“SUFFERING FOR CHRIST?”

Monday, August 22nd, 2022

By Rev. Mark Muckler

SCRIPTURE

18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.20 Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. – John 15:18-20

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. – Matthew 16:24

THOUGHTS TO PONDER

According to Christianity Today, “Every day, 13 Christians worldwide are killed because of their faith. Every day, 12 churches or Christian buildings are attacked. And every day, 12 Christians are unjustly arrested or imprisoned, and another 5 are abducted.” So what does it mean for us to suffer for being a Christian, a Pastor, a minister of the Gospel? I have to admit, hearing that we as Christians are called to suffer is NOT a concept we hear too often, let alone one that we are willing to readily accept.

What might Jesus have meant when He said these words, as written in Matthew chapter 16 … “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. – Matthew 16:24. Might we actually have to suffer for our faith? For some of us, yes. Some people live their lives in such a way that they’re willing to DIE for what they believe. They call them martyrs. Tradition says ALL but one of the disciples, John, were martyred for their faith. I’ve heard it said that “these disciples risked their lives to speak out about what they had NO DOUBTS about -- that Jesus had risen from the dead, proving that he was everything he claimed to be... the Son of God.”

In Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s book The Cost of Discipleship, he writes, “above all, grace is costly, because it was costly to God." It “costs” us something to follow Christ. Our Lord, Jesus Christ, was rejected, despised, mocked, persecuted, beaten, whipped, and nailed to a cross to die. The world did not accept Him. There are times when we as Christians suffer opposition and persecution for our faith because we live in a fallen world. We live in a fallen world that desperately needs the redeeming power of Jesus Christ our Risen Lord. Just because we are Christian does NOT mean that there won’t be seasons of suffering in our lives. The Bible actually promises us persecution and suffering for our faith. The world in which we live today is in rebellion against God. The World hates God, and when He came as a man in the person of Jesus Christ, the world responded by killing him. Jesus promised us that the world would treat us the way it treated him.

I was reading recently that, the first Christ followers consistently experienced suffering, in Jerusalem (Acts 8:1), Galatia (Gal. 3:4), Philippi (Phil. 1:29), Thessalonica (1 Thess. 2:14), and Asia Minor (1 Peter 4:12). The Apostle Paul went through horrible suffering, as did the other apostles as we read through the Book of Acts. Paul was quite confident in saying this was to be expected by everyone who follows Jesus (2 Tim. 3:12).

In the Book of Acts from the point of Paul’s conversion, we remember that Paul’s life was threatened in Damascus (Acts 9:23). His life was threatened again in Jerusalem (Acts 9:29). He was Persecuted and run out of Antioch in Pisidia (Acts 13:50). He faced potential stoning at Iconium. Acts 14:5. He was stoned and left for dead in Lystra (Acts 14:19). He was opposed and made the center of controversy (Acts 15:11). And He experienced the loss of his close friend and co-missionary, Barnabas (Acts 15:39). He was imprisoned (Acts 16:19-24). And many others persecuted him as well.

Nonetheless, Paul’s conversion experience was so profound and his faith was so strong that he was willing to GO to great lengths to share his faith with anyone who would listen. He was willing to travel to just about anywhere. And yet, he suffered for his beliefs. He was even beaten, imprisoned, and eventually, was willing to give his life to bear witness to the grace of God which he knew to be true. The Apostle Paul was willing to subject himself to suffering for the cause for which he so deeply believed in.

For some of us, we just might be called to suffer. Suffering is quite characteristic of the normal part of Christian life today. Remember, the world didn’t accept Jesus either. They persecuted Him, They mocked Him, They tortured Him. And they crucified Him on a cross. But ALL not without purpose or cause, that is, to bring a message of salvation for all those who would have ears to hear.

FOR FURTHER REFLECTION

Now surely most of us don’t experience the severe, life-threatening persecution as most of the apostles did way back when, or even those serving as missionaries in other parts of the world. Thankfully we live in a country where we are free to worship Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We are free to read and study our bibles and talk about our faith in Jesus Christ. But even so, here in the United States, clergy experience suffering in our own personal ways in our own contexts of ministry. It begs the question of us, as we reflect upon the apostle Paul, and the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, “How much are we willing to sacrifice for our faith?”

If we believe that we, as Christ followers, will inevitably suffer for our beliefs (whether it be a belief in a Triune God, or in the authority of Scripture, or in the life-death-and resurrection of Christ, or in the mission of Christ’s Church, or about the ways in which we worship, etc…), then what is our response when we face opposition, criticism, and persecution in whatever ways it presents itself? How are you coping and dealing with it? Many clergy do leave the ministry because it’s tough. (Again, nearly 40% of pastors contemplated leaving the ministry in 2021, according to the Barnabas Institute). The call to pastoral ministry isn’t for the faint of heart.

So why might one continue to serve in ministry? Why might a pastor endure such persecution, and even knowingly subject themselves to it? … Hopefully, because they've heard a clear calling from the Lord to serve in such a way as this. And hopefully they're still in ministry because, like Paul, the Lord has been made real to them in such a way, whereas they simply MUST go about sharing their testimony of His mercy and grace wherever and to whomever would listen.

Friends, be encouraged to remember the Apostle Paul and his testimony. The experience of the Divine power of God on the Damascus Road was so profound for Paul that it transformed his life. He no longer persecuted followers of “The Way”, but he became a follower himself. As a new convert, he was willing to share the Good News at all cost. Again, “above all, grace is costly, because it was costly to God.”

Be encouraged to stand firm in the faith, at all cost. Take time to recall that still small voice of God that has first called you into a personal relationship with Christ. And only then, might you embrace and live into this wondrous and yet mysterious calling to share Christ’s love with the world. Our suffering as Christians is not without purpose. Your suffering as a pastor, is not without purpose. Our suffering for Christ can’t compare with what He suffered for each of us. Our living and even our dying “in Christ” can bear witness to the Love of God today and for generations, even long after we’re gone. Let us continue to persevere under trial, acknowledging the power and presence of God, and remaining faithful to the end. “For if we are to share in His Divine glory, we must also share in His suffering. Yet what we suffer now, is nothing compared to the glory He will reveal to us later.” (Romans 8:17-18).

Our hope here at Harvest Stone Ministries, is to encourage you, support you, pray for you, and represent Christ in such a way where you are renewed and empowered to live into this gloriously wonderful and yet mysterious calling we know as pastoral ministry. May God be glorified in all our lives, today, and always. – Amen.

PRAYER

Dear Lord, thank you for this glorious, and wonderfully mysterious calling. As You have called me to serve, may I not forget Your great love for me. I pray, O Lord, that You would strengthen my testimony. Grant me courage to stand firm in the face of opposition. May I stand firm in the truths as revealed in Your Word. I pray that the enemy would have no place in my life, no place in our marriages, or families, or homes, or ministries. Protect ALL minsters of the Gospel from all persecution in whichever way it presents itself. And when it does, grant us the wisdom to recognize the enemy at work. May we know that You, Jesus, have overcome the enemy, and that in You and in Your strength, we CAN do all things. Grant us the courage to face the future unafraid. May our lives be a reflection of Your mercy and grace. And may You and You alone be glorified in all that we say and do. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. – AMEN

RESOURCE/APPLICATION

When you face opposition, and persecution, be slow to speak and quick to listen. And if necessary, be willing to move wherever and whenever the Lord may say to go.

Be encouraged to take time for yourself. Unplug, disconnect, get away if you need to, and reflect upon God’s call upon your life and the love of Christ that so captured you when you first heard the Lord’s voice.

[1] Bonhoeffer, Dietrich Discipleship: Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, Vol 4. Fortress Press, Minneapolis, 2003.