Must Christians Suffer?
By Rev Hong Hee
http://www.konghee.com/www/?p=229622 Feb 2009
Then He answered and told them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and restores all things. And how is itwritten concerning the Son of Man, that He must suffer many things and be treated with contempt?”Mark 9:12
It was very difficult for the disciples to grasp the idea that their Savior would have to suffer. The Jews who studied the Old Testament prophecies expected the Messiah to be a great king like David, who would overthrow the enemy, Rome. But their vision was limited to their own time and experience.
If Jesus hadn’t suffered and died, we would have died in our sins. Through His suffering, Jesus completed the work necessary for our salvation. Through His suffering, Jesus fully identified with us. We know that Jesus understands our struggles because He faced them as a human being. We can now trust Him to help us survive our trials and overcome life’s temptations.
Suffering is one of the unavoidable passages of life. Some people think that troubles are always caused by sin or a lack of faith. But trials are often a part of God’s plan for believers. Jesus never promised that His followers would not suffer (Luke 21:17-19).
Suffering brings a number of benefits:
(1) It may be an opportunity for you to practice submission before God.
(2) It can build in you character (James 1:2-4) and patience (Rom. 5:3-5). You can’t really know the depth of your character until you see how you react under pressure.
(3) You start to become sensitive toward others who may also be facing troubles (2 Cor. 1:3-7). It is easy to be kind to others when everything is going well, but can you still be kind when others treat you unfairly?
God’s will is to make you mature and complete, not to keep you free from pain. Instead of complaining about your struggles, you should see them as opportunities for growth. Often, your troubles may be a sign of effective Christian living on your part.
Finally, God does not expect us to enjoy suffering. Only days after telling the disciples to pray that they might escape persecution, Jesus Himself asked God to spare Him the agonies of the cross, if that was God’s will (Luke 22:41-42). It is abnormal to want to suffer, but as Jesus’ followers, we should be willing to suffer if by doing so, we can help build God’s kingdom.
We have two wonderful promises to help us persevere when we suffer:
God will always be with us (Matt. 28:20), and
He will one day rescue us and give us eternal life (Rev. 21:1-4).
Monday, February 23, 2009
The Price Of Discipleship
The Price Of Discipleship
By Rev Kong Hee
21 Feb 2009
http://www.konghee.com/www/?p=2218
When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”Mark 8:34
To be a disciple of Jesus requires you to make a threefold decision.
First of all, you need to deny yourself.
This means to humble yourself and forsake all personal, selfish ambitions. This doesn’t mean you need to take a vow of poverty or celibacy. But it does mean that you must be willing to put God’s will above your own.
In desiring to do His Father’s purpose, Jesus emptied Himself of His glory and splendor, humbling Himself fully in obedience to God. Self denial is often a major obstacle to the talented, educated and wealthy. By their own abilities and connections, they can seemingly accomplish so much in life.
Can you trust God enough to surrender all your talents and heart’s desires completely to Him in exchange for His plan and purpose for your life?
Can you give Jesus all of you in exchange for all of Him?
Secondly, to be a disciple, you must be willing to take up your cross.
The cross speaks of the place of sacrifice. The first time the word “love” is mentioned in the Bible, we see Abraham willingly placing his son Isaac on the altar of sacrifice (Gen. 22). Love always requires sacrifice.
God loves you so much that He gave His only Son as a sacrifice for your sins.
Do you love Him enough to do the same?
To willingly sacrifice your time, talents, money and life for His cause?
Thirdly, to be a disciple of Jesus requires you to follow Him unreservedly.
In the endtimes, God is looking for those “who follow the Lamb wherever He goes” (Rev. 14:4). Many people would happily follow the Good Shepherd to “lie down in green pastures, beside the still waters.” But few are willing to follow Him “through the valley of the shadow of death”
(Ps. 23:1-4). Following Jesus requires determination, discipline, dedication and devotion.
With just 11 disciples, Christ changed the whole world. He wants to do the same with you today. Deny yourself. Take up your cross.
Follow Him.
Be a true disciple of Jesus.
By Rev Kong Hee
21 Feb 2009
http://www.konghee.com/www/?p=2218
When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”Mark 8:34
To be a disciple of Jesus requires you to make a threefold decision.
First of all, you need to deny yourself.
This means to humble yourself and forsake all personal, selfish ambitions. This doesn’t mean you need to take a vow of poverty or celibacy. But it does mean that you must be willing to put God’s will above your own.
In desiring to do His Father’s purpose, Jesus emptied Himself of His glory and splendor, humbling Himself fully in obedience to God. Self denial is often a major obstacle to the talented, educated and wealthy. By their own abilities and connections, they can seemingly accomplish so much in life.
Can you trust God enough to surrender all your talents and heart’s desires completely to Him in exchange for His plan and purpose for your life?
Can you give Jesus all of you in exchange for all of Him?
Secondly, to be a disciple, you must be willing to take up your cross.
The cross speaks of the place of sacrifice. The first time the word “love” is mentioned in the Bible, we see Abraham willingly placing his son Isaac on the altar of sacrifice (Gen. 22). Love always requires sacrifice.
God loves you so much that He gave His only Son as a sacrifice for your sins.
Do you love Him enough to do the same?
To willingly sacrifice your time, talents, money and life for His cause?
Thirdly, to be a disciple of Jesus requires you to follow Him unreservedly.
In the endtimes, God is looking for those “who follow the Lamb wherever He goes” (Rev. 14:4). Many people would happily follow the Good Shepherd to “lie down in green pastures, beside the still waters.” But few are willing to follow Him “through the valley of the shadow of death”
(Ps. 23:1-4). Following Jesus requires determination, discipline, dedication and devotion.
With just 11 disciples, Christ changed the whole world. He wants to do the same with you today. Deny yourself. Take up your cross.
Follow Him.
Be a true disciple of Jesus.
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