These who have turned the world upside down…

“But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” – Matthew 16:22 NKJV

Never attend a church that would rather keep you as a member, than to live by the word of God. Their focus is on people, not Jesus. They are the blind leading the blind in the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie.

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” – Matthew 16:23-25 NKJV

Our desire, our carnal, our humanistic need is to be accepted. Everyone longs to be loved, but when we place our expectation of love within people, we will always be let down in some way or another. The Lord told Jeremiah not to be afraid of their faces, Ezekiel was told do not be afraid of their words, and Elisha was called the troubler of Israel. Everyone who stands for the Lord will be rejected by the world. Jesus told us that this would happen to us when we proclaim his name.

“And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it. He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. ” – Matthew 10:38-40 NKJV

When you stand for God and people don’t value you, doesn’t mean you are not valuable. It only means they don’t value God. When the apostle Paul and Silas went preaching in the synagogue at Thessalonica. They challenged the doctrine of the the pharisees with the truth of Jesus Christ so much so that the Jews became violent.

“But the Jews who were not persuaded, becoming envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too. Jason has harbored them, and these are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king—Jesus.” – Acts 16:5-7 NKJV

Brethren, this is what you should expect preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So if there is compromise in your message, who’s love do you desire?

“For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” – Matthew 16:25 NKJV