Let me drop some knowledge on you.
God loves you .. but he has a hard life planned for you. Those statements aren't incompatible, in fact God has a hard life planned for you because he loves you. If you choose to (truly) follow him, you will experience troubles, shame, persecution, difficulties and trials. You will have to choose to pick up your cross and carry it. Some of you will experience deep hurt, pain and distress, some will experience physical torture, loss of life and even death. God loves you, and he has a plan.
How many of us are brought to Christ with a statement like this? Hands up .. Almost none? Thought as much. For most of us, it has taken years to see through the facade of easy Christianity into the truth of the matter and it's a terrible thing, because the church has sold us short.
Jesus never said that you will be safe, or even that this fight will be fair. You will never find in the bible statements like 'You should only evangelize when you outnumber them two to one'; or 'If you're finding your faith hard, hide it until you feel better' so why do we indulge in such ridiculous practices?
Biblically, we are promised that God's people will suffer. In Acts 14:22, Paul told all his young churches, “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” Jesus said, “‘If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also’” (John 15:20). Peter says, “‘Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you’” (1 Pet. 4:12). In other words, suffering is not strange—it is to be expected. It is normal. Paul states, “‘Indeed, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted…’” (2 Tim. 3:12).
God’s Word is even more emphatic when it states that suffering is our calling, “To this you were called,
because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps” (1 Pet. 2:21). I
is our calling, since the Bible says, “For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in
him, but also to suffer for him…” (Phil. 1:29). Paul writes that we should not “be unsettled by these
trials; we are destined for them” (1 Thess. 3:3).
John Piper eloquently states:
"If we will not freely take our cross and follow Jesus (Mark 8:34) on the Calvary road, it may be thrust on us. It would be better to hear the warnings now and wake up to biblical reality. Existence in this fallen world will not be pain-free and trouble-free. There will be groaning because of our finitude and fallenness, and many afflictions because of our calling (Romans 8:23; Psalm 34:19). Frustration is normal, disappointment is normal, sickness is normal. Conflict, persecution, danger, stress—they are all normal. The mind-set that moves away from these will move away from reality and away from Christ. Golgotha was not a suburb of Jerusalem. (Piper “Roots”)
The modern day sufferers also understand this truth. What caused Brother Yun, often called the Heavenly
Man, to often thank God for the great privilege of being tortured for Christ, saying, “The Lord wants us to
embrace suffering as a friend. We need a deep realization that when we’re persecuted for Jesus’ sake it is an act of God’s blessing to us. I have never hated my persecutors. Never. I saw them as God’s instruments of blessing and his chosen vessels to purify me and make me more like Jesus.” (Hattaway 311) When asked why he was so joyful during his suffering he responded, “How can I not be happy? This day I have been chosen to suffer for the name of Jesus!”.
What an faith-defining statement.
This day, I have been chosen to suffer for the name of Jesus.
Trials shape the human figure into images of Christ. Without trials, no-one would ever change .. merely remaining in our selfish states. No, God uses trials to change hearts .. You need suffering more than you will ever know. I have never met a Godly, Christian leader who has not gone through terrible suffering. From abandoned father-figures to sexual abuse, miscarriages to persecution, suicidal thoughts to crippling illness. If there is one thing I have learnt about suffering, more often than not it is the mark of a leader.
The sooner Christianity understands this, the closer we will be to being a better image of God. So what will you decide? Are you going to be satisfied with the easy road, the road well-travelled and the road that will lead to a shallow Christianity .. or are you going to do something real with your faith?
Do something real. Do something now.
Soli Deo Gloria.
Glory to God alone.
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