total commitment to Christ (Question for Believers)?

Question

As Christians, we can easily say we are in love with God and totally committed to God from the comfort of our homes where the worst we face in persecution is from either people on this board or possibly a nasty comment.

But what if we were in a place where being a christian and staying firm for the cause of Christ could mean death, torture, or slavery? What if being a Christian would mean not being able to buy or sell to survive or possibly executed for our faith?

How do we get to the point that we will stay firm to the end in our relationship with God? That no matter what befalls us we will not reject Jesus?

Answer 1

I actually daydream or imagine myself being confronted with the choide of Jesus or my life. This mental exercise helps prepare me for what could one day become reality. The fact is that I could never deny my Lord & Savior. He IS my life! The main way we prepare for intense persecution is through developing a strong faith.
God wants us—every one of us—to have a strong faith in Him. He wants us to have a faith that doesn't waver or come and go, and one that will be strong enough to see us through life's trials and temptations. Have you asked Him for this kind of faith?

Faith, however, doesn't just happen—any more than a strong body just happens. To have a strong body, you need to eat well, and you need to avoid things that could harm you or make you sick. You also need to exercise and take care of your body. The same is true with our souls. We need to avoid things that will harm us or make us spiritually sick, and we need to exercise our faith and put it into action. Most of all, we need to "eat" the spiritual "food" God has provided for us.

What is the "food" God has given us to strengthen our faith? First, He has given us His Word, the Bible. In it He tells us what He has done for us, and how we are to live in return. Then God has given us the privilege of prayer, so we can come into His presence and share our deepest concerns with Him. He also has given us other believers, who can encourage and guide us.

The Bible says, "Physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come" (1 Timothy 4:8). Make sure you have committed your life to Christ, and then make use of the spiritual "food" God has given you to grow in your faith.

Answer 2

I believe what we live in (no persecution) is harder to stay faithful than where there is persecution. It is so easy in our situation to become apathetic to things around us and get swallowed up in affluence. Jesus Christ is faithful in all situations and only He can provide the wisdom and insight to stay faithful to Him. When persecution comes we rise to the occasion, but where there is no persecution we melt into the woodwork. That is what Revelation 3 teaches about the "lukewarm" church of the last days. These people think they have everything and have need of nothing, but God says they are poor and wretched and naked and blind and miserable. Deception is the curse of the last days and the church has fallen into it. The church today is in love with the world, not Christ. We love the worlds education, the world's fashions, the world's materialism, the world's music, the world's entertainment. The Bible says if anyone loves the world, he love of the Father is not in him. 2 Corthians 6 tells us the if we will come out and separate ourselves then God will be a Father to us and will will become sons and daughters to Him. We must deal with the separation issue if we would be held firm.

Answer 3

Challending and yet beautiful question. I think the first thing is to genuinely thank and bless the Lord for providing us with the blessing of this nation. No nation enjoys the kind of Constitutional Rights we enjoy and no nation give as much to causes of humanity. Is this nation sinful, YES. But, we can praise God for the blessings we do have.

I like to do work with Open Doors, founded by Brother Andrew. This organization is non-profit, founded on Christian principals an provides Bibles to our persecuted Church around the world. It also provides training for pastors (high efforts in Muslim and Asian countries right now). Every $3 you donate, is litterally and actually a Bible in the hand of someone who a) cannot afford one b) Bibles are not allowed in their country. It is very gratifying.

I think, in the end we can be firm in our faith in trails through understanding Christ to be a real person. Just like we love our spouse, and wouldn't let them down in times of stress --

we should strive to say, not only would we die for Jesus, but we are living for Him too.

Cheers!

Answer 4

By faith. If you are a Christian then think back into the bible with some of the stories and how God brought them through for example think about Daniel in the Lions den, Job when the devil tempted him, and even Jesus when he was tempted in the wilderness. I am a strong believer in whatever is suppose to happen will happen. Be it that I die from standing up for what I believe in, a car accident, or even just not waking up in the morning. There is a time and a place for everything. Everyone has to live and everyone has to die. When it your time then it is your time.

Answer 5

I think that the true believers will stay faithful until the end because they know the reward that goes along with being faithful... If you can be thrown off track by anything other than God/Jesus himself- you do not truly have faith. I can say this having gotten off track in the past myself and now being right back where I belong. There is nothing other than the hand of God himself that will make me stray again.

Answer 6

That depends. If I were living in an area where Christians were heavily persecuted, I would probably refrain from walking down the street with my Bible. I don't think there is anything wrong with keeping your head down to protect yourself. However, if you are referring to whether or not I would reject Christ and deny my faith, there is nothing that can physically happen on this earth that would compare to the torment of hell, and nothing can take the place of the ultimate comfort of knowing that Christ is your Savior.

Answer 7

I once heard a preacher say, "God does not give dieing grace on a non-dieing day."
The only way we can face the extreme trials and tribulations you outline is in the power of God.
It is useless to try to get to some 'point' that will cover all possible extremeties. What we need to be concerned with instead is working on building our faith through prayer and Bible study so that when the crisis comes the ground work will be laid and the power of God will be only a prayer away.

Answer 8

This is my thought on what you ask.Do you remember reading where
Jesus told Peter the devil ask to sift him?Jesus told Peter to not worry
that he had prayed for him(Peter) that his faith would not fail.
We know that Peter denied Jesus three times before the Rooster
crowed in the morning BUT after Peter repented look what Jesus did through him after the Resurrection.
Our Lord gives you the grace you need when you need it not before or
after just at the right time.Even when we leave Jesus he stays with us.
Don't worry about that when and IF that time comes Jesus will take control and give you courage.
In Christ in Love,
TJ57

Answer 9

Actually, until you've been "put to the test" you CAN NOT KNOW. Christ himself could NOT convince his apostles they would denounce him. Imagine NOT BELIEVING CHRIST himself when he told you you would deny him! But his BEST FRIENDS IN THE ENTIRE WORLD DID JUST THAT, and people today say they "would never do that." I think what God and Christ was telling us here was this: even if you do in a "flight of panic, deny christ, its not the end of the world for you, so long as you correct your mistake and ask for forgiveness."

So don't spend so much time worrying about what you "might and might not do" and spend more time worrying about your relationship with Christ and his Father, Jehovah/Yahweh.

Answer 10

I understand what you are saying. In these days you hear of so many Christians being killed for their faith. Even on this site, you read of the hatred spewing from the terrorist groups. My heart will never reject Jesus, and I pray for those Christians who are being so brave and continuing on with the threat of death for their faith. I believe we must stay in continual conversation with God and our fellow Christians and "keep the faith" to the end.

Answer 11

As a christian , all I can think about is the cross and what He went through before He got there. How could I not endure rejection or any other thing. I love Him so much...to the death I will stand for Him.