"The Ministry of PERSECUTION!"

It is amazing to me that the thing "believers" have most in common with Christ is "persecution"; yet it is the thing we seldom hear preached from the pulpit!  Sure, Christians love to carry the banner of Jesus when things are going well but, in many instances, when things get tight, we abandon ship like "rats scurrying from a burning building!"

Why is this the case?  Why are Christians so fragile, weak and wishy-washy? The spirit of fear does not come from God; the spirit of fear is of the adversary. Fear is a spirit. Fear is a disembodied entity looking for a body to "occupy."  It can ONLY occupy a body that "allows" it to enter in.  So if you resist the devil (and his spirit of fear), the Bible says, "He will flee!"(James 4:7).

I am here to tell you that as a believer, you must embrace the "ministry of persecution" wholeheartedly.  That's right, I called it a "ministry." Persecution is "personal execution" or dying to oneself.  In short, it is the acceptance of death.  It is the cutting away or "circumcision" of strongholds that keep you captive to the things of this world. Persecution exemplifies a "covenant" with Christ and, therefore, God.

When you are persecuted, it is not important to "defend yourself"; it is more important to defend the God in you by resisting the evil that comes upon you. The goal of the believer is "spiritual integrity" with regard to sacrificing self as Jesus did for us.  The destruction of His "flesh" allowed us access to His mortality (His ability AND willingness to die) void of His works which did not save Him. But what did save Him (and us) was His obedience to death (persecution); thus is the true source of His power...His obedience to persecution unto death!

Christ as the Messiah gives us a vivid picture of the ministry of persecution.  It is not how many times you suffer or how long you suffer.  The details are irrelevant.  The character of your enemy is not a factor.  Your life and present economic status is not an issue. All that matters is your "spiritual compass" (where you are in right relationship to God).

Persecution produces perseverance and is a badge of honor in the kingdom of God. The believer is therefore a joint-heir with Christ, fully participating in every level of manifestation in heaven and earth.