The Most Loved and Hated Person — Jesus

If ever a nation needed God’s direction and help, it is us, and it is now.

By James Robison Published on March 3, 2017

A few days ago Sen. Bill Cassidy called a town hall meeting in Metairie, Louisiana, for his constituents to discuss immigration, healthcare and the economy. When state chaplain Dr. Michael Sprague stood to pray, protesters yelled and overpowered his prayer with shouts of “Separation of church and state!” When Dr. Sprague concluded his prayer, “In Jesus’ Name,” the protesters became loud and unruly again.

When I see things happening like this, these words come to mind: The most loved person who ever lived: Jesus. The most hated person who ever lived: Jesus.

If ever a nation needed God’s direction and help, it is us, and it is now. America doesn’t just have economic problems; we have serious spiritual and moral problems. The spiritual disease in our land can only be healed by Almighty God, the love of God, His mercy and the transforming power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When the enemy comes in like a flood, it is the result of leaving God out of American life and culture.

To Stand Boldly and Shine the Light

If you boldly stand for God, you will be misunderstood by some and misrepresented by many. To be honest, it is difficult not to be disheartened by this fact. Only God can enable us to have peace and joy when we are misunderstood, misrepresented or accused. Those who love Him with all their heart will often catch the full wrath of hatred. Jesus said, “If they hated Me, they will hate you.”

Our leaders — and citizens — must come to the table of reason and the wisdom that only comes from God must always have a seat at the table.

Faithfully following our Lord is too difficult to accomplish through our own strength. This is why He sent the Holy Spirit to indwell us and enable us to fulfill His kingdom purpose. The Holy Spirit not only allows us to endure the slings and arrows, but allows the opportunity for God’s love to transform even the hardest hearts. We saw it with Saul of Tarsus. I’ve seen it countless times, as I share in my new book Living Amazed. We may well see it with those now shouting down the name of Jesus in Metairie.

Christians must come out from under cover and confront the darkness and deception prevailing in our day by revealing the light. Those who know God must take a stand against evil and unprincipled practices that are being promoted as appropriate. When they do, the church and nation will clearly see the illuminating light of truth and find their way out of darkness.

When believers resist present trends and begin to make a positive impact on our culture and national direction, they will be accused of trying to establish a Judeo-Christian theocracy — something the true church and people of faith, including Protestants, Catholics and Jews, would not tolerate.

However, we already have a secular, progressive theocracy that boldly defends relativism and amoral views while forcing their ungodly, anti-Christ worldview on everyone else. Have you noticed that the bigger government gets, the smaller the citizen becomes? If you oppose this secular theocracy, you will be accused of being an uneducated fool, an idiot, a hate monger, a racist or even a terrorist.

To Sit at the Table

Serious political problems must frequently be hammered out on the anvil of heated debates and dialogue. Town hall meetings being a fruitful part of the process. Often both sides must move to find common ground for positive progress.

Our leaders — and citizens — must come to the table of reason and the wisdom that only comes from God must always have a seat at the table. Prayer is so important during these times. It is wise not to add fuel to the fire, intensifying divisiveness with unkind insults which can come so easily. As Christians, while we stand firmly and boldly for truth, we must remember that, “The god of this world has blinded the eyes of the unbelieving.”

God help us recognize how difficult it can be for a blind person to find the way. They need help and God wants us to help open blind eyes and provide wise guidance by consistently sharing “the truth in love.”

Let’s do it while keeping in mind that perfect love walked on earth only once and religious people, along with the government, hung Him on a cross. But praise God, He arose, conquered death and is alive to be revealed through His church in resurrection power, offering life and hope through our witness.

Hold on to the truth God spoke in the Old Testament: “Those who honor Me, I will honor.” And the Lord who is our Shepherd said, “I will prepare a table before you in the presence of your enemies.” If we follow Him, we need “fear no evil for He is with us.” And “the gates of hell will not prevail” against those who hear and heed the Father’s voice.

By joining together in the supernatural, unwavering unity Jesus prayed for, we can witness a true spiritual awakening in our lifetime.

And we can solve some real problems in the process.

 

James Robison’s new book Living Amazed: How Divine Encounters Can Change Your Life was released this week, and is available at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and other fine book stores. 

Some of the material in the above article first appeared in “America: A Secular Theocracy” on jamesrobison.net, August 5, 2011.

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