Sheep in the Midst of Wolves

Luke 6:22-23 says, “Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. 23 Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets.”

Also, Matthew 10:16 says, “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.”

Now we must wonder why God would put us through so much pain, while we are in the world. We are told that the world hates us, because it first hated Christ (John 15:18). Rich Mullins, a Christian artist, once said, “The world can’t stand what it can’t own.” Jesus was from Heaven, sent to earth, as a perfect being. The world didn’t own Him.

I think it’s pretty easy to understand that if something is constantly attacking you, it would kind of make you upset. That’s how the world feels when it looks at Christ. The world has to understand that this man, Jesus, is completely attacking the essence of what the world is. The world says that the more you have, the happier you are. The world says that five miles per hour of the speed limit isn’t a big deal. The world says evil is okay, as long as you don’t get caught.

God has sent us out into the world to be hated. I think it’s pretty scary when people, who proclaim Christ, are loved by the world. Later in Luke, it says, “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way (verse 26).” There can’t be a balance that says that it is okay to be like the world, but not of it. A common phrase is, “Be in the world, but not of the world.” We are to be a light to the world, as Jesus was (John 8:12), but not conformed to the world (Romans 12:2).

John 17 has a lot to say on the subject, and is a great passage to read if you ever are considering challenging your walk a little bit. However, there is an issue of separation of the world. Different people have different thoughts on this subject, and I don’t think there is a complete right or wrong, but it’s how the Holy Spirit guides you.

For me, it’s hard to understand why people are so caught up in the influence of the world’s materialism. The Holy Spirit has personally convicted me of the materialism of the world, and how it is so rampant in our word, and from that, I decided that I just wasn’t going to have a lot of things I don’t need. Now, this does continue to be a struggle, because it’s not very popular, and if I were completely obedient to my conviction, I would be completely hated by some people. However, continue to follow the convictions you have, and stay true to what God is telling you personally, even if people strongly dislike you, because that means that you are actually following Christ and His example.

It’s hard to be hated, but I think it reassures us of our dependency on Christ. I think a question that needs to be asked a lot more is, “Do people get mad when you talk about your faith around them or when you encourage them to read their Bible?” Now, don’t be confused with the argument that Christianity is mean and awful belief, for we are told to love our enemies. However, we are first called to love God, above everything else. When we do that, everything else will fall into place.

Matthew 6:33 – “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” – Forsake All