“What is truth?” These words were most famously spoken by Pilate to Jesus in John 18:38. Before that Pilate had asked Jesus if he was a king, to which Jesus answered “Yes I am a king, …and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice”.

When another man, Stephen, spoke the truth in Acts 7:56, those listening to him covered their ears and shouted in a loud voice, and then stoned him to death. You might wonder what he said to elicit such a violent reaction. Well it was this; “Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man (Jesus) standing at the right hand of God.”

With our Constitutional right of free speech, it would seem pretty unlikely that this would happen in America,  but if you have been paying attention to the world around you, you will know that people are being killed for speaking about Jesus or just claiming to be His followers.

As Christians, we may experience some level of persecution for speaking the Truth.  How do we respond when we are met with hostility? We are, of course, called to love everyone, friend or enemy. So how do you love someone that hates you. Well, I can tell you how you don’t do it, you don’t love them by gritting your teeth and avoiding them whenever possible. In fact, you don’t actually love them yourself at all. The only way to love an enemy is to allow God to love them through you. When you love with Jesus Love, you can speak the truth that will not be denied. They may grit their teeth, cover their ears and scream at you, but the truth is Jesus is THE King, and He will have His way. Romans 8:38-39 says “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”