INQUIRER: I am under indoctrination. And I am really planning to join the Church of God. Only my parents got mad at me because of this decision. What must I do if my parents are against my getting baptized in the true Church? Would you give me encouragement so that I will overcome my burden?

BRO. ELI F. SORIANO (EFS): You know, brother, if you will finish the indoctrination, you will understand that. Listen to what our Lord Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:35-38 -

SIS. LUZ CRUZ  (LC): "For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me."

EFS: That is a cross that you will bear, brother. Your parents will be your foes because of Christ. Because there are people who do not want Christ. They could be your brother, your wife, your girlfriend, your parents... So, Christ said, if you will not bear your cross, you will not be worthy of Him. One cross that you will bear - if it happens that your parents dislike Christ, and you want Christ, you will be at variance. But if you love your parents more than Christ, you will not be worthy of Christ. So, to prove to Christ that you love Him more, though your parents get angry, you need to continue obeying Christ. Bear your cross. And the cross that you will bear is the anger of your parents toward you. The cross the Bible tells you to bear are the sacrifices you will encounter when you follow Christ. You might be hated by your brother, your father, your mother, your in-laws. You might have conflict even with your friend. But for you to prove to Christ that you really obey Him, you will get into all of these. You are going to forsake everybody for the sake of Christ. We should realize that, brother.