Bible Questions Answered:
“...why should the holy spirit, bless
people just because they are put-down!”
Oliver/ Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
(U.S.A.)
Bible Answer:
Bible Text:
I Peter 4:12-19 NLT
12 Dear friends, don’t be
surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something
strange were happening to you.
13 Instead, be very glad—for these
trials make you partners with Christ in His suffering, so that you
will have the wonderful joy of seeing His glory when it is revealed
to all the world.
14 So be happy when you are insulted
for being a Christian, for then
The Glorious Spirit Of God rests
upon you.
Verse 14 KJV
If ye be reproached for the name of
Christ, happy are ye; for The Spirit Of Glory and of God resteth upon
you: on their part He is evil spoken of, but on your part He is
glorified.
15 If you suffer, however, it must
not be for murder, stealing, making trouble, or prying into other
people’s affairs.
16 But it is no shame to suffer for
being a Christian. Praise God for the privilege of being called by
His name!
17 For the time has come for
judgment, and it must begin with God’s household. And if judgment
begins with us, what terrible fate awaits those who have never obeyed
God’s Good News?
18 And also, “If the righteous are
barely saved, what will happen to godless sinners?”
19 So if you are suffering in a
manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your
lives to the God who created you, for He will never fail you.
I Peter 4:14 NLT
So be happy when you are
insulted for being a Christian, for then
The Glorious Spirit Of God rests
upon you.
I Peter 4:14 KJV
If ye be reproached* for
the name of Christ, happy are ye; for The spirit Of Glory and of God
resteth upon you: on their part He is evil spoken of, but on your
part He is glorified.
*Reproached-Greek:
Oneidizo (On-i-did-zo):To defame, i.e. rail at, chide, taunt:
suffer reproach, revile, upbraid.
The people peter
was talking to were not reproached “merely,” because they used
the name Christian!
They were scorned
and, disrespected because of “the lives they lived!”
And again, they
were not using the name Christian, because they had some kind of
sadomasochistic yearnings of glory, far, far, from it.
What did Jesus say?
John 3:20 KJV
For every one that doeth evil
hateth The Light, neither cometh to The Light, lest his deeds
should be reproved.
If it was true of
Jesus, The Light, and is certainly true of those who receive
Him.
Matthew 5:44 KJV
But I say unto you, Love your
enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to
them that hate you, and pray for them which
despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Luke 6:22 KJV
Blessed are ye, when men shall
hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company,
and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil,
for the Son of man's sake.
Luke 6:27 KJV
But I say unto you which hear, Love
your enemies, do good to them which hate you,
John 15:18 KJV
If the world hate you, ye
know that it hated me before it hated you.
I John 3:13 KJV
Marvel not, my brethren, if the
world hate you.
I Peter 4:14 NLT
So be happy when you are insulted
for being a Christian, for then The Glorious Spirit Of God rests upon
you.
“ The Spirit Of Glory and of God ,” rested upon early
Christians, not because of their persecution,
but because they were
living lives that brought honor and glory to the risen Savior!
Oh how sinful man in his home made religion, would so lovingly like to
imply that “if I suffer, I will be accepted of God.” Earned salvation!
And in some countries we see this kind of rational, God help us.
No one in his right thinking goes looking for....
I Peter 4:12
NLT
"...fiery
trials..."
Our Lord, surely did not, and yet they hated Him, because of His
faithfulness to The Truth.
Acceptance through bloodletting, was the thinking of the
Baal prophets in Elijah's day.
I Kings 18:25-29
KJV
25 And Elijah
said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for
yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name
of your gods, but put no fire under.
26 And they
took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and
called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O
Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And
they leaped upon the altar which was made.
27 And it came
to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he
is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a
journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.
28 And they
cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and
lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.
29 And it came
to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of
the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice,
nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.
What gives an individual the (The Spirit Of Glory and of God )
blessings of God?
Matthew 7:21-27
KJV
21 Not every
one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of
heaven;
but he that doeth the will of
My Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will
say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy
name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many
wonderful works?
23 And then
will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that
work iniquity.
(These people,
and the church that did these works were called by our Lord evil workers,
because though they espoused to Godly works, THEY THEMSELVES DID
NOT LIVE BY OR WERE OBEDIENT TO THE TEACHINGS OF CHRIST! -THEREFORE
THEIR LIVES WERE TRAPS SNARING OTHERS, INTO EMULATING THEM, AND THUS THEY ALSO
WOULD BECOME LOST!)
24 Therefore
whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them, I
will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a Rock:
25 And the rain
descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon
that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a Rock.
26 And every
one that heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them not, shall be
likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27 And the rain
descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon
that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
Early Christians because of their adherence to holiness and faithful
service to The Living God, met with hatred, and persecution, why?
John 3:17-20 KJV
17 For God sent
not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world
through Him might be saved.
18 He that
believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is
condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of The
Only Begotten Son Of God.
19 And this is
the condemnation, that Light is come into the world, and men loved
darkness rather than Light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For every
one that doeth evil hateth The Light, neither cometh to The Light,
lest his deeds should be reproved.
So what is the end of the matter?
I Peter 4:16 NLT
But it is no shame to suffer for being a Christian. Praise God for
the privilege of being called by His name!
Matthew 16:24 KJV
Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after Me,
let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
I Peter 1:6,7 NLT
6 So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you
have to endure many trials for a little while.
7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being
tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far
more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong
through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and
honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
I Peter 5:4 KJV
And when The Great Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of
never-ending glory and honor.
Matthew 10:32:39 KJV
32 Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I
confess also before My Father which is in heaven.
33 But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny
before My Father which is in heaven.
34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to
send peace, but a sword.
35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and
the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her
mother in law.
36 And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
37 He that loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy of
Me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of
Me.
38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after Me, is
not worthy of Me.
39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his
life for My sake shall find it.
