In today’s world, we are becoming more and more spiritually unaware. Those subtle gut feelings that we once had have slowly dwindled. We used to feel convicted over sin, but now we fully embrace sin without even second-guessing it. If it feels good, do it. Do as thou wilt has become the law, which doesn’t sound too bad. If we’re not feeling convicted, shouldn’t it be okay? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he opens our eyes to the importance of discernment in his fiery message, There’s Something Wrong.
7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you. 8 And when He comes, He will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
John 16:7-11
23 If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? 24 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, 25 the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.
1 Corinthians 14:23-25
16 Every scripture [is] divinely inspired, and profitable for teaching, for conviction, for correction, for instruction in righteousness;
YOLO has become a phrase used in our society to justify sinful, sketchy, or reckless behavior. Sure, we only live once, but what does that mean? If we only have one life to live, shouldn’t we live our best life? But what exactly does it mean to live our best life? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he opens our eyes to the hard truth of only living once in his message, One Opportunity.
YOLO has been the excuse of many people. We only have one life to live, so live it up, but is that what we’re meant to do with our only life we have to live.
27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,
Hebrews 9:27
We have one opportunity to be saved. Christ died so that we could have new life and have it abundantly. This life is our only chance to accept and receive salvation. We get so busy storing up treasure for ourselves on earth, forgetting about eternity. This earth and everything in it won’t last forever, but eternity will be forever.
7 Listen to me, you who know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear not the reproach of man, nor be dismayed at their revilings. 8 For the moth will eat them up like a garment, and the worm will eat them like wool, but my righteousness will be forever, and my salvation to all generations.
Isaiah 51:7-8
19 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:19-21
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;
2 Corinthians 5:17-18
Therefore, take this one opportunity to build up treasure in eternity. Take this opportunity to live your life for Christ so that you can reap the rewards of salvation instead of the consequences of rejecting Christ. Take YOLO as more than a way to sin, but as a way to store up treasure in eternity.
16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. 18 Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because He has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
People often say it’s their own life; it doesn’t affect anyone else. But is that true? Does your life only affect you and no one else? Do your actions affect others? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he opens our eyes in his latest message, No Man Is An Island.
What you do affects everyone around you, whether good or bad. Your actions aren’t just your own burdens to carry. Your actions affect others.
No Man Is An Island Old Testament Verses
15 And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven 16 and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, 18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”
Genesis 22:15-18
4 You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to thousandsof those who love me and keep my commandments.
Exodus 20:4-6
31 And he said to Jeroboam, “Take for yourself ten pieces, for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I am about to tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon and will give you ten tribes 32 (but he shall have one tribe, for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city that I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel), 33 because they have forsaken me and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the Ammonites, and they have not walked in my ways, doing what is right in my sight and keeping my statutes and my rules, as David his father did.
34 Nevertheless, I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, but I will make him ruler all the days of his life, for the sake of David my servant whom I chose, who kept my commandments and my statutes. 35 But I will take the kingdom out of his son’s hand and will give it to you, ten tribes. 36 Yet to his son I will give one tribe, that David my servant may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where I have chosen to put my name.”
1 Kings 11:31-36
6 And Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and paid homage. And David said, “Mephibosheth!” And he answered, “Behold, I am your servant.” 7 And David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always.”
2 Samuel 9:6-7
No Man Is An Island New Testament Verses
21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. 22 And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.
Matthew 24:21-22
8 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, 9 for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! 10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. 11 The saying is trustworthy, for:If we have died with Him, we will also live with Him; 12 if we endure, we will also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He also will deny us; 13 if we are faithless, He remains faithful—for He cannot deny Himself.
2 Timothy 2:8-13
Your actions don’t affect you alone. No man or woman is an island. What you do affects those around you, as well as those who will come after you. Whether good or bad, whether you realize it or not, everything has a consequence/reward. Your actions affect others.
July 4th, 1776, our founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence. Their intentions were for all Americans to be free. Today this freedom is under attack. Why? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he opens our eyes to the core of the enemy’s desires in his message, Declaration of Independence.
John 8:31–36 Hosea 4:6 Proverbs 22:7
Declaration of Independence
Freedom Verses
31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
John 8:31-32
36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you.
John 8:35-36
6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him.
Romans 6:6-8
1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
Galatians 5:1
Declaration of Independence
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, —
That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
There’s always going to be someone who tries to tell you your dream or call is impossible. Or someone who tries to intimidate you so that you don’t go after or speak the Truth. If we aren’t careful, their words and actions will overcome us. Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he shows us the way to overcome the naysayers in his timely message, Stop the Bullying.
Judges 11:1–3 2 Samuel 6:16, 20 Judges 11:4–11 2 Samuel 6:21–23
Overcoming Bullies
God didn’t create any of us to be bullies or to be bullied. We can overcome bullying through knowing who we are in Christ Jesus. We may not be able to stop the physical bullying, but we can overcome the bullying.
33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.
John 16:33
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. 4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
1 John 5:3-5
Know Who Is In You
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:37-39
The Word of God is in us. That means that the light of God is inside of us, and when the light shines in the darkness it overcomes the darkness. It overcomes the bullying and stops the effects of bullying.
5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:5
10 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
All over the world, there is great tribulation for the Church. Christians are being persecuted for the name of Jesus. They give up their lives for Jesus. Why? Why are they willing to give up their lives and endure persecution for the sake of the name of Christ? If the threat of tribulation is coming for the entire Church, even here in the West, the free world, is there hope? Why is paying the price of following Jesus worth it? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he sheds light on the reward for following Christ in his final message, It’s Worth the Price, of his message series, The Cost of Following.
Matthew 13:44–46 Mark 8:36–37 (KJV) Luke 12:20–21 John 14:1–3 1 Corinthians 2:9 (KJV) 1 Corinthians 2:10–12 Hebrews 11:5–6 Matthew 5:5 Revelation 21:1–4 Revelation 21:20–27 Revelation 22:6–7 Revelation 22:10–17, 20-21
It’s Worth the Price Summary
Why is following Jesus worth it?
Right now the Church is like a woman in labor pains. The world feels impossible and difficult right now, but there is always hope. It is worth paying the price of following Jesus.
16 “A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.” 17 So some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; and, ‘because I am going to the Father’?”
18 So they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We do not know what he is talking about.” 19 Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’? 20 Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. 21 When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.
22 So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. 23 In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. 24 Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
John 16:16-24, 33
Tribulation will come, but one day Jesus will return for His people. He’ll wipe away every tear from their eyes, heal every wound. There won’t be any more sorrow or pain. But, there is so much more in store for those of us who can find that it’s worth paying the price of following Jesus.
1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
Our freedoms are dwindling all around us. Everywhere we turn, someone is trying to take away our freedom while trying to convince us that we want it because it’s for our own good. But is it really for our own good? Why do we need to give up so many of our freedoms? What is their end goal? Will the Church be persecuted? Do the conspiracies of a One World Government (The New World Order) and the persecution of the Church have any truth to them? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he opens our eyes to coming persecution of the Church in his sobering message, The Cost of Following Pt. 5: The Threat.
What does the Bible say about the persecution of the Church? Here are a few instances of the Church going through tribulation under a One World Order.
1 And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. 2 And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. 3 One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. 4 And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”
5 And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. 6 It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. 7 Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, 8 and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. 9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear:
10 If anyone is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes; if anyone is to be slain with the sword, with the sword must he be slain.
Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.
Revelation 13:1-10
According to Revelation 13, we have the coming threat of the Beast who, as leader of the New World Order (a One World Government), will make war on the Saints of God. The Saints of God are the Church.
15 So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, 18 and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. 19 And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! 20 Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. 22 And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.
Matthew 24:15-22
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Matthew 24:29-31
It isn’t until after the Great Tribulation that the rapture (the second coming of Christ) occurs. During this time, the Church will be under persecution like never before under the rule of a One World Government (The New World Order). This calls for great faith and endurance of the Church. This is the threat that is coming upon the Church. We have to prepare for the threat that is upon us instead of turning a blind eye because it makes us uncomfortable and filled with fear.
We don’t’ have to be afraid of this coming threat because Jesus has already conquered and we conquer through Him.
11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.
2,000 years ago, Jesus paid the ultimate price for the souls of not only His friends but for His accusers, torturers, and all who put Him on the cross. Jesus paid the ultimate price by giving His life not only for His friends but also for each and every one of His enemies. Today, in the underground Church, all over the world, they are still paying the ultimate price. They are giving their lives so that they can share the Gospel of Christ with those who have never heard. They are giving their lives so that even their torturers may see the love of God in their sacrifice that they might be saved. What are you willing to give for the chance to save a life? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he shares the importance of preparing yourself for the day of persecution that is coming upon the Church in his sobering message, The Cost of Following Pt. 4: Paying the Ultimate Price.
John 16:1-4a
Verses on Paying the Ultimate Price
The Prophets’ on Paying the Ultimate Price
22 Yet for your sake we are killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.
Psalms 44:22
9 For zeal for Your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.
Psalms 69:9
Jesus on Paying the Ultimate Price
37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Matthew 10:37-39
25 Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.
28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace.
33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.
Luke 14:25-33
23 And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.”
John 12:23-26
The Apostles’ on Paying the Ultimate Price
40 and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. 42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.
Acts 5:40-42
24 But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
Acts 20:24
13 Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”
Acts 21:13
How To Prepare For Times of Persecution
30 Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; 31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:30-31
33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.
John 16:33
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:37-39
16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer selfis wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
Pentecost in the Bible is called by three names, Pentecost, the Feast of Weeks, and Shavuot. As Christians, every year, we celebrate or remember the day of Pentecost, but do we truly understand what we are celebrating? We know that on the day of Pentecost 2,000 years ago, the Holy Spirit was poured out on all flesh, but do we truly understand what this means for mankind? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he opens our eyes to the mysteries of Shavuot, the day of Pentecost.
Leviticus 23:15–22 Genesis 6:15 Genesis 7:24 Genesis 9:28-29 Genesis 18:24 Leviticus 27:3 Leviticus 27:16 John 4:22 Romans 1:16 Leviticus 23:9–10 1 Corinthians 15:20 Matthew 5:17 John 20:17 John 20:27 Acts 2:17-21 Revelation 19:10 Acts 2:38–39 Acts 10:45 Romans 10:11–13 2 Corinthians 1:21–22 Revelation 19:6–8 Mark 7:24–30 1 John 5:14–15
The Day of Pentecost
The Feast of Weeks Decreed in the Bible
15 You shall count seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering. 16 You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath. Then you shall present a grain offering of new grain to the Lord. 17 You shall bring from your dwelling places two loaves of bread to be waved, made of two tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour, and they shall be baked with leaven, as firstfruits to the Lord.
18 And you shall present with the bread seven lambs a year old without blemish, and one bull from the herd and two rams. They shall be a burnt offering to the Lord, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord. 19 And you shall offer one male goat for a sin offering, and two male lambs a year old as a sacrifice of peace offerings. 20 And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits as a wave offering before the Lord, with the two lambs. They shall be holy to the Lord for the priest.
21 And you shall make a proclamation on the same day. You shall hold a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work. It is a statute forever in all your dwelling places throughout your generations. 22 And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.
Leviticus 23:15-22
Pentecost in the New Testament
We see the term Pentecost first used in the New Testament in Acts 2 when all of the followers of Christ were all together in one place, in one accord. When the Holy Spirit was poured out on all flesh, both Jew and Gentile, fulling Joel’s Prophecy of the coming Pentecost.
1And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Acts 2:1-4
After they are filled with the Holy Spirit, and the people around there mock them, Peter stands up and quotes the prophecy of Joel 2. Peter explained that this prophecy was a prophecy of Pentecost.
14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:
17 ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; 18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; 20 the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. 21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’”
Acts 2:14-21
Peter goes on to explain this prophecy of Pentecost was fulfilled on that day when God sent His Holy Spirit to all of mankind so that both Jew and Gentile might be saved. God sent this prophecy of the coming Pentecost to the Prophet Joel and fulfilled it 2,000 years ago.
What are you willing to pay for your Christianity? What a hard and even odd question to ponder in the free world. We can’t imagine what it’s like to actually suffer for the name of Jesus. In fact, we even get offended by the mere suggestion that God would allow us to suffer for His name. But, in the underground Church, they rejoice in persecution. Why? What’s the difference between the underground Church under heavy persecution and us here in the free world? Join Reverend Kenny Yates in his sobering message, The Cost of Following Pt. 3: The Joy of Suffering.
Hebrews 12:1-4 John 1:1-5 Matthew 13:20-21 Romans 10:17-18 Matthew 24:13
The Joy of Suffering
Rejoicing in Persecution Bible Verses
38 So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; 39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!” So they took his advice, 40 and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. 42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.
Acts 5:38-42
8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Philippians 3:8-11
The early Church, as does the persecuted Church overseas, counts it a joy to suffer for the name of Christ Jesus. They rejoice in their persecutions. They rejoice, not because they’re masochists, but because they have been found worthy to suffer for the name of Christ. The persecuted church rejoices because they have been found worthy, and therefore they rejoice in persecution.
Why Should You Rejoice In Persecution?
11 Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Matthew 5:11-12
12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.
1 Peter 4:12-16
24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible.
Hebrews 11:24-27
It’s not easy to find joy while suffering while being persecuted and tortured, but when we focus on the eternal reward waiting for us, we can retain the Joy of the LORD. For the Joy of the LORD is our strength. The joy that tells us that the night won’t last forever or that this persecution will only be for a little. This is what the persecuted church holds on to so tightly during their trials and tribulations, the Joy of the LORD.
Right now, the persecuted church has withstood much pain and suffering all for the name of Christ Jesus because they hold on to the Joy of the LORD. This is what we have to do in the free world, hold to the Joy of the LORD so that when it’s our time to face persecution, we will be able to stand strong in Christ Jesus.
