Speaker 1: Most of us eat every day, some of us too
much because yesterday's food is not enough to supply energy
for today's needs. Why then, do some of us expect
yesterday's portion of heavenly manna the word of God to
keep us through today's challenges. On this program, we are
going to change all of that. Let's experience God's words
today and receive the power we need to live healthy,
vibrant lives. Welcome to Your Daily Portion with your host
author speaker Elle David Harris.
Speaker 2: Good morning, Good morning, Good morning, it is Wednesday. It's
June eighteenth, twenty twenty five. Hello, my name is El
David Harris. I am your host, and this is your
Daily Portion where we give you God's Word every single day,
and today is no exception. We are continuing in our
lesson study series Early Church Persecution. But before we do
go into this, I'd like to say welcome to you
and ask you to go over to your Daily Portion
die Please join our online community pick up the Your
Daily Portion Life application guide. Also let us know where
you are in the world at your Daily Portion dot com.
This is one of the ways that we continue to
build faith and fellowship. Let's go ahead and pray, and
then we will get underway. Father, we thank you for
this day and for giving us a window into your mind,
so that we can let this mind be in us,
which was also in Christ. Jesus teach us to humble
ourselves in the way that Jesus did when he lived
on earth. In Jesus's name, I pray Amen and Amen again.
Early Church persecution, I remember reading a quote that says,
we have no fear for the future except we forget
how God has led his people, has led us in
the past. And so we see that in every generation
from righteous Able being destroyed and murdered by his own
brother kin way through history until this day, we see
that God's people, even when we are persecuted, we come
through on the other side with the image of God
fully stamped upon our characters. And ultimately we win. But
because Jesus wins. Because Jesus ultimately wins, his people always win.
But it is not without persecution. Jesus said, when people
say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake,
rejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward
in heaven. For so persecuted day. The prophets which were
before you. So if you are being persecuted for being
a liar, then that is not acceptable to God. Like
you don't want to be persecuted for breaking the law, Like,
that's not the issue. The issue is when we are
persecuted for righteousness sake. We are persecuted because we stand
tall and firm and do what God has taught us
to do that is acceptable to God. I wish I
had the time, I wish I had the time. But
let me read first from the book The Great Controversy,
page thirty nine. Great Controversy, page thirty nine, and it reads,
the powers of Earth and Hell arrayed themselves against Christ
in the person of his followers. Paganism foresaw that should
the Gospel triumph, her temples and altars would be swept away.
Therefore she summoned her forces to destroy Christianity. The fires
of persecution were kindled. And so we see when the
enemy feels backed into the corner, or sometimes he doesn't
even feel backed into the corner, he just decides, I'm
gonna go, I'm gonna go for the GUSTO, I'm going
to assault, I'm going on an office and sith to
destroy God's people. Because they look so much like God.
I don't like God. Therefore I will destroy his people
if he allows me to. And so in the early Church,
the first century Church, when we began to be called
by the name Christian, that's a long story, but we
were really called out. We were the people of the way,
the people of the book called out ones at Clesia.
In Acts Chapter twelve, verses one and two, we read
now about the time Herod the King stretched forth his
hands to vex part of me, certain of the church.
He killed James, the brother of John, with the sword.
What so a world leader destroyed one of God's people
because they were teaching the truth? Yep, yep. In Revelation thirteen,
it also reveals that there was state sponsored persecution targeting
those who keep the commandments of God. So we're not
just identifying the problem we see in history. It has
happened Nebuchadnezzar's time, Deriasis time. I wish I had the
time to really drill us. But the fact is we've
seen with the state when it is not connecting itself
in personal relationship with God, the leaders are not connected
to God, that at some point persecution will ensue. It's
just what it is. And so what we get to
do is prepare spiritually by building habits of obedience even
when it is inconvenient. Persecution tests convictions, not preferences. Persecution
tests convictions, not our preferences. In Acts chapter twelve, in
verse two, we read, and because he saw it pleased
the people of God, he proceeded further to take Peter. Also,
let me read it another way. He saw that it
pleased the people who were supposed to be the people
of God, but they had turned their backs on God
and now had become agents of the enemy. Oh, now
we see that that herod proceeded further to take Peter. Also. Yeah,
so the church and the state were in cahoots. When
I say the church and the state, I'm talking about
the apostate church, the people of God that had lost
their connection with God. Now with the strong arm of
the state, they persecuted God's people in the first century Church.
So in Revelation chapter thirteen, verses twelve and fifteen, it
shows that popular demand leads to the death decree for
the commandment keepers. Yep, the kinds of things that matter
to worldly people. Put a bunch of those things in
front of them constantly. I wish I had the time
to say exactly what I'm thinking, but I don't. Hah.
But there are times that the people in society feel
the pressure to the degree that when it looks like
it is a certain subset of people that are causing
the problem, then everybody is focused on those individuals to
destroy their lives. Yes, we have seen that so many times.
It's like pin the tail on the donkey spiritually speaking.
But right now we get to anchor our faith in truth,
not in public approval. Be willing to stand alone if necessary.
We see in Daniel three the people of God stood alone,
just three young men, just three young men. We see
the people of God in Revelation thirteen and fourteen standing
standing on the promises of God. And you have that
privilege every single day of your life. In Acts, chapter
twelve and verse four, it says he put him in
prison and delivered him to four quater well into four
quads of soldiers to keep him. So, just like God's
end time, people will appear trapped. You got four quads
of soldiers guarding you. Proverbially now, or even maybe it
happens in real life. I don't know, but it happened
to Peter in real life. Yeah, will appear trapped, but
no human way to see our way out. But God
is always there. I think the Bible says that the
Angel of the Lord in campeth around about those who
trust in God, who live according to God's principles. So
today I can trust in divine intervention when circumstances feel helpless.
In chapter twelve and verse five, we read, but prayer
was made without ceasing of the church, talking about the
true people of God for him, And guess what in
the last days deliverance will come to a praying and
united people of God, not casual or divided. One start
to join prayer bands focused on spiritual preparation and intercession.
Do you are you in the place where prayer is
wont to be made? Some of you know where that
quote came from. So make it a habit. Make it
a habit to be where prayer, true prayer connecting with
God is the paradigm. He said, whether two or three
are gathered together in His name, he is in the
midst of us and Acts Chapter twelve and verse fifteen.
It teaches us they said, unto her, thou art mad.
When the man of God was delivered, but she constantly
affirmed that it was even so. So be on the
lookout for the answer to prayer. And when you see
the answer to prayer, thank God for the reality peace.
Speaker 1: Thanks for joining us listening. Friends. Always remember we cannot
live by bread alone, but by every word that comes
from the mouth of God. This has been your daily
portion with el David Harris. Make it a great day. Yeah,