My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God, and Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
Facing Rejection As A Christian
“But first He must suffer many things
and BE REJECTED by this generation” [Luke 17:25].
“For God did NOT call us to uncleanness, but in
holiness. Therefore HE WHO REJECTS THIS
DOES NOT REJECT MAN, BUT GOD, Who has
also given us His Holy Spirit” [1 Thessalonians 4:7-8).
“He who hears you hears Me, he WHO REJECTS YOU
REJECTS ME, and he who REJECTS Me REJECTS Him
Who sent Me” [Luke 10:16).
What is persecution if not rejection? Jesus was welcomed and accepted by many but rejected by others. Christianity knows fully well about rejection and isolation throughout its history. A stark example of rejection and of organized persecution is our Lord Himself Who not only was rejected by His own people but was crucified and killed by them. “And he said to the Jews, ‘Behold your King!’ But they cried out, ‘Away with Him! away with Him! Crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, ‘Shall I crucify your King?’ The chief priests answered, ‘We have no king but Caesar!’ Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus and led Him away” (John 19:14-16). The same actions were taken against His Holy Apostles and His followers.
Being a Christian and living a Christian life is not easy at any age. However, the Cross teaches us that the life of the Christian is one of sacrifice, of faith, of suffering, of humility, of love, and of eternal salvation. Jesus said to His disciples, “For I gave you an example, that ye be doing even as I did to you” (John 13:15). “And whosoever taketh not his cross and followeth after Me is not worthy of Me” (Matthew 10:38). Therefore, whoever wishes to follow Christ into Eternal Life, and whoever wishes to come into Christ’s Eternal Kingdom must go by way of Christ–there is no other way there.
Rejection and persecution although painful and humiliating is also a humbling experience. It serves as a litmus test of our faith. If our faith in Christ is genuine and true then we pass the test with flying colors. If not we must make our own revaluation and introspection, see what the problem is, and to correct it. Therefore both rejection and persecution is not always something negative. We learn how our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ dealt with it and after Him the Holy Apostles and Martyrs of our Church. None were crushed, discouraged, or deterred by threats from continuing their struggle and remaining true and faithful to Christ.
It is, of course, natural for people to want acceptance and be included by others but for the Christian what should count only is to be accepted in God’s Eternal Kingdom. The prejudicial attitude of some people should not be allowed to either influence what we believe in or how we feel about ourselves. There are many variables of why people act as they do. Some do it to coerce one of doing what they want them to do. Others may do it out of envy. And yet others may do it because they are mean-spirited, cruel and out of hatred for what one stands for. The reality though, is that these individuals will never be satisfied by anything that you may be willing to do for them.
Stand firm in your convictions and beliefs. The Almighty God will never force anyone to do His will. He has given us free will. Why, then, should we submit to someone, perhaps a stranger, to deprive us of our integrity and freedom of choice? We serve God alone and we willingly submit to His Divine will alone. No one else must be permitted to interfere with our life, our faith, our person, and our Christian way of life. It is NOT what others think of us that counts but what God thinks of us. He is the only one that truly knows who we are. Why? “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you” (Jeremiah 1:5).
True happiness comes from knowing that we are children of God and His love for us is pure and is unlimited. We only need to look at the Cross and His Great Sacrifice upon it to save all of mankind. to truly understand how much He loves us. Our Lord and Heavenly Father seeks always to do what is best for us and to save us from sin, death, and evil. It is because of Him that we are able to inherit His Eternal Kingdom. There is no greater sin than for one to reject Christ. The Christian must always be faithful to Him. To be faithful means to be courageous in spite the dangers and rejection by others. Faithfulness means trusting in God’s will and wisdom. Faithfulness is the teaching of Christ’s Parable of the Talents, “His Lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord” (Matthew 25:23).
A godly person regards himself as the greatest of all sinners. He carries this thought ever with him as a part of his very existence. And the more he progresses in knowledge of God, the simpler and more uneducated spiritually considers himself. And the more he studies and learns, the less he feels he knows.
___________
“Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!”
– Saint John Chrysostomos
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With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos 