Informative Reasons People Hate Followers Of Jesus

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For those of us who have grown up in a primarily Christian nation, it’s unsettling to see the anger and animosity people are directing toward Jesus’ followers.

Why do you think people hate followers of Jesus?

We shouldn’t be surprised, Jesus said…

“If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.”

John 15:18–19

I asked the internet, “Why do people hate Christians?” and learned the following:

“The arguments against Christianity include the suppositions that it is a faith of violence, corruption, superstition, polytheism, homophobia, bigotry, pontification, abuses of women’s rights, and sectarianism.” ~ Wikipedia

Wow, that’s a lot of assumptions that neither define nor reflect the loving God or His followers that I know.

Another often-repeated answer is that Christians are all hypocrites.

Brennan Manning wrote…

“The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.” 

That’s one of the reasons why Jesus stressed the importance of His followers treating everyone with kindness, care, and compassion. Everyone sins. Those who don’t follow Jesus, and yes, even those who do. When you and I are prideful and judgmental of others just because they sin differently than we do, we’re not sharing the powerful love of Jesus that has the power to change lives.

Remember, He changed yours and mine.

There’s a spiritual battle going on around us. The enemy hates Jesus and will use whatever and whomever is available to discourage and defeat those of us who KNOW, LOVE, and TRUST Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

One of his favorites has always been divisiveness, because people who are focused on hating each other are more easily influenced, manipulated, and controlled.

God’s Word says repeatedly that we are to have unity in the church and love for all. It’s how we show the world God’s love.

One more reason people hate followers of Jesus is that they won’t conform to trending contemporary thinking; they SEEK God’s will and follow Him.

Jesus’ words about people hating us make perfect sense when we think about it. People who follow Jesus will do all they can not to follow the enemy and the ways of this world. And the world hates them for that.

So, we shouldn’t be surprised when Christians are persecuted. It’s been going on since the first followers formed the first church.

Jesus said…

Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you. They will do all this to you because of me, for they have rejected the One who sent me. 

John 15:20b–21

It’s true. The world rejected Jesus, and it will reject us, but we have a greater promise: that everyone who loves and trusts God will never be rejected by Him.

We have His Word…

The sacrifice You desire is a broken spirit.
    You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.

Psalm 51:17

Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.

1 Peter 5:7

 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

1 John 4:10

Let’s pray…

A Prayer for Strength When People Hate Us
for Being Followers of Jesus

Father God, my heart hurts as I come to You in prayer. You graciously sent Jesus, who loved us so perfectly that He suffered and died to save us. Because of love, although He knew He would be hated, tortured, and murdered, He still came to give us what we could never do for ourselves.

I love You, Lord, and thank You for allowing me to KNOW and TRUST Your promises, even those that prepare me by saying I will endure suffering and be hated for being a Christian.

Thank you for Your easy-to-trust, hope-filled promises. They are so much greater than any pain I will endure in this temporary life. Thank you for giving me the strength I need today and the hope I need for the future.

Thank you for forgiving and caring for me, giving me everything I need to follow You in faith.

Thank you for calling a sinner like David, a man after God’s own heart, and for inspiring him to profess that You will not reject a humble repentant heart.

Please give me a humble, repentant heart that honors You faithfully. Please help me trust Your promises even when people hate me for following Jesus. Please help me love as You desire. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

I imagine, like me, you don’t even like to think about persecution. When you hear about people on the other side of the world being tortured and killed for being followers of Jesus, it breaks your heart.

And it probably makes you angry when you are mistreated because of your faith, I get it! I think those are normal reactions.

Jesus didn’t tell us that it shouldn’t break our hearts or make us angry. He told us to trust God’s loving promises with the help of the Holy Spirit…

I will send you the Advocate—the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me.

John 15:26

Praise God, we are not alone! The One who loves us most and best promised to give us everything we need to follow Him, even when the world hates us.

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