order. Take an example: a country has its own rules and laws from the government; a church also has its own rules in order to make sure everything runs accordingly. We must obey all the state’s law; otherwise there will be punishment for any violation. Jesus also demands us to follow the heavenly kingdom’s rules. Rejecting it will cause eternal condemnation.
Here’s a question to ponder. If we live in a country that refuses to believe in God, what would we do? Would we choose to be an atheist or keep our faith in God with all its consequences?
Jesus told His disciples that the world would hate them because they were not of this world. He chose them out of the world; that was why the world hated them (John 15:19). The world actually hated Jesus before them (v.18). So Jesus had already been rejected and hated by this world before the church was persecuted.
Application: Indeed we were born and live in this world, but we were chosen by Jesus to go out of this world to enter His Kingdom. May the way we live and also our marriage conform to the system of God’s Kingdom (cf. Matthew 6:10), not of the world which tends to deviate from the truth, depending on their leaders’ will. For instance, in USA, there is no more restroom according to gender as it is replaced by gender neutral restroom that can be used by any gender or the non-binary.
Paul emphasized that we should not conform to the world (Romans 12:2). Those who befriend the world are the enemies of God (James 4:4) for Jesus is not of this world (John 8:23). Young people would be strengthened and able to defeat the devil because the Word of God is in their lives (1 John 2:14).
⊕ Desire of the flesh (physical needs), insatiable desire of the eyes (Proverbs 27:20) and the pride of life (1 John 2:16).
Honestly, who would not be proud when people compliment us for our remarkable achievement in study or career? Yet we should not idolize any achievement—secular or spiritual, because everything in the world is temporal. But those who practice the word of God shall live forever (v.17).
Jesus was tested by Satan to do three things (Luke 4:3,6,9-11) i.e:
- To change the stone into bread (physical needs).
- To worship Satan in exchange for the world and its splendor (desire of the eyes).
- To throw Himself down from the pinnacle of the temple as Satan assured Him that the angels would lift Him up so that He did not strike His foot against a stone (the pride as the Son of God).
What is the purpose of our calling and election? That through these [we] may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust (2 Peter 1:3- 4). In other words, we are saved that we can be detached from the world’s system. We may live in it but we don’t belong to it.
It is obvious now that the wage of loving Jesus is the cross while loving the world will bring devastation.
- Saul/Paul, who repented and follow Jesus to the end of his life.
Before King Agrippa who was paying an honorary visit to Festus the governor, Paul made his defense against the Jews’ accusation against him. As a hard-line Pharisee himself, he had done much violence against the name of Jesus from Nazareth, putting many saints in jail and even giving permission to execute them. He forced them to deny their faith (Acts 26:1-12). When Paul was not a believer, he knew Torah well but not Jesus. That was why he persecuted Jesus’ disciples. The turning point of Saul’s life came when he met Jesus personally. He repented from the way of this world and never again denied Him (vv. 13-19). He then went out to preach about the Light to the Gentiles (speaking of the Gold Lampstand in the teaching of Tabernacle).
Having heard Paul’s explanation, Festus said that great learning was driving Paul insane (vv. 23- 24). Paul answered him that he had not lost his mind but he was speaking the truth with clear mind. He even proceeded by praying that Agrippa and all who listened to him would become believers (vv. 25-29).
Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh and all its lust (Galatian 5:24). Paul proved that he was crucified to the world (Galatians 6:14). The world hated him and he hated the world, no middle ground. Then Paul went to Rome where he was executed.
Application: The word of God is able to transform our mindset, but the world cannot comprehend it. Therefore, let us do what David said in Psalm 119:11, Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You. We also must have courage to testify so that many people shall believe in Him who was crucified.
Will we still keep our faith despite Jesus’ being rejected? Or will we leave Him because we are enticed by the temporal splendor of this world? It’s on our own decision. However, let us stand in faith to the end of our life because the reward of eternal life and joy is awaiting us. Amen.