NIV Philippians 1:29
For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him,
1. WHAT
In our reading to day, suffering in following Jesus is granted to us on behalf of our faith. Its one package faith to Christ and suffer for Him.
In other word the Bible try to tell us, is a blessing to suffer for Christ.
Although this is the word of God and the Word of God is Truth, as a human being, we often asking a question
- "why Christian must suffer?''
- "where is God when i suffer?"
- "what have I done, that coz me this suffering?"
- "why does God not help me?"
- "maybe I'm not enough faith to God?"
And many more question; but what ever question we may ask, before the answer is come, be know that suffering in following Jesus is a blessing.
2. WHY we suffer.
a. Because suffering is a part of God's good work in you.
Philippians 1:6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
i. Bible perspective
God is the one who began in us, God the one who touch our heart to believe in Him, bring us to the fullness of blessing and God will not/never doing evil work because He is good.
And it is say He will carry it on to completion. Its mean the accomplishment of good work in us need sometime/need process, and in the time of process we may experience suffering. So suffering is a part of good work of God.
Suffering is a part of our Christian life until the day of Christ Jesus. (The second coming)
When Paul say this verse to the church in Philippians, he mean suffering is a part of a good work in the life of them.
ii. Application
I remember my fourth years in Bible School. We; me and my other friend stay in one rent room out side of Campus; sometime we don’t have food for eat. Many time only rice and water for drink. We eat with joy and togetherness but deep in our heart there is question, why this happen to us, why God not provide our need. Many years later when we are in ministry, we sees many people hungry and we felt pity on them, how can we feel their hunger? Because we have experience before.
Sometime God let us hungry without food so we can experience hungry and have sympathy to those who have no food.
We serve God faithful, but we can not have nice house like those who not believe in Jesus; God want us to have joy not in temporary house but in eternally house.
We not eat nice food like other Christian; God want us to thank Him for good food we have though its not nice.
Do you suffer in following Christ?
The answer is God is in work with you;
1) We pray for our husband/wife/parents/children; "God change Him!"
But everyday he is still the same, still don’t care of us, don’t listening to what we say, don’t stop argue to what we say, we suffer of him, and pray more loudly to God.
The answer is Husband love your wife, so she care, listening and not argue with you
The answer is wife submit to your husband, so he care of you
The answer is Children obey your parents.
The answer is Parents love your children.
2) So many time we pray for God change someone, God take time to change us first.
We pray for God to save someone, God sent us to go share the Bible to them, He help us to preach.
We pray for God to bless our neighbor, God say love your neighbor, He help us to love.
We pray God please not rain to day, I must go to the ministry, God say use the umbrella, He help us to not give up so easily.
So if you are suffer in Christ be thankful to God because it is a sign that you are still in His good work.
But sometime we can not bear the painful of our suffering and we still asking the question, why we suffer.
b. Because suffering is a part of evangelism
Philippians 1:12-14 12 Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. 13 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard {13 Or whole palace} and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14 Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.
i. Bible perspective
1) Suffering in following Christ is a good preaching of Gospel. Our longsuffering will speak the word of God stronger than preaching it self.
2) Suffering in following Christ is a test of faith.
3) Suffering in following Christ a good encouragements for the church to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.
Matthew 28:19-20 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Make disciples and teaching is an evangelism ministry and suffering is one of the great instrument in evangelism.
ii. Do you suffer because of your faith?
In Indonesia; Church are burning, Pastor are killed, Christian are suffer. But Christian are like the grass call lallang. This grass is common in Asia. In the village we see people use for roof, and its cool under this roof. This grass is not easy killed, when you cut the grass even in the very bottom of the steam, it will grow back in a few days, your burn this grass field in the summer, it will grow in a few days after the rain come, why? Because it have root left inside the ground.
The more you persecuted and kill Christian, their testimony of suffering and faithfulness in Christ is speak loudly than before.
Our suffering is the evidence of our faith, is an act of our preaching, is an answer of our faithfulness, is a joy of our following, is a rank of our faith.
Suffering is a fertilizer of the seed of God's Word we have plant.
Matthew 16:24 24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
1) Deny him self, its mean; no longer live for your ambitions, (ex: I want this and that, I will do this and that) but for Jesus; His desires is only do what His Father say. (John 4:34 34 "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. John 6:38 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me) So if we live for Jesus is mean live to do the will of God.
2) Take up his cross, its mean; we have responsibility to do . A ministry, being a part of the body of Christ. For every Christian has been receive the gift of Holy spirit to serve God.
3) And follow me; this talk about being faithful. Faithful in three things
a) Self denying.
b) Carry the cross,
c) Following Jesus.
Jesus taught us to follow Him and where did He go while carry the cross?
He walk along via dolorosa (the road of suffering) and went up to Golgotha.
So "why in believe Jesus, we must also suffer"
The answer is
1. Because suffering is a part of God's good work in you.
2. Because suffering is a part of evangelism
For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him,
1. WHAT
In our reading to day, suffering in following Jesus is granted to us on behalf of our faith. Its one package faith to Christ and suffer for Him.
In other word the Bible try to tell us, is a blessing to suffer for Christ.
Although this is the word of God and the Word of God is Truth, as a human being, we often asking a question
- "why Christian must suffer?''
- "where is God when i suffer?"
- "what have I done, that coz me this suffering?"
- "why does God not help me?"
- "maybe I'm not enough faith to God?"
And many more question; but what ever question we may ask, before the answer is come, be know that suffering in following Jesus is a blessing.
2. WHY we suffer.
a. Because suffering is a part of God's good work in you.
Philippians 1:6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
i. Bible perspective
God is the one who began in us, God the one who touch our heart to believe in Him, bring us to the fullness of blessing and God will not/never doing evil work because He is good.
And it is say He will carry it on to completion. Its mean the accomplishment of good work in us need sometime/need process, and in the time of process we may experience suffering. So suffering is a part of good work of God.
Suffering is a part of our Christian life until the day of Christ Jesus. (The second coming)
When Paul say this verse to the church in Philippians, he mean suffering is a part of a good work in the life of them.
ii. Application
I remember my fourth years in Bible School. We; me and my other friend stay in one rent room out side of Campus; sometime we don’t have food for eat. Many time only rice and water for drink. We eat with joy and togetherness but deep in our heart there is question, why this happen to us, why God not provide our need. Many years later when we are in ministry, we sees many people hungry and we felt pity on them, how can we feel their hunger? Because we have experience before.
Sometime God let us hungry without food so we can experience hungry and have sympathy to those who have no food.
We serve God faithful, but we can not have nice house like those who not believe in Jesus; God want us to have joy not in temporary house but in eternally house.
We not eat nice food like other Christian; God want us to thank Him for good food we have though its not nice.
Do you suffer in following Christ?
The answer is God is in work with you;
1) We pray for our husband/wife/parents/children; "God change Him!"
But everyday he is still the same, still don’t care of us, don’t listening to what we say, don’t stop argue to what we say, we suffer of him, and pray more loudly to God.
The answer is Husband love your wife, so she care, listening and not argue with you
The answer is wife submit to your husband, so he care of you
The answer is Children obey your parents.
The answer is Parents love your children.
2) So many time we pray for God change someone, God take time to change us first.
We pray for God to save someone, God sent us to go share the Bible to them, He help us to preach.
We pray for God to bless our neighbor, God say love your neighbor, He help us to love.
We pray God please not rain to day, I must go to the ministry, God say use the umbrella, He help us to not give up so easily.
So if you are suffer in Christ be thankful to God because it is a sign that you are still in His good work.
But sometime we can not bear the painful of our suffering and we still asking the question, why we suffer.
b. Because suffering is a part of evangelism
Philippians 1:12-14 12 Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. 13 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard {13 Or whole palace} and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14 Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.
i. Bible perspective
1) Suffering in following Christ is a good preaching of Gospel. Our longsuffering will speak the word of God stronger than preaching it self.
2) Suffering in following Christ is a test of faith.
3) Suffering in following Christ a good encouragements for the church to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.
Matthew 28:19-20 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Make disciples and teaching is an evangelism ministry and suffering is one of the great instrument in evangelism.
ii. Do you suffer because of your faith?
In Indonesia; Church are burning, Pastor are killed, Christian are suffer. But Christian are like the grass call lallang. This grass is common in Asia. In the village we see people use for roof, and its cool under this roof. This grass is not easy killed, when you cut the grass even in the very bottom of the steam, it will grow back in a few days, your burn this grass field in the summer, it will grow in a few days after the rain come, why? Because it have root left inside the ground.
The more you persecuted and kill Christian, their testimony of suffering and faithfulness in Christ is speak loudly than before.
Our suffering is the evidence of our faith, is an act of our preaching, is an answer of our faithfulness, is a joy of our following, is a rank of our faith.
Suffering is a fertilizer of the seed of God's Word we have plant.
Matthew 16:24 24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
1) Deny him self, its mean; no longer live for your ambitions, (ex: I want this and that, I will do this and that) but for Jesus; His desires is only do what His Father say. (John 4:34 34 "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. John 6:38 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me) So if we live for Jesus is mean live to do the will of God.
2) Take up his cross, its mean; we have responsibility to do . A ministry, being a part of the body of Christ. For every Christian has been receive the gift of Holy spirit to serve God.
3) And follow me; this talk about being faithful. Faithful in three things
a) Self denying.
b) Carry the cross,
c) Following Jesus.
Jesus taught us to follow Him and where did He go while carry the cross?
He walk along via dolorosa (the road of suffering) and went up to Golgotha.
So "why in believe Jesus, we must also suffer"
The answer is
1. Because suffering is a part of God's good work in you.
2. Because suffering is a part of evangelism
Komentar
Posting Komentar
Pendapatmu?