People Of The Nazarene

“And they have overcome (conquered) him by means of the Blood of the Lamb and by the utterance of their testimony, for they did not love and cling to life even when faced with death [holding their lives cheap till they had to die for their witnessing].” (Revelation 12:11)

“Therefore, you will fully know them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:20)

“Then they will hand you over to suffer affliction and tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.” (Matthew 24:9)

Christians are the people of the Nazarene: Jesus Christ.  Christians are known by one thing: LOVE.  We are bound by love.  We are commanded by our Lord and Savior to love everyone–even our enemies.  We are supposed to pursue peace with all men to the best of our ability.  Our most valuable fruit is the evidence of God’s love working in us and through us.

At this moment, as I type this post, people of the Nazarene are being killed simply because they call on His name.  In Iraq, Christian homes are marked with the letter “N” in Arabic for the Nazarene.  They are marked as people of the Nazarene for death.  All over the world, Christians are being systematically murdered for being the people of the Nazarene.

Think about it, does any other religious figure cause such vehement hatred?  Does Buddha?  Does Hare Krishna?  Does Mohammad?  Why are atheists so intent on destroying Christianity?  It seems like all but one religion is tolerated.  True Christians pursue peace.  True Christians are bound by the love of Jesus Christ to love all men and work to bring them to the Savior through love.  A more peace-loving people you won’t find anywhere.

In spite of every effort to stamp out Christianity by countless people since Jesus Christ died and rose from the grave, it continues to grow.  It will continue to spread like a fire across every nation because Jesus said it would.  The intense persecution is not causing people to scatter and fall away, it is bringing them closer to Him and to each other.  People are facing brutal death with the hope of eternity that their murderers will never see unless they repent.

In America, we aren’t facing slaughter of our lives, but we are facing the threat of our freedom to worship Him.  Little by little the government is trying to stop Christians from preaching the truth and from spreading the Gospel message.  Why are Muslims allowed to practice their religion?  Why are their laws actually being considered as part of our law?  Why are they allowed to pray in school but Christians aren’t?

We are no longer living in a Christian nation and as Christians, we need to make up our minds about the Nazarene.  Ask yourself this: Am I willing to die for Him?  Is my love for Him that strong?  So many churches have a watered down gospel that doesn’t give people what they need to stand in the evil day.

I’ve been saying it all year: it’s time to get serious about Jesus.  He is coming back in the twinkling of an eye–when it is not expected.  Get ready to meet Him.  A bride spends lots of time preparing herself for her wedding day.  The perfect dress, the perfect hairstyle, the perfect flowers.  We are preparing for our Bridegroom.  One day, that trumpet will sound and the Bride will meet Him in the air and be changed from mortal to immortal in an instant to be forever with Him.

Blessings everyone…