While You Wait: Seven Things to Do

Waiting, whether we are waiting for the outcome of a job interview or medical exam, can be a worrisome time. However, our waiting doesn’t have to be full of anxiety, we can make it a life-transforming season of advancement, i.e. a time in which we grow in our intimate and reciprocal relationship with God and others within the Body of Christ (the Church). Here are seven things that you and I can do while we wait:

1.      Pray (“What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer.”). Let’s devote ourselves to prayer (Colossians 4:2), and let us seek God’s guidance and ask Him to renew our strength (Psalm 32:8; Isaiah 40:28-31). 

2.      Ask for Godly counsel from close friends, church leaders, mentors, parents (or parent figures in your life)—Proverbs 11:14. 

3.      Read God’s Word and think how the truths learned can transform your life. The S.P.A.C.E.P.E.T.S. are useful here. Take one or two of them and ask yourself: “Is there is any: a) Sin to confess? b) Promise to keep? c) Attitude to change? d) Command to Obey? e) Example to follow? f) Prayer to offer?  g) Error to avoid? h) Truth to believe? i) Something to thank God for?” (2 Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 4:12-13).

4.      Trust God’s sovereignty (Recognize that all that’s happening to you works for your good and is intended to bring glory to God!—Romans 8:28-31). 

5.      Thank God in everything. In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, the apostle Paul encourages us with these words: “In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” (NASB). When we go through tough times or as we wait for next door to open, we are not alone. The Lord is with us and we know this because He has promised to be with us no matter what happens (Hebrews 13:5b; Joshua 1:5b). 

6.      Journal or blog the lessons the Lord is teaching you. We tend to forget the great things God has done for us in the past. When we face our Goliath, we should reminds ourselves of the lessons the Lord taught us while we dealt with the lion and the bear. Past victories inspire us to fight current and future battles and journals or blogs are great places to go back to for reminders (c.f. 1 Samuel 17:37). 

7.      Do the things you normally do that draw you closer to God, e.g. hangout with friends and family, attend church and Bible study, and seek for service opportunities inside and outside of the local church (1 Corinthians 10:31; Hebrews 10:24-25).

Note: Please leave a comment if the article was helpful to you or if you have any questions. Blessings!

God's Hope is non-disappointing!

At the beginning of this year, I asked the Lord for one word that I could focus on in 2015. The word He impressed upon my heart was HOPE.  Interestingly, during the last weekend of January, at Global Impact (a mission’s conference held at one of the churches in Oklahoma City), I felt as though the Lord has confirmed it.  Each of the church   kids got FAITH, HOPE and LOVE stamped in their “passports,” at various ministry tables in the Gym. The table I manned was assigned the HOPE stamp. After the conference, the children’s director let me keep the stamp (pictured) as a reminder of God’s Word for the year :)
 

In my desire to be God’s instrument of bringing hope to those experiencing difficult situations, I searched the Scriptures to find the word, “HOPE.”  Two Scripture verses kept coming to mind. They were Jeremiah 29:11 and Romans 5:5:

• “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11, New Living Translation). 

•   “Such hope [in God’s promises] never disappoints us, because God’s love has been abundantly poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5:5, Amplified Bible). 

A reflection on God’s hope, especially in terms of its non-disappointing nature is encouraging. The Greek Word, “καταισχύνω,” (kataischuno) used for “never disappoints us,” in Romans 5:5, can also be translated to:

1. “Does not disgrace us”
2. “Does not put us to shame.”

According to Biblehub.com, there are 13 occurrences of the word (kataischuno) in the New Testament. I am thankful that God’s hope will not put us to shame or lead to disappointment.  Other kinds of hopes are empty and will disappoint, dishonor and disgrace us.

God’s hope is non-disappointing because it is found in Jesus through the Spirit and it empowers us to keep going when the going gets tough. For instance, when God closes a door we don’t lose hope in Him because we know from His Word that He keeps His promises. One of His promises is “He opens doors and no one can shut them; He shuts doors, and no one can open them.” (Revelation 33:7b).  Another great promise is that His plans are for our good—they are to give us a hope and a future (cf. Jeremiah 29:11).
 

Hope works hand in hand with faith and love in that “faith goes up the stairs that love has built and looks out the windows which hope has opened.” (Charles Spurgeon).  It is my hope and prayer that we will allow God’s love to be poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit. It is only when this happens that we will understand the width, the length, the height, and the depth of God’s love for us (cf. Romans 5:5 and Ephesians 3:16-19). Such an understanding will enable us to overcome disappointment that sometimes arises from unforeseen situations. Let us always remember that hope in the Lord does not disappoint us, even though we may be disappointed by certain circumstances or some of the people around us. What a blessing to know that we can count on the Lord to lift us up! In fact, the Apostle Peter’s exhortation reminds us of this:

“So, humble yourselves under God’s strong hand, and in His own good time He will lift you up. You can throw the whole weight of your anxieties upon Him, for you are His personal concern.”

(1 Peter 5:6-7, J.B. Phillips New Testament)
 

One British Baptist preacher, known as “the Prince of Preachers,” saw the role of hope in adverse times. He indicated that “hope itself is like a star, not to be seen in the sunshine of prosperity, and only to be discovered in the night of adversity.” (Charles Spurgeon).  At such times, therefore, the non-disappointing hope of God is evident. As long as we have Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we can continue to have hope even when we face difficult situations.
 

We cannot stop disappointing times from knocking on our door, but when they do, we should learn to ask for the Lord’s help.  When our expectations are not fulfilled, or we lose a job or our health, we sometimes have no idea what is going on. It is at those moments that we need God’s wisdom and discernment to know if what we are facing are wake-up calls or growth moments for us. Does the Lord want us to realize that we have been leaning on disappointing hope (s) or is He using what has transpired to refine us and use our circumstance for our good and for His glory?
 

Not matter what our situation maybe, let us be encouraged to rely upon our God whose hope does not disappoint us. Let us not be like the people in the day of prophet Jeremiah who had committed two sins:

1. They forsook the Lord, the Fountain of Living Water, and
2. They dug for themselves cisterns that hold no water at all. (cf. Jeremiah 2:13)

Broken cisterns are like disappointing hopes, but the Lord our God, the Fountain of Living Water, is our non-disappointing hope. Let us choose wisely and act accordingly. God bless!

 

 

Dealing with Discouragement

Last year, I experienced a very discouraging occurrence that made me feel as though the whole world came crashing down around me. Providentially, the situation turned out for my good. For instance, as I meditated on the Scriptures, I sought to apply God's Word to what I was facing. One of the ways I did this was developing a lesson on it and teaching it to a Sunday school class.

It has been a great privilege to share what I have learned about Dealing with Discouragement in a couple of other settings. What a joy to share the lesson outline below with you from this platform!  It is my hope and prayer that it will bless your heart. Please feel free to leave a comment or recommend it to others. Thank You!

Dealing with Discouragement

“…Don't be discouraged, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you and help you.

I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

(Isaiah 41:10, NLT)

Introduction

We all face discouraging situations in life from time to time. Since they are sure to come, we should be prepared to cope with them.

Discouragement is not a matter of “if” we will encounter it. It is a matter of “when” it will take place. We must, therefore, be well-equipped to deal with it when it knocks on our door. Oftentimes the thing that discourages us is a disappointment we faced in the past. Sadly, we don’t see beyond our disappointment because we don’t have the skills to defeat it. When disappointment is not dealt with, it breeds discouragement and leads to further disappointment. The following quote helps us see things from the right perspective:

“Sometimes our greatest disappointments today will set us up for God’s greatest appointments tomorrow.”—Lysa Terkerust (Proverbs 31 Ministries).

This study will define the key terms, present seven examples of individuals who handled discouragement well and how their examples parallel or reflect that of Christ Jesus. Last, but not least, the study will close with a summary of the causes of discouragement and their cures or Godly responses.

Definition of Terms

1.      What is discouragement?

Discouragement is a state in which one’s stamina is weakened and his or her interest/zeal is lessened due to some circumstance or occurrence. Simply put, it is the opposite of encouragement.

2.      Why is the way we deal with discouragement crucial to our faith?

The way we deal with discouragement as Christ-followers should be different from the way non-believers do. By God’s grace, at all times, we must endeavor to address it in such a way that it does not inhibit or hamper our effectiveness as servants of the Lord. Here are two conditional responses to discouragement and their results:

a)      If we negatively respond to discouragement, our confidence in the Lord is eroded. We, therefore, must change the picture by looking beyond the discouragement (e.g. King Jehoshaphat demonstrated confidence in the Lord’s presence: “We don’t know what to do but our eyes are on you” (2 Chronicles 20:12). 

b)     If we positively deal with discouragement, our effectiveness as the Lord’s servants is heightened.  For instance, when our faith is under pressure, it results in our spiritual development and maturity:

“Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way” (James 1:2-4, The Message—MSG—a paraphrase by Eugene H. Peterson).

Examples of Seven Excellent Encouragers in the Bible

There are a number of examples in the Bible of people who were discouraged but handled it well. I refer to each one of them as an “Excellent Encourager.” We will briefly look at seven examples from the Bible. Since the Excellent Encouragers mirror or reflect Jesus’ outstanding example, we will show their parallelism with Christ, our Greatest Example when it comes to dealing with discouragement.

1.      Joseph (Genesis 50:15-21)—convinced that God was with him, Joseph believed that God had a plan and purpose for his life. As a result, Joseph became God’s instrument not only to save the land of Egypt but also the whole nation of Israel, thus seeing a fulfillment of his earlier dreams. His being sold into slavery in Egypt serves to prove the reality of this saying:

“In every pit of Satan, there is a caravan of the Lord on the way.” –Dr. David Seamands. 

In a number of ways, Joseph was a “type of Christ.” In other words, Joseph’s life of purity and integrity point to our Lord and Savior who is the greatest example when it comes to dealing with discouragement that diverse circumstances bring to our lives.

2.      Job (Job 13:15; 19:25)—acknowledged God’s sovereignty in his life and received back more than he had before his trials. His story of suffering answers the question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” His response to suffering teaches us to wait upon the Lord and to persevere even though we may not understand what’s going on. Furthermore, the responses of Job’s friends, as well as that of his wife, miss the point in that they don’t rightly address what Job was going through in his life. Here are two verses that reveal Job’s heart: “Though He slay me, yet I will trust Him,” (13:15) & “…my Redeemer lives…” (19:25).  

Job’s way of dealing with suffering brings to mind how our Lord Jesus, the Pioneer and Finisher of our faith, endured the cross, and despised its shame (cf. Hebrews 12:2). Let’s emulate Job’s example and, most importantly, that of our Lord Jesus, our High Priest, who was tempted in every way as we are yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15). 

3.      Elijah (1 Kings 19:18; James 5:17)—found himself very discouraged after the great contest at Mr. Carmel in which the true God of Israel undisputedly answered with fire and defeated the false gods of Baal. Elijah feared for his life, ran from Jezebel and wanted to die. In fact, he mistakenly thought he was the only one left in Israel that still feared God. He forgot there was God’s remnant and that God still had a plan to fulfill through his life and the lives of those he had mentored.  

Like our Lord Jesus Christ, we find in Elijah a man of fervent prayer and faith. While Jesus went to pray, his disciples went to sleep. Nevertheless, He encouraged them to “watch and pray” so they may not “enter into temptation” and reminded them that “the Spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:36-46, esp. v. 41).

4.      Moses (Exodus 32 & 33)—sought to see the face of God not only physically but also in prayer. As such, Moses was a great intercessor in times of great discouragement. He must have faced a lot of discouraging moments and even felt lonely as a leader. However, he learned to pray and to seek the Lord’s face. Oftentimes, he would take Joshua with him to the Tent of Meeting where he offered most of his intercessory prayers.

Moses, when the Israelites were bitten by poisonous snakes in the desert, lifted a bronze snake and when people looked up at the bronze snake, they lived. Similarly, the Son of Man [Jesus] was lifted up and those who believe in Him have eternal life or live eternally (John 3:14-16). Additionally, Jesus helps us during our discouraging moments. If we turn our eyes on Jesus, as the song says, “the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of glory and grace.” 

5.      David (Psalm 42; Psalm 51:10-13; 1 Samuel 30:1-6)—talked about or revealed what was   going on in his heart during times of distress. Overall, King David encouraged himself on the Lord. 

In the Psalms, David detailed his personal walk with God. For instance, in Psalm 23, he wrote about the Lord as His shepherd. In John 10, Jesus claimed that He was the Good Shepherd who willingly lays down His life for the sheep. Unlike the hireling or false shepherds, Jesus lovingly cares about what we are going through as His followers and that includes when we are discouraged. We should fear no evil because the Lord is with us (cf. Isaiah 41:10).

6.      Nehemiah (Nehemiah 4:19-21; 8:10)—faced a lot of opposition as he rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem. This led to his development of a strategy to deal with discouragement or counter the opposition he faced. Nehemiah’s example is worth emulating.  

One of things Elijah professed in the midst of his difficult situations was this fact: “...the joy of the Lord is my strength.” In the same way, one of the Apostle Paul’s exhortations on this, with reference to Christ, says, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:4-7, NIV)

7.      Paul (Romans 7:22-25; 8:29, 35-39; 2 Corinthians 4:8; 12:8-10; 2 Timothy 4:9-11 )—knew that “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). He was also convinced that nothing could separate Christ-followers from the love of God. No matter what the Apostle Paul went through, he was confident that the Lord was with him and would grant him grace, peace and joy!  

When the Apostle Paul’s friends such as Demas deserted or left him and he felt alone or abandoned, he drew strength from the Lord. Obviously, Paul also found encouragement from other men such as Barnabas, Timothy, Titus, John Mark, etc. It is the Lord Jesus who provides us with other friends while He remains our greatest friend who sticks closer than a brother. The hymn says, “What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God I prayer.” In John 14:6 Jesus stated that no one come to the Father except by Me. When we are discouraged, we can through the mighty name of Jesus ask for encouragement.

Points to Ponder [In Summary]

In order to effectively deal with discouragement, we must not only understand what discouragement is and look over some excellent examples in the Bible, we must also generally know its underlying causes and the Godly responses or courses of action we must take in accordance with God’s Word. 

The Causes of Discouragement

The Cures of Discouragement (or Godly Responses to Discouragement)

1.      Loss (temporary or permanent, e.g. of a loved one, a job, a ministry opportunity, friendship   or   relationship, etc.) 2.      Unfulfilled Expectations (For instance, when things don’t work out as we had anticipated) 3.      Struggle with Sin (e.g. Romans 6:1ff; 7:22-25) 4.      Difficult Situations at work, family, or life in general. 5.      Frustration (esp. when you feel like you’ve hit a brick wall)

1.      Grieve with hope and be willing to receive and give words of comfort and encouragement (1 Thessalonians 4:13; 2 Cor. 1:3-4; Acts 4:36; Phil. 2:4; Romans 14:7-8). 2.      Remember God’s faithfulness, Stand firm on His eternal promises (1 Thess. 5:23-24; 2 Timothy 2:13; 2 Peter 1:4; Jeremiah 29:11-13; Matt. 11:28-29; Isaiah 40:28-31). 3.      Confess Sin and appropriate the Power of the Holy Spirit (1 John 1:8- 2:2; Ephesians 5:18; Zechariah 4:6). 4.      Rejoice always, Pray without ceasing, and in everything Give Thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you           (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). 5.      Acknowledge that God is in control and practice His presence (Prov. 3:5-6).

   

Conclusion: 

Let us consider these two Scripture Passages as we move forward in victory:

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4, NIV)

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ¹³ Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12-14, NIV) 

Stop Doubting and Start Believing!

“Stop doubting and believe.” This is what Jesus told Thomas in John 20:27 as He gave him an opportunity to verify the authenticity of His resurrection. After putting his finger in the nail marks in Jesus’ hands and placing his hand into His side, Thomas exclaimed, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). It was to this response that Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29).

A week earlier, Thomas had doubtfully said, “I will not believe [without proof]” (John 20:25), and in fact, in the Greek text, there is a double negative. In other words, he said, “I positively will not believe.” (The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, NT, 2007, p. 314).  Even though he had seen Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead, he expressed doubt and unbelief about the resurrection of Jesus by his words. To Thomas, “seeing is believing,” and so he sought for proof. Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe’s Commentary distinguishes between Thomas’ doubt and unbelief:

1.       In his doubt, Thomas was saying, “I cannot believe! There are too many problems!”

2.       In his unbelief, however, he was saying, “I will not believe unless you give me the evidence I ask for!” (p. 315)

Even though, He was not present when Thomas expressed his doubt and unbelief, Jesus as the God-man heard him. A week later, Jesus provided Thomas with the necessary proof he needed and hence his doubts and unbelief vanished. Jesus’ interest in and concern for Thomas in spite of his shortcomings lift our spirits:

“It is an encouragement to us to know that the Lord has a personal interest in and concern for ‘Doubting Thomas.’ He wanted to strengthen his faith and include him in the blessings that lay in store for His followers. Thomas reminds us that unbelief robs us of blessings and opportunities.” (The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, NT, p. 315).

If we apply Jesus’ words to Thomas, we will move from unbelief to confidence in our walk with the Lord.  We will also grow in our faith in the Lord and we will not succumb to doubt and unbelief. The apostle James stressed why it is so important to believe and not doubt: “because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.” (James 1:6-7, NIV). Another word for “believe,” is “trust,” and Proverbs 3:5-6 echoes it:

^“5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶ in all your ways submit to him,
    and He will make your paths straight.” (NIV)

There are many circumstances we face these days and we are tempted to doubt the Lord’s plan or His presence in our lives. We must trust in the Lord and heed what He told Thomas, i.e. “stop doubting and believe.”

Your view of the Church will affect your vitality as a follower of Christ

IS THE CHURCH A PARKING LOT OR A LAUNCHING PAD FOR YOU? Your view of the Church will affect your vitality [strength, energy, life] as a follower of Christ! Some have viewed the church as a building, and hence it has become to them a place to visit once or twice a week. Such a view disconnects Sunday from Monday—leading to a bifurcation of reality. If one regards the church rightly as “the body of Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:27), then there is a recognition that there is one body of believers in Jesus who seek to honor Him by our lives. Consequently, each follower of Christ has a dynamic lifestyle and service empowered by the Holy Spirit beyond the four walls of the church building. 

Following a life-changing encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9), the Apostle Paul had a calling on his life to minister to the Gentiles. As a result, he planted many churches to which he visited and sent follow-up letters for their encouragement and equipping. The church that confirmed Paul’s calling, as well as that of Barnabas, was the church at Antioch. It was in this church, where the disciples were first called Christians, that Paul and Barnabas spent a whole year teaching great numbers of people (Acts 11:26). They also had a great ministry establishing new believers in Antioch. The church, then, confirmed their calling, commissioned them, and sent them forth as missionaries (cf. Acts 13:1ff). Antioch, thus, became like a base of operations for them.

Warren W. Wiersbe’s explanation of Acts 15, where we see more open doors for the Gospel, reveals that Paul had a high regard for the Antioch church. Paul’s view of the church had an effect on his sharing of the Good News [Gospel] wherever he went:

For the apostle Paul, the church at Antioch was not a parking lot: it was a launching pad. He could never settle down to a “comfortable ministry” anywhere as long as there were open doors for the preaching of the gospel (The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, NT, Cook Communications Ministries, 2007, p. 372).

This coming Sunday when you go to church (or rather the place where the church meets) remember that you are not simply going to park your car, go into the church building, and be entertained. Instead, you are going to meet other brothers and sisters in Christ, and, primarily, worship the Lord with them. Secondarily, you will seek to encourage others as they encourage you. Will you let the message being preached on Sunday launch you to the mission field outside the walls of “the church”?  

May you and I, as the church, become intensely evangelistic and not stop until we have made disciples of all nations. Discipleship is our Master’s mandate according to Matthew 28:18-20.

 

A Reflection on Prayer on this Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
‘May those who love you be secure.
May there be peace within your walls
    and security within your citadels.’
For the sake of my family and friends,
    I will say, ‘Peace be within you.’ ”

(Psalm 122:6-8, NIV)

Recently, I listened to Dr. David Platt on YouTube preaching about, "The Role of Desperate Prayer in Relenting Wrath.” The sermon challenged me to think about prayer in a different way. Platt tackled God's relenting of wrath based on the intercession of Moses in Exodus 32.

We often wonder why we should pray when God already knows what we need or what is going to happen. Platt’s definition of prayer sheds light on this matter. “God, in His providence,” Platt underscored, “has ordained prayer as a powerful means by which we interact with Him and effectively shape the course of history.” Prayer should not, therefore, be a formality but rather a relentless reality in our lives (c.f. 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “pray continually.”)

If we want God to work in and through us, we must make prayer a priority in our lives. Believers in the Early Church and Moses in the Old Testament, especially in the relentless way he interceded for the children of Israel in Exodus 32, are examples as far as prayer is concerned. David Platt mentioned that every major move of God in the book of Acts came in response to the prayer of God’s people. Some of the examples of the Power of Prayer in the book of Acts are:

1.       Acts 1—the church numbering 120 devoted themselves to prayer as they waited for the Promise of the Father.

2.       Acts 2—the Holy Spirit empowered all those who were in the Upper Room, and 3000 souls were saved and baptized in response to Peter’s message. What an amazing power in response to the prayer of the saints!

3.       Acts 3—Peter and John went to pray in the synagogue and on their way there, they met a lame man. The power of prayer healed the lame man and brought glory to God.

4.       Acts 4—the number of those who got saved increased greatly because of the prayer and the witness of the Early Church, etc.

Moses as a mediator or go-between between God and the children of Israel, pleaded for God’s mercy, God’s power and God’s glory. He knew that it was only through prayer that God’s work could be accomplished. Of course, God can accomplish His work without the prayers of His people, but what we see in Scripture is that “God wills to work through willing intercessors [like Moses]” (David Platt). We must therefore be on guard against complacency, and the habit of sitting, watching and doing nothing. Instead, we should shape history through prayer. We must at all times be about the Master’s business and we must P.U.S.H. (pray until something happens).

There is so much power in prayer and we often don’t have it, as well as God’s peace, because we don’t pray in the right way. We often pray amiss as the book of James puts it: “When you ask, you do not receive because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures” (James 4:3). We must learn how to pray and intercede for others from the examples of the Early Church and from that of Moses.

The church today has tended to depend more and more on natural ability and human ingenuity but if we want to change that, we must choose to depend on God's power. Our intercessory prayers for the lost and for God’s work in general will demonstrate our dependence on Him. Our constant prayer must be, “I need Thee, every hour, most gracious Lord.”

When You Suffer for Jesus (1 Peter 4:12-16)

On Sunday, June 22, 2014, Pastor Matthew—the new lead pastor at Northwest Baptist Church, Oklahoma City—shared an encouraging message at All Nations Church, where I lead worship each Sunday afternoon. Sometimes understanding the background of a preacher brings a greater appreciation of the message. First of all, Pastor Matthew, is a mission-minded pastor who has a heart for the nations. In fact, he believes that God has strategically placed Northwest Baptist to reach people in Oklahoma and beyond. 

Secondly, Pastor Matthew has served the Lord in SE Asia and has incredible experiences that include suffering for his faith. He told of a time when they were in a remote mountain village showing the Jesus’ Film and suddenly soldiers with machines guns surrounded them, but God came to their aid. Thirdly, Pastor Matthew is in the process of initiating a merger between Northwest English congregation and All Nations Church. The two congregations will, therefore, meet in the morning together from August this year. This major change will transform NW Baptist into an international congregation reaching the nations for Christ and walking with them to maturity.

When soldiers with deadly weapons surrounded the Pastor and his colleagues, God’s hand of protection was upon them. With a sudden turn of events like this, “it is crucial to know how to react when you suffer for Jesus!” The Sunday message outlined what our response should be when we suffer for Jesus through the utilization of 3 Don’ts and 2 Do’s enumerated and discussed below:

3 Don’ts

1.        Don’t be surprised. 1 Peter 4:12 says, “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as though something strange were happening to you.” The apostle Peter expressed the truth through this verse and it is the fact that “suffering for a Christian is normal.” The Twelve exemplify it. Some of them were beheaded, imprisoned, and exiled because of their faith. Today, there are Christians in Asia, Middle-East and Africa who are being persecuted for their faith. Facing imprisonment and the possibility of death is no longer a thing of the past; it is current reality, especially as some regimes rise up and become repressive. At the writing of this article, a Christian family in Sudan has been re-arrested after being released yesterday. I hope and pray they are released and allowed to leave the country. The lesson for us is clear:  When we suffer for Jesus, we should not be surprised. Instead, we should remember that other believers around the world are also suffering for the faith and thus, we join them in the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings (Philippians 3:10). 

2.        Don’t sin and suffer, then claim to be “spiritual.” The apostle Peter reminded the Christians in diaspora of how not to suffer: “If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler.” (1 Peter 4:15). Some, as Pastor Matthew phrased, have a “martyr complex,”—they claim to suffer for Jesus and yet they are following their own agenda. Some in fact suffer as a result of slander and gossip and others due their ill-intended actions that do not express the love of Jesus. The loving thing to do is to go to a Christian that has committed wrong and bring it to their attention in accordance to biblical exhortation (Matthew 18:15-20). The message stressed that we shouldn’t spread gossip about church people and then when we get in trouble for it, we say, “We are suffering for Jesus.”  To gossip about others is as sinful and punishable a deed as other sins (Revelation 21:8). Inferentially, it can be drawn that “not all suffering is a result of Godly living.”  Some suffering results from ungodly living and unloving actions. 

3.        Don’t be ashamed to suffer for Jesus. Continuing with the thought of the previous verses, the Word of God states, “…if anyone suffers as a Christian, he [or she] is not to be ashamed…” (1 Peter 4:16). It is no shame to suffer for being a Christian, even though the world tries to shame us when we follow Jesus. During the time of Jesus’ arrest, the apostle Peter was ashamed of Jesus and denied Him three times. I believe Peter was aware of the struggles and the untold suffering that Christians faced during the time of the Roman Emperor Nero. In an effort to encourage them, as well as believers today, Peter expressed from experience the grave mistake we make when we are ashamed to suffer for Jesus. Warren W. Wiersbe commented on the apostle Peter’s aforementioned statement:

This statement must have reminded Peter of his own denial of Christ (Luke 22:54-62). Jesus is not ashamed of us (Heb. 2:11)—though many times He surely could be! The Father is not ashamed to be called our God (Heb. 11:16). On the cross, Jesus despised shame for us (Heb. 12:2), so surely we can bear reproach for Him and not be ashamed. The warning in Mark 8:38 is worth pondering (The Wiersbe Bible Commentary. Ontario, Canada: David C. Cook, 2007, pp. 922). 

Furthermore, Wiersbe (2007, p. 922) noted how the determination not to be ashamed encouraged the apostle Paul. It encouraged him at three different times, i.e. “when he went to Rome (Rom. 1:16), when he suffered in Rome (Phil. 1:20, 21), and when he faced martyrdom in Rome (2 Tim. 1:12)." Overall, suffering for Christ kills our pride, our sin, and our selfish way of doing things. When we suffer, we are drawn closer to Christ and we don’t want anything to do with worldly pleasures. Consequently, we desire above all else to glorify God in our lives. This brings us to consider two positive things we can do when we suffer for Christ. 

2 Do’s

1.        Be glad! In contrast to the negative responses as far as suffering is concerned, the apostle Peter encourages a Christ-follower to respond in this way: “Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.” (1 Peter4:13, New Living Translation). The best response to suffering is to positively embrace it with gladness as the apostle Paul rejoiced in jail and wrote to the other believers encouraging them to rejoice (see Phil. 4:4-7). When we suffer, we get a chance “to fellowship with Christ, to know Him better and to realize that sufferings make future glory even greater.” When we suffer we should continue to do good work. The apostle Peter wrote to encourage the believers who were dispersed to different countries and were suffering for doing good, saying:

“After all, who in the ordinary way is likely to injure you for being enthusiastic for good? And if it should happen that you suffer “for righteousness’ sake”, that is a privilege. You need neither fear their threats nor worry about them; simply concentrate on being completely devoted to Christ in your hearts. Be ready at any time to give a quiet and reverent answer to any man who wants a reason for the hope that you have within you. Make sure that your conscience is perfectly clear, so that if men should speak slanderously of you as rogues, they may come to feel ashamed of themselves for libeling your good Christian behavior. If it is the will of God that you should suffer, it is really better to suffer unjustly than because you have deserved it.” (1 Peter 3:13-17, J.B. Phillips New Testament).  

2.        Praise God! We should “praise God for the privilege of being called by His name” (1 Peter 4:16). In place of shame, you should “thank God that you bear Christ's name.” In a SE Asian country, in the midst of suffering, some followers of Christ consider it an honor and use the opportunity for evangelizing as well as training leaders for the ministry.

This article calls attention to three things we should eliminate from our Christian witness in relation to suffering for Jesus: 1) Don’t be surprised; 2) Don’t sin and suffer, and claim to be “spiritual,” and 3) Don’t be ashamed to suffer for Jesus. It is also important that we examine two things to embrace as far as our witness in suffering as Christians is concerned, namely: 1) Be glad, and 2) Praise God. In conclusion, then, let’s answer these two questions in response to the message:

1) What’s your current attitude about the possibility of suffering as a Christ-follower?

2)  What kind of strategy have you put in place for suffering for Jesus?