"Do Not Be Surprised, My Brothers, If The World Hates You!"

The result has been . . .
(Arthur Pink, "An Exposition of the Gospel of John")

"If the world hates you, keep in mind that 
it hated ME first. If you belonged to the 
world, it would love you as its own. As it is, 
you do not belong to the world, but I have 
chosen you out of the world. That is why 
the world hates you!" John 15:18-19

"Do not be surprised, my brothers, 
if the world hates you!" 1 John 3:13

The professing Church has boasted that 

it would convert the world. To accomplish 

this aim, it has sought to "popularize" religion. 

Innumerable devices have been employed 

to attract the ungodly--

many of which even a sense 

of propriety should have suppressed!

The result has been that the world 

has converted the professing Church! 

But notwithstanding this, it still remains 

true that the world hates the true followers 

of the LAMB. And nowhere is this more 

plainly evident, than in those who belong 

to what we may term the religious world!

If you resolve that by Divine grace 

you will live godly in CHRIST JESUS--

then know you that persecution must be 

your portion. And that persecution will come 

upon you not from atheists and infidels--

but from those bearing the name of Christians. 

It will issue from those who still keep up 

a form (or semblance) of godliness, but 

who are strangers to its living power. 

It will come to you from empty professors 

whose compromising ways are condemned 

by your refusal to conform thereto; whose 

worldliness and carnality is rebuked 

by your spirituality.

Remember, it was the religious leaders 

who hounded the SAVIOR to HIS death!

   
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GraceGems has published J.R. Miller's challenging 2 page article, 
"Being a Christian Between the Sundays".