0414 MUST WE SUFFER?

MUST WE SUFFER?

What an odd message this would be for the American church today: “We must suffer many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God.” Seems harsh, doesn’t it? I think that most of us who are trying to convince people to come to church are way over on the other side of that fence. We say, “Come as you are.” “A place where everyone is welcome.” “You are loved.” “Something good is going to happen to you today.” 

It would be like advertising all the hard, more advanced parts of the gospel. “Don’t you dare to come without a tithe.” “God wants all of you.” “Today’s sermon: repent or die!” “Come and change.” That’s how it sounds when Paul and Barnabas encourage the new believers to continue in the faith, reminding them that we must suffer many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God. (v. 22)

What is the context for such a counter-intuitive exhortation? To begin with, remember that Saul, now also known as Paul, had been putting Christians into prison and having them executed. 

But after his conversion, Paul/Saul also experienced the other side of suffering for the good news. They had been sent out from Antioch, they came to the island of Cyprus. When they got to the city of Paphos, they met with the governor, who would soon become a believer. In the meantime, a certain man who was a sorcerer tried to argue with them and undermine their message. That led to Paul confronting him and declaring him blind for perverting the ways of the Lord.

The next town they came to, they came to the synagogue, as usual, and there they were given a request to speak. “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, come and give it.” Paul did. And as often is the case, jealous Jewish leaders stood in strong opposition to these two apostles. They slandered Paul and argued against whatever he said. The apostles turned to preach to the Gentiles. So the Jewish leaders in town “stirred up the influential religious women and the leaders of the city, and they incited a mob against Paul and Barnabas and ran them out of town.”

The same thing happened in Iconium. Great initial success in the synagogue, but some of the Jews “spurned God’s message and poisoned the minds of the Gentiles against Paul and Barnabas.” A mob was coming to stone them, so the two apostles fled. And they preached the gospel elsewhere.

In the next town of Lystra, Paul healed a crippled man in the name of Jesus. The miracle was overwhelming. And it led these idol-worshiping citizens of Lystra to conclude that they were gods, and they started to make sacrifices to them. They were barely able to convince them to stop, when some Jews from the last two towns came in and won the crowds to their side. They stoned Paul and “dragged him out of town, thinking he was dead. But as the believers[c] gathered around him, he got up and went back into the town. The next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.” 

They made many disciples in Derbe, and then went on a whirlwind tour back home by going through the towns they had been to on the first half of their journey. That’s when they said what they did about entering the kingdom through hardships. And, I’m sure, it’s also why the people there believed it to be true. They had seen hardships. 

A few years later, Paul reviewed all of his sufferings while presenting his apostolic credentials. It takes strong convictions to knowingly enter into such dangerous places and to keep you hopeful at the end of the day.

What shall we say to this challenge, church of America? If Christianity became illegal, would you still choose to follow Jesus? And if they caught you, would there be enough evidence to convict you? I find these questions to be nearly impossible to answer for me. I have strained some friendships by my stand on certain issues. I have been called Jesus Freak. But I know that I’m not one.

I wonder why I’m not enduring such strong persecution for Christ? Hmm. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I’m not converting half of a town in one week. No one would have a reason to be jealous of me and my converts.

Maybe it’s true. Maybe you really DO have to endure many hardships to enter the kingdom of God. May you be bold and speak the truth without compromise, being filled with the Holy Spirit when you do. Amen.