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FAMILY
TIES
It's a sad TRUTH, but even
though you've chosen to surrender your life to Jesus Christ,
and you have a burning desire to share the Gospel with
everyone you know and love ... Not everyone shares your
enthusiasm. For a lot of Christians, this is true,
especially concerning family. It can be very disappointing
when your family isn't touched at their hearts in the same
way that you are about Christianity, but I'd like to tell
you, that you're in great company because did you know,
Jesus also was mocked by those from His own hometown?
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Matthew 13:54-58
And when he was come into
his own country,
he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they
were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this
wisdom, and these mighty works? Is not this the
carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and
his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?
And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then
hath this man all these things?
And they were offended
in him. But
Jesus said unto them,
A prophet is not
without honour, save in his own country, and in his
own house. And
he did not many
mighty works there because of their unbelief. |
We see that
a person of God should NOT expect to be heard or believed in
their own house. This is because they THINK they KNOW you.
Did you catch what they said about Jesus? Is this not that
guy who this and that? They saw Him as merely ONE OF THEM.
In like manner your family remembers the OLD you. But you
have been reborn in Christ so let not their inability to
believe in your change affect your calling.
We are even
taught to EXPECT to be hated by many.
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John 15:18-19
If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before
it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would
love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but
I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the
world hateth you. |
In simple
terms ... EXPECT to be hated and misunderstood ... Even by
family.
Ya know ...
It is not only when you want to share the Word, that those
dear loved ones seem to cringe, but they just can't seem to
accept that your Christianity is part of who you are, that
you've made a choice, and that you don't want to be the way
you used to be or do the things you used to do. You've
chosen to change your whole life.
They are confused cuz you are not merely one of those people
who gets inspired about their calling while inside the doors
of the church, but seconds after the service ends and your
feet have left the floor of the house of God, stands in the
parking lot telling off color jokes that are anything but
Christian.
You're not
the one who watches television and accepts the worldly ways
of those who teach our children that sexual promiscuity,
drugs, violence, homosexuality, crime, and evil of all
sorts, though it may be in small doses, for the sake of
entertainment, or any other reason, is an acceptable thing
in your eyes ... You see the evil that is being fed to
people moment after moment, day after day in billions of
homes.
You've changed your whole lifestyle and you try and do what
Jesus would do in every situation, every day of your life
... But this seems to annoy people for some strange reason,
doesn't it? If you say anything righteous, you can almost
feel them wanting to roll their eyes and whisper about you
to whomever is next to them. That's because by every
righteous act you perform, you are testifying
that the works of the world are evil because you choose not
to follow them.
BUT ...
THEY'RE FAMILY
Maybe you
were raised to believe that you can have dear and loyal
friends whose souls you feel are knit with yours, but family
is family, and no matter what, they'll always be there for
you. What is the old saying? Blood is thicker than water?
Cute lil
cliche' but here is TRUTH ...
The
BLOOD of Jesus is thicker than ALL.
In
most families, when an individual chooses to accept the
calling that the Lord has offered them ... Not half
heartedly, but with fervor and devotion ... The Christian
family member will become the outcast. I'm not saying this
to discourage you, but rather to warn you, so that you'll be
prepared and your heart won't be broken if it happens to
you. Expect it.
The
Bible makes it clear who you should trust when wanting
someone to "count on" ...
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Proverbs 17:17
A friend loveth
at all times,
and a brother is born for adversity. |
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Proverbs 18:24
A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly:
and there is a
friend that sticketh closer than a brother. |
In this
generation, with all the signs pointing to the End Times
quickly approaching, don't forget that adversity within
families will increase. Jesus even told us:
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Matthew 24:12-13
And because iniquity shall abound,
the love of many shall
wax cold. But he
that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be
saved. |
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Luke 12:53
The father
shall be divided against the son, and the son against
the father; the mother against the daughter, and the
daughter against the mother; the mother in law against
her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against
her mother in law. |
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Luke 21:16
And ye shall
be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and
kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they
cause to be put to death. |
Maybe the members of your
family aren't Christian. Or, maybe they claim to be
Christians, but they sure don't see things eye to eye with
what you deem as Christian. Maybe they think you're "too"
Christian. Maybe it started out with just a little
disapproval of your commitment to WHOLLY following the Lord
because they fear you will discern the TRUTH of their
claim to be Christian, but cheat on their Lord by drinking
up worldly ways and if they detect any disapproval from you,
they may feel guilty for the lifestyle they've chosen, and
that starts the ball rolling.
They want
you to be a good little pup and tag along with them,
practicing the same sin(s) that you've decided you no longer
want in your life. Maybe they slapped you around a little
bit (not physically, but with their comments and
discouraging remarks) at first, but gradually they've become
more and more bold about blatantly opposing your Faith, and
they don't hesitate to beat you down anymore. They verbally
abuse you ... They've come up with nicknames for you that
they think are clever ...
They make
jokes and talk behind your back to other relatives and
friends. They may even defend things that they would
normally think are wrong, but since it concerns you and
you're a hindrance to their living in comfort with their
worldly ways, suddenly what they used to think is wrong,
seems right in their eyes (y'know, the old double standard
thing).
When it comes to your
family ties ... Are you blinded by your own emotions,
because they're faaaaamily? Just because they're blood
relatives, does that give them permission to attack your
Faith, and do you have to accept it because you have an
emotional bond called love that keeps you from speaking up
and saying how wrong they are for condemning you? If so,
you'd better scroll back up and read those four selections
from the Gospels where Jesus talked about how He would
divide families. Here's another great one:
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Matthew 10:32-40
Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him
will I confess also before my Father which is in
Heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him
will I also deny before my Father which is in Heaven.
Think not that I am come to send peace on Earth: I
came not to send peace, but a sword.
For I am come to set a man at variance against his
father, and the daughter against her mother, and the
daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's
foes shall be they of his own household.
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not
worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more
than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not
his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of
me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he
that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that
receiveth me receiveth Him that sent me. |
And another:
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Luke 14:26
If any man come to me, and hate not
his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and
brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he
cannot be my disciple. |
TESTING,
TESTING, 1-2-3
Remember,
Jesus said He didn't come to send peace, but a sword, so if
you find yourself suppressing your Faith when you're around
your family to keep the peace ... What you're really doing
is denying your Father before men.
Jesus also said that if you don't take up your cross and
follow Him ... You're not worthy. Could your cross ... Your
test ... Be that you must defend your Faith against those
that you love? Perhaps your relationship with them will
change and never be the same again, but I can assure you ...
It beats the alternative!
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James 1:12
Blessed is the man
who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood
the test, he will receive the crown of life that God
has promised to those who LOVE Him. |
Speaking of
tests ... Let's talk about the End Times for a moment, and
how your emotions for you family can land you ... AND your
family in Hell ... That's right, I said Hell.
Let's
suppose you're captured during the Great Tribulation by one
of Antichrist's goons, and you have your little child
hugging your knee. They tell you that you must receive the
mark of the beast, or they'll kill your child. If you
accept, they're going to mark you and your child, and you
just agreed for both of you to go to Hell ... In the name of
Love for your child. It doesn't matter if it was a trick,
and no matter what tactics are used, if you have the mark of
the beast, you're going.
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Revelation 14:9-11
And the third Angel followed them, saying with a loud
voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and
receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The
same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God,
which is poured out without mixture into the cup of
His indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire
and brimstone in the presence of the Holy Angels, and
in the presence of the Lamb:
And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever
and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who
worship the beast and his image, and whosoever
receiveth the mark of his name. |
BUT ...
If you refuse to accept the mark, they will kill you and
your child, and you will both go to Paradise to rest from
the wickedness of the world until the Rapture comes, when
you both will go to Heaven.
Yes ...
Antichrist knows that this is an unfair practice.
Yes ... He's counting on peoples' weakness to steal as many
souls as he can this way.
Yes ... There are a lot of Christians who will fall for this
trick because they will put their family before God.
Now, who
would you rather be tied to? Your family or God? Better get
untying if you're on your family's leash, and tie your knot
tighter with God, my friend.
Think about
how many other things you would do differently if you
removed the emotion from your family ties. How many times
have you given advice to other people because you can see it
so spiritually and so objectively, but if you were faced
with the same circumstances in your own family ... You would
have trouble seeing the light of TRUTH in many matters?
Any time
you have that funny feeling that you're giving in to your
family's coercion away from your Christian values and
beliefs ... Use the little correlation exercise we did
earlier with the lady in the abusive relationship. That
funny feeling ... Is the Holy Spirit, giving you a little
elbow nudge to be alert and listen for His voice of TRUTH
concerning the situation.
WORDS TO
LIVE BY
Some things
are a lot easier said than done. Living by what we believe,
not just professing it, is one true test that we must
display in our lives in order to prove ourselves. In order
to do that, we have to put our emotions in check, because
they can lead us into making the wrong choices. Of course
your family doesn't see their foolishness, because they
haven't come into the light yet, as you have, and chances
are, they don't realize what they're doing, because evil has
a way of hiding the TRUTH from those who are taken in by it.
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Proverbs 9:6
Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of
understanding. |
Does the
Lord want you to be sad and lonely for your family? Of
course not. When Jesus said those things about dividing
families, does that mean that if you have a righteous
Christian family, you should hate them because the Bible
says so? Heavens no. Doesn't it make more sense that when
your family, if they are ignorant of the TRUTH, do and say
things that are unrighteous, you should hate it
and not them? If they knew the TRUTH, if
they were of understanding hearts, they wouldn't behave as
they do.
WHO DO
YOU BELONG TO?
Your family
may thing that they own you, and that you are obligated to
live by the moral values (or lack thereof) that they raised
you to have. When you became a Christian, you were adopted
into God's family ... Baptized ... Bought for a price ...
One with Christ ... Any of these things sound familiar? You
belong to God. He created you. You were never OWNED by your
family, you were on loan to them, and your Lord was hoping
that they would bring you up ...
You are
HIS to do whatever He pleases with. You surrendered your
life to HIM.
WHAT
EXACTLY IS IT THAT THEY DON'T LIKE, ANYWAY?
We think
it's a doggone shame that the members of our own family are
the ones that contend with us against our devotion to
Christ, but when you think of it ... it's a true test. Yep,
it's hard sometimes, but there's a reason ... Nothing
worthwhile comes by easily. If it was easy, what kind of
test would it be? Don't turn away from your Faith for one
second because of emotional, family ties, or a false sense
of obligation to those who are of your blood. Your devotion
belongs to the Lord, and living by the Word that you profess
...
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Psalm 50:23
... and to him that ordereth his conversation
(lifestyle) aright will I shew the Salvation of God. |
Ahhhhhhh
... Everlasting life. It's the one promise that we as
Christians hope for every day of our earthly lives. It's THE
reason we're in the position we're in with our families and
darn right it's confusing ... to THEM.
Another
thing to remember when you feel like your Faith is being
attacked by your family is that they're not rejecting YOU,
so don't take it personally ... but they are rejecting your
Savior's policy ... THAT is something to take to heart.
REMEMBER
!!!
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John 15:18-19
If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before
it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would
love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but
I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the
world hateth you. |
So what are
the magic words that I have to make the boo boo go away,
because it hurts that your loved ones are rejecting you? You
have a Christian family too, not blood brothers and sisters,
but spiritual brothers and sisters!
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Matthew 12:50
For
whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in
Heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and
mother. |
AND ...
REJOICE!
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Matthew 5:11-12
Blessed are ye, when
men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say
all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your
reward in Heaven: for so persecuted they the Prophets
which were before you. |
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James 4:4
... whosoever
therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy
of God. |
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1 John 2:15
Love not the world,
neither the things that are in the world. If any man
love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. |
I encourage
you not to just act like it doesn't bother you that your
family seems like your enemies, but to truly not let it
affect your heart and your spirit. Remember how Jesus always
seemed to be at peace, no matter who was contending with
Him. He knew we would face the same opposition, so keep the
peace of Christ in your heart, and stand by your beliefs,
because you always have family, right here. Your Christian
brothers and sisters all face the same trials and
tribulations that you do, but in Christian family unity, our
Faith remains strong.
Here's one
I want you to pay close attention to:
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Mark 10:29-31
Verily I say
unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or
brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife,
or children, or lands, for my sake, and the Gospel's.
But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time,
houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and
children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the
world to come eternal life. But many that are first
shall be last; and the last first. |
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John 14:27
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not
as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your
heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. |
DON'T
GIVE UP
It's the
ultimate goal of the devil ... For you to give up. he has no
prob using those that are most dear to you to accomplish his
wishes? Because he knows how much you love them. But don't
you love God more?
Here is an interesting Scripture ...
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Luke 14:26
If any man
come to me, and hate not his father, and mother,
and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters,
yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. |
Are we to hate our family members?
God forbid ... God is LOVE.
Jesus is referring to choosing them over
Him.
We are NOT to put ANYONE above God.
IT IS
SIMPLE ...
GOD
FIRST THEN FAMILY ...
Take
care and have a SON-derful day
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