Persecuting Jesus Christ while living for the atheistic culture of today.

Acts 26:9-11

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“Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.” Acts 26:9-11

There was no question that the Jewish people persecuted Christians for no other reason than that they were born-again by the Spirit and not by the laws of Judaism. Paul was persecuting Christians on the authority of the chief priests. Now that he became a Christian, they wanted Paul dead too. Likewise, Christianity is driven into extinction by today’s atheistic culture, as described in Revelations 12.  “And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.’” Revelation 12:17

Paul was serving the Jewish nation in his opposition to the way of Jesus Christ. Today’s culture oppose belief in God, Jesus Christ, and the presence of the Holy Spirit because they feel it is their obligation to do so. They live by the entity that gives them what to think, feel, say, and do, and that entity cannot live in the presence of the Holy Spirit. The community family feels like they are doing a service to purge the faithful few of Christianity from the mainstream of their social network. Our Lord Jesus says, “These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me. But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them.” John 16:1-4

Jesus was referring to Christians when He said, “They will put you out of the synagogues…” and Paul was too when he said, “And I punished them often in every synagogue …” After saying “Yes” to Jesus Christ, many Jewish people continued to worship in the synagogue. The Jewish leaders intended to put a stop to that. In today’s culture, some Christians continue to go to the manmade churches, and those churches have abandoned the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As a result, the faith of those who live for Jesus Christ is opposed as well. One-by-one, Christianity is being extinguished by the masses of the atheistic culture.

At times I wonder how Paul could have forgiven himself. He put Christians in prison, by the order of the chief priests of the Jewish people. Paul [called Saul at the time] consented to the killing of Christians, as seen from Acts 7:54-58. Paul/Saul routinely went around to the synagogues/churches and forced Christians to blaspheme the name of Jesus Christ. Paul/Saul was so enraged against Christianity that he persecuted the followers of Jesus in foreign cities, as seen in Acts 9:1-2. At that time, Paul/Saul was the roaring lion seeking for whoever he could devour.

I’ve heard people say, “I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to forgive myself.” Fortunately for us, whether we are able to forgive ourselves or not, doesn’t matter because God has forgiven us through Jesus Christ. If our conscience bothers us about something, the Holy Spirit says this, “For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.” 1 John 3:20-21

By the standards of today’s culture, Christians are considered to be enemies of humanity, intolerant, bigoted, and haters of humanitarian polices. That’s because today’s culture lives by the teaching of humanism. Humanism is the fig leaf worn by those who serve the entity that gives them what to think, feel, say, and do while oppressing the presence of the Holy Spirit. Humanism is “An outlook or system of thought attaching prime importance to human rather than divine or supernatural matters. Humanist beliefs stress the potential value and goodness of human beings, emphasize common human needs, and seek solely rational ways of solving human problems.”

Our Lord Jesus says, “And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” Matthew 15:9 “How can you believe when you accept each other’s praise and don’t look for the praise that comes from the only God?” John 5:44

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:1