SUFFERING AND PERSECUTION

INTRODUCTION

(Note: Since the New Testament was originally written in the Greek language,
we make reference to that language often in this study to help get the
most clear understanding of Scripture.)

Many Christians are surprised to discover that the Christian life is not one continuous, joyful, and fun-filled way of life. Because this seems to be a frequent Christian misunderstanding, this little study was written. Much of what is said here comes from the Apostle Peter, who in his own time, noticed the same phenomenon of Christian naivety and unexpected surprise, and, who wrote these words in 1 Peter 4:12:

“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;”

Suffering in the “Christian School of Hard Knocks”. For membership, you must be a true believer and disciple in Christ.

Length of time to suffer or be persecuted?... “a little while”, according to what God considers “a little while”.

Curriculum? Two subjects, basically...suffering and persecution.

Degrees Won?...The M.C.S. degree: Master in fellowship of Christ’s Sufferings and the W.K.G. degree: Worthy of Kingdom Glory.

Perhaps another title or subtitle for this little study might be, “EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT SUFFERING BUT NO ONE TOLD YOU BECAUSE THEY WERE ALL BUSY HAVING A BALL”.
 

THE ‘WHYS’ OF SUFFERING

We suffer because...

 1...it has been granted to us to suffer for Christ’s sake; God desired it. (Philippians 1:29)

 2...we are overburdened doing the work of other deficient Christians. (Philippians 2:27-30)

 3...it is one of the ways to fellowship with Christ. (Philippians 3:10)

 4...sometimes we suffer for others’ benefits. (Colossians 1:24)

 5...it is a test resulting in future praise, honor, and glory. (1 Peter 1:7)

 6...it is a method of perfecting character. (Romans 5:3 & 4)

 7...it is a proof of genuine faith. (1 Peter 1:7)

 8...it is “our calling” as a Christian. (1 Peter 2:21)

 9...we are “aliens” on a lost planet. (John 15:18 & 19; Hebrews 11:13)

10...it reveals our Christian conscience towards God. (1 Peter 2:19)

11...it reveals true discipleship. (Luke 14:26 & 27)

12...it demonstrates to others we are following Christ’s example. (1 Peter 2:21)

13...it builds endurance to ‘hang in there’. (1 Peter 2:20)

14...it is a method of developing patience. (1 Peter 2:20)

15...it is a method of causing us to “die to sin” in our life (1 Peter 2:24) in order to live even
      more righteously by the ceasing of sin in some area of our life. (1 Peter 4:1)

16...it is an act of God’s will in the Christian’s life, if He so desires for you to suffer for doing
      what is right. (1 Peter 3:17)

17...it is a cleansing process FROM sin, a step in the sanctification process, a crucifying of
      the flesh. (1 Peter 4:1 & 2)

18...it is a sharing in the sufferings of Christ and is therefore a ministry for whatever God
      purposes it. (1 Peter 4:13)

19...it is sometimes caused by our own sinful behavior, suffering as an evil doer. (1 Peter
      4:15; & 3:17)

20...we must suffer in order to be glorified. (Romans 8:17)

21...it is a stimulus to look forward to Christ’s coming. With no suffering, we would be
      content to make earth our ‘heaven’. Suffering develops the reality and depth of being
      a co-heir in Christ’s sufferings, and in His coming glory. (1 Peter 4:13)

22...it is a blessing and a way of showing you, that if you are reviled (insulted) for the name
      of Christ, that the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. (1 Peter 4:14; Acts 9:16)

23...it is a required procedure, on God’s part, because of His holiness, to judge and cleanse
      His Own family, which will be shown and displayed to the condemned world some day,
      a family that is a spotless bride because of the suffering they went through. (1 Peter
      4:17)

24...it is a method of building trust in God during the period of suffering, that He knows what
       he is doing. (1 Peter 2:23)

25...we are living out a curse in which our body is in a gradual state of dying, causing us
       physical ailments. (2 Corinthians 4:16 - 18)

26...it is an experience that:
        a. builds our faith
        b. strengthens our resistance to sin
        c. makes us aware of the fellowship of suffering by all godly brethren throughout the
             whole world. (1 Peter 5:9)

27...it is a way to produce godly sorrow which then produces repentance, a turning around
      and a turning away from sin. (2 Corinthians 7:8 - 10)

28...it is part of the narrow road that leads to Christian maturity. No one can claim to be
      “mature” as a Christian without going through the “little while” period of suffering that
      the Apostle Peter talks about in 1 Peter 5:10. Maturity results from “going through”
      such suffering(s) with four final results:
       a. we become “perfected” (in Greek: kartartizo = equipped or fully trained)
       b. we become “confirmed” (in Greek: sterizo = to make fast, solid, anchored, or sure)
       c. we become “strengthened” (in Greek: sthenos = to be strengthened or ‘toughened
           up’)
       d. we become “established” (in Greek: themileioo = to lay a solid foundation)

29...it is a way of learning ‘Christian comforting’; the ability to comfort others in any kind of
      affliction by having been afflicted ourselves and comforted by God. (2 Corinthians 1:4)
      The Holy Spirit Himself is called the “Comforter” in John 14:26 in the King James
      Version, and the “Helper” in the New American Standard Bible.

30...it is a process for us to learn perseverance, and the ability to endure pain. (2
      Thessalonians 1:4)

31...it can be the result of your close relationship or identification with another righteous,
      suffering Christian. (Luke 2:34 & 35) Peter tried to escape suffering because of his
      identification as a disciple of Christ. (Hebrews 10:32 & 33)

32...it is used by God to slow us down, or to produce a testimony in places we ordinarily
      would not go to, such as hospitals, prisons, nursing homes, or in our illnesses. Examples:
        a. as discipline (1 Peter 4:15; Hebrews 12:5 - 14)
        b. as persecution (Acts 12:1 - 5) which also acted as a stimulus for the brethren to pray
            (2 Timothy 2:8 & 9)
        c. as a testimony; Example: Job’s illness (Entire Book of Job)
        d. as physical infirmity (John 9) and all to produce a testimony of God’s work in him.

33...it is a positive indication of God’s righteous judgment on His Own people to be made
      worthy of the Kingdom of God. (2 Thessalonians 1:5 & 1 Peter 4:16 - 18)

34...it is directly related to our Kingdom reign with Christ. (2 Timothy 2:12) The Greek word
      for “endure” in 2 Timothy is hupomeno and means to ‘endure under trial or suffering’.
      In Luke 14:27, we see that first comes the “cross-bearing” and then later comes the
      “crown-sharing”.

35...it is expected of us, by God, to imitate the prophets as examples of suffering, affliction,
      and patience. (Hebrews 11:24, 25 & 32 (prophets), 33 - 40; Hebrews 12:1 - 4; Luke
      13:34)

36...sometimes, it is the result of our own disobedience and rebellion as Christians, when we
      decide to ‘take our chances’ and remain in known sin. (Hebrews 10:26, 27 & 29; Psalm
      78:40 & 41)

37...of Satanic hindrance (1 Thessalonians 2:17 & 18), or if we give Satan an advantage. (2
      Corinthians 2:9 - 11)

38...we need to be taught NOT to be disturbed by afflictions. We have been destined (in the
      Greek: ‘destined’ means ‘a laid out plan’) for these sufferings. All our sufferings have
      been ‘laid out’ by God for you, and He expects you to go through them. (1
      Thessalonians 3:3)

39...suffering is used to afflict us when we have gone astray in order to get us back into the
      Word. (Psalms 119:67)

40...after having gotten back into the Word, afflictions are sent again to teach us to stay
      within certain limits (statutes). (Psalm 119:68, 71, 73, 80; 1 Corinthians 6:19 & 20)

41...suffering is sometimes caused by our own brethren in Christ against us (1 Corinthians
      6:1, 5 - 7; James 4:1 - 11) due to ignorance, ‘good intentions’ without knowledge and
      pride.

42...because we may love money too much. (1 Timothy 6:8 - 11; Matthew 19:20 - 22) In
      1 Timothy 6:10, the “pang” being talked about means ‘pain, distress, or grief’ in
      Greek.

43...we get ahead of God’s timing. (Genesis 16:1 - 5)

44...we get behind in God’s timing, backsliding. (James 4:1 & 2)

45...we doubt God’s Word. (Genesis 3:1 - 6; James 1: 6 - 8)

46...it is the fruit of wrongly placed fears. (Proverbs 29:5; 2 Timothy 1:7; 1 Peter 3:14;
      1 John 4:18; Job 3:25 & 26; 1 Peter 1:17) There is only one CORRECT fear.
      (Proverbs 1:7; 19:23; 8:13; Psalm 145:19; Acts 9:31; Matthew 10:28)

1. Unreasonable, unjust...1 Peter 2:18.

2. As a type of Christ in His sufferings...1 Peter 2:21.

3. Occupational, in or on the job...1 Peter 2:18 & 19.

4. From friends or relatives...1 Peter 4:3 & 4; 1 Corinthians 7:15.

5. From yourself, when you struggle with your passions and desires in order to crucify them,
    which results in struggling and suffering...Galatians 5:24; 1 Peter 4:2; Romans 7:23 &
    24.

6. From Satan, in God allowing Satan to test us, for the purpose of producing resistance to sin
    (and Satan, James 4:7), thus strengthening us in the faith...1 Peter 5:8 & 9.

7. Being persecuted — in the Greek: “dioko”, to be driven out, put to flight, to be run after,
    sought out, a chase after — thus, a mobile, active, suffering to escape from worse
    suffering. Persecution is the world’s response to demonstrated Christian godliness...
    1 Timothy 3:10 - 12. Persecution can be any of the following things or a multiple of the
    following things...Acts 22:
    a. can lead to death, vs. 4.
    b. being caught and tied up, vs. 4.
    c. put in jail, vs. 4.
    d. to take out personal vengeance (punish) - Greek word is timeoro, vs. 5.
    e. to destroy, or destruction is the motive, Galatians 1:13 & 23.
    f. to do outrageous things to the Christian, to ravage, Acts 8:3.
    g. to enter your house forcibly, Acts 8:3.
    h. to drag you away forcibly, Acts 8:3.
    i. to be chased or dispersed, Acts 8:3.

8. Loss of all things, Philippians 3:8.
 

FORMS OF SUFFERING

1. Trials - 1 Peter 1:6 & 7; 1 Peter 2:18 - 20;
    a. bring sorrow, grief, and hurt.
    b. many of them
    c. some people get more than others
    d. the degree and frequency varies according to God’s sovereignty

2. Revilement - 1 Peter 2:23; 4:14
    a. to be contemptuously put down with abusive language
    b. verbal insults

3. Physical Suffering - ranging on a scale from minor physical suffering, all the way to death.
    a. unjust physical suffering, 1 Peter 2:23 & 24; Hebrews 13:3
    b. caused by sin, but that can be corrected, James 5:15 & 16, 19 & 20
    c. caused by sin that CAN’T be corrected, James 5:16 & 17; 1 Corinthians 11:31;
         Proverbs 4:4; 29:1

4. Distress - 1 Peter 1:6; means to be afflicted with pain or anguish (in the Greek it means
   “tightness”, “narrowness”, or “torment”). Distress includes sorrow, grief, and hurt, both
     emotionally and physically. Occupational pressures or oppression might be included here
     (unreasonable pressures brought on by others or circumstances). Someone has described
     “distress” as “being caught between a rock and a hard place.”
 

THE INTENSITY OF SUFFERING

Suffering can be so intense that we can be despairing of life (to be utterly at a loss; to be without any hope) - 2 Corinthians 1:8. Even Jesus said: “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken Me?”
 

THE AMOUNT OF SUFFERING

1. In abundance - 2 Corinthians 1:5 & 6 (Greek word for “abundance” implies a “surplus, something overflowing, excessive.”)

2. MANY, Psalm 34:19

3. MANY tribulations, Acts 14:22

1. “a little while”, 1 Peter 5:10

OUR REACTION TO SUFFERING SHOULD BE...

1. EXPECT IT! It will be the rule and not the exception. Don’t be surprised. Severe ordeals
     are the “norm” of true Christian discipleship. (1 Peter 4:12)

2. We are to “count it all joy”, since we know we are being “perfected” (matured) into the
     stature of the fullness of Christ, by these trials. (James 1:2; Ephesians 4:13)

3. God expects you to endure it, not to avoid it. (Remember Jonah)

4. We are not to seek revenge or vengeance. (1 Peter 2:23)

5. When suffering for righteousness sake, we are to be:

    a. Happy

    b. Not troubled. (no anxiety - Philippians 4:6)

    c. Not to be intimidated or made fearful. (1 Peter 3:14)

6. We are to trust solely in God during the suffering and to be our judge. (1 Peter 2:23)

7. No matter how tough it is, IF we are suffering for righteousness sake, we should not feel
     ashamed. (1 Peter 4:16)

8. We are to be content for suffering for Christ in such things as insults, our weaknesses,
     distresses, persecutions, and whatever difficulties come along. (2 Corinthians 12:10)

9. There is a dull, internal pain ALL Christians suffer — a spiritual gut reaction that NEVER
     goes away as long as we live — while we wait for the redemption of the body. (Romans
     8:22 & 23)

IN CONCLUSION

The end result of suffering is the proof of your faith, i.e. is it genuine? Was it tested throughout your lifetime? Are you a REAL Christian on the basis of actual and manifested evidence? For God’s reasons, this testing MUST be done in order to result in praise and honor and glory at the revelation of Christ’s coming. (1 Peter 1:7)

So all we can say to you is:

“STAND IN THERE, CHRISTIAN! THERE’S A PAYDAY COMING!.”

Keep Smiling!

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