The Nugget:
Luk 6:22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.
Luk 6:23 Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets. (KJV)
Luk 6:22 Blessed are you when people hate you and exclude you and denounce you, and spurn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man.
Luk 6:23 Burst into joy on that day and leap for ecstasy, for your reward will be rich in heaven; for this is the way your forefathers used to treat the prophets. (Williams NT)
Luk 6:22 God will bless you when others hate you and won’t have anything to do with you. God will bless you when people insult you and say cruel things about you, all because you are a follower of the Son of Man.
Luk 6:23 Long ago your own people did these same things to the prophets. So when this happens to you, be happy and jump for joy! You will have a great reward in heaven. (CEV, Contemporary English Version)
My Comment:
If you take spiritual things seriously, if you not only read the Bible but study it, and live according to what it says, you will find from time to time that some people, even church people, will shun and exclude you from their fellowship. Should this happen to you, take heart and as Jesus said, be happy and jump for joy, for you will have a great reward in heaven.
Such a thing should not happen in a genuinely Bible-believing, Bible-obeying church. But sometimes it does. When it does happen, I suspect that group of people and sometimes even the Pastor or Elder board are not heeding Romans 15:7,
Rom 15:7 Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God. (KJV)
Rom 15:7 Therefore, practice receiving one another into full Christian fellowship, just as Christ has so received you to Himself. (Williams NT)
Rom 15:7 Honor God by accepting each other, as Christ has accepted you. (CEV, Contemporary English Version)
I have thoroughly discussed Romans 15:7 and its cross references in posts found in the category “Verse by verse studies” linked at the right.
Sometimes, God may use such instances of rejection in your life, even involving non-church settings, and even personal relationships, to guide or even force you to go in an altogether different direction than you may have foreseen or planned for. This has happened to me. Do not despair, but stay committed and obedient to God and His written word in the Bible. Continue to stay close to Him!
hello jerry points on acceptance. 2 refs John 6.37 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me i will by no means cast out. Ephesians 1.6 to the praise of the glory of His grace,by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved. its great blessing and encourageement to know the Lord accepts us and keeps us!!!