Religious Zealots With References

There are two kinds of religious zealots:

1) those who risk and even sacrifice their lives to bring the world the truth and knowledge of the true God who commands respect

Jesus our example sacrificed His life

Ephesians 5:2 (NKJV)
And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

Believers are followers of Him

Matthew 10:38 (NKJV)
And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.

Sincerity and truth

Joshua 24:14 (NKJV)
Now therefore, fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served ... Serve the LORD!

Jesus revealed the Father to us

Matthew 11:27 (NKJV)
All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.

God commands respect

Exodus 20:3 (NKJV)
You shall have no other gods before Me.

Matthew 4:10 (NKJV)
Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’

2) those who command respect from the world and destroy the truth and knowledge of the only true God and those who bring it.

The proud, love to stand in high places and command respect

Proverbs 8:13 (RSV)
The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.

Matthew 23:6–7 (NASB)
And they love the place of honor at banquets, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called by men, Rabbi.

Matthew 23:29–30 (RSV)
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’

Mark 7:21–22 (RSV)
For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.

1 John 2:16 (RSV)
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world.

Destroy truth and knowledge

Romans 1:24–25 (RSV)
Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever! Amen.

James 3:14 (AMP)
But if you have bitter jealousy (envy) and contention (rivalry, selfish ambition) in your hearts, do not pride yourselves on it and thus be in defiance of and false to the Truth.

Matthew 15:9 (NKJV)
And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.

Saul destroyed lives of saints

Acts 8:1 (NKJV)
Now Saul was consenting to his death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.

Acts 8:3 (NKJV)
As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.

Martyrs, those who bring truth and knowledge of God

Revelation 17:6 (NKJV)
I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.

Jesus told us that the truth would set us free. Free to express thoughts and beliefs in all the freedom that language allows. Free as ministers delivering a sermon, expounding on the word of God. Free as scientists and journalists revealing truth through stories and re-enactments.

John 8:31–32 (NKJV)
Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Let us reason together

Isaiah 1:18 (NKJV)
“Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.

Synonyms for zealot:
1) evangelist, dogmatist, enthusiast, supporter, believer
2) extremist, fanatic, bigot.

2018 Jacques Gauvin

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