Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:10-12
There are two forms of persecution: Words and Actions.
We were told as children, “Sticks and stone can break my bones, but words can never (you complete the saying.)” I knew you could!
Words may seem innocuous compared to actions. But as words reveal what is in one’s heart (Luke 6:45), words are frequently precursors to actions.
A recent poll revealed that among a certain age demographic in the US (I’m sure you can guess who this group is), a majority believes and affirmed the idea that “misgendering” should be considered a crime.(1) They may only think and speak this way, but how long before those who even mistakenly call a man a man—even if he insists he is a woman—could be charged with a hate crime?
You might ask, what this has to do with persecution of Christians? Besides the fact that male and female are the only two genders, according to God’s Word, preaching the gospel would also be a hate crime to those who do not want to be told they are sinners in need of Christ the Savior.
What is in one’s heart is likely to leak from one’s mouth. And what one thinks and says is likely to end up as actions. To be clear, I feel genuinely sorry for the mentally ill who believe and even say that males can become pregnant. I would even defend their right to say what is false. But that same courtesy is not extended back by those who disagree. They insist, and will persecute, those who do not join their celebration of insanity. Add to that, the fact that the single greatest barrier to the furtherance of the anti-sanity agenda are biblical Christians who must believe, speak, and follow the truth, embodied by the One who IS the Truth—even Jesus.
Buckle up Christian friends, persecution is on the way. But be encouraged; our Lord promised:
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:10-12
(1) According to Harvard Medical School “misgendering” as the following dangerous “health” effect: …this is both exhausting and demoralizing. When people are misgendered, they feel invalidated and unseen. When this happens daily, it becomes a burden that can negatively impact their mental health and their ability to function in the world.