Jesus was arrested and taken straight to trial by the Sanhedrin. They were ready for Him. This shows very easily that the whole thing was a setup. They needed enough of the seventy members to make a quorum, and clearly, they did not call ALL the members for this quorum, but the ones who were opposed to Jesus, not the ones who supported Him. At the seat of judgment, leading this trial, was Caiphas, the High Priest. Caiphas was very political and hated Rome with a passion, but he did everything to keep the peace with Rome, knowing that to trigger Rome would steal their power and would lead to their destruction. Rome was actually beneficial to the Sadducees because Rome kept them in power. And here came Jesus, a very clear threat to the system, and just a few days ago, he made a huge scene with the cleansing of the temple and even evading the tax question. They wanted Jesus dead, but now they had to find a reason to do so.
So they tried to get witnesses to lie about him, but they needed at least two to agree. Despite a multitude of witnesses, none of them could actually agree on it. This trial was a setup, but it was also a rush job. We have an example of another setup back in 1 Kings 21, when Jezebel got two scoundrels to testify together against Naboth and had him executed on false charges so Ahab could take Naboth’s vineyard. Yet here, the quorum could not get any two witnesses to agree until two finally stepped up and relied on Jesus’ claim to destroy the temple and bring it back in three days. And Jesus kept silent until Jesus was forced under oath to say if he was the Son of God. Then Jesus simply said, “You said it,” and then added that He wasn’t merely a human, but the Son of Man referenced in Daniel. They knew precisely what Jesus was saying: He wasn’t just claiming to be the Messiah but to be God Himself. The Sanhedrin found Jesus guilty of death; however, they only had the legal right to execute anyone on Temple grounds. So they went to their next step: appealing to the Romans.
Jesus was sent to Pilate because Pilate had to order the crucifixion. He was expected to just comply with the Jews on their sentences, but Pilate had his own political issues. He was under pressure from the Capitol for carrying out too many executions, and the political pressure with the Passover feast, where over a million people had gathered, equating the population of Rome itself. In the center of it was Jesus: the now-famed miracle-worker who had just raised Lazarus from the dead and created a scene in the Temple. Pilate wanted nothing to do with this and then sent Jesus to Herod, who played the role of a king, but knew more of Jewish custom. Both Herod and Pilate could find nothing wrong with Jesus, who did nothing to defend Himself.
Finally, Pilate got Him back and sought to set Jesus free, baffled that Jesus would not defend Himself. He wondered if Jesus was even taking this seriously enough that Pilate could have Him executed, but Jesus basically said, “You don’t have any authority over Me except what My Father lets you have.” There was nothing Pilate could find. But he had to deal with the Jews. So he offered a notorious criminal, Barabbas, thinking they’d actually choose to have the criminal executed, but they chose Jesus. So Pilate took a bowl of water, washed his hands, and declared he was not going to be held responsible for this. And with that, Pilate signaled for Jesus to be crucified.
The amazing thing in all this is Jesus’ silence. Jesus would not defend Himself. Yes, we know He had to fulfill Scripture and be silent as a lamb before shearers, but Jesus endured all sorts of slander, mockery, and insults and did not raise a finger to defend Himself. Before, He stood when Pharisees tried to stone Him and asked, “For what do you stone Me?” Not this time. Jesus remained silent, demonstrating one of His key teachings: turning the other cheek. This is echoed throughout Scripture: Repay evil with good. Scripture tells us to suffer well, even when people lie and slander about us, and live so that no accusation can be proved. This is no easy task.
There is a place to defend ourselves. Paul did to avoid another farce trial in Jerusalem while under Roman protection, and he appealed to Caesar when it showed he wasn’t going to be able to be released without facing the Jews in Jerusalem. But part of this was knowing that he was to go to Rome. Paul knew his journey wasn’t over. Jesus knew His earthly journey was over. This was to be His death, and it had to be a death in which He gave His life. It could not be taken from Him.
We have a SEVERE problem in our culture, and we don’t have a “doctrine of suffering” because we in the U.S. have not suffered. Sure, we have been mocked and ridiculed, but we haven’t experienced actual suffering for our faith. Yes, I am aware of MLK Jr., and yes, Charlie Kirk is still fresh on our minds, but those were more politically motivated as opposed to Gospel related. They weren’t killed simply because they were Christians and preaching a Christian message. They were killed because their political views, which came out of their faith, had greatly disturbed the status quo.
But we are now at the verge of facing true persecution. With AI and Deep Fakes being very easy to manipulate and perform, it is vital that we learn how to keep our mouths shut – except at the proclamation of the Gospel. We need to learn when to properly defend ourselves and when not to, and at any cost, don’t give the enemy reason to question our character because they’ll see weakness and then seek to get us to say something to incriminate ourselves. We must be watchful.
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Whatever anyone else dares to boast about—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast about. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?
If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever, knows that I am not lying. In Damascus the governor under King Aretas had the city of the Damascenes guarded in order to arrest me. But I was lowered in a basket from a window in the wall and slipped through his hands.
- 2 Corinthians 11:21b-33
In this section, Paul offers an autobiographical account that contrasts his personal suffering and challenges with the boasting of the so-called “super-apostles.” It’s a reflection of Paul’s apostolic authority, his willingness to endure trials for the sake of the Gospel, and his unwavering commitment to Christ.
Paul introduces the passage with a bit of sarcasm in the second half of verse 21, acknowledging that boasting is foolish but still engaging in it for the sake of contrast. Paul is not comfortable with boasting, as it contradicts his view of humility in Christ, but he feels compelled to do so to defend his ministry against false teachers.
Paul then establishes his Jewish credentials in verse 22, which were important in the context of the Judaizers (the Jewish Christians who insisted that non-Jewish believers follow Jewish law). By affirming his heritage, Paul shows he has the same roots and background as his opponents, yet his authority comes from Christ, not lineage. Paul’s emphasis here reminds us that while our identity may be important, our spiritual authority comes from our relationship with Christ, not from our cultural or ethnic background.
In verse 23, Paul begins to discuss his suffering, which far surpasses that of his opponents. The phrase “I am out of my mind” underlines his discomfort with boasting. Paul’s apostleship is not marked by power or status but by hardship and self-sacrifice for the sake of Christ. Paul’s testimony challenges the modern tendency to equate success with comfort and security. In Paul’s case, the more he worked for Christ, the more he suffered.
Then in verses 24-27, Paul outlines all of the specific ways he suffered for the gospel of Jesus Christ. He recalls the beatings he received at the hands of Jewish authorities, referencing the 39 lashes, which was a standard punishment (40 lashes were considered to be the maximum allowed by law, but one was subtracted to avoid breaking the law). The fact that Paul endured this five times demonstrates the extreme opposition he faced from his own people. The beatings with rods were a Roman punishment, and Paul’s stoning (Acts 14:19) nearly resulted in his death. His shipwrecks illustrate the peril of his missionary journeys, which were often fraught with danger. Spending "a night and a day in the open sea" suggests near-death experiences that many others might have taken as signs to stop. Yet, Paul pressed on.
Paul lists various dangers he faced as a traveling missionary. The breadth of this list shows that Paul was vulnerable from all sides—both Jews and Gentiles opposed him, and he was not safe in any location, whether urban or rural, land or sea. Even within the Christian community, he encountered opposition from false believers. Paul’s work ethic—laboring to the point of exhaustion and experiencing hunger, thirst, and exposure to the elements—shows for Paul, that ministry was not glamorous or easy but involved significant sacrifice.
In addition to the physical hardships he just outlined, in verse 28 Paul experienced intense emotional and spiritual concern for the churches he founded. The “daily pressure” suggests that Paul carried the weight of the spiritual well-being of many believers across different regions, a burden that added to his overall suffering. Paul’s concern for the churches shows that ministry is not just about physical endurance but also about the emotional and spiritual weight of caring for others.
Paul’s empathy is evident in verse 29. He identifies with the weaknesses and struggles of the believers, feeling their pain as if it were his own. The phrase “inwardly burn” could refer to Paul’s deep distress over sin within the community or his anger at seeing others be led astray. Paul did not just preach to people; he deeply cared for them and shared in their struggles.
In verse 30, Paul flips the human notion of boasting on its head, choosing to boast not about his strengths or accomplishments but about his weaknesses. This goes against worldly wisdom, which values strength and success, but Paul understands that his weakness points to Christ’s strength. He emphasizes this in verse 31 by invoking God’s witness to the truth of his words, reinforcing the seriousness of his claims. His life of suffering and sacrifice is not exaggerated, and he appeals to God as his ultimate judge and defender.
Paul concludes this section in verses 32-33 with a specific incident in which he narrowly escaped arrest in Damascus. Being lowered in a basket was not exactly a dignified escape for an apostle, yet Paul includes this as part of his story, further emphasizing his vulnerability and reliance on God for deliverance. This final story encapsulates Paul’s approach to ministry. He doesn’t shy away from telling of his undignified moments because, for him, they highlight God’s protection and provision.
Paul’s recounting of his sufferings in this passage is not just a boast about what he has endured but a testimony to the sufficiency of Christ. His experiences show that true apostolic authority is not marked by status, ease, or worldly success, but by suffering, sacrifice, and humility. Paul’s willingness to boast about his weakness challenges us to examine our own lives and priorities. Are we willing to embrace weakness and suffering for the sake of Christ, trusting that in our weakness, He is strong?
In a culture that often glorifies power, wealth, and success, Paul’s words call us back to a Gospel-centered perspective. It is in our struggles and vulnerabilities that Christ’s power is most evident. May we, like Paul, find our boasting not in our own achievements but in the One who sustains us through every trial.
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Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them? And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour? I face death every day —yes, just as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our Lord. If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus with no more than human hopes, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”
Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God — I say this to your shame.
- 1 Corinthians 15:29-34
Resurrection is a key focus of Paul’s as he continues to discuss this topic throughout this section of his letter to the church in Corinth. Here, he shares some implications for not believing in the resurrection of the dead.
However, verse 29 starts out with a confusing concept that scholars do not agree on. What is this baptizing for the dead? The verbs are present tense, which implies this was something that the early church was doing and would have understood, which is also why Paul gives no explanation of what that phrase means.
Early church father Chrysostom believed that people would baptize dead bodies in the hope that they would be raised. Other scholars think perhaps it was a superstitious baptism for those who were not part of the church. Still others think that believers may have baptized loved ones’ graves, but there’s no historical evidence for that custom. Some scholars think this refers to living believers being baptized (or rebaptized) for the sake of deceased loved ones, but that does not agree with the gospel message. Another belief is that rather than referring to physical baptism, this verb refers to the concept of identifying: “If there is no resurrection of the dead, why are believers identified as dead men? Why should they be crucified with Christ?” However, the prepositions surrounding this statement do not support that interpretation.
But whatever Paul meant by that phrase, the fact is that it seemed to be understood by the first-century Corinthians and Paul believed it would help them understand and accept the resurrection.
He then brings up another point in verse 30: if the resurrection is not a reality, why are they literally risking their lives every day for the sake of the gospel? Paul knows that the religious authorities are looking to kill Christians; he participated in that practice before he met Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-2). They were risking their lives simply to practice their faith. Why would they do that if there were no point to it if this world was all there is?
In verse 31, Paul states that he faces death every day. It is believed that Paul wrote this letter from Ephesus, where we know from Acts 19 that while Paul did great ministry work there and many believed in the gospel, he was also in physical danger because of it. Then in the first part of verse 32, he specifically mentions fighting wild beasts. This may have been literal, referring to specific punishment by the Roman authorities, but it may also have been figurative, meaning that the human enemies he fought with were like fighting wild animals.
He continues in the second half of verse 32 sharing that there is nothing to be gained if the dead are not raised and this world is all we have. Why go through all that suffering for the sake of the gospel if there is no resurrection after this life? He then quotes Isaiah 22:13, and the context of that passage is God condemning reckless living. If there is no hope for a life beyond this world, we might as well gratify our desires for the pleasures of this world rather than risking our lives for the gospel message that brings hope for a world beyond this one.
While Paul quoted from the Old Testament potentially for the benefit of the Jews in Corinth, he quotes in verse 33 from a Greek poet of the day for the benefit of the Greeks. The saying “Bad company corrupts good character” was from a comedy called Thais by the Greek poet Menander. Those who were in the church who did not believe in the resurrection were a threat to those who did believe in the resurrection. Those who did not believe may have enticed the others through the desires for worldly pleasures rather than the desire for a better life in eternity through being obedient to the gospel message.
Paul delivers a harsh rebuke to them in verse 34. Paul calls it out as a sin to deny the resurrection of the dead; if they deny the resurrection, then they deny Christ. This denial lead to them living in immoral ways as they were living for temporary pleasures rather than the eternal glory of Christ. Those who deny the resurrection deny the truth and are ignorant of God, and Paul says they should be shamed for that.
We see this in our modern culture as well. Those who do not embrace the Christian faith and follow the ways of Jesus generally live more immoral lives and they deny the gospel of Jesus Christ. The resurrection of Jesus, and therefore the resurrection of all the dead one day, is a key tenant to the Christian faith. While we in the United States are not (yet) facing death every day for our faith, there may come a day when that will be our reality, as it is for Christians in other countries around the world. Why would we risk our lives for a faith that does not bring hope for the world beyond this one? We must be certain in the resurrection in order to face whatever trials we experience in this life, even including the threat of death.
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Christianity comes with a cost. This is a message that so few hear today. Let me make this crystal clear: this message will drive many away from the faith. I, personally, would rather chase someone away from the faith, having them knowing what it comes with, than welcome them into a faith that is superfluous and based on false pretexts. The Western church today has nearly all but lost the point or purpose of what it means to be a Christian because we have embraced pragmatic methods instead of God’s way of doing things. Instead of proclaiming God’s message as God gave it, with the focus being on worshiping God and holiness, they focused on “getting people into the church.” So as a result, the premise became to make people as comfortable as possible and don’t dare speak against their sins, and especially don’t make it personal. In all this, a key aspect of Christianity that is all but missing is that to claim the name of Christ and to live accordingly comes with a cost, and that cost is steep.
“But… I thought the gift of God was free.” “Isn’t our salvation by grace, not works?” “Does that cost mean I have to earn my salvation?” These are valid objections, but if we are going to be followers of Jesus, let’s let Jesus Himself describe what it means to be His followers.
To be a Christian, Jesus is to be your very life and source for sustenance. This is the whole message of John 6. Jesus fed the 5000, He crossed the lake, and the crowds followed Him, expecting more food. Jesus didn’t give them another bite and instead declared that to follow Him, you need to eat His flesh and drink His blood. There is a big debate as to whether Jesus was talking literal cannibalism or not, but we need to understand the culture. Drinking blood was completely taboo, and one reason is because Leviticus declares that the life is in the blood. Jesus is saying that the only true life is found in His blood, which would be shed at the crucifixion and would be something we do on a regular basis at the Lord’s Supper. The point I’ll emphasize here is that to be a Christian, Jesus Himself must be our sustenance, not even physical food or water. Jesus Himself said this. Do we believe Him?
To be a Christian means to give up your previous life. Jesus even said that our previous life was to be given a criminal’s death and we are to give it up as such: “Take up your cross daily and follow me.” Paul followed suit when he said, “I am crucified with Christ. Not I but Christ who lives within me.” Crucifixion was a Roman invention for the execution of the worst of criminals. It was so bad that they said they would not carry it out on Roman citizens. This is why Paul never was crucified but rather beheaded; Paul was a Roman citizen by birth.
This teaching about giving up your life is a key one that I find lost today, and don’t think I’m being all pious here. This is something every believer struggles with. A man I admire is Paul Washer, and he admitted that he regularly lives for self and not for the purposes and glory of Christ. It’s not something to be proud of. I do not condemn those who know this truth and so weakly attempt to carry it out, but I am challenging those who make excuses for their discrepancy and use the grace of God as a cover for it. Jesus did indeed die for these shortcomings because we’ll never make it on our own. But He died so we would no longer make that our lifestyle. Jesus asked, “Why do you call me Lord if you do not do as I say?” If Jesus is not acting as Lord over your life, then He is not your Savior either. Or rather, if you are not submitted to Jesus being Lord over your life (because He is Lord whether we acknowledge it or not), then why should He acknowledge you when you call upon His name to get into heaven?
What we have lost is a result of being “church raised.” I am a product of being raised in the church, so I can speak of the dangers involved in being church raised. It is so easy to be a false convert when being raised in the church. There are great blessings to being church raised, but there are grave dangers to it, too. In the 1st century, there were no people raised in the church. When you became a Christian, your life changed. You ceased your former lifestyles, running with the old crowds, going to the old businesses, etc. It was such a thing in Ephesus that the business owners who made their lifestyle on the idolatry of the city were running out of customers and their income went to nothing. That’s why they instigated the riot against Paul. It came with a cost to be a Christian because you were then seen as the troublemaker. Guess what? In every generation since Christ, the ones who preached the true Gospel and where the Gospel transformed society were all seen as troublemakers because they disrupted the sinful status quo. It came with a cost – it would cost them jobs, family members would turn against them, mobs would drive them out of the city if not “lynch” them as they did Paul at Lystra by stoning him, and the list goes on.
But we don’t live in a culture where true persecution happens and people are literally losing their lives for their faith yet. Even in this setting, to be a true Christian and to preach a true message comes with a cost. Ray Comfort is a very zealous evangelist, and he has made some grave blunders in his ministry career which resulted in him becoming known as the Banana Man. He is among the most ridiculed evangelists by the atheist community, and he greatly struggled with it. Yet as a result of that high level of stigma, he got to witness to atheists and high-level professors like Lawrence Krauss and Penn Jillette, just so they could have the privilege of having to talk with the very man they’ve ridiculed for so long. Comfort has gotten to witness to so many people who wouldn’t hear the Gospel from anyone, because he paid the price of his reputation among unbelievers and even other believers.
Paul Washer and Leonard Ravenhill have paid the price for preaching unpopular messages. Ravenhill was often scathing in his sermons, and Washer became known as American’s “blast the church” pastor after his Shocking Youth Message. Both often only got to preach one time at places because the church would not want them back. Many churches want these celebrity preachers to come support them, and they would not give a blessing message but rather a lashing message that the church needed.
Finally for this post, David Wilkerson had to pay the price, too. He had a burden for the gangs of New York City after seeing an article about seven gang members severely wounding a disabled teen. In his desire to help these criminals, he approached the judge during the trial and the media branded him as a Bible-thumping preacher. He was given a black eye for that, but when the street kids recognized him, they thought he was cool, because they both had the police and “proper citizens” against them. Before Wilkerson could gain the respect of the gangs, he had to be viewed as someone who was not prim and proper by media and police, and he did so without sinning himself. Revival took place among the gangs as a result. Wilkerson paid the price so he could fulfill God’s calling on his life.
Christianity comes with a cost. Your life will not be as it was. Jesus is not an accessory that you add to your life to “complete” it. Christianity is not a set of doctrines that you believe, and you can still go about thinking and living as you would if you didn’t have Christ. If you are going to follow Christ, your life is no longer your own, and you no longer have the freedom to simply do what you want to do. You are freed from sin and your rebellion against God, but you are freed also to servitude to Christ. True conversion simply exchanges one master (the indulgence of self) for another Master (the perfect God-man Christ Jesus).
If your faith doesn’t cost you anything, is it real? A faith that costs nothing is worth nothing. We can tell how real your faith is when the cost comes, and it will come. Your faith will be proved by whether you stand by it no matter the cost, or whether you cave to the pressure to give it up. Most do the latter; few do the former. Jesus warned us of the types of costs we will pay to be a believer. Very few of us have any clue what that means until it happens. Have you counted the cost?
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If you have been following the last ten weeks as I’ve written on brainwashing, the Hegelian Dialectic Process, and what I believe about upcoming tribulation for American Christians and you are feeling either overwhelmed or fearful, I understand. Dealing with the topic of suffering is anathema to most in American Christianity. Most don’t want to hear it. Many will rebuke any person who dares bring up the topic. Yet there are some who are going through it and are asking: “What is the deal?” One of the reasons why Richard Wurmbrand started Voice of the Martyrs is because he wanted us here in the West to be alert about what is really happening to the Christians in the rest of the world.
Last week, I gave a warning that great suffering I believe is coming to us here in the U.S. If I’ve ever come close to “prophesying,” this would be it, and I do not consider myself a prophet or son or a prophet or what not. For the record, I am NOT saying this is a prophecy, but I say this to show how urgent the weight I feel on this issue is. I’m not alone on this one either. In many circles I’m, I’m hearing similar things. On a Facebook post that Voice of the Martyrs posted about the Tortured for Christ DVD, I posted that I had watched and seen in, then said that we need to be preparing for such suffering coming to us. I received many responses; most said they agreed, however, some responded with “Pray with me that it doesn’t happen.” I said, “I’ll pray that God does what He needs to do.”
Suffering is part of the Christian life. Jesus said it would come, and the closer to you get to God, the more suffering you will face. Just ask Job when God brought Job to Satan’s attention. Just ask Peter when Satan asked for permission to get at him on the very night Jesus would be betrayed. Jesus gave it to him and prayed for Peter that he would endure it. Just ask Paul when he was shipwrecked, stoned, beaten five times, ran out of town many times, and ultimately beheaded. Just ask the “Great Cloud of Witnesses” and that they endured as recorded at the end of Hebrews 11. Suffering is part of our life.
Let me also say this: we cannot be conformed into the image of Christ without suffering. Why? Because suffering is the only way to get sin out of our lives and to get us to rely and depend upon Christ instead of ourselves. My pastor told a story of a man who was dying of cancer. He asked his pastor if he would pray that God would heal him of cancer. The pastor responded: “This cancer has brought you closer to God than 40 years of my preaching. I will not pray for you to be healed. But I will pray that this cancer cannot take a single more cell without God’s permission.”
Suffering is not pleasant, but Paul took a position that most people really just skim over. He rejoiced over his suffering. He counted suffering as gain, because it brought him and others closer to Christ. That is what we are to do when it comes to suffering: rejoice. Again, Richard Wurmbrand is a modern example. He was put into solitary confinement for three years; he was in such darkness for so long that it nearly blinded him. And he came out simply glowing because he was with Christ every day. He took beatings from the Communist guards as a joy. The movie showcases a man preaching to the group and the guards come in and beat him up. He returns, hardly able to stand, and immediate says: “Where was I?” How do they handle this? How will we handle all this suffering I fear we may face, possibly within our lifetime?
This one is something I still have to wrestle with to really grasp, but Wurmbrand said that knowing Psalm 23 didn’t help him at all in prison. He had to know the Shepherd of which the Psalm speaks. Memorizing Scripture is vital, because when the Bible is taken from us, we will only have our memory to rely on. I am an intellectual type and I know Scripture very well, though I still have much to learn of it. But mere head knowledge of Scripture won’t help me when I face this kind of persecution. Knowing Whom Scripture reveals will help me. But how can I know Him, if I don’t know His Word?
The Apostle James knew the Savior. When he was executed, he had such a confident air and hope about him that his executioner confessed Christ and asked to be executed with James so he wouldn’t die alone. James was the first of the Apostles to be executed. How did he do that? He knew the Savior, but he also knew something else that Herod didn’t know.
Paul said the sufferings of this world are mere trifles, only here for a moment. He knew what suffering was, even more than Richard Wurmbrand. He was beaten, he was imprisoned, and he was even stoned, not to mention shipwrecked, faced robbers and thieves, many nights homeless in the cold, friends betraying him, other friends either abandoning him or couldn’t find him. He knew about suffering. And he counted it all as joy. How? Here is another clue. He had his eye on the prize. He had what Leonard Ravenhill described as “eternity stamped upon his eyeballs.” He saw the spiritual side of things and thus looked past the sufferings of this life, which is only for a few years, and then eternity. I heard of one pastor who was in a service when thugs came in and pointed guns at everyone, saying if anyone did not deny Christ they would be shot. The pastor looked at them and said, “How dare you threaten me with heaven?”
There is hope for us. Suffering is coming. Persecution will come here to the United States. It may or may not happen in my lifetime. But I have a duty to prepare both myself and the next generation for it. When it comes, there won’t be any prep time left. But if we prepare our minds and our spirits to be ready for it, when it comes, we’ll be ready. A couple months ago I wrote about being “sifted like wheat.” This persecution will be a sifting. What is going to be left? Will we find Christ, or will we find complete and total ruin? Some of the latter may be saved, but they will be saved as though through fire, with total loss. Only his life will be spared. But the man who suffers for the name of Christ and endures, the reward he will receive will be great.
We can stand in confidence of our salvation and the hope of Christ that is in us. I want to make this clear: we don’t have the strength to endure such suffering; only Christ does. Here is what that means. It won’t be us in our own strength who endures this suffering; it will be Christ preserving us. The ones who endure are the ones whom God preserves. He may allow us to fall for a season if that is what it takes to convince us once for all to rely upon him (like Peter), but He ultimately will preserve us all the way to the end. When this comes, let us rely on Him because He knows what is best for us and He has a goal to conform us into the image of Christ.
If the past couple months have been hard on you in reading these posts, I understand. But I have a sense of urgency about me and I had to cover this. Turn to Christ and turn to Him always and only. Nothing else can satisfy us and nothing else will preserve us. Christ will. And while suffering is something no one wants to go through heading into it, those who truly have known Christ in His power and have seen Him do His work in and through it don’t regret it. The day will come when all suffering will end and if we can gain Christ through it, then we must press through and pursue Him. The worst they can do to us is send us to Christ sooner rather than later. Why should we fear when the King is on His throne?
If you have committed your life to Christ, stay strong and don’t give in. Jesus won’t give up on you. If you have not committed your life to Christ, beware because you aren’t safe either. Wurmbrand described how a Communist was imprisoned by his own people and tortured. The man was baffled at this and realized that if a Communist tortured a Communist it was for torture’s sake, not good overcoming evil (in his mind), so that must make them unmitigated evil. But if there is unmitigated evil, there must be unmitigated good, and that which evil opposes must be good. The Communist told his guards they could stop torturing him because it had done its work: he was now a Christian. The guards couldn’t believe it. When evil comes, no one is safe, not even the instigators and perpetrators. The only hope anyone has is through Christ. Please make peace with Him before it’s too late.
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This is not going to be an easy post to go through, and this is perhaps the absolute worst message I or anyone else could give to the average American “Christian” today if I were to expect a thunderous applause. This issue has been heavy on my heart for a couple of years. It was sparked by a sermon by Eric Ludy who “lent his microphone” to Richard Wurmbrand for a sermon; that is, he gave a message that Wurmbrand would have given if he was still around. It is titled “The Perilous Mission,” however, the sermon is currently not found on Ludy’s website.
Richard Wurmbrand started the Voice of the Martyrs ministry. He was a pastor in Romania during the Russian Iron Curtain. He watched firsthand how the Communists invaded and took over the country and the churches before the persecution began. His most famous book is called Tortured for Christ, and recently a movie was made based on the book. It had just been released when Ludy preached the sermon I mentioned, and this summer, I bought the DVD and watched it. It only re-ignited this issue for me.
We do not understand what it means to suffer. Suffering is a critical doctrine for a Christian to understand to survive hard times, yet American Christianity has avoided it like the plague or intentionally speaks against it. Jesus told his disciples that there would be many troubles in this world. This was to a group of men who had already experienced hard times under Roman occupation. Jesus was saying this was nothing compared to what was to come. What happened? Imprisonment, beatings, riots, stoning, shipwrecks, robberies, homelessness, beheadings, crucifixions, banishment, impalement, dragging by horses, hanging, burning at the stake, being sawed in half, and countless other tortures that sinful, wicked men have devised. We don’t know what that means. We really don’t.
We tend to think we suffered this spring with the coronavirus lockdowns. We lost personal freedom. The entire nation was essentially put under house arrest. Freedom to go about and do what we wanted to do was gone. We have been forced to wear masks. Sports were eliminated. Movies were eliminated. Going to school was eliminated. Going to church was eliminated. Running your business was eliminated. For four months (or more depending on which state you live in), we have been suddenly removed of the way of life we were used to. It happened in an instant. While one could argue a massive conspiracy theory on behalf of the liberal left, who really shut down the country? God did, either directly or indirectly.
Many people whined that we were being persecuted because we were told we couldn’t go to church on Easter. Was it a violation of our First Amendment rights? Probably, in my opinion. Given the information we had at the time, I thought that there really weren’t many other options to consider. I now know that the left-leaning governors and local leaders were all too eager to get it going because it gave them instant power. I believe the lockdowns should not have happened at this point, but I can understand the thinking our elected leaders used to make said decisions.
That said, in all this, I have said all along that God is using the past four years of Trump’s administration to expose everyone for who they really are. The left is truly being exposed for who they are (especially with the nationwide riots). The “American Christian” is also being exposed. The most famous “Christian” leaders in the country are “Word of Faith” preachers some of whom think they can “blow away” coronavirus from their stages. They proved to be frauds. If the makers of “American Gospel: Christ Alone” didn’t make that documentary until today, they’d have a LOT more material to work with. That documentary is an exposé about the false teachings of God being there to provide the American with wealth, comfort, prosperity, health, etc., all with no hint of the teachings of suffering. I’ve always been put off by their greed and worship of self, but as this burden of preparing to suffer continues to weigh upon my shoulders, I have an even greater hatred for those teachings. Anyone who listens to them will not be ready by any means for what is about to come.
I want to make it clear that I am not advocating for giving up and letting the evil come and do its thing. We still must rise up and make a stand for what is right, loving justice, granting mercy, walking humbly with God. However, there’s only one thing that can remotely save us without intense persecution: nationwide repentance. Even then, I do believe the U.S. is past the point of redemption. A nationwide repentance could only delay the judgment due our country in a similar way that Josiah’s revival only lasted as long as he reigned before the bottom fell out.
We need to prepare ourselves to suffer. Start going without certain luxuries if you need to. The day will come when we may be denied things like heat, air conditioning, blankets, or clothes, let alone cars, internet, cell phones, TVs, fast food, etc. When I finished watching Tortured for Christ, on my way to fencing practice that afternoon, I was still processing the movie, and a thought came across my mind: “I may not make it through life, standing for truth as I am now, without being sent to prison for it.” I’m 37 years old, maybe about halfway through my life. I’m not going to stop defending the faith, calling out false teachings, and proclaiming Christ. I’m not at the point of boldness where I could be as Wurmbrand who would intentionally go into the Communist soldiers’ barracks to preach Christ, knowing he could be arrested that instant. Being bold on Facebook or an internet blog is one thing. But when face to face, it’s another issue. When your life and others’ lives are at risk for speaking the truth, it’s a whole separate issue.
There is one scene that stood out to me in this movie. It also one Ludy pointed out because his then 13-year-old son was with him to watch it. One of the pastors had been horrifically beaten and was chained to a wall. The Communists brought in the pastor’s son, only 12-14 years old at most, chained him up, stripped him, and then beat him to get the pastor to give the names and locations of other believers to be arrested too. The pastor gave in, but his son told him, “Don’t tell them anything. Don’t be a traitor. Keep preaching Jesus.” The son was beaten so badly that he died with his blood splatted all over the cell, all in front of his father. The father didn’t reveal the names, but he was never the same. Ludy singles out this scene because his son identified with that pastor’s son and saw himself potentially being put in that position.
Let me make this very clear. When this persecution hits, it won’t be just us affected. Our children will be, too, and not just in being potentially made orphans. Right now, I don’t have kids (God has not let that door open), but I am around kids all the time through coaching fencing and teaching. I have to consider what I would do if I were arrested, beaten, and then the guards bring in one of my students to torture in front of me until I talked. Would I be willing to let them go through hell to maintain my faith and my integrity and the lives of those not yet caught? Would that kid know me well enough and know my faith well enough that he or she could endure beatings, rapes, the searing of flesh, broken bones, ripped out nails, or even worse, and then encourage me not to speak? I’m dead serious that we need to be preparing how we would handle such situations. While I cannot know exactly what I would do until such a moment happens, I have to be getting myself ready to make that decision in advance. Because believe me on this: you cannot and will not make the decision to be loyal to Christ in prison, unless you’ve made that decision beforehand. You could still fail, but unless you decide in advance you will be loyal, you already failed and sealed the deal.
What I am describing here is “par for the course” for the Christian around the world throughout the last 2000 years, from the Apostles through today in the Islamic Middle East and the Communist Eastern Nations. That “great cloud of witnesses” the author of Hebrews tells us about are the ones who went through this stuff. And we complain about not attending our fancy brick buildings in groups on an Easter Sunday because of an overhyped plague, or things are too difficult because we lost a job. We don’t know a thing about suffering in this country. I fear we are about to face the real thing, and we won’t be ready for it. There will be no nominal Christians then. No more fakers at that point. Start preparing, and don’t count on a rapture to come save you before it happens because this may or may not be related to the end times.
I do want to end this post with a reminder that while this great suffering is likely fast coming our way, we Christians have something that no one else does: hope. We have hope for life eternal. We can take the hit, because we know there is more than this life to consider. Stay tuned for more on that in next week’s post.
This forum is meant to foster discussion and allow for differing viewpoints to be explored with equal and respectful consideration. All comments are moderated and any foul language or threatening/abusive comments will not be approved. Users who engage in threatening or abusive comments which are physically harmful in nature will be reported to the authorities.
