Fellowship of His Suffering - Part 1

Romans 8:33-39 “Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.

Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: ‘For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.’ Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor

Principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

 This week, Michael writes: We're all on a journey to intimacy with our Lord Jesus Christ. As men and woman of God, our heart's desire is to become just like our Lord and Master. When we answered His call to salvation, we received His righteousness, for Jesus Christ who was without sin became the perfect sacrifice for sin on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in Him.   

Psalm 134:1-3 “Behold, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, who by night stand in the house of the Lord! Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord. The Lord who made heaven and earth bless you from Zion!”

Most people pray for God's blessings. As a loving Heavenly Father, He is delighted when we approach His throne of grace ... He has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. The greater blessing is not when we ask Him to bless us, but rather when we bless the Blessor. Only because of His love can we bless the Lord in return. Therefore bless the Lord O my soul and all that is within me bless His Holy Name! The world will tell us that suffering, trial and pain are a cursing and not a blessing. However, Philippians 3:10  says, “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.”

Paul wrote these words from a Roman prison.  According to Philippians 1:29, “For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for his sake”. James 1:2-4 says, "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;  Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.  But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”

According to 2 Timothy 3:16, correction is God's way of restoring us to an upright position. Therefore by His correction through trials we will know the meaning of “patience”. Through patience, we will understand God's character.  Billy Graham wrote a book called "Peace with God."  When one pastor read about the fruit of the spirit in Galatians 5:22 as a young Christian, he began to understand the meaning of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and self control.  It's one thing to read these words, it's another to understand these things through the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings.

Let's continue Michael's message on "godly suffering for Christ" in the next post.

In Christ, Brian