Sharing in His sufferings

[Prentis]

Hi all! :) Something hit me today about sharing in the sufferings of the Lord... So I looked it up, and I thought I might as well share.

Christ in us is the hope of glory. That this hope might be fulfilled, we must first share in this sufferings. We must go through many trials and tribulations to enter the kingdom.

The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, [sup]17[/sup] and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

First in this life, we must suffer with God, that we might then be glorified with him! We cannot share in the Lord's glory if we do not first share in his sufferings.

As Jesus says of Paul, 'I will show him the things he must suffer for my sake'.

 

[Rach1370]

Amen! It is through hardship that our love of and commitment to Jesus brings Him glory! It would be easy for the world to look at Christians who are sailing merrily through life and say "oh, it's easy for them"...but when we suffer, when we struggle, and still rely completely on and love totally, the one who saves us, then His work, His grace, is made beautiful! It's then that the world looks on and says: 'there must be something to this...'
All to his glory!

[3] Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, [4] and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, [5] and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (Romans 5:3-5 ESV)

[Future Glory]
[18] For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. (Romans 8:18 ESV)

[9] But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. [10] For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
(2 Corinthians 12:9-10 ESV)

 

[Prentis]

Amen sister! :)

Now, there are two ways we share in his sufferings.

[sup]8[/sup] Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ

First, the loss of all things. Our loved ones, our opinions, our very thoughts, and even our very own lives are left behind that we might attain Christ.

After this loss, if we continue to follow Christ, we suffer for bringing the truth, and for living according to the kingdom.

Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. (2 Tim.)

 

[Prentis]

This suffering is so that we might learn obedience, as even Jesus did.

though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.

And also that we might be perfected.

But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.

 

[Prentis]

In this, the Lord is our comforter, and we both suffer and are comforted for the sake of the gospel, and for the sake of the church. :)

Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. 7 And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation.

I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church,

 

[Prentis]

By Christ stripes, we were healed, and by ours, others are healed. Not of us, but Christ through us, as our very stripes are actually his, since we suffer for him.

Hebrews 13:12
Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate.

We become the same agent of sanctification when we share in HIS sufferings, because then indeed, once again Christ is suffering through us for the ones around us.

 

[Prentis]

The above verse also reveals how this suffering happens. It is outside the gates. We cannot be as the world, participate in the things of the world, and yet share in his sufferings.

Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach. (v. 13)

Though it's not the focus of my study, I want to note that the church becomes part of the camp, and is in the camp, every time it agrees with this world and goes it way. By becoming a business, with human organization, PhD's, governmental recognition, presidents of company, etc, the church places itself inside the camp, cutting itself off of Christ and no longer bearing his reproach.

It cuts itself off his sufferings, and if it does not repent, will not share in his glory.

 

[Jake]

The above verse also reveals how this suffering happens. It is outside the gates. We cannot be as the world, participate in the things of the world, and yet share in his sufferings.

I understand we are in this world, not part of this world and God will protect us from the world, but not to participate? Not sure what you mean.

Even when we are suffering, we have to continue doing what we're doing, we can't just quit. So if we are in school, have a job with a company, etc. Isn't this participating?

Thanks.

 

[Prentis]

Yes, I agree. I need to explain this better.

We cannot partake of the world's ways, be in the camp, while at the same time claiming to be Christ's. We are citizens of two cities at the same time; on the one hand, we live on earth physically. There we have a tent (body), and we need phyisical food, we have an occupation. But the world also has a spiritual life, led by the enemy. It is in bondage to power, money, sin. Our spiritual life is in another city.

That is how I understand being in the world, but not of it.

The church is in the world, but it needs not be registered as the world is, have official buildings with presidents presiding over it. It should not work according to money, as it so often does, but by the Spirit. We trust God to provide for us, including jobs and so forth, but not for the sake of gaining this world, as the world does, but for the sake of living, that we might be ambassadors. The world gets things here so that it can make a home, we, on the other hand, have a home, and get things here (food, etc) that we might be ambassadors of our true home.

In the church, things like money and phyisical needs arise, but those are simply practical. We share all things so that all might have enough to eat and be clothed, but we do not seek to be rich as the world.

The church becomes another camp we must get out of when it conforms itself to the world. It then actually becomes of the world, because it is of it's ways. Just as out of Israel, came a remnant to form the 'church', now this church has grown and compromised with the world, out of it comes a remnant who follow the Lord's ways.

I hope this helps to understand what I meant to get to :)

 

[Jake]

Yes, I understand what you are saying and I agree.

In whatever we do, we do for the Lord.

 

[Prentis]

Yes! :)

Last of all, we must share in his sufferings righteously. That is, we must follow this rule:

when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;

If we live godly, the world will hate us. God will use this to shape our own character, that we would love even the one who spits on our face! :)

 

[Jake]

I also don't understand why some people need breaking through suffering more than others, and others even more so, and yet others, seem to soar through life with all blessings from above and all goes their way without a care in the world.

What about the people who suffer much? Are they so messed up the refining never ends? It takes more suffering because they are so rebellious?

 

[Prentis]

It might take more suffering for one because he needs breaking, it might take more suffering because this one has really wanted to be with the Lord, and the Lord wants to grant him the desire of his heart.

The thing is, brother, I honestly think (1) you can't measure suffering. And (2) some will suffer for their oen good, while others will have an easy life to their own detriment.

If this life is easy, men love us, etc, we should fearfully come to God, asking if we are actually living out his will and pleasing him.

Another thing is that the Lord will not test us beyond our ability. The more we love him and the more our heart is set towards him, the harder he tests us. Gold is first melted at a lower temperature, and this rids some dross. After, the temperature is put higher, and 'deeper' dross comes out. So it is with us. The greater a man loves the Lord, the less men will love him.

 

[Shirley]

I know I have not lived the life he planned for me. My suffering has been because of running from him. Because of my lack of understanding he has had mercy on me. I am asking Our Father to remove everything in me that is not pleasing to him. And he is doing it! HalleluYAH! He's taking out my sinful nature. He's replacing it with Love and Joy and His spirit! I could not be more thankful to Father YahWAY and our Messiah The Lord Jesus Christ.

 

[Prentis]

Amen Shirley! May he maks us like him, and have mercy! :) The Lord bless you sister!

To conclude, if we remain faithful, we will share in his glory and life!

Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.

The Lord will allow us to go through trials and tribulations, if we are faithful, we will receive the crown of life!

 

[Prentis]

The cross is laid on every Christian. The first Christ-suffering which every man must experience is the call to abandon the attachments of this world. It is that dying of the old man which is the result of his encounter with Christ. As we embark upon discipleship we surrender ourselves to Christ in union with his death—we give over our lives to death. Thus it begins; the cross is not the terrible end to an otherwise god-fearing and happy life, but it meets us at the beginning of our communion with Christ. When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die. It may be a death like that of the first disciples who had to leave home and work to follow him, or it may be a death like Luther’s, who had to leave the monastery and go out into the world. But it is the same death every time—death in Jesus Christ, the death of the old man at his call. (The Cost of Discipleship, 99)

Safety in Christ is only available in our own death and his life in us. To think we can avoid his suffering and yet share his life is a human attempt to have everything be good, and ultimately to save ones own life.

 

[Jake]

"It is not suffering per se but suffering-and-rejection, and not rejection for any cause of conviction of our own, but rejection for the sake of Christ. If our Christianity has ceased to be serious about discipleship, if we have watered down the gospel into emotional uplift which makes no costly demands and which fails to distinguish between natural and Christian existence, then we cannot help regarding the cross as an ordinary everyday calamity… We have then forgotten that the cross means rejection and shame as well as suffering." (The Cost of Discipleship)

:)
Everyone should read that book.

 

[Prentis]

I agree.

The cross was an offense to the Jews ('WE, the CHOSEN people have to die?') and foolishness to the Greeks (you mean we have to die to live?). Either way, the carnal man does not understand it. Christianity instead has made the cross into a symbol, with no true meaning.

The real cross though, which means death to the old man is still an offense to most of Christianity the moment you change it from 'metaphor' to 'reality'. The natural man doesn't understand spiritual things, and rejects them. If the light is shone on that lack, he hates it because he is exposed.

I like what he says there too. We are rejected because we stand with Christ.