Rejoyce in my Suffering

Colossians 1:24-26

Often, while reading the Scriptures I come to a statement that dazzles my simple mind.  Verse 24 is one such statement; “Now I rejoice in my suffering for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s affliction for the sake of his body, that is the church,” that’s not a misprint that is what the apostle Paul is writing to the church at Colossae.

My first thoughts are that Paul is in dire need of a psychiatrist, but then I encounter more of the same from others like the apostle Peter and the other apostles.  In the book of Acts chapter five and verses 40 and 41, we find the religious guys wanted to kill them and if it had not been for God using a teacher of the law name Gamaliel, who the people held in honor, they would have killed them.  Why would good religious folks do such things, because the name of Jesus and His love for them was a threat to their religion?  Things have not changed that much, the Muslim and others like the Chinese are still doing this today.  So look at Peter and the apostle’s response in verse 41, “The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.”  I hope you understand that they did not call them bad names, they beat them and they went away rejoicing.

Could it be that you entered into a Covenant relationship without reading the requirements?  Christ Jesus has spoken on this area of suffering, and this is some of what He has said: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:10-12)

Jesus said that these things would happen, persecution (Matthew 5:11), hatred (Matthew 10:22), loss of life (Matthew 10:39), renunciation of worldly treasures (Matthew 19:29), suffering (Acts 9:16), loss of reputation (1 Corinthians 4:10), and even death (2 Corinthians 4:11).  Most Christians want to take this out of the Covenant, many of us who go by the name of Christian are no threat to Satan or the false religious world system, in fact most of our neighbors would be surprise that we go by that name.

What do most Christians in the American church call suffering; the pastor did not speak to me, it took ten minutes to get our of the church parking lot, the air condition was too cold or too hot, they did not have coffee, the music was too loud, the service went too long, we call suffering the depriving of self, but God calls that flesh, and flesh is at war with the Spirit of God.

From the Back Porch,

Bob