Thursday, November 14, 2024

           Most people do not wish to suffer.  Practically nobody longs for a chance to suffer. But suffering is real.  And it comes in a variety of forms.  There can be physical suffering for sure.  Accidents, injuries and disease can leave us in painful states and ways. We can even suffer emotionally or mentally during times of grief, stress or anxiousness.  Suffering Is a theme in the Bible.  Remember Jesus suffered on the cross for the sins of the world.  The prophets often suffered rejection, ridicule and humiliation by an unbelieving community.  In Acts, the apostles would suffer for their faith in Jesus.  The first martyr of the Christian faith is found in Acts.  His name was Stephen.  He boldly professed his trust in Christ and even prayed that the Lord would not hold his stoning against those who did it (you can read his incredible story in Acts 6:8-8:1).
            Acts 5 records the arrest and persecution of the apostles.  When an angel of the Lord opened their prison cell doors at night to free them, this same angel directed the apostles to “go stand in the temple courts and tell the people all about this new life” (Acts 5:20).  A bit later in Acts 5, the apostles were flogged and ordered neither to speak about the name of Jesus nor to preach about Him.  Luke recorded the reaction of the apostles at the end of Acts 5.  We read, “The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah” (Acts 5:41-42). 
            The apostles were thankful that they could suffer for the Name—that being Jesus and His gospel.  There are occasions where we may suffer for our faith.  We may be dismissed, marginalized or misunderstood.  We may have to take an unpopular and even unshared stand at times.  We may find that we suffer some unexpected consequences from our stand for Christ, truth and the way of the cross.  History is replete with examples of men and women who suffered for their faith.  Dietrich Bonhoeffer is one such example from World War 2.  We can also point to sisters Corrie and Betsy Ten Boom from the moment in history.  When faced with the choice of compromising their faith in Christ in the face of Nazi pressure and demands, these faithful believers chose suffering and/or death over the shame or turning their backs on Christ.
            We have some guidance in the Bible for how to resist the attacks of the enemy and his forces.  Ephesians 6 speaks about wearing the full armor of God and standing strong for Him (Ephesians 6:10-18). Surround yourself with truth, righteousness, peace, prayer and God’s Word.  In Philippians 1:27, Paul wrote, “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.”  That word “whatever” would mean in times of tranquility and suffering…in moments of testing and strife as well as victory and peace.  Remain the same man or woman in Christ no matter what may be raging around you.  Resist the temptation to step back or step away from the Lord and His ways.
            At the end of the Bible, Revelation says, “This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people” (13:10c).  James 1:2 says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters whenever you face trials of many kinds.”  Note the wording is “when” and not if.  James goes on to encourage us by saying that “the testing of your faith produces perseverance” (James 1:3).  Like the apostles did in Acts, we can embrace suffering—not necessarily because we enjoy or welcome it but because the Lord is glorified by our endurance and even uses suffering for the growth and advancement of our faith in Him.  We also recognize that we do not face strife or suffering alone.  The Lord has promised to be with His people even to the end of this age.  Call upon Him for sufficient grace as Paul did for the unmovable thorn in the flesh that he suffered.  In Acts, the Lord gave both courage and words to His apostles as they stood in the face of the religious establishment and the power of the empire.  We can always commit our trials and sufferings to the Lord and ask Him to redeem them for His glory and our good.  Have a great Thursday!