Friday, January 18, 2013

Suffering and other Scriptures avoided

Hebrews  5:8
    Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;

This is a subject you will rarely hear, if any, from the pulpit of an American church.  Many believers don't want to hear it, many preachers won't teach it, for it may scare their congregation away to other churches.  Yet, from the above Scripture, even Jesus learned obedience through suffering.  Before his crucifixion, he was beaten, humiliated, and when he was returned to Pontius Pilate, good chance he was unrecognizable.  But Jesus knew this was the will of His father, and he was obedient throughout the ordeal.
American churches want to embrace the "good" in the good news, but have a contorted view of it.  Bigger bank accounts and more material possessions is our view of prosperity and God's blessings.  We take in simple accounts of Paul's writings in jail, but refuse to acknowledge WHAT those prisons were like, yet, he considered it all joy. 
There is no comparison of prisons today to what it was like in the first century.  No cable, no soft beds to lay on, no heated indoors, no decent meals.  Usually old bread, shackled on hard, unkempt dirt floors.  Very little room to stress out, good chance rats roomed with the prisoners.  Dungy would be a word to be used lightly to describe the conditions of being a recipient.  Paul saw this as an honor of his Christian walk.
Another portion of Scriptures that gets ignored is the last few verses in Hebrews 11, better known as the faith chapter.  Interesting to note why we avoid to discuss these verses, because it does not sound pleasant at all, especially to the Word of Faith movement.  Truly, this can't be faith in the God of all promises, the God that loves us, the Almighty that will be our Rock, our Shelter, our tower of refuge.  Yet, these verses are in the Bible, so it is time to look at them.

Hebrews 11:34-40
    Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. [35] Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: [36] And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: [37] They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; [38] (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. [39] And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: [40] God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

Doesn't look like anything that wants to be promoted as faith.  But God is deeply honored by those who go through deep persecutions, tribulations, imprisonments and beatings for the faith for Him.  Tortures still take place today from people who either hate Jesus or other that would interfere in their belief.  Christians were stoned, killed on the spot, and rejected even by the same family and people they entrusted maybe just weeks or days before.  David was chased for many years by a man who he looked up to, priests were slain just for protecting David, and many of the original apostles were killed in insane ways for their faith in Jesus.  And the bottom line remains in v.39, received not the promise...but God provided a better thing.
We tend to hold on to so many promises that we neglect the greatest promise of all, the Cross.  The Bible is replete with promises of God, and we desire to hold on the ones that require less effort on our part.  The writer of Hebrews expressed those who were willing to give their lives to save it in the end.  Their promise was theirs in eternity, not what they could get in this life.  For some reason, American churches prefer to get the promises now, and not wait for a better one.  These people in the above Scriptures wanted the promise that suffering brings, and God honored it.
Lastly, this is a Scripture that only the brave in the pulpit will preach:
1 Cor. 5:1-7
    It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife. [2] And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. [3] For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, [4] In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, [5] To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. [6] Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? [7] Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:

Who wants to send a person to the devil, but Paul admonishes the church to do so.  The sin was so obvious to the people, but no one did a thing.  Ironic that Paul found out about it while in prison, and the church was glorying in their works but not dealing with sin, especially adultery.  Paul said their egos was puffed up, when they should have mourned that leaven had gotten into the "bread."  Thus, he was telling the church to give this person over to the devil, so his flesh may be destroyed.
I dated a woman on and off for sixteen months until I could not take it any more.  I proceeded to pray for her for two weeks almost every night until God intervened and took away the burden.  He brought forth 1 Samuel 16:1 to me and I knew what happened.  He put her in a position to pick between her flesh or the spirit on which man she wanted (she was sexually involved with another man at that time).  God told me he rejected her as a possible mate and told me I cannot pray for her any more.  This was actually a blessing, because God opened the door for another woman in my life, who is now my wonderful wife of almost twelve years.
America has been ruined by her riches that God has blessed her with, and many churches have begun to followed suit.  I do not want to be persecuted, beaten, tortured and left for dead.  No one wants to have a gun pointed at their head and demanded to renounce Jesus, but it does happen in the world, and America may be next.  Note that it was the religious leaders in Jesus time that had Him arrested, beaten and tortured, not the world.  The Romans were only the vessels of the beatings, just taking orders. 
We should never glory of any one if we know they are in sin.  We need to keep each other accountable, but those who are suffering for Christ need to be lifted up instead of considering they are being attacked because of their life.  It takes great discernment and the willingness to use it to understand.  Many in the Middle East countries, (esp. now Egypt) and China face much persecution, and they know the ramifications, and they are willing to pay the price.  Also, since many believe we are in the last days, the Great Tribulation just won't happen in one day, it will gradually open the door.  If any have read my previous posts on what I feel is America's direction, and having a president that has bent more in the Islam than his claim on Christianity, concerns me and my faith in Christ.  The godly shall be persecuted (2 Timothy 3:12), so if you have been a Christian for quite a few years and your faith hasn't been tested, you may need to reevaluate your walk.
Suffering isn't bad, if we know it is God who is honored by it and through it. 

Blessings,

Michael
Jeremiah 6:16



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