Fearlessly Making DisciplesSample

Overcoming Hate

“Christians are bigots!” 

You’ve probably heard accusations like this before. Increasingly, we see how the world hates those who follow Christ. This often catches new believers by surprise. But Jesus never said it would be easy to serve Him. In fact, He warned quite the opposite. 

It’s been this way for centuries. Look what David in Psalm 69:4 dealt with. “Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head; many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy me. I am forced to restore what I did not steal.”

When it comes to making disciples, we can’t promise a life of ease, prosperity, and blessing. This is unwise when we know suffering is part of God’s plan for us. 

Nowhere is this more evident than when you see believers living in countries that are opposed to Christianity. If they decide to reveal their conversion, they may suffer persecution, torture, and even martyrdom. 

As we make disciples, we too are hated--by Satan and the world. Fear of rejection can paralyze our efforts to obey the Lord’s command to go and make disciples. Especially if we feel we might be judged, offend others, or disobey societal guidelines.

Very often, to remain friends with the world, you must avoid openly confessing your faith. Yet 1 Peter 2:9 says God has called you out of darkness, into his marvelous light. We cannot be a light to this world if we avoid the truth of the gospel. When we become so counter-cultural, this will rub unbelievers the wrong way. Truth exposes sin and that is uncomfortable and angers the world. 

But be encouraged, for Jesus too experienced hatred by others. We can fearlessly stand for truth, knowing he is our defender and deliverer. Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in His shadow. So, we can confidently say, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” 

For reflection: How does knowing Christ was despised help you overcome your own feelings of rejection? It’s been said we fear mere humans because we believe man is big and God is small. What new habits or practices might help you see God as bigger and humans as smaller?