Persecution, Suffering, Trials and Temptations

In my 0800 class at church on Sunday mornings we have begun a study of the Petrine epistles. Peter's first letter focuses on how Christians have hope, a living hope, through their faith and God's shielding in times of persecution, suffering, trial and temptation. And it's true, people were dying for the faith when Peter wrote those words. The first major persecution of the church had begun under the rule of Nero in the Roman empire. Being a Christian was hazardous to one's health. Peter wanted God's people to know that in the face of it all, they could have hope and even victory if they kept to the faith. Rome might be able to imprison them or kill them, but only God could save their immortal souls. There was no need for fear because we have a living hope. His advice is as follows.

I Peter 1:13-16

  Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your
hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.
14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had
when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy,
so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am

holy.”    

It sounds so easy in the way he writes it. If you just do these simple things, all will be well. No worries. You will be set. They may feed you to the lions or crucify or burn you to death, but you will be saved. This life is, after all, only a shadow of what is to come. God will bring you home.

I have to say for myself; I do not think it is all that easy and I do not live in a place where this kind of persecution exists. Or do I? Persecution takes all kinds of forms and some are more insidious than others. Facing immediate death and self destruction may actually be easier than standing against the slow nibbling of Satan at our souls for a lifetime. Have you ever seen a boa constrictor eat a mouse or swallow an egg (a symbol of life)? Ya, that kind of slow. Many of us are being digested slowly by the old serpent even now. We are persecuted by the temptations of this world and it's a continual blast of  

pleasure seeking activities designed to pull us into the mouth of this cursed, belly crawling, ancient viper.

Suffering for the faith can come in many ways. In Iran a believer might be beheaded or hung or crucified. In North Korea you might get sent to a prison farm for the rest of your life. In China you might face a firing squad.

But in America and the West, we are slowly drawn away from Him who saves us when, by the pleasures of this world, we become distracted. It begins with temptation. We believers tend to take the blame for temptation to sin upon ourselves, seeing it as a product of our own broken flesh. In the Bible however, it is Satan that always brings temptation. His success is measured by our own gullibility and weakness. Temptation is a form of persecution that can bring a lifetime of suffering to those that would fight it. Yet we are called to fight it until the day we meet Jesus. And so Peter writes, "...prepare your minds for action, be self controlled..."

So how do we do this and do we really do it ourselves with our own willpower?

Paul addressed this issue many times to many churches.

II Corinthians 10:3-5 

 3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Romans 12:1,2

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Ephesians 6:10-20

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against [a]flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 [b]in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 [c]With all prayer and petition [d]pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, [e]be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, 19 and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in [f]chains; that [g]in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Again, it all sounds easy; to be prepared for spiritual warfare, living lives of self control, but I believe it is the single hardest thing to do in the Christian life. Denying the flesh is painful and if one has a constant reminder of what one is denying that is built into that very flesh, the path is even more tortuous. Denial and sublimation can easily lead to failure. Paul knew about this too.

II Corinthians 12:7-10

... Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong...

When I read all these kinds of things in scripture, I am amazed. I have trouble finding this kind of power in my life - either that - or it's there and things would be much worse without it, without my faith. One must have perspective as well as a plan I suppose.

Anyway...

I do know one thing. If the day comes that I pass through the Pearly Gates of Heaven, it will not be because I was a tower of self control prepared for action. It will only be by the grace and love of Jesus Christ. The Serpent still stalks me. His charms are disarming. I am lured by the smoothness of his speech. He is indeed subtle and crafty. One would almost think he loves me. He is a dirty bastard. I'm not sure what God was thinking when He created this one. That alone would be a week's worth of blog posts.

Time to mow the lawn.