And you will be hated by everyone because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. (Mat 10:22)

Oh, wouldn’t it be nice if we just all got along? Yeah. Wouldn’t it be great if I could say what I have to say, and you say what you have to say, and then we mull over and ponder what the other said. That would be a good way, too. Why all this I’m right, you’re wrong, and so on?

Wouldn’t it be great if we could talk about Jesus, His teachings, His sacrifice, and His glory and have everyone jump for joy? Yep, that too. Sigh. It ain’t a-gonna happen…

So, what does happen is — controversy, contention, discord, and outright hatred whenever “religious stuff” comes up. That’s what Jesus predicted, and it has proven to be true for two-thousand (or so) years.

If it was only those who do not believe in Jesus, it would make sense. Of course, there is just as much controversy between believers as there is with non-believers. Just like Job’s friends, we have all encountered those who will tell us our problems are because we have offended God. Hummph. That’s not what Jesus said, is it? He said, “YOU WILL BE HATED BECAUSE OF ME.” So, it will happen. (I have a few thoughts on that, about why so much controversy, but it’s off the subject, so I’ll stick to this…)

ENDURE UNTIL THE END.

There will be controversy. There will be hatred. There will be division. And it will last “until the end.” No gettin’ around it, might as well deal with it, because it will ALWAYS be that way. So, how DO you “deal with it?” Right? It’s easy to say “ENDURE” but not so easy to actualize the idea. Who among us hasn’t said, “I QUIT” at some point?

You don’t get to quit. At least, not once you have said, “I will live by faith.” You see, living by faith means to endure to the end. The moment you quit is the point where you have lost faith. Faith requires tenacity. So, that’s what you do. DON’T QUIT. That’s how you endure. And we CAN endure because we KNOW GOD is working on our behalf. Even when it’s all a mess, faith says God will see me through if I don’t quit.

The reason is that there is something big at stake here: the souls of mankind. Even more important, God’s glory is in question. (That’s what the story of Job is all about, ya know?) There are adversaries of God who don’t want His word proven true and who don’t want anyone to believe in Him. They can’t stand the thought of man having to be rescued by Jesus ‘cuz we messed it all up. Their ego, their pride, and all that, is at stake, too. So, here’s the deal - the FACT that we endure is PROOF of God’s power to deliver us, and PROOF that we have been made righteous before God. See? No? Well, think about it.

Human nature is self-serving. We want the good life, no worries about necessities and plenty of excitement and entertainment, love and good will from all, etc. We also have an instinct to control everything in our immediate environment. So, the easy way out is to compromise, go-along-and-get-along, avoid all that nasty controversy and just enjoy yourself. But when you find a man (or woman) who will withstand the hatred and bitterness and attacks just because… And, someone whose life seems to be out of control yet somehow makes it through… Well, now you have something: a witness and a testimony of a power greater than man’s intelligence, planning and will-power. You have proof-positive of God’s power to deliver in spite of all the adversaries working against those who love Him.

There is one other thing important here: TO THE END. It does end. Usually, the end is only temporary and new controversy comes up. But it does end. That’s part of the promise here as well. If we endure, it will end. Maybe it will end during our life on earth, and maybe it will end when we step out of this life into the next. But in either case, we can make it through, because: .

But back to the practical matter of how this is done. Simple: PRACTICE. It is not natural to keep going against the grain when people hate you and criticize. But the more often you endure until the end, the better you get at endurance. So, make reminding yourself of these important ideas part of a daily routine. Sit down and write out the things you need to remember every day and post it somewhere prominent, like on the back of the door to where you live, or your bathroom mirror, or the refrigerator, etc. That way you are sure to see it often and be reminded. Pretty soon it sticks in the mind. Write things like, “They will hate you, but you can endure,” and “Faith takes practice,” and “It will end,” and “Jesus said He will never forsake me,” etc. Pick out Bible verses that help you endure and memorize them, too. It’s programming your mind to think along these lines by repetition. Repeat these things to yourself every day and pretty soon it sticks in your memory. Then, after a while, it becomes a force of habit. Controversy arises, but instead of getting angry and bitter, the mind has been programmed to think, “Jesus said it would be like this but I can endure.”

And then you will make it through, because you trusted in the one who can help you to endure.

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; (Rom 1:28)

Reprobate? What do you think that refers to? Today we have this connotation of something really bad. But what does Paul mean by “reprobate?” It’s a word, adokimos, meaning “failed to meet the test.” At the time of Paul, it was used of coinage to mean the coin does not meet the standard. In this day and age of debased coinage people don’t often realize how important it was in the past for coins to be honest. If the coin was “clipped,” underweight, or a mixture of precious metal (gold and silver) with base metal (lead), the person receiving the coin was cheated in the transaction. In Paul’s usage, it means the person fails to measure up to the standard of righteousness set by God. It doesn’t necessarily mean the mind is completely evil. A reprobate mind is one that is contaminated, a mixture of evil thoughts with the good. It applies to all of us, in other words, not just to those who are completely evil.

I’m sure you have heard preachers rant and rave over the some of the sins of listed in the first chapter of Romans. You know, homosexuality, fornication, etc., etc., etc. It really gets the people worked up. It makes great sermonizing. Sex, nasty sex, is their motto. They obsess over “fornication” so much I begin to get the idea that maybe the dudes doing the preaching have some kind of sexual problem. (All too often that turns out to be the case and some rather famous preachers have been “exposed” in the past for their little peccadilloes.) Unless you have some serious obsession with sex, all that ranting and raving over sexual lusts gets boring after a while. What I don’t hear too many preachers talk about is the rest of the chapter, verses 28-32. Honestly, I think the problems listed in those verses are much more serious and far more common. So, I shall take it on myself to rant at the rest of us reprobates.

Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. (Rom 1:29-32)

That’s quite a list. But, hang on now, is Paul really putting “pride” “deceit” “envy” in the same category as “murder” and “fornication.” Yep, ‘fraid so. So - the thing is that all of us are guilty of the list of activities in verses 29-32. We like to categorize sins and brow-beat those who are guilty of the things WE don’t do, while we persist in doing the others. Everyone likes to think that there are “little sins” and “big sins” and we can be proud of ourselves because we didn’t do the really bad stuff. Bad idea.

The word “whisperers” is a good place to start, and sums up the whole list of reprobate actions. In modern English, the appropriate word is “gossips.” You know, people who have nothing better to do in life than sit around and point out all the failings of others. It may not seem all that bad, but it is one of the worst things in the list because it sums up the starting point for all the other sins listed. Gossip is a way to sow discord (debate), malign others, stab them in the back, etc. The gossip doesn’t even have to be false. If it leaves out important information so that the hearer misunderstands the situation, it is just as bad as an outright lie. Simply put, gossip is a form of “spell” against a person. A spell is not just some mumbo-jumbo cursing of another person. The English word “spell” comes from a root meaning of “to speak.” To speak in a derogatory manner of someone else, is to put a “spell” on them. The goal is to get the listener to act against the target of the gossip. A little lie in the form of idle gossip plants a “reprobate” thought in the mind and can eventually play out as an actual attack on the person. If I can get you to believe that another person is out to get you, you may take action against the person, even getting that person killed. At the very least, it isolates, demeans and diminishes the target of the gossip.

The worst gossip of all time was Satan in the garden of Eden. Think about it. He didn’t force Adam and Eve to go against God. He simply maligned God’s character, planted a reprobate idea into their minds, and encouraged them to action.

Get the point?

Gossip is usually the result of envy, jealousy, pride and boasting. It is the need of one person to belittle and demean another to preserve his own self-image or gain an advantage by removing a competitor. It is a self-righteous, judgmental attitude that becomes the excuse for destroying another. It is not some harmless little thing. It is a form of “witchcraft” especially when done in groups against one individual. Those prone to gossip, slander, and malicious verbal attacks are the epitome of a reprobate mind. Those who listen to it and agree to it are just as bad.