Persecution identifies you with Christ and as one of His own, as nothing else does. It’s one thing to claim we belong to Him; it’s another to endure persecution for His name’s sake. Being persecuted is not a punishment for lack of faith, as some have proffered. It is not the judgment of God upon those who have not embraced the prosperity doctrine or those who haven’t sown seeds in a particular televangelist’s ministry. Persecution serves to test our faith; it is something we should expect to encounter at some point because chances are we will. No matter how far removed one might be from the reality of persecution currently, it must be an ever-present expectation if they are truly denying themselves, picking up their crosses, and following after Him.
Light wars against darkness. Righteousness is an offense to
sin. Those who pursue Christ turn their backs on the world, and from that point
forward, the world sees them as mortal enemies. The only way to be embraced by
the world is to be like the world; if we are like the world, then we are not as
Christ would have us to be.
Whatever we are called upon to endure for Christ’s sake is
temporary. The reward for having endured, however, is eternal. Jesus didn’t try
to sugarcoat what they would have to go through. He told them they would have
to go through tribulation, some would be thrown into prison, and some would
have to endure unto death. He wanted those of the church of Smyrna to be fully
aware of what to expect so they would prepare accordingly.
The only thing holding back the whole counsel of God
accomplishes is to create bitterness in the hearts of those who expected to
live carefree lives of warm breezes and umbrella drinks only to be confronted
with suffering and persecution. You’re not doing anyone any favors by omitting
the reality of likely persecution during their walk. On the contrary, since
they’ve not been forewarned, they are not forearmed; they are not prepared to
endure and, therefore, will find reasons and excuses to deny Christ and
obfuscate the truth in the hope of being spared.
Those of the early church, those who suffered and were
martyred for the sake of Christ, didn’t have death wishes. They didn’t go
looking to be devoured by lions or dipped in tar and lit ablaze for Nero’s
entertainment, but they didn’t shy away from it either. They did not love their
lives to the death, and were able to endure faithfully, being examples of
faithfulness and courage from age to age.
If Christ had not warned that some of them would have to
endure to death, or if they had not heeded His warning, they would have
faltered in their walk, waned in their commitment, and oscillated in their
faithfulness. They knew what to expect just as we should know what to expect,
and when we see it, we will not flinch away but be reassured in the knowledge
that the One who foresaw our season of trial foresaw the testimonies that would
arise from it, and the crowns of life He would be handing out.
Faithfulness is a choice. Enduring to the end is a choice.
You can pray for strength and boldness, but you must choose to remain steadfast
and resolute in the face of the enemy’s onslaught.
1 Peter 4:12-14, “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning
the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to
you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that
when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are
reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and
of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is
glorified.”
Strangely, so few have picked up on how contrary modern-day
teaching is to the words of the Bible and how seldom we take the warnings we
read within its pages to heart. It’s as though the average Christian does not
have access to the Word or cannot perceive the words written therein. It’s
simply written and does not require any advanced degree to understand its
meaning, but we would rather believe men over the Bible because the words of
men are soothing and comforting to the flesh, and we think that somehow we will
be able to plead ignorance of the truth when we stand before the Almighty.
Peter wasn’t trying to be a hype man. He wasn’t trying to
sell a product, insisting that he, too, used it every day and that for a
limited time, you could get a great deal on whatever he was selling. It’s not
as though encouraging people to suffer well would have mass appeal or open doors
for him heretofore barred and locked. He was sharing his lived experience, the
things he went through, and the aftereffects of having gone through them.
Enduring suffering or persecution is not a pointless exercise
with no noticeable benefit. They are not hoops we jump through for God’s
entertainment or things we experience for no practical reason. As one who had
gone through fiery trials and partook of Christ’s sufferings, Peter testifies
that His glory was not far behind. He echoes Paul’s words that the suffering of
this present time is not worthy to be compared with the glory that will be
revealed in us.
If we desire the glory of Christ, we must not shy away from
partaking in the sufferings of Christ. The one opens up the way for the other.
We may want the glory without the testing of our faith, we may want the glory
without enduring, but Peter insists that suffering well is what activates the
glory, and if we partake in the one, we will have access to the other.
When our focus is shifted from the things of this earth to the things above, when we are no longer living for the present but for the life to come, then whatever we might have to endure in the flesh will seem a small price to pay, something insignificant when compared with the reward our faithfulness will produce.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea, Jr.
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