Tuesday, June 18, 2019
Why the world hates Christians
Why does the world hate Christians? No matter how generous we are or how kind and sympathetic we are to others we are hated because the world hates Jesus (John 15:21-24). Christians love Jesus so the world will hate us just as they hated Jesus (John 15:18). John 8:44 NLT says ” For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and father of lies”.
Some people say (most people nowadays) that Christians try to force religion on them. That simply is not the case. We as Christians are to tell others about Jesus Matthew (28:19-20). It does not tell us to force them to accept Him.
Should we care
This article is by Gloria Small. While it is important for our self-image to be likable, amenable and approachable by other people, if we are focused on pleasing others, it can be a ditch that we fall into. Jesus told us that if the world hates us we should know that it first hated Him (John 15:18). The word translated hate here means to, detest and to persecute. So as believers, we should expect there to be some animus from others based upon our testimony. And while real persecution is not something that we see against believers in our country, the Voice of the Martyrs reports that there is rampant persecution and hatred in the world at large against Christians with many losing their lives for their testimony. The old saying is beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Some people are going to like us and some may not. Living life to please others so that they like us is a slippery slope. For as God says in Amos 3:3, “Can two walk together except they be agreed.” It is impossible to please everyone and as believers, we certainly are not going to agree with the disagreeable who do not accept God’s viewpoint.
There is also the passage in Luke 6:26 that says when all speak well of us it is not such a good thing for the fathers also spoke well of false prophets. In other words, speaking well of us is relative, it is based upon the opinion of the one speaking and their opinion can perhaps be based on a faulty sense of who we are. The reality is we cannot make people like us or think well of us and we certainly cannot read another’s mind.
The idea here should be that if our heart is in a right relationship with God that it is His opinion of us that is the real issue. And since God sees the believer IN Christ (I Corinthians 1:30: Ephesians 1:3, 6) it is our spiritual position as a child of God that determines our standing before Him. Therefore, it is better to have God’s approval than to depend upon the goodwill of others. Not that it means we cannot be likable and approachable. It is just that as believers, it should not be our focus. Living our lives to glorify and please God will bring us the response from others; some will be positive and some negative.
Because of His grace, Gloria.
Heraclius
Heraclius, The Emperor that made Greek the "Official" language of the Roman Empire
Heraclius (Latin: Flavius Heraclius Augustus, Greek: Φλάβιος Ἡράκλειος, Flavius Iraklios; c. 575 – February 11, 641) was the Emperor of the Roman from 610 to 641.
The reign of Heraclius, scholars have credited him with many accomplishments. He saved the Empire from collapse and in the process enlarged the Empire, and his reorganization of the government and military were great successes. His attempts at religious harmony failed, but he succeeded in returning the True Cross, one of the holiest Christian relics, to Jerusalem.
Heraclius took for himself the ancient Persian title of "King of Kings" after his victory. Later on, starting in 629, he styled himself as Basileus, the Greek word for "sovereign", and that title was used by the Roman Emperors for the next 800 years. The reason Heraclius chose this title over previous Roman terms such as Augustus has been attributed by some scholars to his Armenian origins.
In Islamic and Arab histories Heraclius is the only Roman Emperor who is discussed at any length owing to his role as the Roman Emperor at the time Islam emerged.
One of the most important legacies of Heraclius was changing the "official" language of the Empire from Latin to Greek in 620 AD.
John MarmaricatoRome and Constantinople (New Rome). The Roman Empire.
Heraclius, The Emperor that made Greek the "Official" language of the Roman Empire
Heraclius (Latin: Flavius Heraclius Augustus, Greek: Φλάβιος Ἡράκλειος, Flavios Iraklios; c. 575 – February 11, 641) was the Emperor of the Roman from 610 to 641.
The reign of Heraclius, scholars have credited him with many accomplishments. He saved the Empire from collapse and in the process enlarged the Empire, and his reorganization of the government and military were great successes. His attempts at religious harmony failed, but he succeeded in returning the True Cross, one of the holiest Christian relics, to Jerusalem.
Heraclius took for himself the ancient Persian title of "King of Kings" after his victory. Later on, starting in 629, he styled himself as Basileus, the Greek word for "sovereign", and that title was used by the Roman Emperors for the next 800 years. The reason Heraclius chose this title over previous Roman terms such as Augustus has been attributed by some scholars to his Armenian origins.
In Islamic and Arab histories Heraclius is the only Roman Emperor who is discussed at any length owing to his role as the Roman Emperor at the time Islam emerged.
One of the most important legacies of Heraclius was changing the "official" language of the Empire from Latin to Greek in 620 AD.
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