“Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.”
Luke 6:22–23, ESV
One of the most common statements made to make changes to the ideas and practices of the Christian faith is that we need to make it easier to reach people. Often this means softening a stance on biblical principles that cause us discomfort and are not popular to share with those outside of the faith. Commonly we hear in the world that Christians are hateful because they don’t agree with issues of divorce, abortion, or same-gendered relationships. As Christians, we should not be surprised by the reaction of non-believers when it comes to such issues. We don’t need to put signs up in protest against these things. Our calling is to preach and teach the truth in the Word, and when addressing such things, our words are meant to be loving. Corrective words do not sound loving to those being corrected. As a child, when a parent or loving adult tells you not to do something, or you are scolded because you were doing something that was incorrect or unsafe, it may not feel so loving at the time, but often it is. As Christians, we proclaim a message that carries a promise, and that is life. The Gospel doesn’t just celebrate the here and now, but eternal life given to all who belong to our Lord Jesus Christ, which far surpasses what we know now. There will be those that will hate the Word, but we must not change it to make people like us. We proclaim for those that the Holy Spirit will move and bring to Himself. Our proclamation isn’t going to save all people, sadly. We are not the judges of anyone. Leave that to the Lord. When we proclaim the Word in its purity, the heart of the hearer will reveal the judgment that is placed on them as the Word convicts one of the sins within so he or she may see the Savior who has come to set them free.
Let us pray. I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, your dear Son, that you have kept me this night from all harm and danger, and I ask you to protect me this day also from sin and every evil, that in all I do today, I may please you. For into your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all that is mine. Let your holy angel watch over me, that the wicked foe have no power over me. Amen.