Thursday, April 11, 2013

Affliction in Christ


2 Timothy 3:12 Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

Christian discipleship is to learn and know reality and truth, then apply that truth into our daily walk with the Lord. Part of that reality and truth is that in this “fallen in sin” world, life in the jungle is no bowl full of cherries. There is darkness and wickedness, who call evil good and good evil, which hates the light and goodness of God and His children. Granted that it is far from the most pleasant biblical issue, yet we must not be ignorant of affliction of any issue, so that we can live victorious in Christ, even in difficult times. As our Friday evening small group Bible study group learns, God Almighty is in control always. We discussed how we really did not feel that we understood true affliction and persecution for our faith today in America, like we see in other countries that are hostile to Christianity, because of our freedoms and liberty under the Constitutional Rights. The occasional insults of being called: “holier than thou”, “Bible thumper” or “Jesus freak” or the mockery of God himself and His holy Bible by unbelieving secular humanist is next to nothing compared to the persecution we see today in other nations, but increasing here now. But so are conversions to Christ – praise God. We shouldn't be surprised. Look how much Jesus suffered for us.

2 Corinthians 1:8-9 We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead.

The word “affliction” is the Greek word “θλψις thlipsis, which not just trouble, but “to crush or to squeeze”, usually suffering from outward circumstances, but afflictions can be anything that burdens the spirit.
Wikipedia states that “Prosperity theology” (sometimes referred to as the prosperity gospel or the health and wealth gospel) is a belief that views the Bible as a contract between God and humans: if humans have faith in God, he will deliver his promises of security and prosperity. But Jesus said in John 16:33, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” We’re not in heaven yet, far from it, and need to learn and understand that we cannot and must not trust in and depend upon ourselves, but in God.
2 Corinthians 4:7-10  We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.

In this physical world around us, we tend to think more highly of ourselves than we should. How many times do we think that we need to do things on our own and believe that we can do them by our own power? In Romans 12:3, the Apostle Paul tells us this: Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. We are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure (the power of God). Whatever affliction God brings us to; God brings us though it, by our faith and by His grace, and in His strength.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.  Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

In God We Trust, in Christ, Brian

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