WHAT DOES A TRUE CHRISTIAN LOOK LIKE?

Mark 13:9-13

⁹ “But see to yourselves; because they will apprehend you for appearance at Sanhedrins;[1] and you will be flogged in synagogues; and you will stand before governors and kings because of me, so that you can testify to them. ¹⁰ And this excellent message must be proclaimed to all nations first. ¹¹ When they arrest you and betray you, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say; but say whatever is given you at that time, because it is not you who will speak, but the Holy Spirit. ¹² Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; ¹³ and you will be hated by everyone because of my name. But the enduring one will be rescued at the end.

the enduring one

When Jesus describes the Christian life in this age between his ascension and his second coming, he does not say “the victorious one” or “the powerful one” or even “the gifted one.” The Holy Spirit can give us victory, power and spiritual gifts, and his presence is still among us during this age. But the role of the Holy Spirit that Jesus spoke of in this context is different.

This is an age in which persecution from outside the church, and betrayal from within is to be expected. All the time we are getting the gospel (the excellent message) out to all the nations, we will be constantly under attack. We should expect our churches, our families, our ministries, and our persons to be targets of attack and bombardment. All around me, I see Christians who are ready to give up because of what they are facing. They are tempted to take all these things as evidence that there really isn’t a God, but this text shows that they are signs that Christ is real, and his words are reliable.

The mark of a true Christian during this age is not victory or power or gifts. The mark of a true Christian during this age is endurance.

LORD, give us victory; give us power; give us spiritual gifts; but above all things, give us endurance. We want to be here for you when you come, faithful to you until you come.

[1] συνέδριον (13:9; 14:55; 15:1)