Shaking the Gates of Hell

    "Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. 

Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.

 
Blessed are the meek. For they shall inherit the earth. 

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, For they shall be filled with mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called Sons of God

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven

Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake, Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Matthew 5:3-12

Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in Heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.- vs 11-12

    Jesus knew that a life that truly was committed to him would be filled with trials and pushbacks. He knew that a life dedicated to saving people from hell and the grave would cause the enemy to fight back and try to stop the motion at all cost. It is for this reason that he tries to prepare his disciples to expect persecution, and when it comes, to fight harder and not give up. I can imagine from what I know of the disciples at this point in time is that they nodded along to the words of Jesus, maybe shouted a hearty Amen during his message on the mount. But I also know the words probably didn't register in their hearts until the time of the crucifixion and the day of Pentecost. We have the luxury now of knowing how Jesus life on earth would play out, but the disciples had to live it out one day at a time. Even throughout His earthly ministry, they tried to protect him from trouble, but Jesus knew he had to face the problem to become the solution. He had to go right into the parts of the city that were on the verge of stoning him, in order to bring the good news to the one person or household who was ready to receive it. God desires that all come home to him, and this can't be accomplished if at the first sign of danger, we tuck tail and run the other way. Whenever we experience persecution, we should rely on the Holy Spirit to give us the strength to press forward and continue to trust God's plan. I have hears it said that Satan does not fear Christians who just show up to church on Sunday, and then leave God in the pew the rest of the week. The people that make Satan shake in his boots are the ones who, despite the trial and tribulation, they don't stop claiming God wherever they go. It is these Christians that force Satan to send his armies out to attack, but thanks be to God, the devil's minions cannot withstand the awesome power of God. After Jesus finished his sermon, there were some people who believed that Jesus was more than a teacher and good prophet, but they didn't want to get uncomfortable or risk being ostracized for telling people that Jesus is God and he only way to the Father. However, the people who stuck it out, despite the false lies and evil things spoken, they received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and were filled with the power to go and bring people into the kingdom of God. 

    It is easy to go through life as a Christian and never tell a single person about the life-changing gift Jesus gives freely to all who believe. If you want to just be secured in the Lamb's book of life, the only requirement is that you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. But at the same time, don't you want the people around you to be in that book as well? When you get to Heaven, do you want it to be full of the people God placed around you while on the earth? There is a good chance you are exactly where you should be in life, because the people around you need the life that is inside of you, and you may be the only one in their life who loves them enough to not leave them to suffer without the grace and mercy of God to carry them through. I don't want to get to Heaven and be saddened by the people I don't see simply because I was afraid to speak up and proclaim Christ to them. And if that means I need to be persecuted in the meantime, then by God, so be it.

Adam Semple- A Young Man on a Journey through the Sermon on the Mount.