Partakers of His Suffering

Partakers of His Suffering

        . . . but rejoice         to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings . . . 
       — 1 Peter 4:13       

If you are going to be used by God, He will take you through a number of experiences that are not meant for you personally at all. They are designed to make you useful in His hands, and to enable you to understand what takes place in the lives of others. Because of this process, you will never be surprised by what comes your way. You say, "Oh, I can’t deal with that person." Why can’t you? God gave you sufficient opportunities to learn from Him about that problem; but you turned away, not heeding the lesson, because it seemed foolish to spend your time that way.

The sufferings of Christ were not those of ordinary people. He suffered "according to the will of God" ( 1 Peter 4:19 ), having a different point of view of suffering from ours. It is only through our relationship with Jesus Christ that we can understand what God is after in His dealings with us. When it comes to suffering, it is part of our Christian culture to want to know God’s purpose beforehand. In the history of the Christian church, the tendency has been to avoid being identified with the sufferings of Jesus Christ. People have sought to carry out God’s orders through a shortcut of their own. God’s way is always the way of suffering— the way of the "long road home."

Are we partakers of Christ’s sufferings? Are we prepared for God to stamp out our personal ambitions? Are we prepared for God to destroy our individual decisions by supernaturally transforming them? It will mean not  knowing why God is taking us that way, because knowing would make us spiritually proud. We never realize at the time what God is putting us through— we go through it more or less without understanding. Then suddenly we come to a place of enlightenment, and realize— "God has strengthened me and I didn’t even know it!"

 - Oswald Chambers


+++

2016 linkupdate

Related articles

• The Contemplative Companion for Monday, May 23, 2016
• The Word: 2 Peter 1:1-11
• The Portal
• 05/16/2016 Scripture
• Monday, 23 May 2016 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)
• Written down in God's Name for righteousness
• Justification - salvation is by grace through faith - JI Packer
• Hearing words to accept
• Scripture words written for our learning, given by inspiration of God for edification
• Names, Titles, and Characters of Jesus Christ

Misleading Pictures

"More modern ideas present Jesus in a different way. He is the champion of the vagrants, the leader of reactionaries. This too is misleading. Jesus did not come with a social gospel. He was not a superstar. He came to show people a better way.

It is his strength of purpose more than his physique or his manner that we should admire. It is the fortitude with which he met scorn and ridicule. It is the way in which, unflinchingly, he faced the cross. The prophets had foretold his suffering. Yet his determination never wavered.

Even quite early in his ministry, Jesus had experienced rejection. He had visited Nazareth. At first he had received an enthusiastic reception. People had heard of his teaching and miracles. Men like to be associated with a hero. They welcomed him and pressed home the fact that he had grown up in their town.

As Jesus began to talk, they were pleasantly surprised by his words. When, however, he began to say that they would be unwilling to receive his teaching, they changed. They quickly became opposed. When he showed that God had turned to the Gentiles in the past, they became angry.

Jesus said that they would use a proverb against him. It was "Physician, heal yourself!". They led him out to the top of the hill on which Nazareth was built. They had intended to throw him over as they did with criminals. Jesus, however, escaped. His words were prophetic though. At the cross they threw those words back at him. "He saved others; himself he cannot save." In effect they were repeating the proverb, Saviour, save thyself.

Despite the experience of Nazareth, Jesus did not turn away from Jerusalem. Luke's gospel shows that he "steadfastly set his face" to go there. It is this courage and determination that makes the picture of a pale and sickly figure so unsuitable. It is his isolation from the crowd that makes the idea of a hero of the masses so untrue.

Yet there was much more to the Lord than strong resolution only. People came to him with different needs. Whatever their need was, it was met and answered in Jesus. No-one ever came to the Lord and found him too busy. None was ever asked to make an appointment or turned away."
--------------------------
Brother John S. Roberts
The Bible, the Lord Jesus and You

Partakers of the sufferings

“So let us go forth to Him outside the camp bearing His reproach. For we do not have here a continuing city, but we seek the [city] coming.” (Heb 13:13-14 LIT)

 “Beloved, do not be astonished at the fiery trial happening among you for your testing, as [if] a surprise [were] occurring to you; but according as you share the sufferings of Christ, rejoice; so that you may rejoice exultingly at the revelation of His glory.” (1Pe 4:12-13 LIT)

 “and our hope for you [is] certain, knowing that even as you are sharers of the sufferings, so also of the comfort.” (2Co 1:7 LIT)

 “If you are reviled in [the] name of Christ, [you are] blessed, because the Spirit of God and of glory rests on you." Truly, according to them, He is blasphemed; but according to you, He is glorified. [Isa. 11:2]” (1Pe 4:14 LIT)

 “Then they indeed departed from [the] presence of the sanhedrin, rejoicing that they were deemed worthy to be dishonored on behalf of His name.” (Ac 5:41 LIT)

 “having chosen rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than for a time to have enjoyment of sin; having counted the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.” (Heb 11:25-26 LIT)

Dutch version / Nederlands > Deelgenoten van lijden

+++

2013 update:

Related articles

• The Five Crowns we are Eligible to Receive
• The Sufferings of Christ
• Sin If I Partake
• Partakers of the Promise.
• Why am I being persecuted?