18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21 They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. 23 He who hates me hates my Father as well. 24 If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. 25 But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’
26 “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. 27 And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.
The disciples may have been on a bit of a spiritual high after all Jesus' talk about supernatural gifts and powers that would be bestowed on them by the Holy Spirit. But this passage brings them down to earth in a hurry.
The world will hate us. The only way the world won't hate us is if we're not confronting the world, or if the world isn't convinced we're genuine believers.
Ouch!
We can avoid confrontation by sticking within our safe Christian circles. And yes, we are to spend time with each other, lifting each other up, encouraging each other, discipling each other, strengthening each other.
But all of us have been commanded to preach the gospel. To confront the world with the truths about Jesus, empowered by the Holy Spirit, sent by the Father.
We must testify. And that doesn't just mean giving a testimony about what God has done in our lives - though of course that is important too. But we need to testify specifically about Jesus. About who He is, about why He came and about what people need to do with that information. They need to understand their sin and their need for a Saviour. They need to have all the facts in order for their conversion experience to be genuine. They need to know what they're getting into in order for their lives to be truly changed.
And it's up to us to tell them about Jesus. Through the Spirit of truth, sent by the Father.
Tomorrow's scripture focus: John 16:1-16
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