Unlocking the Secrets of why the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those Persecuted for Righteousness' Sake
I was reading Revelations the other day and I saw how Jesus warned a church that it would face persecution and some of them would be imprisoned during a period of 10 days. When you read something like that which was revealed to John for the church of Smyrna decades after the Resurrection, you have to wonder at some trends in the church today. How is this New Testament'ish speak compatible with a gospel that has become boiled down to theology that has completely sidelined the Holy Spirit and made Him only a 'subject' of study? Or can you imagine what these Smyrnians would say if they saw some of the churches today who are so singularly focused on the individual well-being and have made God into a kind of vending machine who exists only to satisfy their pleasures with money (fake wealth)?
In Matthew 5:10 Jesus pronounced a blessing on the those persecuted for His sake; there definitely is something hidden in this and that has to do with our inheritance. There is a Treasure here for those willing to find it.
Matthew 5:10:
God is a God of Secrets and Mysteries. He is the God of the Seekers, of those that Press Forward and Want More of Him more than anything in life. That's why you'll find that the riddles and parables are everywhere in the Bible. "Ask and you shall receive; Seek and you shall Find, Knock and it shall be opened to you." The Secret of Our Father in Heaven are shrouded in a fog so that only those willing will uncover them and brave the journey to get them. Our God isn't one for throwing pearls to pigs.
So after days of thinking on this, it dawned upon me (i.e. God reveals this) - the kingdom of Heaven belongs to the Persecuted in Christ and for His Righteousness because they are those who have come to Realize the Value and of the Holy One and How He is More Precious than Life, a Treasure unequal in Glory and Splendor and worth their all.
Wow.
Where are these Christians today? And more importantly how do Treasure God like this if we are not doing so now? And how can we exit the doldrums of boring Christian life on the one hand and the dazzling, glitzy "gospel of prosperity" that has made God a means to get money (a system of worldly prosperity that enslaves people - and again, I'm not saying nor will I ever say that poverty is not a curse that should be fought tooth and nail and nor am I saying that to pray for financial prosperity is wrong -but instead I'm speaking about our Heart).
Who values God like this? And no, I don't mean in just words. We often learn many things, very true things and we learn to talk the talk but fail to actually live these principles. I've done this so much I have a PhD in it. It's easier to say God is your Treasure above everything, its even easier to preach about it and to always clarify in your speech that He is the Pearl that you would sacrifice everything for - and no! I'm not doing this now btw :)
And most Christians when they do talk about this end up thinking how they can get into this state and they do so in the spirit of religion, the Old Covenant; they go to the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, to eat its fruit - the Law - thinking that by knowing more and trying to keep outward commandments they will somehow Treasure God More. This is false and these ways result only in you getting tired, burdened and embittered.
I'll tell you the secret of Treasuring God above everything. LET HIM DO IT. Ask Him to enthrall you with His Beauty. Ask Him to Reveal to you the depths of His love for you. Do you know that Hallelujah - means literally SHINE YAH? Ask your Father in Heaven to Shine His Glory on you, to show you His Light, His Splendor, His Sunshine, His Majesty, His Spirit. Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you. It's that simple.
The band of believers in Jesus who offered their lives as they ministered in the Power of the Holy Spirit did so because of HIS Burning Love in them. They were loving Him back but only because they had tasted and feasted on His Glory and His Love.
I'm not saying seek persecution in any way. I'm saying that Jesus said the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to the Persecuted - that is, those who Treasure God above all. And the way you can Treasure God above all, is to simply ask Him to show you what a Treasure He really is. Hope this made sense to you.
Peace.
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In Matthew 5:10 Jesus pronounced a blessing on the those persecuted for His sake; there definitely is something hidden in this and that has to do with our inheritance. There is a Treasure here for those willing to find it.
Matthew 5:10:
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.I've been thinking on this for days. I wrote previously how the poor (in spirit) also have this blessings 'theirs is the kingdom of heaven' and that it was because of their relative lack of self-sufficiency that allows to them to more easily experience the ways of God's Kingdom. But it seems to me you can't use that to speak of this blessing.
God is a God of Secrets and Mysteries. He is the God of the Seekers, of those that Press Forward and Want More of Him more than anything in life. That's why you'll find that the riddles and parables are everywhere in the Bible. "Ask and you shall receive; Seek and you shall Find, Knock and it shall be opened to you." The Secret of Our Father in Heaven are shrouded in a fog so that only those willing will uncover them and brave the journey to get them. Our God isn't one for throwing pearls to pigs.
So after days of thinking on this, it dawned upon me (i.e. God reveals this) - the kingdom of Heaven belongs to the Persecuted in Christ and for His Righteousness because they are those who have come to Realize the Value and of the Holy One and How He is More Precious than Life, a Treasure unequal in Glory and Splendor and worth their all.
Wow.
Where are these Christians today? And more importantly how do Treasure God like this if we are not doing so now? And how can we exit the doldrums of boring Christian life on the one hand and the dazzling, glitzy "gospel of prosperity" that has made God a means to get money (a system of worldly prosperity that enslaves people - and again, I'm not saying nor will I ever say that poverty is not a curse that should be fought tooth and nail and nor am I saying that to pray for financial prosperity is wrong -but instead I'm speaking about our Heart).
Who values God like this? And no, I don't mean in just words. We often learn many things, very true things and we learn to talk the talk but fail to actually live these principles. I've done this so much I have a PhD in it. It's easier to say God is your Treasure above everything, its even easier to preach about it and to always clarify in your speech that He is the Pearl that you would sacrifice everything for - and no! I'm not doing this now btw :)
And most Christians when they do talk about this end up thinking how they can get into this state and they do so in the spirit of religion, the Old Covenant; they go to the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, to eat its fruit - the Law - thinking that by knowing more and trying to keep outward commandments they will somehow Treasure God More. This is false and these ways result only in you getting tired, burdened and embittered.
I'll tell you the secret of Treasuring God above everything. LET HIM DO IT. Ask Him to enthrall you with His Beauty. Ask Him to Reveal to you the depths of His love for you. Do you know that Hallelujah - means literally SHINE YAH? Ask your Father in Heaven to Shine His Glory on you, to show you His Light, His Splendor, His Sunshine, His Majesty, His Spirit. Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you. It's that simple.
The band of believers in Jesus who offered their lives as they ministered in the Power of the Holy Spirit did so because of HIS Burning Love in them. They were loving Him back but only because they had tasted and feasted on His Glory and His Love.
I'm not saying seek persecution in any way. I'm saying that Jesus said the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to the Persecuted - that is, those who Treasure God above all. And the way you can Treasure God above all, is to simply ask Him to show you what a Treasure He really is. Hope this made sense to you.
Peace.
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