Must Christians Suffer?
Let us take a study on this
Let us start with Acts 5:41, which says,
"And they departed from the presence of the council, REJOICING that they were counted worthy to SUFFER (suffer what?) SHAME for his name .
Philippians 1:29,30, says,
“For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not ONLY to believe on him, but ALSO to SUFFER for his sake; Having the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.”
2 Timothy 3:11,
"What persecutions I endured, but out of them ALL the Lord DELIVERED me."
Matthew 24:9 tells us that,
“They shall deliver you up to be AFFLICTED and shall kill you: and you shall be hated of all nation for my name’s sake.”
Matthew 5: 11 says
“Blessed are you when MEN shall REVILE and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad: for great is your reward in heaven.”
“revile” means to defame or abuse with language that is disgraceful, reproachful, or shameful. People will say things about you that simply are not the truth.
Take a look at 1 Corinthians 4:12 which says,
“And labor working with our own hand: being reviled, (how do we respond?) we BLESS, being persecuted (how do we respond?) we SUFFER it: being defamed, (how do we respond?) we ENTREAT it.”
Revelation 2:10 tells to,
“Fear NONE of those things which you shall SUFFER; behold the DEVIL shall cast some of you into prison, that you may be tried”
Notice that it is the devil that brought the persecution.
Romans 8:31 says,
“If God be for us who can be against us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall TRIBULATION or DISTRESS or PERSECUTION or FAMINE or NAKEDNESS or PERIL or SWORD? NAY, (or as we would say today, Not a chance! No way!) But in ALL these things we are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ”.
Let us not jump into conclusions from the above scripture verses but let us carefully compare scriptures with scriptures to get out the truth (scripture analysis)
According to Wikkipedia, Persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another individual or group. An American dictionary defines persecution as to oppress UNJUSTLY, to harass, to treat severely, and to trouble.
Jesus, Paul, the apostles, and the early church all SUFFERED persecution. Therefore should we also as Christians shall SUFFER PERSECUTION from time to time?
God is no respecter of persons, he will always be faithful to honor his word, and what he did for Paul and the early church God will also do for us (Christians on earth now).
2 Timothy 3:12 says it like this,
“Yea and ALL that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer (Again suffer what?) PERSECUTION.”
Jesus also tells us in John 15:20 that,
“If they have persecuted me, then they will also PERSECUTE you(Believers/Christians).”
In the gospel of John 16:33 Jesus says,
“In the world you (Believers/Christians) will have tribulation, BUT be of GOOD CHEER for I have OVERCOME (conquered) the world”.
Then Jesus tells us in Luke 21:12 that,
“ They shall lay hands on you(follower of Christ/Christians) and (what) PERSECUTE you, delivering you up to the synagogues and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my names sake. And it shall turn to you for a testimony.”
So then, the Bible makes it perfectly clear from these scriptures which we have just read that we as Christians that there are going to be times that we are going to SUFFER things like persecution and temptations. Yes, there are times in our lives that we must endure SUFFERING for the Lord.
Now if we know that we are going to suffer persecution, then it would be beneficial to know the attitudes we should put on in order to overcome in this persecution. Likewise it would be wise for us to know what things fall under this category of persecution.
Overcoming Attitudes - Attitudes to put on while passing through suffering
“But REJOICE, inasmuch as you are partakers of Christ’s SUFFERINGS; that when his glory shall be revealed you may be glad also with exceeding joy.”“Blessed are you when MEN shall REVILE and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad: for great is your reward in heaven.”
Paul tells us in Philippians 4:4 to REJOICE in the Lord always, and then reinforces it by saying AGAIN I say REJOICE.
We are told in 1 Peter 2:23 that when Jesus was reviled,
“He reviled not again, and when he suffered, he threatened not; but rather he committed himself to God.”
The Bible tells us in Romans 12:21 that we are to overcome evil with good.
1Peter 4:14, which says,
“If you be REPROACHED for the name of Christ, HAPPY ARE YOU, for the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you: on their part he (speaking of Jesus) is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.”
Isaiah 26:3,4 says,
“You will keep him in PERFECT PEACE whose mind is STAYED on you, because he trusts in you, Trust you in the Lord forever, for the Lord Jehovah is EVERLASTING STRENGTH.”
James 1:2,3 tells us to do this when temptation comes.
“My brethren COUNT it all joy when you fall into divers temptations KNOWING this that the trying of your FAITH works patience.”
This is what Jesus did when they crucified him.
Look at Luke 20:34 which says,
“Father FORGIVE them: for they know not what they do”
“But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them hat curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despite-fully use you, and persecute you.”
Note: the Word of God (Bible) assures us that God will deliver us out of them ALL.
Look at 2 Corinthians 1:3,4.
“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of ALL COMFORT. Who comforts us in ALL our TRIBULATIONS, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.”
However, if we stop right here with our study of God’s word concerning the “Attitude of God” toward suffering, then our adversary, the devil, can use these very same scriptures against us by twisting them and taking them out of context.
Things Christians are to suffer
ADVERSITY--- something that opposes. It is opposite or different in view. [Hebrews 13:3; Psalm 94:13, 13:7]AFFLICTIONS--- to give continued pain in body or mind. [1Peter 5:9; Mark 4:17; 2 Corinthians 2:4, 4:7, 8:2, 1:6; Philippians 1:6, 4:14; Matthew 24:9; James 1:27, 4:9, 5:10,13, Hebrews 10:32-34, 11:25,37; 2Timothy 4:5, 3:11, 1:8; 1 Thessalonians 3:37, 1:6; ]
BONDS, JAIL, or PRISON--- a confinement. [Ephesians 6:20; Philippians 1:13,14,16; Acts 20:23,24, 26:29,31; Colossians 4:3,18; Hebrews 10:34, 13:30]
CONFLICT--- a struggle, clash, disagreement or opposition [1 Peter 1:2]
DISTRESSES--- extreme pain, mental or physical, to cause pain or anguish, to harass or cause suffering. [Romans 8:35; 2 Corinthians 6:4, 12:10; 1 Thessalonians 3:7]
FAMINE--- a shortage, to hunger. [Romans 8:35]
FASTING--- purposely doing without to cause suffering. [Acts 10:30, 14:23, 27:33; 1 Corinthians 7:5; 2 Corinthians 6:5, 11:27]
GRIEF--- anguish of heart. [1 Peter 2:19]
INFIRMITIES--- is not strong, weakness, feeble, bodily weakness, failing. [Romans 6:9, 8:26, 15:1; 2 Corinthians 11:30; 2 Corinthians 12:5,9,10; Galatians 4:13; Hebrews 4:15, 5:2, 7:28]
LABORS--- physical or mental exertion of a practical nature, to be hampered, to burden. [2 Corinthians 6:5, 10:15, 11:23; Colossians 1:29, 4:12; 1 Thessalonians 2:9; 2 Thessalonians 3:8]
NAKEDNESS--- without clothing or covering. [Romans 8:35; 1 Corinthians 4:11; 2 Corinthians 11:27]
NECESSITIES--- pressing need, urgency, and poverty. [1 Corinthians 9:16, 2 Corinthians6:4, 12:10
PERILS--- danger, hazard, exposure to injury, harm, or loss. [Romans 8:35; 2 Corinthians 11:26 2 Timothy 3:1]
PERSECUTIONS--- to oppose unjustly for holding a belief or an opinion, to harass. [Acts 13:50, 14:2, 8:1, 11:19; Romans 8:5, 12:14; Matthew 5:11,14, 10:21, 5:10; Mark 4:17, 10:30; Luke 21:12; John 15:20; 1 Corinthians 4:12; 2 Corinthians 4:9, 12:10; 2 Thessalonians 1:4; 2 Timothy 3:11,12]
REPROACHES--- object of scorn, to rebuke, to upbraid, to find fault with. [1 Timothy 4:10, 3:7; Luke 6:22,23; 1 Peter 4:14; 2 Corinthians 12:10; Hebrews 11:26, 13:13, 10:33]
REVILE--- defame, to abuse with opprobrious language. [Romans 8:35; 2 Corinthians 4:12; 1 Peter 2:23]
SAWED ASUNDER--- cut up into pieces [Hebrews 11:37]
STONED--- to throw stones at to cause injury or death. [Acts 5:25, 7:58,59, 14:5,9; 2 Corinthians 11:25; Hebrews 11:37]
STRIPES--- severe whipping [Acts 16:23, 33; 2 Corinthians 6:5, 11:23,24; 1 Peter 2:24]
SWORD--- causing death. [Romans 8:35; Acts 12:2; Hebrews 11:37]
TEMPTATIONS---causing mental anguish, enticement to do that which you do not desire to do. [Matthew 26:41; Luke 8:13, 22:40,46; 1 Corinthians 10:9,13; Galatians 4:4; 1 Timothy 6:9; Hebrews 2:18, 4:15, 11:37; James 1:2,12,13,14; 1 Peter 1:6; 2 Peter 2:9]
TRIALS--- testing, affliction, proving. [2 Corinthians 8:2; Hebrews 11:36, 1 Peter 1:7, 4:12; trying James 1:3; try 1 Peter 4:12, Revelation 3:10]
TRIBULATIONS--- severe affliction, prolonged suffering especially of mind. [Acts 14:22; Ephesians 3:13; Romans 5:3, 8:35, 12:12; 2 Corinthians 1:4, 7:4; 1 Thessalonians 3:4, 2 Thessalonians 1:4]
TROUBLE--- to stir up, to vex, to distress, to bother, to feel anxiety. [Acts15:24, 16:20; John 14:27; 2 Corinthians 1:4,8, 4:8, 7:5; Galatians 1:7, 5:12; Hebrews 12:15; 2 Thessalonians 1:6,7; 2 Timothy 2:9]
TUMULTS--- commotion as of a crowd, mental disturbance, uproarious. [2 Corinthians 6:5, 12:20]
WATCHING---prayer. [2 Corinthians 6:5, 11:27; Ephesians 6:18]
Note: Please Note all these things listed above even though we suffer them the are never and will never be God will for us. God will for us is perfection (freedom from lack, hunger, sufferings, labours etc)
Source: www.faithsuccess.tk, www.faithsuccess.org
Things Christians are not to suffer
Sickness - He took away our infirmities - Isaiah (read more on 101 things God said about healing)Pains - Isaiah 53: 4-5
Diseases - Isaiah 53: 4-5
Accidents - Isaiah 53: 4-5, God want us to be in health and prosper even our souls prosper. 3John 2
Suffer for Wrongdoings - Christians are to be blameless, we are not to suffer for wrongdoings, we are the light of the world and we ought to display a good character and bring glory to his name rather than bringing shame to his name by dong wrong(hatred, stealing, lies, cheating, murder, fornication, adultery, gossip etc)
Natural Disasters - earthquake, hurricane, Storms etc
Note: “natural disasters” are often blamed on God. These awful devastating things are many times falsely called “acts of God”. Christians have wrongly taken this as act of God. NO this is not the will of God for you. God will for you is to be in health. Satan is the source of all evil on earth, mistaken as the attitude of God, because scriptures are often misquoted or taken out of context
Conclusion - Must Christians Suffer?
So the answer to the question is YES AND NOYES - Christians are to suffer persecutions, labour, trouble, tumults etc
NO - Christians are not to suffer sickness, diseases, pains etc
Prayer/Confession
Thank you Lord for your word that has come to bring light to my soul (The entrance of thy word bringeth light and understanding to the simple) i have known your will and will suffer with you so that I can also Glory with you. I refuse to suffer unduly for lack of knowlege/my personal foolishness. Thank you Jesus for your grace upon my life. AmenSource: www.faithsuccess.tk, www.faithsuccess.org
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