OUR QUESTION IS WHY MUST WE SUFFER IF WE ARE FAITHFUL CHRISTIANS?                           GOD’S QUESTION IS WHY NOT?

God’s Promise even in midst of life threatening circumstance:                              Jeremiah 29

In order to seriously seek answers to these questions, we must look into the Bible for history examples and God’s input.

Examples of suffering by faithful followers:

1. Joseph – sold into slavery, accused for crimes he was innocent of and put in prison, but later redeemed to save this family and enslaved nation.
2. Daniel – taken into captivity to Babylon, forced to learn the ways of an evil pagan people, and thrown into a den of lions simply for praying to God. But God used him to lead his people back to God and guide an evil king to redemption.
3. NOTE: God gave Jeremiah 29 to the prophet Jeremiah to give hope to the Jewish people, who had been unfaithful to Him and were being judged by enslavement by Babylon, that their captivity would by 70 years but they were to submit and live as captives faithful to God. Daniel knew those words and followed them faithfully. Read Daniel and see, but read Jeremiah 29 to see prophecy of HOPE.
4. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego – Daniel 3 – They refused to worship king’s image and face fiery furnace without confidence they would be spared because they trusted God.
5. Esther – a simple Jewish girl who risked her death and death of her people in order to guide a pagan king to discover the eternal God and stop an evil plot against her people.
6. Ruth – from a pagan family who left everything she knew and had in order to follow a beloved mother in law who lost her whole family in order to worship and follow a true living God.       She had no idea what a wonder future was awaiting her.
7. David – trusted God when confronted Goliath – a 9 ft giant, because he mocked God. God honored David’s courage and faithfulness (I Samuel 19-28) by protecting him and keeping his promise of making David king.       David, however, was not without his weaknesses and sins, but David’s relationship with God, revealed in many of the Psalms, brought redemption and forgiveness and path corrections.
8. Mary – Christ’s mother had such a deep relationship with God even at a very young age, so God showed her favor and chose her as Christ’s mother. Read Luke 1:46-55 to discover her heart of love and trust and submission to God even when she know what it would mean to become a mother before marriage. The angel’s visit and her response is given in Luke 1:26-38.
9. Stephen – (Acts 7:54-8:2). Stephen preached the Good News of Christ boldly resulting in being stoned.       His example and courage in the midst of such a painful death is recorded in Acts 7-8.
10. Of course, Christ Himself died on the cross with all our sins weighing on Him so we should not need to endure them.       John 3:16-17
11. All Christ’s disciples suffered and died at a young age for their faith, except John who endured prison and hardship over his many years of life. Roman rule was a dangerous time to be a Christian. Countless thousands were tortured and killed simply because they were Christian. That continued to be the cases for the next 200+ years. To be a Christian in first century would guarantee you would be jailed and likely a short life and painful death. Christ’s disciples enduring such a death:

• Simon Peter was crucified in Rome during reign of the tyrant Nero. He asked to be crucified upside down since he believed he was unworthy of dying the same way Christ died.
• Andrew was scourged and tied to a cross (not nailed) but remained there 2 days til he died.
• James (son of Zebedee) was beheaded along with his accuser who was converted after seeing James’ courage.
• Philip became a missionary to Asia and Egypt and was eventually scourged and jailed and crucified there in 54AD.
• Bartholomew preached in several countries, including India and translated the gospel of Matthew for believers there. Stories conflict but he was either skinned alive and beheaded or crucified there.
• Thomas preached in Greece and India and killed with a spear.
• Matthew was a missionary to Ethiopia where he was stabbed in the back and died at the hand of a swordsman sent by King Hertacus, after criticizing the king’s morals.
• James (son of Alphaeus) was elected to head the churches in Jerusalem and was beaten and stoned to death at age 94 by persecutors.
• Thaddaeus was crucified at Edessa (name given to cities between Turkey and Greece) in 72AD.
• Simon the Canaanite (Zealot) preached in Mauritania on west coast of Africa and then in England where he was crucified in 74AD.
• John was the only disciple who died peacefully on Patmos of old age about 100AD.
• Judas Iscariot hanged himself (Mtt.27:3-6) from remorse of betraying Christ.

Even though Christians faced horrible persecution and suffering during the first 250 years of Christianity, the number of believers grew from few thousand, at time of Christ’s crucifixion, to 1 million by 100 AD and 3 million by 300 AD when Constantine was converted ushered in Christianity as official religion of the Roman Empire.                               So why did so many accept Christ during that time at their own peril and peril of their families? Because the Gospel was hope and truth and believers showed a level of courage and joy and hope that overshadowed the consequences. The way Christians loved and cared for each other, forgave those who persecuted them, and courage they showed when facing suffering and death proved the message they preached and believed was real and true. Nothing offered such hope and meaning and level of courage that Christians demonstrated and preached. The moral lives they lived showed a transformation not attainable or sustained any other way. No other faith or religion preached nor exemplified such love and forgiveness and transformation.                                                             If the early Christians could demonstrate such courage and boldness preaching the Gospel of Christ in an atmosphere of severe persecution and death, then can we be able to too? Yet the early churches were a mix of faithful and marginal Christians.                                                 Persecution came in various degrees depending on location and passion with which the Gospel was preached (and threat those preaching it posed to the authorities in each community). This variation is evident in the description of each of the 7 churches described in Revelation 2-3 (below):

1. Ephesus demonstrated strong faith and discernment but lost the capacity for Christian love.
2. Smyrna suffered great persecution but remained faithful.
3. Pergemos didn’t forsake the faith except in tolerating pagan worship in their midst, which weakened and divided them.
4. Thyatira was strong in doing good words but tolerated a false prophetess in their midst who pulled many believers from their midst.
5. Sardis had a few faithful Christians who were warned to stay diligent and watchful, but were weak due to influence of the weak in their midst.
6. Philadelphia was a faithful church doing good words and living the Gospel they preached. They were given the assurance God would be faithful and give them courage and strength during times of trial and hardship.

Laodicea, however, was a lukewarm church that was spared persecution so had little motivation or passion to remain faithful. They didn’t deny nor spread the Gospel. This church was chastised the worst and warned that continuing their indifference would bring judgment from God.

SO, WHY DO CHRISTIANS SUFFER AND ENDURE PERSECUTION EVEN UNTO DEATH?

They have from Christ’s death to present.   Faithful follows of God have enduring persecution all through Old Testament history. Yet the words of Jeremiah 29 come back to us. God uses bad for good and only has good in mind for us with whatever we endure. If persecution of the early church brought explosive growth, which they accepted as needed to bring others to Christ, that so should we be willing to endure whatever God permits but calls us to.

He has promised not to allow us to endure any more that we are capable of with His hand in ours.

James 1:2-5 “2My brethren,  count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5If any of you lacks wisdom,  let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

I Corinthians 10:13 “ No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

II Timothy 4:2-4 “…2Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction. 3For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires. 4So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.…”

 

Well, it is one thing if we endure trials as a consequence of poor or foolish or sinful choices.   It is something else when we endure consequences due to poor choices of others. But to endure persecution and suffering simply because we faithfully follow Jesus, is also something every generation before us has endured and is increasing today.   Yet, promise is our suffering will not be in vain if we live and follow Him in faith.   Many have suffered needlessly because of their own folly and encountered God’s judgment. The Israelites endured enslavement in Babylon due to disobedience of their kings as well as they. They wondered in wilderness for 40 years with Moses due to sinful disobedience instead of entering right away. Yet even though Caleb and Joshua did not disobey, they endured those 40 years with everyone else, but did live to enter the promised land.

God does exercise judgment when He must, but allows judgment to give way to mercy and forgiveness when his children repent.

The story of the prodigal (Luke 15:11-32) clearly demonstrate this attribute of God toward the Jews, and to us all.

When we are asked to endure hardship or persecution or suffering of any kind, but especially for being faithful to Christ, we are asked to wear that mantle with joy and privilege because He will help us through suffering and he will use the experience to bring us great reward, but more important bring great good.     Matthew 5:10 “Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Below are the 8 beatitudes Jesus taught as part of the Sermon on the Mount. After the beatitudes, He gave the following call and encouragement:

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophet who were before you.   Gospel of St. Matthew 5:11-12

THE EIGHT BEATITUDES OF JESUS
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they who mourn,
for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,
for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they shall be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful,
for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure of heart,
for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called children of God.

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Gospel of St. Matthew 5:3-10

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophet who were before you.

Gospel of St. Matthew 5:11-12