The Way of Christ is the Way of Joyful Suffering

In Ephesians 4:1 Paul says identified himself in this way: “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord…” Paul did not mean the word “prisoner” metaphorically. He was literally behind bars for preaching the gospel. And this was only one of many sufferings in the course of his ministry:

“Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches” (2 Corinthians 11:23-28).

I watched a movie this week called Facing the Giants. It was written and produced by a church in Texas for only $100,000. While I appreciated certain aspects of the movie, I must say in the end that it presented a false view of Christianity. It made it seem as though when a person gets right enough with Jesus he will win all the football games—including the state championship—he will get a new truck for free, he will get a $6,000 raise, he and his wife will conceive a baby after trying for six years, he will spear-head a school-wide revival, and all his players will go from “D” students to “A” students, in fact, they’ll be at the top of the class.

This is a less than mild version of the prosperity gospel, and it is a false gospel. The call to follow Jesus is a call to suffer for the joy that is set before us. “And he said to all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me’” (Luke 9:23).

Learning to follow him with you,
Pastor Charlie