Today’s passage: John 15:18-16:4
Helpful thoughts:
- Christians should not expect to be loved or revered by the world.
- That does not give us a reason to act rudely (1 Peter 3:15).
- The world should not hate us because we are mean. But they may hate us because we follow Jesus.
- We often fear rejection, but when those in the world reject our proclamation of the gospel, they are rejecting Christ. Our identity is rooted in Him.
- God is glorified in our evangelism whether those who hear repent or reject. Our role is simply to proclaim.
Questions to consider:
- Why did Jesus tell this difficult news to the disciples? How could knowing that many will reject Christ encourage us to keep sharing and not give up?
- What must we be certain of in order to persevere in the face of those who call their evil actions, “good?” What role does our faith and trust in the Word of God have in our faithfulness to obey?
- What affections and reverence is needed to drive out our fear of man? (Ecclesiastes 12:13, 1 John 4:18)