On our journey through the Beatitudes, we have come to the place where many people sitting in the pews will most likely get off the bus. 

When Jesus says that we are blessed when we are persecuted, many begin to squirm in their seats, and their minds begin to go off into never-never land as they attempt to block out the truths of our faith journey. 

When you and I walk in the life that has been described in Matthew chapter 5, it's not a matter if we will be persecuted, but when.

Jesus said that if the world hated Him it will also hate those of us who are following after Him. The darker and more distant our world gets from the life that Jesus calls us to live, we can expect the persecution to increase.  

Here is where I believe comes the greatest falling away from the faith that the church encounters. It's that place where we become complacent and lukewarm. 

In our attempts to avoid persecution, we compromise on the foundational truths given to us in the Sermon on the Mount. 

All of the attributes of the Beatitudes culminate here at the crossroads of faith and persecution. Will you get off the bus or continue the journey in following Jesus Christ?