I love Thanksgiving. It's always good to count one's blessings and thank the Lord for all the ways He provides for us. And to sit around with family and friends, realizing how special they are. Shouldn't everyday be Thanksgiving?
So, after a few days of relaxation, peace, and giving thanks, I'm confronted again with the concept of suffering for Christ. One of the questions brought up in my class was "Most Muslim-background believers in Christ suffer for their faith, and some have given their lives. What does "suffering for Christ" mean to you and your community?" For some reason, I haven't been able to come up with a good answer for this question.
This summer, a friend gave a talk about suffering and quoted John Piper saying "It's hard to be a Christian in America. The psychological benefits, the relational benefits, the prosperity benefits, the health benefits, etc. of believing in Jesus make a pretty good life. Such that if it is wrong in the end, well, who cares, we still lived a pretty good life." And that's so different from the New Testament church and the examples of faith that we have.
I've been thinking about this stuff for a while, and nothing has settled in my head yet. When living "the American dream" where we are free to worship and proclaim Christ when, where, and however we want, do we "suffer for Christ"? If so, what does that look like? Insight anyone?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Back in August, I went to a community Bible study, and the speaker's topic that evening was suffering. He spoke very eloquently about why God might allow us to suffer.
However, through his talk, my mind kept drifting back to my church's "Mission Sunday" in January. The speaker was Gary Thies, who garners support for missionaries all over the world. His presentation that morning showed us where the missionaries were and some of their situations and challenges. One of his pictures was of a woman in Africa who was probably about 35 years old. I don't remember the details, but she had become a Christian and as punishment, someone had cut off both arms just below the elbows. It was a powerful image that I will never forget.
As I drove home that night in August, I could only come to one conclusion: I haven't a CLUE about suffering, especially for Christ. My idea of suffering is having to deal with frustrating customer service from my credit card company. In fact, life is so good for me that, at times, I find myself hoping that elements of this life are found in heaven, as if I would be disappointed with the alternative. This is unfathomably ridiculous!
I'm not sure what this means for Christians like you and me, who are blessed in ways we can't even recognize. I wish I had a nice, tidy conclusion, but I really don't. Why has it always been so easy for me to be a Christian? Why was I born into a Christian home in a country where I'm free to go to church whenever I want? Why should I have all that, when there is a woman in Africa living without hands?
Post a Comment