To View the Video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Ce3F3oKNwTQ
SHOW NOTES
Has your job ever been on the line based on your expression of your faith in Jesus Christ? Have you ever been on the verge of being rejected by friends or family if you took a stand for Christ? This week on the Hope Rescue Podcast we are starting a series discussing the concept of suffering for the sake of Christ.
Before we cover what suffering for Christ looks like, let’s cover what suffering for Christ does not look like:
We aren’t suffering for Christ when we take a political stand.
We aren’t suffering for Christ when we support or reject certain movements.
We aren’t suffering for Christ when we’re simply facing the consequences of our sins or mistakes.
1 Peter 4:14-16 says, “If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.” The word “blessed” in this passage literally means happy. When we are insulted for the sake of Christ, we should feel happy because we know we have Christ’s Spirit within us.
1 Peter 2:20 says, "For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God."
In the Bible we have many different examples of faithful men who suffered for the name of Christ. Almost all of the 12 apostles were martyred for their beliefs. Stephen was stoned for the name of Christ. John the Baptist was imprisoned and beheaded by Herod. Many people over the last 2,000 years have suffered greatly for the name of Christ.
In America, we will likely not be killed, imprisoned, or financially affected for our faith in Jesus, but when we get the opportunity to stand for Christ or shy away from our faith, we should always take pride in boldly proclaiming our faith in Jesus Christ.
Join us next week as we continue the conversation on suffering for the name of Christ.
