I am a Jesus pusher!!! “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake” (Matthew 5:11). One is forced to come to the conclusion that Jesus is the cause of the persecution. The persecution He discusses is for righteousness’ sake. I must remind you! Jesus congratulates those who “have been persecuted” (Matthew 5:10). This verb is a perfect, passive, participle. The perfect tense means, “It happens in the past and has continual effects and action into the present.” Persecution does not start at the end of the Beatitudes, but at the beginning.
Congratulations to all who are helpless or destitute. The unlimited resource of His Person will embrace you and together you will be the Kingdom of God. The natural result of the righteousness of this relationship will be persecution. Living in His embrace will bring persecution. Do not be shocked! He is the cause. Congratulations go to those who continually respond to Jesus in their helplessness. They will live in the embrace of the Comforter. Don’t be fooled! You can experience this comfort in the midst of persecution. This comfort in your life will cause jealously and ridicule from others. Congratulations to you who experience the nature of God permeating your life. You will experience and express meekness. You will embrace your physical world in a new way. Don’t be naïve; this expression of Jesus through your life will create persecution; many will take advantage. It is all right for it is for His sake. I am a Jesus pusher!!!