This is not a passage...
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This is not a passage we want to happen to us. We are so comfortable in our padded pews on Sunday and we go home to nice cozy homes after service and throughout the week (most of us, that is)! Maybe our greatest worry is finding a new job if we have lost ours. Our finances may be a bit tight right now. But are we suffering for our faith? Probably very few are.
When I was on the mission field in Nepal and when I talked with other missionaries, we all had tales of suffering -- maybe not for us, but for those around us. In some countries new converts can be subject to rejection by friends and even family, and maybe even jail, torture and beatings -- and death.
Our experience in Nepal where the Maoist were causing violence was not panic. Just a smile from the people and a shrug, like "what can you do about it? That's the way life is!"
The greatest suffering for my faith that I can recall as a child was when I had a job as a caddy at the golf course. They told me that if I wanted my job I had to be available on Sunday. I would miss church. For some reason they excused Roman Catholics. They said, "Well! They have to go to church!"
Not too many of us -- even missionaries -- are anywhere near suffering what our Lord suffered.
If we are travelers we sometimes get warnings that some tourists have even been arrested. It may not have been for their faith, but for the country to which we belong. But in some Muslim countries we could be persecuted for some minor infraction of Islamic law of which we might not have been aware. It may give some a tiny bit of the feeling for our text. Very few of us have really known real suffering.
Some nurses, doctors, and schoolteachers in other countries have been persecuted, maybe for just being American, but some have suffered if they were caught explaining their faith. Even an act of kindness can sometimes be interpreted as a means of drawing someone to our faith and away from their own.
The average church member today can only pray for those who are suffering for their faith.
Yes, we may have problems with family members who differ in their faith or practice in some way. Maybe we can't get our mate to come to church with us. Maybe our grown children give us a hard time -- especially when we inquire if our grandchildren will be baptized soon. What about work on Sunday? Our problems may not be life threatening, but they are important to us.
The comforting words of our Lord tell us that after a while God will restore us in his grace and help us to stand firm in our faith. Be patient the time will come. He will overcome the devil for us if we stand firm. Don't give up!
When I was on the mission field in Nepal and when I talked with other missionaries, we all had tales of suffering -- maybe not for us, but for those around us. In some countries new converts can be subject to rejection by friends and even family, and maybe even jail, torture and beatings -- and death.
Our experience in Nepal where the Maoist were causing violence was not panic. Just a smile from the people and a shrug, like "what can you do about it? That's the way life is!"
The greatest suffering for my faith that I can recall as a child was when I had a job as a caddy at the golf course. They told me that if I wanted my job I had to be available on Sunday. I would miss church. For some reason they excused Roman Catholics. They said, "Well! They have to go to church!"
Not too many of us -- even missionaries -- are anywhere near suffering what our Lord suffered.
If we are travelers we sometimes get warnings that some tourists have even been arrested. It may not have been for their faith, but for the country to which we belong. But in some Muslim countries we could be persecuted for some minor infraction of Islamic law of which we might not have been aware. It may give some a tiny bit of the feeling for our text. Very few of us have really known real suffering.
Some nurses, doctors, and schoolteachers in other countries have been persecuted, maybe for just being American, but some have suffered if they were caught explaining their faith. Even an act of kindness can sometimes be interpreted as a means of drawing someone to our faith and away from their own.
The average church member today can only pray for those who are suffering for their faith.
Yes, we may have problems with family members who differ in their faith or practice in some way. Maybe we can't get our mate to come to church with us. Maybe our grown children give us a hard time -- especially when we inquire if our grandchildren will be baptized soon. What about work on Sunday? Our problems may not be life threatening, but they are important to us.
The comforting words of our Lord tell us that after a while God will restore us in his grace and help us to stand firm in our faith. Be patient the time will come. He will overcome the devil for us if we stand firm. Don't give up!
