Suffering for Being a Christian
12Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. 13But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 14If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. 16However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. 17For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18And,
"If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?"[a]
19So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.
-Read through the verse twice and see what stands out to you
Ben's Observations:
-Verse 12 is great! You can hear Peter saying.. "What did you expect? "Of course you are going to suffer because you are connected to Christ!"
- The cool thing about Jesus is that he is not hypocritical - Christ suffered far worse than any of us will. He doesn't ask us to do something he hasn't done himself.
-Verse 15 cautions us... If you are a believer and you are suffering - it is not necessarily just because you are believer.. Example: If your teacher gives you a detention for talking in class - you are not suffering because of Christ - you are suffering because you didn't keep your mouth shut. :)
- God has given us the Holy Spirit to live in us and help us through the suffering.
- And guess what we know how it ends! In the end we get to share in the Glory of God. Although our time here on earth may be hard - we will be free from suffering for all eternity!
Tell me what you think:
1. Do you think you suffer because you have committed your life to Christ?
2. How do you think the Holy Spirit helps us withstand the persecution or suffering?
3. Why do we experience suffering? If we are Christ followers shouldn't our life be easy?
I want to hear your Thoughts:
Leave a comment - Answer the questions
- Shoot me an email
bjacobson2@gmail.com
Have a great day and Stay Tuned!
I like the site Ben. Got it on the church website too under social media and leadership. Also put it on my blog.
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