Suffering for the sake of Christ's gospel message of the free gift of Salvation

 

Suffering for Christ because of the offence of the cross

“If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

Luke 9:23

“As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. ²For he says,

“In the time of my favour I heard you,
and in the day of salvation I helped you.”

I tell you, now is the time of God’s favour, now is the day of salvation.

We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonour, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.”

2 Corinthians 6: 1-10

We have to trust in God above whatever happens in this life and pray for those suffering expecting opposition from those who dislike God’s message to sinners. On the other hand, if we are not facing it it challenges us to think why as ‘All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution’ being ‘The offence of the cross’ therefore are we not standing up for God and sharing the gospel; ‘Suffer for being a Christian not for deserved suffering for wrongs’

We are to fear God; ‘Do not fear man who can kill the body but God who can throw the soul into hell for eternity’.

We are to seek to please our Heavenly Father not people (who can never be pleased and changes minds like the wind) ‘Please God rather than man’.

May I encourage you, ‘Believe on Him, Christ, suffer for His sake; who died once for all to then truly live for Him who died and rose from the dead ascending to heaven where one day we will reign with Him.’

I feel like bursting into song…

I will consider which ones I am thinking of as I have parts of songs and hymns in my head

Related articles

• Why Suffering? (christianitymatters.com)
• Behold the Cross of Christ (samuelatgilgal.wordpress.com)
• Salvation By Faith, by John Wesley (arminiantheologyblog.wordpress.com)
• The Sufficiency of Christ (jonahmb.wordpress.com)
• With Christ in View (samuelatgilgal.wordpress.com)
• Press on looking forward to eternity (sacollinsvogan.wordpress.com)
• Share In His Sufferings (pastorht.wordpress.com)
• Homosexuality is a sin – not an “alternative lifestyle choice!” (haroldcameron.wordpress.com)
• God’s Love For A Sinning World, By Charles Finney (arminiantheologyblog.wordpress.com)
• …And the Fellowship of His Sufferings (pbus1.wordpress.com)

About these ads