2002-01-01
Good Morning Faithful Ones,
The Lord chose to use Peter to convey a good deal on the subject of suffering. I’m sure it is was His desire to lift our perspective away from the “alas, woe is me” or “I give up” mode that is our first impulse to take. In 1 PET 3:8-22, Peter spoke about suffering for doing right. In the today’s passage and tomorrow’s, he talks about suffering as a Christian. It helps to be reminded of the context of Peter’s letter, the fact that early church members were being terribly persecuted by Rome’s Emperor Nero and were scattered all over Asia Minor. However, that is not to suggest that the words of Peter’s message don’t apply to our suffering today, even though it is different in nature. Today’s passage is 1 PET 4: 12-16. “My dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful test you are suffering, as though something unusual were happening to you. Rather be glad that you are sharing in Christ’s sufferings, so that you may be full of joy when His glory is revealed. Happy are you if you are insulted because you are Christ’s followers; this means the glorious Spirit, the Spirit of God, is resting on you. If any of you suffers, it must not be because he is a murderer or a thief or a criminal or meddles in other people’s affairs. However, if you suffer because you are a Christian, do not be ashamed of it, but thank God that you bear Christ’s name.”
2 TIM 3: 12 expresses a concept that Christ dealt with in His own teachings. “Everyone who wants to live a Godly life in union with Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” Christ’s words on this subject are found in MT 10: 16-20, 22. He was speaking to His disciples. “Listen! I am sending you out just like sheep to a pack of wolves. You must be as cautious as snakes and as gentle as doves. Watch out, for there will be men who arrest you and take you to court, and they will whip you in the synagogues. For My sake you will be brought to trial before rulers and kings, to tell the Good News to them and to the Gentiles. When they bring you to trial, do not worry about what you are going to say or how you will say it; when the time comes, you will be given what you will say. For the words you will speak will not be yours; they will come from the Spirit of your Father speaking through you…Everyone will hate you because of Me. But whoever holds out to the end will be saved.” Encased in these words is the underlying message that, yes, we will suffer, but God will equip us to be victorious in that suffering. More perspective is given in RO 8: 18, “I consider that what we suffer at this present time cannot be compared at all with the glory that is going to be revealed to us.”
Suffering as a Christian can take many different forms. The nature of our faith is that it is a major departure from the ways of the world. It’s a fact that the expression of our faith and the practice of it will cause friction with those steeped in the worldly pursuit of pleasures of the flesh. Christ and His disciples (including Paul) spoke the truth. This conflict between those led by Satan and those led by Christ is not only inevitable, but it can even lead to one’s martyrdom. Paul described his suffering in 2 COR 11: 23-33. Christ’s suffering was especially poignant during that short period of time when God withdrew from Him while He was on the cross. Even the unparalleled physical pain that our Lord suffered couldn’t compare to that of not feeling His Father’s presence during that time. And yet, God, in his infinite wisdom, knew this was necessary. In spite of this dire and painful sacrifice that His Son had to make, God equipped Him to carry it through the attitude He gave Christ. This is revealed in MK 14: 36, “ ‘Father,’ He prayed, ‘My Father! All things are possible for You. Take this cup of suffering away from Me. Yet not what I want, but what you want.’“
The disciples also suffered as described in AC 5: 17-42 at the hands of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish High Council. They were questioned about speaking about Christ. Peter and the other apostles answered, “We must obey God not men” (30). The members of the Sanhedrin were furious when they heard this. Gamiliel, a highly respected teacher of the Law on the Sanhedrin, ordered that they be removed from the room. Then he told the others, “Do not take any action against these men. Leave them alone! If what they have planned and done is of human origin, it will disappear, but if it comes from God, you cannot possibly defeat them. You could find yourselves fighting against God!” (38-39). The Council followed Gamiliel’s advice. Their God-given willingness to endure in their suffering is revealed in (40-42). “They called the apostles in and had them whipped, and ordered them never again to speak in the name of Jesus; and then they set them free. As the apostles left the Council, they were happy, because god had considered them worthy to suffer disgrace for the sake of Jesus. And every day in the Temple and in people’s homes they continued to teach and preach the Good News about Jesus the Messiah.”
Our suffering today takes a different form, but it is suffering all the same. Those of us who know God’s will because we study His word and have an active two-way communication with Him through prayer, find ourselves more and more at odds with the values and behavior of the world around us. My own experience brings me into conflict with members of my own family. All around us crimes, perverse sexual behavior, cruelty to children, materialism, and violence abounds. One need only listen to the local news to know this. We are often insulted by people who feel our faith is like a crutch that we use to cushion us from the realities of the “real world,” something that makes us “weak-minded.” You already know that I have been labeled a “religious freak” by a member of my own family. None of this is pleasant or easy to face, but our Lord has equipped us to endure. In RO 5: 3-4, he has given us a different perspective in facing this suffering. "We also boast of our troubles, because we know that trouble produces endurance, endurance brings God’s approval, and His approval creates hope.” The recent Emmy awards show was a brash reminder to me of how much of a gulf that exists between what God teaches and what the world practices. We can believe that we have no need to be ashamed that we are Christians. We really can thank God that we “bear Christ’s name.” Remember that Christ [in JN 8: 31-32] said, “If you obey My teaching, you are really My disciples; you will know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
PRAYER: O Lord, there is truth to the statement, “no pain-no gain.” When we make Christ the Lord of our lives, we are putting ourselves in direct opposition to the ways of the world. This is bound to produce conflict and difficulties for us, just as Christ promised it would. We can see both from what is revealed in the Scriptures and from our own experience that we have been told the truth. And yet, Dear Lord, you created us with the ability to endure by giving us Your Son on the cross and gifting us with both Your presence in our lives and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. As if that wasn’t enough, you inspired Paul to remind us to take joy in knowing that our suffering leads to endurance which builds personal character and inspires hope. Then, You directed Him to tell us that the suffering we are enduring now is nothing in comparison to the glory You will share with us in Your Kingdom. We humbly offer You our eternal thanks, praise, honor, glory, adoration, and worship in response. We dedicate our lives to Your service and the magnification of You holy name. In Christ’s name, amen.
Tomorrow, we will compare the suffering of the condemned to that of the redeemed described today, as it is revealed in 1 PET 4: 17-19. We can joy in knowing that whatever suffering we must do because we share faith in Christ is not done in vain. We have been given the privilege of coming together to encourage each other and support each other in facing what the world has to offer. Our Lord has called us to a life of serving Him with hope. Those are the acts of a God Who dearly loves His children. My husband, Peter, joins me in sending you our love too.
Grace Be with You Always,
Lynn