Instruments of Righteousness
Greetings in the Lord!
Today's word is quite amazing when you consider that I was praying for the persecuted Christians all around the world. I was asking the Lord, "Lord, we read that when the early Church was being heavily persecuted, that it had the reverse effect of growing the Church's numbers--why are we not seeing that now in Syria and Iraq and other places?" But the Lord responded with this in my heart:
"You will see that. Soon, at the sight of the violent, needless killing of my innocents, conversions will break out among the enemies' camp, so much so, that they will begin to shield the atrocities from their own ranks, fearful that many will leave the fight at the sight of the injustices. And the 'mystery of persecution' will bear its perfect fruit in those places."
The Lord also led me to read from Romans 6:8-14.
"Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace."
In all honesty, it wasn't the passage I was expecting to read from the Lord; I was thinking more along the lines of: "unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life." John 12:24-25. Those verses explain the 'mystery of persecution' much better to me. But then I discerned, the passage in Romans 6 is a word mainly for the persecutors! When they participate in the death of a child of God, even being a witness to their confession of faith unto death, there is a powerful release of the Holy Spirit to them--they begin to understand on a deep spiritual level that their wrongdoing only leads to death, while the ones they killed will live forever in the graceful arms of their Savior.
We usually understand Romans 6 as message about the resurrection power of Jesus in us to overcome sin, and yes, it's true. But I discern this other event going on here as well: the resurrection power of Jesus that enables us to overcome a life of sin also testifies to sinners of their current 'dead' state in sin. It is a supernatural testimony, both to Christian believers and their oppressors alike--there is eternal life in Christ alone!
The rest of today's word is a petition to not "offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life...as instruments of righteousness." Amen
~Be blessed and be a blessing.
Today's word is quite amazing when you consider that I was praying for the persecuted Christians all around the world. I was asking the Lord, "Lord, we read that when the early Church was being heavily persecuted, that it had the reverse effect of growing the Church's numbers--why are we not seeing that now in Syria and Iraq and other places?" But the Lord responded with this in my heart:
"You will see that. Soon, at the sight of the violent, needless killing of my innocents, conversions will break out among the enemies' camp, so much so, that they will begin to shield the atrocities from their own ranks, fearful that many will leave the fight at the sight of the injustices. And the 'mystery of persecution' will bear its perfect fruit in those places."
The Lord also led me to read from Romans 6:8-14.
"Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace."
In all honesty, it wasn't the passage I was expecting to read from the Lord; I was thinking more along the lines of: "unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life." John 12:24-25. Those verses explain the 'mystery of persecution' much better to me. But then I discerned, the passage in Romans 6 is a word mainly for the persecutors! When they participate in the death of a child of God, even being a witness to their confession of faith unto death, there is a powerful release of the Holy Spirit to them--they begin to understand on a deep spiritual level that their wrongdoing only leads to death, while the ones they killed will live forever in the graceful arms of their Savior.
We usually understand Romans 6 as message about the resurrection power of Jesus in us to overcome sin, and yes, it's true. But I discern this other event going on here as well: the resurrection power of Jesus that enables us to overcome a life of sin also testifies to sinners of their current 'dead' state in sin. It is a supernatural testimony, both to Christian believers and their oppressors alike--there is eternal life in Christ alone!
The rest of today's word is a petition to not "offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life...as instruments of righteousness." Amen
~Be blessed and be a blessing.
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