"Becoming Pariah"

Becoming Pariah 1Cor4:13b
Few set a goal of becoming despised; Paul wore it as a badge of honor. For him it was a matter of who despised him, he came to the point of being outcast by those most would seek to be acknowledged by. He placated the needy those without voice in the public forum and from a worldly standpoint it got him nowhere. If he rode in a chariot he rode it in shackles if he traveled to Rome it was under guard. Would you rather die and have a state funeral a parade and fan fare? Or would you choose to die naked and, from an earthly perspective, alone, with your friends and family to afraid to retrieve your body for proper burial? Will you honour the empty words of those who use their faith for political gain? Or, to your own demise, will you lay challenge and resolute discourse before those in authority? Shed all notions of worldly allure, the cold water given is due to your Christocentric discipleship, one that can not be shared, you are his disciple, or you are not.