Ephesians 3:13 “Therefore I ask you not to become discouraged about my tribulations in your behalf, since they are your glory.”
This last Sunday, Pastor Herk continued in his sermon series in the Epistle of Ephesians, pointing out that God uses suffering for our benefit and for the benefit of others. The Lord Jesus Christ personally visited and converted the Christian-persecuting Saul to the Christ-follower Apostle to the Gentiles, Paul. Luke in Acts 9:15-16 writes, the Lord said to Paul, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer in behalf of My name.” Jesus tells all of His disciples in John 15:18-19 “If the [God-rejecting] world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.” And in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
Matthew 5:10-13 states, “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in this same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. You are the salt of the earth.” And James 1:2-4 explains, “Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” The Apostle Paul reinforces in Philippians 1:27-29, “Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, … standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; and in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and this too, from God. For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer on His behalf.
1 Peter 3:16-17 “Keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who disparage your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.” The Apostle goes on in 1 Peter 4:12-14, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though something strange were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that at the revelation of His glory you may also rejoice and be overjoyed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory, and of God, rests upon you.”
All Christians, without exception, are going to experience trials and suffer for their faith on this side of eternity by this fallen world. Christianity doesn’t exempt the brethren of Christ, children of God and citizens of Heaven from suffering trials. It’s not a matter of “if”, but a matter of “when”. The Bible teaches that problems, trials, trouble, tribulation and suffer are inevitable. But, there is an advantage that born-again Believes have God’s presence in their lives and that He walks through the sufferings with them as they encounter them.
Suffering reveals our true nature. The Greek word for suffer is “paschō”, meaning to be affected or have been affected, to feel, have a sensible experience, to undergo. The 19828 Webster’s dictionary defines the word as: To feel or bear what is painful, disagreeable or distressing, either to the body or mind; to undergo. We suffer pain of body; we suffer grief of mind. The criminal suffers punishment; the sinner suffers the pangs of conscience in this life, and is condemned to suffer the wrath of an offended God. As Christians we often suffer wrong; we suffer abuse; we suffer injustice. To endure; to support; to sustain; not to sink under. Our spirit and strength entire. To allow; to permit; not to forbid or hinder. Will you suffer yourself to be insulted? To undergo suffering; to be affected by? This word suffering indicates something that is under extreme pressure. The Apostles and Luke are writing about the kinds of heavy troubles that press down against us, weigh us down in our lives and are heavy on our hearts.
Life in the jungle is no bowl full of cherries and life in a fallen world is no bed of roses. I know that I cannot even begin to describe all the different types of suffering that people of God might be going through right now. The apostle Paul knew what it meant to suffer for Christ throughout his life, but he was willing to suffer them foe Christ. He states in 2 Corinthians 6:2b-10, for He [God] says, “At a favorable time I listened to you, and on a day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, now is “a favorable time,” behold, now is “a day of salvation”— giving no reason for taking offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited, but in everything commending ourselves as servants of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in difficulties, in beatings, in imprisonments, in mob attacks, in labors, in sleeplessness, in hunger, in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in genuine love, in the word of truth, and in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left, by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; regarded as deceivers and yet true; as unknown and yet well known, as dying and yet behold, we are alive; as punished and
yet not put to death, as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing and yet possessing all things.”
Let's continue Pastor Herk's message on suffering for Christ in the next post.
In Christ, Brian
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