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This weekend
is dedicated to the Persecuted Church. There are
approximately 200 million people around the world
who identify themselves as Christians who are
being persecuted. Even in the Western World, which
for centuries was dominated by the Church, Messiah’s
New Covenant Community is experiencing more opposition
- and it is likely to get worse as. Persecution
is nothing new. In the First Century, at the beginning
of the Messiah’s Holy Community, we experienced
much persecution. Peter’s first letter was
written to suffering believers. Let’s see
what we can learn from this great man of God.
First, Peter tells us that we should not be surprised
when we encounter a fiery ordeal, as though some
strange thing were happening to us. For the Believer,
suffering is to be expected. It should not be
perceived as some strange, abnormal, unexpected
event. Life is more of a battle than a time for
fun and games. In a battle there are casualties.
In a battle there is pain. I find it is easier
to deal with something unpleasant when I know
it is expected. We should expect suffering to
come our way. If we do, we will be better prepared
to deal with it. Therefore, prepare your minds
for action, and be serious about the nature of
life.
Reasons
Why We Can Suffer Like all human beings
who live in a fallen world, we suffer because
of the curse that God placed on the Earth when
Adam and Eve fell. We are subject to thorns and
thistles, earthquakes, hurricanes and tornadoes,
droughts and poverty, sickness and death. We can
suffer due to negligence. We can suffer from man’s
inhumanity to man. Suffering can come to us as
a result of mean and unreasonable employers who
treat their believing employees harshly. Believing
wives can suffer with bad husbands who are not
believers. We can suffer if we rebel against a
legally constituted government. The Lord’s
sons and daughters can suffer when He judges the
nation we live in. Noah and his family lost their
home in the Flood. Lot lost his great wealth in
the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Daniel
was exiled and taken from his home in Israel in
the judgment of Jerusalem. Jeremiah suffered in
the siege of Babylon. The Messianic Jews who survived
the siege of Jerusalem lost their homes in the
city. We can suffer when God judges the Church.
Peter tells us that judgment begins with the household
of God. We can suffer for the sake of God and
Messiah - for identifying with God and Yeshua.
We can suffer for speaking the truth. We can suffer
for the sake of righteousness. We can suffer for
other reasons as well.
Reasons
Why We Don’t Want to Suffer Peter
tells us that we can suffer for doing what is
right, or we can suffer for doing what is wrong.
And it is better, if God should will it so, that
we suffer for doing what is right rather than
suffer for doing what is wrong. It doesn’t
make sense for us to suffer as a murderer, or
as a thief, or as someone who does evil, or as
a troublesome meddler. It doesn’t make sense
for us to experience any suffering that comes
to us as judgment from God for gross negligence.
We were redeemed with a high price. We don’t
want to disappoint the Lord and incur His displeasure
by living a mediocre, shoddy life, thus despising
the costly price that God and Messiah paid to
redeem us. We don’t want to suffer because
we give into sin, and reap any painful consequences.
So we are motivated not to give into our former
lusts, but like the Holy One who called us, we
are motivated to be holy in all our behavior.
We are motivated to live a life of purity. We
are motivated to avoid the lusts of the flesh
that wage war against the soul. We Respond
to Suffering in Various Ways Suffering
is to be expected. We can suffer for various reasons.
And, we are to respond to suffering in
various ways. Most normal people don’t
like to suffer. They want to avoid pain. If they
suffer, they get short tempered, angry, resentful
and perhaps depressed. But Peter tells
us that we are to patiently endure our suffering.
We try not to complain, or get angry at God, or
strike out at others in anger or resentment. Instead,
we patiently endure. We keep up a good attitude.
We keep trusting in the Lord.
We
can patiently endure our suffering by realizing
that trials, suffering and persecution, if patiently
endured, produce good things. Suffering,
if we cooperate with God, can be redemptive. Suffering
is part of the Lord’s process for perfecting,
confirming, strengthening and establishing us.
Suffering purifies us, like gold and silver are
tested and purified by fire. The one who has suffered
in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live
the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for
the lusts of men, but for the will of God. Suffering
can strengthen our faith, firm our resolve, sweeten
our spirits, and make us more godly human beings.
Judgment begins with the household of God. The
Lord wants His community to be godly and pure.
He does not want us to compromise with the world.
When we aren’t what the Lord wants, the
Almighty, in His wisdom, goodness and mercy, concentrates
His judgmental power on us. He does so because
His judgment is good. It disciplines us. It corrects
us from going further astray. It helps us get
back on track. The Lord’s judgments prune
us so that we will be more productive. The Lord’s
judgments purify us. The Lord’s judgments
may separate the wheat from the chaff, the true
believers from the phony who may corrupt us and
harm our testimony.
We
can patiently endure our suffering, knowing that
our suffering is limited. Peter reminds
us that after we have suffered for just a little
while, our sufferings will come to an end,
and the God of all grace will bring us to His
eternal glory in Messiah! So, when you are suffering,
remind yourself, “this too shall pass.”
All of my earthly suffering is insignificant compared
to the eternal honor that will be mine because
of what God and Messiah did for me, and because
I am joined to the Messiah because of my faith!
We
can patiently endure our suffering, knowing that
our suffering brings honor to God and to us. Peter
tells us that if anyone suffers as a Christian
- for identifying with Messiah, and for representing
Messiah in this anti-Christian world, he should
not be ashamed. Suffering, if endured patiently,
brings praise and glory and honor to the one who
suffers - not now, not in this ungodly world,
but at the revelation of Messiah Yeshua. So, we
can put up with suffering and shame from sinful
human beings, in exchange for the honor that will
come to us when Messiah makes things right.
We
can patiently endure our suffering by fixing our
hope completely on the grace to be brought to
us at the revelation of Messiah Yeshua.
We can not only go through our sufferings, but
even greatly rejoice in the midst of them, because
we have a living hope because of the resurrection
of Yeshua. Messiah suffered and died and rose
again, and if we remain faithful to the end of
our lives, we will too! Even though we don’t
deserve it, we will obtain an inheritance which
is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade
away, which is reserved in Heaven for us. That
helps us endure.
We
can patiently endure knowing that if we suffer
for the sake of doing what is right, it means
that we are blessed. If we are reviled
for the name of Messiah, we are blessed, because
it means that the Spirit of glory and of God rests
on us! To the degree that we share the sufferings
of Messiah, we should be happy now, and we should
keep on being happy! If we do, at the revelation
of Messiah’s glory, we will rejoice with
exultation and tremendous and everlasting happiness!
We
can patiently endure our suffering knowing that,
because of our faith, we are being protected by
the power of God. By continually trusting in God
and Messiah, despite all opposition, we are being
protected by the almighty power of Almighty God,
and we will be brought to the fulness of salvation
which is ready to be revealed in the last time.
If we only have faith, and hang on, and
remain faithful through the hard times, through
the opposition, the Lord will make sure that we
make it safely to the goal! No weapon that is
formed against us will be successful. No demon
will triumph over us! Even the gates of Sheol,
powerful satanic forces, will not prevail against
us. Nothing that is evil will be able to truly
harm us. No man can overcome us. When we pass
through the waters, the Lord will be with us;
and when we go through the rivers, they will not
overflow and drown us. When we walk through the
fire, we will not be scorched. The Shepherd of
our souls will prepared a delicious meal for us
- even in the presence of our enemies, and sustain
us through the battle. If we only have faith,
God’s almighty power will be at work protecting
us, making sure all of our enemies are defeated.
We will receive our inheritance. We will make
it to Heaven! We will experience the fulness of
salvation! No more sin! No more pain! No more
suffering of body or soul. No more trials. No
more tears!
We
can patiently endure our suffering by studying
the Word of God. As we read the Word
of God, and learn how much He loves us, and as
we find out how great God is, and how much He
is worthy to be served despite the opposition
of wicked men and fallen angels, we are better
able to patiently endure our trials. We learn
about the lives of those faithful ones who came
before us, and we are strengthened by the examples
of those who experienced mockings and whippings,
yes, also chains and imprisonment; those who were
stoned, who were sawn in two, who were tempted
yet made it through their trials, who were put
to death with the sword; who went about in sheepskins,
in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted and ill-treated,
wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and
holes in the ground, people of whom the world
was not worthy. As we read the Word of God, we
find out how much He has accepted us, what He
has made us to be. We are a chosen race, a royal
priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's
own possession. Once we were not a people, but
now we are the people of God; we had not received
mercy, but now we have received mercy. That helps
us to be faithful servants, and endure the opposition
that comes our way.
We
can patiently endure our suffering by looking
to the example of our contemporaries. It
can be harder to patiently endure suffering if
you think you are the only one who is undergoing
a trial. It helps us endure our trials knowing
that the same experiences of suffering are being
accomplished by our brothers who are in the world.
We are not the only one! And, their patience and
their endurance inspires and encourages us. We
hear about their situation, and we say to ourselves,
“If they can successfully go through their
suffering, then I can endure mine.” That’s
why it is helpful to read books like Foxes
Book of Martyrs, or Tortured for Christ
by Richard Wurmbrand, or get information from
ministries like Open Doors ((888) 5-BIBLE-5,
www.opendoorsusa.org) or Voice of the Martyrs
(www.persecution.com). We can be inspired by looking
to the examples of Christians and Messianic Jews
who are suffering under Communist and Islamic
regimes, and even in places like Arad in Israel,
where a small community of Messianic Jews, 40
adults, has been undergoing serious persecution
by the orthodox.
We
can patiently endure our suffering by looking
to the example set by the Messiah. Yeshua
is the supreme example of suffering, and how to
endure it. The Son of God traveled the road of
suffering. He went all the way to the end of that
painful way, and He left us an example that we
should follow in His steps. Messiah will come
to Earth on two great missions. He already came
the first time for the express purpose of suffering.
Peter tells us, using the language of Psalm 118,
that Messiah is the Stone that was rejected by
the builders - but was accepted by the Master
Builder, who made Him the Cornerstone of the new
and eternal universe that He is building. Peter
tells us, using the language of Isaiah 53, the
Suffering Servant, that Messiah was innocent,
yet rejected by men. He was reviled. He was treated
horribly, yet He did not revile in return. He
made no threats - and neither should we. Instead,
He kept entrusting Himself to God. In the midst
of His suffering, He kept trusting His Father
to take care of the situation, and to punish the
wicked, and reward the righteous, and accomplish
His plans, all in God’s time and in God’s
way. Good things happened as a result of Messiah’s
sufferings. Peter, using the language of Isaiah
53, tells us that Yeshua bore our sins in His
body on the cross, and He healed our spiritual
wounds - so that we might die to sin, and live
righteous lives, lives that are lived the right
way. Messiah’s suffering enabled us to return
to the Shepherd and Guardian of our souls. He
died for to atone for our sins. He died to bring
us to God. And, since Messiah suffered in the
flesh, and great things came about as a result
and the plan of God was advanced, we are to arm
ourselves with the same purpose. We make ourselves
willing to suffer to proclaim the truth about
Messiah, about salvation, about God and righteousness.
Yes, we will suffer for our boldness, but our
suffering is necessary, and very very good things
will come about as a result. So, declare the truth
to the world - that salvation is only possible
through believing in the God of Israel and trusting
Messiah Yeshua. Proclaim the excellencies of Him
who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous
light!
How
We deal with the Persecutors If we are
being persecuted, we don’t fear the intimidation
of the persecutors. We don’t back down.
We don’t give in. We don’t give up.
We don’t quit. We don’t give up the
Faith. Do good to the bad. Bless the cursed. Do
not return insult for insult, but give a blessing
instead. Seek peace. Don’t get into fights
with them. Don’t issue threats! Be prepared
to give them an intelligent defense of what you
believe. Do what is right. Live a life full of
good deeds! Win them over with goodness, righteousness,
love and patience. Live well, be nice and put
them to shame. Are you anxious about life, and
troubles, and the possibility of suffering? Cast
your anxiety on God, knowing that He cares for
you. If you are suffering, like Yeshua, entrust
your soul to a faithful Creator who only does
what is right. Trust God, that He knows what He
is doing. Stand firm in the true grace of God!
The Lord’s grace will be sufficient for
you. His grace will help you live, and His grace
will help you suffer. His grace will help you
endure. His grace will enable you endure to the
end and be saved!
Shalom,
Rabbi Loren
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