Have you ever tried to assemble something with an important piece missing or without all the instructions? Or attempted to understand a conversation when you’ve missed the crucial context?

That’s exactly how many of us approach Christianity—we’re missing a vital piece of information that would make everything else click into place.

When Context Changes Everything

Picture this: You’re asked to memorize a paragraph filled with vague instructions about “arranging things into groups” and “manipulating appropriate mechanisms.” Confusing, right? But add one piece of information—it’s about doing laundry—and suddenly it all makes sense.

Christianity often feels the same way. We hear phrases like “take up your cross” or “the world will hate you,” and they sound like outdated religious jargon. But what if we’re just missing the context?

The Uncomfortable Truth Jesus Shared

In John 15, Jesus gathered His closest followers for what would be one of their final conversations. Instead of offering a pep talk, He delivered this sobering reality check: “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first” (v. 18).

Wait, what?

This doesn’t fit our modern narrative. We’ve been told that if we follow Jesus, our relationships will improve, our problems will disappear, and everyone will admire our faith. But Jesus painted a drastically different picture.

What Happened to These Men

The disciples listening to Jesus that night would soon discover exactly what He meant:

• James was killed by sword on King Herod’s orders
• Peter was crucified upside down in Rome
• Andrew preached from his X-shaped cross for two days before dying
• Bartholomew was skinned alive, then crucified
• Simon was sawn in half

These weren’t just uncomfortable social situations or awkward family dinners. These men were brutally executed for their faith. And here’s the kicker—they could have avoided it all by simply staying quiet.

Why Such Hatred?

Jesus explained it plainly: “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you” (v. 19).

The world doesn’t hate people for being “nice.” It doesn’t persecute those who live lives of kindness and who mind their own business. But it does hate those who dare to say that its ways are evil, that there’s a higher authority, and that we all need to change.

The Missing Piece in Modern Christianity

Here’s what we’re missing: Christianity isn’t just about knowing God and being known by Him. It’s also about making Him known. And that third part? That’s where the friction happens.

The fact is, pretty much no one cares about your personal relationship with Jesus. That is, along as you keep it to yourself. If you start being too loud about it, the world will begin to rise up and make it known to you directly that it would be best for you to simply keep these things to yourself.

Statistics show that 98% of Christians rarely or never share their faith. Is it any wonder we don’t experience the persecution Jesus promised? We’ve removed the very element that creates conflict—actually proclaiming that Jesus is Lord.

What This Means for Us

Before you close this tab thinking this is just another guilt trip, hear this: Jesus didn’t share these hard truths to discourage His followers. He shared them because He loved them. He wanted them prepared. He wanted them to know that when hatred came, it wasn’t because they were doing something wrong—it was because they were doing something right.

The Holy Spirit, Jesus promised, would be with them. They wouldn’t testify alone. The same Spirit who empowered those first disciples to change the world is available to us today.

A Challenge Worth Considering

This Memorial Day weekend, as we remember those who died for our freedoms, perhaps we should also remember those who died for our faith. They faced lions, crosses, and swords so that we could freely open our Bibles and gather for worship.

The question isn’t whether we’ll face the same level of persecution—most of us won’t. The question is: Are we willing to use the freedom they died to give us?

What would happen if we actually started living like those first disciples? What if we cared more about faithfully representing Jesus than about being liked? What if we realized that the “hate” we might face—some angry comments, lost friendships, or social rejection—pales in comparison to what our spiritual ancestors endured?

The Bottom Line

Christianity with the missing piece restored isn’t easier—it’s actually harder. But it’s also more real, more powerful, and more like what Jesus actually promised. It’s a faith worth living for, and as history shows us, worth dying for.

Maybe it’s time we stopped trying to make Christianity palatable to a world that hated Jesus. Maybe it’s time we embraced the beautiful, difficult, transformative call to not just believe in Jesus, but to make Him known—whatever the cost.

After all, a faith that costs nothing is worth exactly what we paid for it. On the other hand, a faith that costs us everything is worth the price that Christ paid for us.