How to Prepare for the Coming Persecution - What Every Christian Needs to Know

in this season it's likely that you've sensed this great spiritual shift though you may not be able to put your finger on it you know deep down inside that something is changing we're entering a new season something major is coming we all know it we all sense it there has been a global shift something has moved in the spiritual realm and if we're not careful if we're not planted in christ we can fall away from the faith now i'm not trying to be an alarmist and i'm not saying any of this to scare you i want to prepare you for the times that are coming this is what the scripture says in matthew 24 and i'm going to read verses 3-14 later jesus sat on the mount of olives his disciples came to him privately and said tell us when will all this happen what sign will signal your return and the end of the world so here the disciples ask jesus very pointed questions now a bit of information that could be helpful when approaching the biblical stances on the end times when you're looking to the scripture to give you insight on prophetic unfolding it's important that you take the clear portions of scripture and use those clear portions of scripture as the foundational truths by which you interpret the unclear portions of scripture like the book of daniel the book of revelation there is some apocalyptic imagery that's not always necessarily 100 percent clear so instead of building your timeline instead of building your understanding on the end times from apocalyptic imagery it's best to first begin with very clear foundational teaching that jesus gave us concerning the end times and then fit all of the other scriptures into the more clear framework that jesus gives us verse 4 jesus told them don't let anyone mislead you for many will come in my name claiming i am the messiah they will deceive many hear me now church we often read this verse right here and we say oh yeah a lot of people are going to be there in the last days claiming to be jesus claiming to be the savior claiming to be the messiah but this is not exactly what jesus is addressing yes in the last days there will be lunatics who arise and claim divinity they will arise and claim that their christ returned or they'll say that they're jesus or the savior or god's one and only messenger there will always be lunatics like that but what this scripture is referring to are those who come in his name look at verse 5 again for many will come in my name in other words they will claim to be sent by jesus claiming i am the messiah or i am anointed so this isn't necessarily a group of people who are coming and claiming divinity this is a group of people who come and claim to be anointed but are not claim to come in the name of jesus but are not they are wolves in sheep's clothing they have impure motives they're using god to make themselves important they're using the gospel to build their name their brand their fame their power their fortune and this is who jesus is addressing those who come in his name and that's why this is very subtle deception because people will come saying i'm anointed of christ i'm coming in the name of jesus when in fact they are not they will deceive many you see it's easy to spot those lunatics who say i'm jesus or i'm the lord returned we all can spot those what's more difficult to spot is someone who comes in and simply claims i was sent by god i have a ministry and i am anointed and what a terrifying truth that is they claim to come in the name of jesus yet their lives don't align with what they preach verse 6 and you will hear a wars and threats of wars but don't panic this is what we see the shaking of the nations tension between governments treaties becoming unstable movement on the global stage tensions are rising and this is what jesus said would happen in the last days you will hear of wars and rumors of wars or threats of wars and he says but don't panic yes these things must take place but the end won't follow immediately so the wars and rumors of wars is just the beginning hear me now people of god spirit family i want you to understand that what unfolded concerning the pandemic was only the beginning you think the pandemic shook the nations you think the pandemic shook our economic systems we haven't seen anything yet for what is coming is going to make the pandemic look like times of peace these are only the beginning occurrences yes these things must take place but the end won't follow immediately in other words it gets worse and worse when my wife went into labor and she was giving birth to my daughter arya her her signs of delivery began to intensify in the amount of pain that she was feeling and in the frequency that she was feeling that pain the contractions came more frequently and more intensely as it became closer to the time of birth that's what the scripture likens the end times to you will see the frequency of chaotic things as well as the intensity of chaotic things all of that will increase it's exponential over time and we're beginning to just feel the contractions of the end times verse 7 nation will go to war against nation and kingdom against kingdom so there we see wars mentioned again there will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world we just had another earthquake in california anytime there's an earthquake in california twitter lights up the internet lights up people talking about it and then the rumors of the big one begin to float around people always talk about the big one coming to california there won't just be the one big one there will be many big ones and earthquakes in many parts of the world is what the bible says famines food shortages think about how when the pandemic hit we were all forced to go into the grocery stores and try to search for anything that we could find there were shortages of all kind just like that everything was turned on its head just like that the chain of supply was disrupted just like that the stores were empty shelves were bare just like that things were gone i think we take for granted what we have and i don't think we realize just how fragile the systems of the world are the strength of society is an illusion strength of society is an illusion within a matter of days we can be experiencing food shortages and it can come from seemingly nowhere and that's what the bible warns of in the end times now again i'm not saying this to scare you but to prepare you i truly believe that in times of famine that we're going to begin to see food multiplication again just like jesus fed the five thousand i think jesus will feed the remnant just like god the father fed the children of israel when they wandered through the wilderness so god will feed his church miraculously we don't have to worry about this but for the world this will be a terrifying time we're going to see an intensity rise we're going to see chaos rise and it's going to be prominent all throughout the globe but the church will experience the power of god like never before for the darker it gets out there the brighter it becomes in the church and after all of these things are listed here's what's astonishing about what jesus is saying after all these things are listed verse 8 but all this is only the first of the birth pains with more to come then verse 9 then you is talking to his followers now you will be arrested persecuted and killed people are so worried today about cancel culture i think cancel culture is an ugly thing but we're coming to the day when they're not going to cancel you they're going to kill you i don't know if every believer listening to this message right now is going to experience that level of persecution and who knows what the exact timeline is on all of these things but every believer must live prepared you will be hated all over the world because you are my followers now watch this after the persecution look at what happens and many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other so jesus says that people will turn away from him these are his followers these are those who claim to be his disciples these are those who claim to follow his teachings they're going to turn away from him they're going to turn away from following jesus watch this now and many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other they're going to turn away from the lord there will be a great falling away the scripture describes it i'll read that portion of scripture in a moment but when this persecution comes it's going to purge the church of weak christianity well look at the order of it then you will be arrested persecuted and killed you will be hated all over the world there will be nowhere to go using the pandemic as an example again again i was astonished to see how the pandemic affected every part of the world from every major city to every small town you couldn't go anywhere without seeing a sign on the door requiring you to wear a mask you couldn't go anywhere without seeing those stickers on the floor telling you to social distance now this was at the beginning stages that's not the case right now but i was amazed to see how when it first hit how the pandemic affected the entire world there was nowhere to go nowhere to escape no safe place to run and hide it was all over the world it affected everything now this pressure that comes on god's people is global look at this and you will be hated all over the world because you are my followers well that's the system we see coming into place now the world is united in its rebellion against god governments the entertainment industry all of it coming together big tech all of the major companies they're coming together and they're consolidating their power into one big conglomerate anti-christ beast system they hate jesus and they'll hate you so we'll be hated not just in some parts we'll be hated all over the world will be considered the problem and then many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other think about that that they turn from jesus and then they turn on each other well that's the order of rebellion that's why so many people talk about how much they hate the church isn't it sad how that's become acceptable to talk about the church that way i i really am sick of hearing the church talked about so negatively that's the bride of christ and it's become acceptable almost expected to speak negatively of the church almost like we just concede that point like it's a given well yeah the church is horrible well yeah i agree with you church people are mean wait a minute wait a minute most of the church people i've met are sincere jesus loving kind-hearted individuals what i find it's the rebellious people who turn away from jesus that hate the church but in pop culture in movies christians are the crazy mean ones in tv shows in books we're portrayed as these bigots these anti-intellectual bigots who don't care about anyone who don't practice what we preach that's the portrayal that the world has made of the church and i think that's the work of the enemy because it's not true a majority of believers a majority of the church are sweet people who love jesus and who practice what they preach that's the majority of the church but it's become acceptable to describe the church in other ways and it's become almost expected that we just concede that point oh yeah i agree the church is horrible when it's not and then we have people leaving the faith and deconstructing their faith and claiming that all that something needs to change in the system something needs to change in the church no no wait a minute the church is the bride of christ and what actually is the problem is people love the world rather than loving jesus and that's why they turn on the church the pressure got too much they didn't like the persecution they didn't like being hated all over the world and so this is what happens then you will be arrested persecuted and killed you will be hated all over the world because you are my followers and many will turn from me so it's the persecution and the pressure and the need to be accepted the desire to be liked the desire to be relevant and cool and loved and one with the world that's what causes the great falling away they can't handle the pressure of persecution verse 11 and many false prophets will appear and we'll deceive many now here it's interesting because jesus mentions a second group of people claiming to speak for god up a couple verses we see in verse number five that many will come in his name claiming to be the messiah in other words many will come in his name claiming to be anointed and those are the people who claim the name of jesus who are wolves in sheep's clothing who preach a form of the gospel and it sounds really close to the actual gospel but they're hypocrites and then jesus mentions another group of people and many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people so those who claim to be anointed are within the church and people think they're of the church but the false prophets these are people who preach false religions these are people who preach new ageism these are people who preach the philosophies of the world false religions these are false prophets verse 12 sin will be rampant everywhere and the love of many will grow cold but the one who endures to the end will be saved what we've seen the amplification of sin in this world haven't we and people of god they're not just satisfied to have their sin they want to pull others into it too that's why they're coming after your children it's why they're working in the school systems because they're not just satisfied in sinning they want to bring everyone else in with them sin will be rampant everywhere and the love of many will grow cold selfish narcissistic egomaniacs the world is full of them now why because of sin [Music] but the one who endures to the end will be saved watch this now here's the note of victory verse 14. so all these signs that we see described and all these signs that indicate the end times well they're just describing the lead-up but what actually indicates the end of the world right here and the good news about the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world so that all nations will hear it and then the end will come in other words we end on a high note the gospel going out throughout the world we end on the note of god giving another opportunity to humanity for repentance so persecution causes this great falling away it's the persecution that triggers the great falling away because we want to continue to participate in society we want to continue to be like we don't want to be labeled religious anti-intellectual bigots we don't want to be labeled as mean-spirited hypocrites we want to be accepted we want to be loved we want to be cool we want to be relevant we want to be looked to as spiritual advisors in some cases but that's just not going to be the case all the time and because of this there's this great falling away people apologizing for a gospel that they should be standing firm on people apologizing that the gospel is offensive by nature and it's not that we want to offend we love people we want people to come to know the goodness and the love of god and the forgiveness of sins of course but you can't apologize for aspects of the gospel that the world finds unpalatable you can't apologize and try to change it and shape it so that they accept it as a part of their system it will never fit it's two different systems it's two different kingdoms you can't blend those kingdoms together and so what happens is because of the pressure of persecution because of this pressure of not being liked because of this pressure of not really being able to be one with society people are pushed out and there's this great falling away i talk talk to you about that great falling away the portion of scripture and that i read it i'll read it now second thessalonians chapter 2 verses 1 through 4 i'm reading out of the nlt that's second thessalonians chapter 2 verses 1 through 4. now dear brothers and sisters let us clarify some things about the coming of our lord jesus christ and how we will be gathered to meet him don't be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the lord has already begun don't believe them even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision a revelation or a letter supposedly from us so the thessalonian church had been experiencing some rumors that jesus had already returned that the rapture had already happened because in first thessalonians that was addressed so here the record is being corrected verse 3 don't be fooled by what they say for that day will not come until there was a great rebellion against god and the man of lawlessness is revealed that's the antichrist that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against god or a global one the one who brings destruction is what's being described this man this antichrist he will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship he will even sit in the temple of god claiming that he himself is god so this great rebellion described in second thessalonians is a global one in other words it's a global intentional organized rejection of god on a global scale that means the governments of the world will be united in their rejection of god the systems of the world will be united in the enforcing of the rejection of god society will not allow you to participate with it if you don't reject god that's just how it's going to unfold and we see these systems coming into place now we see these systems being forced upon us now systems of compliance systems of conformity systems of social credits do you do what everyone says to do do you think like everyone says to think do you behave how we want you to behave if not they're threatening to take away your ability to participate in society and so we see this mentioned in scripture and when this global intentional rejection of god occurs there will be those within the church who defect from the faith it's coming people of god if i didn't love you i wouldn't tell you this it's coming i know this type of preaching doesn't score me points i know this type of preaching won't make me popular that's never been a goal but it's coming and you need to make sure that you're standing firm you need to make sure that your roots go deep in christ you need to make sure that you're abiding in the vine first corinthians 9 27 paul the apostle writes this i discipline my body like an athlete training it to do what it should otherwise i fear that after preaching to others i myself might be disqualified whoa wait a minute paul wrote this paul the apostle wrote this he gave us epistles he saw jesus the christ in person and he is telling us that he disciplines his body like an athlete why otherwise i fear this is paul writing this i fear that after preaching to others i myself might be disqualified i pray lord don't let that be me don't let that be you don't preach it to others and then yourself be disqualified this great falling away is coming now every generation has a falling away of sorts people leave the church in waves it seems at least on in the historical perspective but this great falling away will be unlike anything we've ever seen there will be a choice that's forced upon us you serve the system of the kingdom of darkness or you remain loyal to the cause of christ and if it wasn't so tempting no one would fall for it there will be a temptation to conform there will be a temptation to comply that's why it's so attractive that's why so many fall and they gain the world their ability to be a part of the world yet they lose their own soul what will that profit a man okay tell me in the comments that the great falling away has already begun not a falling away the great falling away do you think the great falling away has already begun why or why not tell me about it in the comments section right now whether you're watching live or whether you're watching on the replay i'll also take this moment to encourage you to make sure that you leave a like on this live stream you're hearing what's being said you know that other people need to hear this help us spread this message of warning and preparation by leaving a like believe it or not that actually does help to spread the word all around so leave a like on this live stream make sure you share it and if this is your first time joining us here at encounter tv make sure you also subscribe here at encounter tv we have a two-fold approach to ministry it's simple spirit-filled we believe in god's power we believe in miracles we believe in the gifts of the spirit and biblically balanced we also believe in building on the foundation of the word and not veering off into the strange and the uh the strange world of heresy and superstition and religion so if you're looking for spirit filled and biblically balanced you've come to the right place we love the holy spirit we love the word the word and spirit subscribe to encounter tv right now click that notification about when you do so that you can receive updates when we release new content this is a very important thing that we're talking about right now standing firm in the face of persecution so i'm going to see some of the comments here coming in i had asked just a few moments ago do you think the great falling away has already begun why or why not and i see on the comment section right in front of me let me see here guys i have to slow it down because you guys sometimes are so fast and i love it keep the comments coming i see people commenting on the likes thank you for that uh faith fan says satan comes to steal kill and destroy i believe it jessica writes be spirit-filled and stand in your word amen we must stand in the word of god um my sings beauty writes yes i believe so so-called christians say they are saved but don't hear the voice of god they are completely oblivious to the fact that god is not the head of their life but satan is well yes some people are trapped in that deception that's the scary thing about deception is you don't know you're deceived amber rickard writes it has already begun too many are compromising their call for freedom the world offers another commenter writes the great falling away is close hasn't started but all it needs to have to stay are already in place okay so we're talking about the systems in place rain writes not yet just a precursor um and then octavia harris says yes because people are beginning to compromise so lots of different opinions there whatever your opinion on whether or not the falling away has begun it's important that we stay grounded so i want to show you different forms of persecution and then i want to talk to you about how to keep your faith strong in persecution so there are four kinds of persecution that the believer will face that you will face well maybe not all four of them some believers think god won't face some of the more severe forms of persecution now paul did write i wish that you would be as i am minus these chains so paul the apostle did not wish persecution on every believer but persecution does come on some believers and when the great falling away happens when things begin to unravel on a global scale we will see a great persecution of all believers all around the world that eventually will happen in the meantime i want you to take note of these four kinds of persecution so that you can be aware of how the enemy tries to use this and how the world tries to use it to shut down the gospel now there's this misconception about persecution where when someone's persecuted or insulted for the sake of the gospel or maybe suffering some form of rejection or oppression sometimes we as christians will point to those who are being beheaded or being killed for their faith and will say oh you're not suffering persecution they're suffering persecution and it's an insult for you even to indicate that you're suffering persecution when people around the world are being killed for their faith well that's a very immature approach to looking at persecution just because you're not experiencing the most intense degree of persecution doesn't mean you're not experiencing persecution at all so the first kind of persecution are insults yes insults are a form of persecution jesus himself said so in matthew chapter 5 matthew 5 i'm going to read verses 11 and 12. god blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers verse 12 be happy about it be very glad for a great reward awaits you in heaven and remember the ancient prophets watch this now were persecuted in the same way so insults are a form of persecution people speaking against you people gossiping about you that is a form of persecution now don't be how shall i say this don't be religious in your approach to this because again i want to emphasize this sometimes we as believers will say well you were just insulted for the gospel you should be able to take that people around the world are being killed for their faith so don't even come to me complaining about insults well this is not biblical because jesus himself addressed this issue and acknowledged that this is a form of persecution saying that i can't be upset because others have it worse it's like saying i can't be happy because others have it better it's not a comparison game when you're experiencing insults that hurts that can be painful especially when the insults and the hatred and the gossip comes from family members there are some of you listening to this message right now who are experiencing persecution from loved ones who don't like the fact that you serve jesus think about for example how around the world churches are being forced to lock down because of the government control in response to this pandemic now the churches who are brave the pastors who have courage and boldness are rising and saying we're not going to lock down we're not going to shut down and there are some christians who will say to those pastors oh just shut your church down just close everything you need to stop complaining because on the other side of the world people are dying so you stop being silly that's not persecution now wait a minute that is a form of persecution which i'll get to in a moment and they'll say things like well don't insult the martyrs by complaining about having to close your church i say don't insult the martyrs by cowering at the threat of fines when they didn't cower at the threat of death some parts of the world they don't find you they kill you and they still stood up for the gospel yet we can't do it in the face of fines so let's turn that thing on its head let's turn that mindset on its head some will say to you you can't complain about lockdowns you can't complain about shutting your church down how dare you there's people on the other side of the globe who are dying i say how dare you there's people on the other side of the globe who are dying and you want to lock down the church that's insulting to them that they're willing to give their lives we're not willing to give our reputations insulting so no just because they're dying on the other side of the world doesn't mean that in these parts of the world that we should just say okay let's let's stop obeying the word of god and please man instead that's just not biblical so insults first and foremost are a form of persecution they'll call you bigoted they'll call you narrow-minded again as i alluded to earlier christians are portrayed in the media as evil and mean and they talk about the bride of christ in this way there's a whole movement of offended rebellious people who think that it's healthy to criticize the church in an unrealistic way and this is just not biblical they don't reject god because of so-called bigots they reject god because they love their sin luke 6 26 says what sorrow awaits you who are praised by the crowds for their ancestors also praised false prophets think about that what sorrow awaits you who are praised by the crowds for their ancestors also praised false prophets this is actually an interesting one because you know i think that sometimes we imagine that the world is just going to go you know what we love the church we love what you stand for but do you realize that the more wicked the world gets the more they're going to hate the message of the gospel that doesn't mean we say hey let's change the message of the gospel so they stop getting upset that means you stand firm on the gospel and the further the world goes into sin the crazier we're going to look let me say that again the further the world goes into sin the crazier you and i are going to look biblical righteous virtues and principles that 100 years ago were accepted by a majority of society are being rejected as people progress into the darkness of sin their hearts are being darkened their minds are being darkened they're being spiritually blind and deaf and instead of saying okay well let's change the gospel we must continue to shine that light because it is the hope of humanity the only means of salvation and the only truth so insults will come at you people will call you a bigot people will call you mean people will throw you in with the hypocrites and say that because you're a christian surely you must be a hypocrite because that's what we've been told by the media all these years and that's what's accepted as a common cliche in society christians are just these mean-spirited hypocrites but that's not the case and they will insult you though they will insult you because you're a follower of jesus they will criticize you because you speak the truth they will criticize you because you preach the gospel they will criticize you because you believe in a thing called sin yes sin is still sin and woe to that generation woe to that generation who calls evil good and good evil that's what's happening now we are more and more becoming less tolerated in this world so insults number one number two the second type of persecution is rejection luke 10 16 says then he said to the disciples anyone who accepts your message is also accepting me and anyone who rejects you is rejecting me and anyone who rejects me is rejecting god who sent me they don't want you to have influence they don't want you to have say in society they don't want to hear the message have you ever realized that all other opinions philosophies religions are tolerated accepted celebrated understood but the message of the gospel is rejected harshly so you ever notice that you can speak the name of any false deity but you speak the name of the one true god you say the name of jesus suddenly people start getting offended you ever see those one world stickers coexist you know who that's aimed at it's aimed at christians because christians are the ones who claim exclusive truth they will reject you now just because you're rejected doesn't mean you're right so let's get let's get that straight because some christians are rejected because they're weird okay they're they're weird they're unbiblical they get into some bizarre things that just aren't of scripture so that's sometimes valid i know that some people have it in their mind they have like a messiah complex if if they're rejected oh it must be because i'm of god no not every rejection is a sign that you're of god but when you're rejected for speaking the truth when you're rejected for speaking of christ then that's a form of true persecution john 15 verses 19 and 20. this is powerful john 15 19 and 20. the world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it but you are no longer part of the world i chose you to come out of the world so it hates you do you remember what i told you a slave is not greater than the master since they persecuted me naturally this is jesus speaking since they persecuted me naturally they will persecute you and if they had listened to me they would listen to you so rejection is another form of persecution that's insults number two rejection number three oppression let me read a portion of scripture to you this is acts chapter five i'm going to read verses 17-29 the high priest and his officials who were sadducees were filled with jealousy they arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail but an angel of the lord came at night opened the gates of the jail and brought them out then he told them go to the temple and give the people this message of life so at daybreak the apostles entered the temple as they were told and immediately began teaching so the angel broke them out when the high priest and his officials arrived they convened the high council the full assembly of the elders of israel then they sent for the apostles to be brought from the jail for trial so this is kind of funny but when the temple guards went to the jail the men were gone i love that so they convened for trial okay bring them in they're like hey they're gone they're not here so they returned to the council and reported the jail was securely locked with the guards standing outside but when we opened the gates no one was there when the captain of the temple guard and the leading priests heard this they were perplexed wondering where it would all end can you imagine how frustrating that is they're trying to get them to stop preaching this message they finally got them in prison or in jail and then suddenly they disappear and they're wondering where they're going when is this all going to end this has to stop so i love that that they were wondering where it would end verse 25 then someone arrived with startling news the men you put in jail are standing in the temple teaching the people the captain went with his temple guards and arrested the apostles so they got him again but without violence for they were afraid the people would stone them then they brought the apostles before the high council where the high priest confronted them here's what he says we gave you strict orders never again to teach in this man's name he said so he's saying look we told you already to stop this instead you have filled all jerusalem with your teaching about him and you want to make us responsible for his death verse 29 i love this but peter and the apostles replied we must obey god rather than human authority number three is oppression they will try to limit your movement with imprisonment they will try to limit your speech with censorship and intimidation they will try to limit your gathering with tyrannical government control let he who has eyes to see see let he who has ears to hear hear that is a form of persecution i don't care what anybody tells you open your spiritual eyes that is a form of persecution it's a form of oppression and as i was saying just a few points ago i think it's a mistake to look at our brothers and sisters dying on the other side of the world and come to the conclusion that we should therefore put up with this kind of oppression oh well they have it so much worse so quit your complaining no if they could stand in the face of death we could stand in the face of tyranny if they can give their lives we can give our reputations we must obey god rather than man that's just the biblical truth so oppression is a form of persecution now you notice the bible says in the narrative that we just read that they arrested them a second time and it says without violence so there was no physical beating no torture no killing but they were oppressing them they were restricting their freedoms in an effort to silence the gospel why because the government wants to be god the government wants total control and so long as the church is alive and well the government cannot be god because we won't bow to the government as god we're we're non-compliant in that way we don't bow to the government as god there's only one god there's only one throne there's only one name it's the name of jesus and so the government can bring oppression not just the government but groups of people powerful groups of people people who will use either their authority or intimidation that's two types of oppression either through authority or intimidation again they limit your movement with imprisonment they try to limit your speech with censorship and they try to limit your gathering with control enforcement this is a form of persecution stop saying that oh because our brothers and sisters across the world have it so much worse that it doesn't count as persecution over here i'm going to say it again one more time if they can stand in the threat of death we can surely stand in the face of tyranny we must have the courage and the boldness to obey god look i understand exercising wisdom you know i'm very balanced in the way i approach everything but on this matter after much prayer after much study of the word after hearing from the holy spirit i must tell you people of god it is time to rise it is time to obey god rather than obeying man enough is enough period obey god not man the fourth kind of persecution is violence in acts chapter 7 verses 54 through 60 we see the story of stephen the martyr when they heard these things they were cut to the heart and they gnashed at him with their teeth but he being full of the holy spirit gazed into heaven and saw the glory of god and jesus standing at the right hand of god and said look i see the heavens opened and the son of man standing at the right hand of god then they cried out with the loud voice stopped their ears and ran at him with one accord and they cast him out of the city and stoned him and the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named saul and they stoned stephen as he was calling on god saying lord jesus receive my spirit then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice lord do not charge them with this sin and when he said this he fell asleep they didn't like what he was saying it cut right to the heart i mean it cut deep they did they stopped their ears they put their hands over their ears they begin to shout they lost their minds think about this what's being described here is the loss of their minds they were so convicted that they went insane and killed the man that's what's being described here look at this and they cast them out of the city and stoned him they cried with a loud voice stopped their ears and ran at him so they all rushed him they were so convicted they lost their minds why because stephen was preaching truth that pierced right to the heart and they killed him this is the fourth kind of persecution it's violence beating torture and killing paul the apostle was beheaded peter was crucified and upon his request he was crucified upside down because he didn't feel worthy to be crucified in the same manner jesus was it is said that andrew also was crucified thomas they say was killed by spears matthew stabbed to death in ethiopia james was stoned and clubbed to death simon the zealot was killed after refusing to make a sacrifice to an idol and john the author of the book of revelation was boiled in oil and survived of whom the world was not worthy god help us stand up in the face of insults rejection and oppression for the sake of the dignity of the church in honor of those who've stood in the face of violence god convicted us god help us chat i want you to tell me in the comments section what kind of persecution have you faced and how has god helped you through it from insults to violence i've had beer bottles thrown at me it's almost violent but it didn't hit me so i don't think it quite counted but you know insults that's a form of persecution it is rejection that's a form of persecution being shunned by those who you love that's a form of persecution oppression is a form of persecution violence certainly we all know is a form of persecution what kind of persecution have you faced and how did the lord help you through it reuben let's check in on the chat i mean before i check out on this chat i can personally say forms of persecution in my life were very little things just like in the workplace being made fun of because i was the christian kid in my workplace being made fun of and looking down upon because oh i was doing so good at my job but people would be like oh but you're a christian and we don't like you get away from us do your own go work in your own zone in your own area don't work with us because i was a christian that's a form of persecution i had faced in my personal life people are saying you know michelle cut said persecution by my ex tried to kill me three times he left the marriage and uh he turned my children against me wow liz eslava says insults and rejections from family members janine says lots of mocking people are saying you know i was laughed at by my family people are saying a lot of things you know family i've been oppressed by you know people around me the church has you know even laughed at me all these comments coming in how people have experienced their own persecution so wow man this is this is very very eye-opening and i'm so glad that you're teaching this ziga well it's time we stand strong people of god i'll stand with you i'll stand with you i'll i promise to always preach the truth i'm not going to compromise this stand with me as i stand with you as we stand for christ together i want to encourage you in this moment to leave a like on this live stream and i'm not being i hope i hope it doesn't seem out of turn especially because the material we're covering is so holy and and it invokes such reverence in our hearts but please understand that when i ask you to leave a like i am not asking you that for clout it really does help to spread the message all around the world it triggers something in the algorithm and make sure you're leaving comments too don't stop with the comments make sure you share and if you're new to this channel you haven't seen this content or maybe it just popped up on your feed and you happen to click we believe in the power of the holy spirit and we believe in the foundation of the word of god spirit-filled biblically balanced that's this ministry if you love the holy spirit teachings on spiritual warfare prayer miracles healing faith the call of god evangelism sacrifice the surrendered life this is the channel for you make sure you're subscribed to encounter tv and click that notification bell when you do subscribe so that you can receive updates and alerts when we put out new content subscribe now if you're new to the channel we also show video of the power of the holy spirit in action we show videos of healing testimonies people being set free by god's power people receiving the baptism with the holy spirit so it's the word and spirit make sure you're subscribed now and join what we call uh we affectionately refer to our subscribers followers supporters all of you as the spirit family so i love you all make sure you're leaving comments and we'll be interacting in a moment toward the end of the broadcast if you're watching this live wonderful if you're watching this on replay make sure you're also interacting the same way it'll still have the same effect okay i want to talk to you now about how to keep your faith strong in times of persecution because we will all face persecution now that we know what the different forms of persecution are we know that we will all face persecution at one point or another so how to keep your faith strong in times of persecution number one watch and pray matthew chapter 26 verse 41 keep watch and pray so that you will not give in to temptation for the spirit is willing but the body is weak you know cowering in the face of persecution is a temptation compromising the gospel so you're not insulted is a temptation wanting to be liked by the world wanting to be accepted by the world is a temptation now am i saying that we should all live as hermits completely disconnect from the world and treat people like they're the enemy by no means people are not the enemy but i am saying that we must live first with our allegiance to christ at every cost now if people are offended by the gospels because they're in the wrong place in their heart we don't try to offend we don't try to be mean we don't say things to provoke and agitate and try to get a reaction out of people if you do that that's a very immature ungodly unloving approach to spreading the gospel but in spreading the truth though our goal is never to offend you will at some times offend people but i would rather offend someone into heaven than comfort them into hell and in order to do this i must be prayerful i must be watchful in order to not give in to that temptation to be liked to circumnavigate the persecution or to just be done with being treated that way again it is tempting to to compromise or to water it down but in order to resist that temptation you must watch and pray this means be alert be aware of what's going on you know we as believers can use the discernment of the holy spirit not just for spiritual gifts not just to see whether or not there's a demonic spirit of all we can see what's going on on a global scale if we simply put our ears to the spiritual ground we have the ability to discern what is happening but that ability to discern is sharpened by prayer so don't just pray be vigilant watch be informed do your research on things make sure you understand don't just take things at face value my goodness people of god stop just reading the headlines read the story and that's both literal and i'm using that as a metaphor that's the culture we live in we 10 seconds we'll read a headline and that's it then we go spreading rumors no i've seen it done to preachers where a preacher um will supposedly be caught in the scandal and maybe the preacher was completely innocent but because somebody read a headline oh well that's it oh so sad oh i followed this guy oh i love them so much oh i can't believe this and then they go and spread that around and everyone just kind of accepts that because it was said it was true that's just not how we should be handling things that that's not just good advice for the church that's good advice for everybody but don't just take things at face value be discerning be wise exercise the ability to hear the voice of the holy spirit watch and pray why so that you won't fall into temptation be vigilant be discerning be informed sometimes i think we don't do a very good job i'll put myself in this category too we don't always do the best job at being informed i myself sometimes will just take things at face value and assume that it's true only to find out later that i didn't really do my research and i probably should have done a little better we can all do better at this watch and pray number two know the word oh this is so important matthew chapter 7 i'm going to read verses 24-27 anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise like a person who builds a house on solid rock though the rain comes in torrents and the flood waters rise and the winds beat against that house it won't collapse because it is built on bedrock but anyone who hears my teaching and doesn't obey it is foolish like a person who builds a house on sand when the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house it will collapse with the mighty crash are you building on god's word or are you building on your own opinions and assumptions are you building on god's word or are you building on the philosophies of this world are you building on god's word or are you building on the words of your college and university professor are you building on god's word or are you building on the promises of politicians are you building on god's word or are you building on what the music industry and the movie industry tell you are you building on the systems of the world are you building on the opinions of man are you building on emotionalism and how you feel on certain days or are you building on god's word if you're not building on god's word a great crash is coming to your life if you are building on god's word then when the storms come you're going to stand strong so that's number two know the word number three think about eternity matthew chapter 10 verses 38-39 one of my favorite portions of scripture if you refuse to take up your cross and follow me you are not worthy of being mine if you cling to your life you will lose it but if you give up your life for me you will find it here jesus is talking about giving up our lives in exchange for eternity we give up our temporary lives in exchange for the gift of eternal life that he gives to us freely now this perspective can only come if you're doing the first two if you're not watching if you're not praying if you're not in the word there's no way you can have a perspective that's eternally focused don't focus necessarily on just the here and now but focus on the then and there you've heard the saying don't be so heavenly minded that you're no earthly good but in fact the more heavenly minded i am the more good that i can do on the earth this doesn't mean that you should be weird nor is it a license to be weird this simply means that when i'm grounded on god's truth and when i've built my life on the foundation of the words of christ then i can participate in this world in a way that's spiritually victorious and so i think about eternity i think about what's then in there i think about what god has for me i think about my heavenly reward i think about souls that i'm winning i think about heaven itself i think about those words well done good and faithful servant matthew 25 23 the master said well done my good and faithful servant you've been faithful in handling this small amount so now i will give you many more responsibilities let's celebrate together wow i want to hear those words i don't know about you i want to hear those words imagine and it will be your reality if you simply allow the lord to reign in your life that will be your reality you're going to stand before the father you're going to stand before the son you're going to hear those words well done good and faithful servant that's what i'm living for that's what we should be living for we need to live our lives in light of his return we need to live our lives with eternal perspective we must live our lives forth then and there yes we can focus on the here and now yes invest yes buy property yes set your children up for the scripture says that the righteous leave an inheritance for their children yes it's okay to to build here but don't build so much here that you forget about building there don't be so focused on the earth that you're not focused on the heavenly realities so think about eternity think of your heavenly reward think about souls that you win think about heaven itself think about hearing well done good and faithful servant so one watch and pray two know the word three think about eternity four love your persecutors this is key to standing under persecution for we wrestle not against flesh and blood people who persecute you are not the enemy they themselves are bound by sin they're captives their minds are darkened people aren't the enemies they're the mission we're not called to retaliate against them we're called to rescue them we're not called to attack them we're called to preach the truth to them we're not called to hate them we're called to love them we're not in a war against people we're not in a war against necessarily even the systems of the world we're in a war against spiritual darkness spiritual forces i may not agree with people of the world but i don't hate them i want them to know the forgiveness of god the love of christ i want them to know the joy and the peace of the holy spirit that only he can bring luke 23 34 jesus said this is so powerful jesus said father forgive them for they don't know what they are doing and the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice so their jesus is pronouncing forgiveness over them and the soldiers are gambling for his clothes father forgive them for they don't know what they're doing the people who insult you father forgive them they reject you forgive them oppress you forgive them they get violent with you forgive them father forgive them truly they don't know what they are doing as persecution intensifies christians will be dehumanized let me say that again as persecution intensifies christian people will be dehumanized meaning we're not going to be considered heroes it's going to be considered a noble thing to insult a christian it'll because it kind of already is to reject a christian to oppress the gospel to rid the world of christianity that will be the mission of jesus really they want to rid the world of jesus we're going to be dehumanized we will be looked at as the bad guy we will be looked at as the villain of the story we must continue to love they insult you bless them they reject you accept them they oppress you pray god sets them free they get violent with you love them turn the other cheek jesus could have called down a legion of angels what did he do father forgive them it's by our love it's by our love that we win them that's what makes us different isn't it isn't that what makes us different shouldn't that be what differentiates us from the world love them be kind to them warm toward them not condescending patient forgiving that's what we should be that's how we'll win them you know there's a scripture that's often misused and there are actually many of them but the one in particular that i'm thinking of is in psalms where the scripture says you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies now a lot of people look at that scripture and they think that god is going to bless you to taunt your enemies in other words you you're blessing me you're you're preparing a table for me right in front of my enemies so they got to watch as god blesses me they got to watch as god prospers me they got to watch as god promotes me that's not what the scripture is saying do you realize that one of the old testament concepts of covenant is the covenant meal and that when you would share a meal with someone it was making peace with them in some cases so you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies is reconciliation not victory over them but reconciliation with them we're not called to dominate we're not called to control we're not called to have authority over we are called to love them we're called to show kindness to them we're called to despite persecution try to win their souls that's where the true power is so number four is love your persecutors pray for them forgive them and love them finally number five celebrate the victory philippians chapter 2 verses 9 through 11 really is the game changer here ultimately no matter what happens this is the reality therefore god elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names that at the name of jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue declare that jesus christ is lord to the glory of god the father in the end jesus is victorious i think that sometimes we have this idea that in the end times christians are going to be huddled in some basement somewhere wondering if we're going to be captured maybe true in some parts of the world but it doesn't end on that note it ends on a victorious church we are to be establishing god's kingdom despite persecution liberating the captive from sin we must learn to celebrate our victory i've read the scripture genesis to revelation and i'm telling you the bible makes it clear in the end christ is victorious jesus wins in the end light overcomes darkness truth overcomes deception jesus overcomes the devil and sin and death and the grave and hell he overcomes it all in the end christ is victorious and we get to participate in his victory because of the sacrifice he made for us on the cross don't be afraid don't worry let joy and peace spring forth from you a fountain of the spirit from deep within love have peace have joy be kind let the fruit of the spirit be demonstrated in your life though the world may tremble though there may be wars and rumors of wars we are victorious in christ who is the victor so tell me chat what did i miss what else should god's people be doing to stand firm in persecution maybe i missed something maybe i forgot to mention something that would help you stand firm in times of persecution tell me about it in the comments section right now what did i miss what else should god's people be doing to stand firm in persecution whether you're watching live or whether you're watching the replay leave a comment it'll have the same effect leave a like make sure you're leaving comments liking and share this look a lot of christians i want every christian i wish every christian could hear the truths from the scripture presented in this way please help spread this truth by sharing it you will help somebody to stand firm you never know who needs this encouragement so by sharing this video you're helping to spread the gospel around the world and this message in particular also if you're new to this channel make sure you're subscribed to encounter tv do click that notification bell you will not regret it so you get notices when we put out new videos i teach on the holy spirit prayer spiritual warfare evangelism miracles faith the power of god the surrendered life the call of god we also show footage of the holy spirit's power in action people being healed people being saved people being delivered people being filled with fresh touch of the holy spirit's power if you love the holy spirit and you're looking for a ministry that's both spirit-filled and biblically balanced biblically grounded we don't get into weird heresies and superstitions and religious thinking it's biblically balanced and spirit-filled then subscribe to encounter tv if you want content like that in the meantime reuben i will check on the chat how are we doing yeah and then to answer your question you know people are saying we need to fellowship we need fellowship in these times people are saying that's a good one oh we need to be fasting in these times that's what gilly says we need to be fasting people are saying like liz devotion to the lord beth is saying don't compromise in these times people are saying fear not for i am with you quoting scripture prayer and fellowship many repetitive comments saying prayer fellowship devotion to god fasting those are things that i'm seeing constantly during the chat and i want to share something that i read earlier that i really liked as peachylove said i'm literally crying in right now thank you so much pastor david for this message because i've been so hurt and rejected thank you so much man it's touching people's lives and once again i'm so glad that you're sharing this message david because when i saw the notes early i was like oh man this is going to be a good one today but man we are receiving to god be the glory i want to share one more point with you i think this is important to hear that i'm going to pray with you and then we'll get into the q a um i want to talk to you real briefly about how persecution brings greater power now earlier i mentioned stephen the martyr and how he preached the word with such power that those who heard him were convicted to the point of insanity it seemed acts 6 11-15 so they persuaded some men to lie about stephen saying we heard him blaspheme moses and even god so here they're lying about him verse 12 this rounds the people the elders and the teachers of religious law so they arrested stephen and brought him before the high council the lying witnesses said this man is always speaking against the holy temple and against the law of moses now watch this this is incredible verse 14 we have heard him say that this jesus of nazareth will destroy the temple and change the customs moses handed down to us now watch this verse 15 at this point everyone in the high council stared at stephen why because his face became as bright as an angel's persecution brings glory as they were lying about him his face began to glow you want to see the greater realms of glory go see the greater realms of persecution john 21 19 jesus said this to let him know by what kind of death he would glorify god then jesus told him follow me so in death there was glory now i'm not by any means saying that you should purposefully intentionally put yourself in danger of harm's way nor nor am i talking about suicidal tendencies or anything like that i'm simply saying that the greater the pressure against the church the greater the power within the church first peter 4 14 if you are insulted because you bear the name of christ you will be blessed four the glorious spirit of god rests upon you i'm gonna read that again first peter 4 14 out of the new living translation if you are insulted because you bear the name of christ you will be blessed for the glorious spirit of god rests upon you so that glorious spirit comes when you're being insulted persecution brings glory and power now i want to answer ask you one more question chad and i want you to tell me in the chat below whether you're watching live or in the replay what are some of the benefits of persecution for the church tell me and personally in your life what are some of the benefits of the persecution now father i pray in the name of jesus that you would give us strength come on ask him right now ask him for strength holy spirit give us strength discernment courage boldness and love help us father to stand firm against the pressures of this world help us to exalt your name above all else to cling to your truth never compromising your word help us to live and declare your truth and thank you father for the privilege and joy of being persecuted for your name i want you to just begin to thank him for his goodness i want you to begin to ask him for his strength father in the name of jesus give us strength give us strength for the times ahead in the mighty name of jesus we pray i want you to say it because you believe it say amen now before i get into the q a and before you log off i think that sometimes on the live stream it's easier to stick around but on the replay people usually click out right about here stay with me just for a couple minutes you know right now there is a war spiritually speaking a war for the soul of a generation when all is said and done when history has been swallowed by eternity and we stand before our heavenly father we're not going to be worried about the things of this world all we will care about is what we did for eternity what did we do to live for god how how did we live in a way that was pleasing to him and i really believe this one of the things that will be foremost on the mind of the believer who's crossed into eternity one of the things we'll be thinking about is what we could have done on earth to win more souls i don't want to get to heaven hear me now please i don't want to get to heaven and find that someone could have been there had i only obeyed that someone could have been there had i stepped out in faith i don't want to get to heaven and find that there was more i could have done to see someone's eternity altered see with other causes with other movements you can change lives but only with the gospel can you change eternities eternities somebody's eternal soul saved because of obedience how shall they hear unless someone tells them that's the scripture romans 10 how how shall they hear unless someone tells them and how will someone go and tell them unless they are sent send this ministry to the world help us help us win the soul of a generation this is the matter of eternity when all is said and done none of this will matter but what we did for eternity we get so caught up in the things of the world when all is said and done all that will matter is what we did for eternity help us win souls help us spread the gospel through media through live streams to events to the holy spirit school through so much more through all the operations and functions of this ministry help us win souls i want you to pray this prayer it's a daring prayer i dare you to pray this i dare you to pray this close your eyes i dare you to pray this say holy spirit say it out loud say holy spirit challenge me i dare you to pray that say holy spirit challenge me now i want to challenge you to give to the gospel not to me personally you're giving to a ministry but really in a spiritual sense you're giving it to jesus help us win souls your support matters i know it's easy to watch a stream like this and say oh there's thousands of people who will see this there's thousands of people who will give no no don't worry about what others are doing or not doing respond if everyone watching this were to simply respond to the challenge of the holy spirit to do something for this ministry our reach would be untold so i challenge you now go to davidhernandezministries.com donate give a one-time gift some of you can do different amounts and whatever you can give it's going to make an impact you may say oh it's too little i don't think that it'll make that big of a difference or you may say oh holy spirit that's too much i don't know how i'm going to go on just do what god tells you to do give according to how the holy spirit challenges you some that will be more than others and he'll challenge you in proportion to what you have he'll challenge you in proportion to what he's given to you so i challenge you now give as you're led by the spirit for one purpose right now help us win souls go to davidhernandezministries.com donate do it now don't say someone else will do it someone else will give oh there's so many people watching someone else i'm sure we'll take care of it no no you hear the holy spirit i know you love souls i know you love the lord i know you love the gospel and i know you believe in this ministry so go right now one more time david hernandez ministries.com donate give a one-time gift or become a monthly supporter or if the holy spirit so leads you do both give a one-time gift and become a monthly supporter i can already see gifts coming in from around the world thank you claudia thank you marita thank you ashley and jessica thank you to the patrick family thank you lily thank you owen thank you ling thank you zola thank you samuel thank you ronald thank you helen thank you one and then on the super chat so many more are also giving but we highly encourage you to give it david hernandez ministries.com donate help us win souls look this ministry is going and growing strong help us continue going and growing we're just getting started i should say the lord is just getting started with his ministry we're seeing the events grow we're seeing the media reach grow we're seeing the ministry grow in general that means more souls won more believers encouraged and empowered this is god's work and help us do this join hands with believers from all around the world and let's do this let's push back against the darkness let's make a real difference if you've ever felt powerless to make change maybe you're frustrated with the way things are going in the world this is how we do it this is how we change the world all of us together unite give to the gospel and tell the world that jesus lives one more time davidhernandezministries.com donate give a one-time gift or become a monthly supporter [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] 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Channel: Encounter TV

Views: 62,275

Rating: 4.974627 out of 5

Keywords: how to prepare for the coming persecution, persecution in america, persecution, persecution in the bible, what is persecution, how to prepare for the persecution, christian persecution in afghanistan, christian persecution in china, what does the bible say about persecution, christian persecution around the world, persecuted church, persecution of the church, david diga hernandez, david diga hernandez sermons, david hernandez sermons, encounter tv, how to prepare for persecution

Id: PRnJxy42_g8

Length: 78min 53sec (4733 seconds)

Published: Wed Sep 22 2021