Acts 9.15-16 15 But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! I have
chosen Saul for an important work. He must tell about me to those who are not
Jews, to kings, and to the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he
must suffer for my name.” (NCV)
Saul’s (Paul) ‘conversion’ was both celebrated and
suspected; some were blown away that he was really a believer; others thought
he was just trying to infiltrate so he could cause more trouble for the Church.
Finally, it took Barnabas, who believed in Saul, to take him in, find out his
story, and present him to the Church in Jerusalem to convince them that Saul
(Paul) was truly willing to suffer for the Name of Christ. Not so remarkably
Saul met with fierce opposition to the truth and those who heard him wanted to
kill him for his faith.
What does it mean to suffer
for His Name? I suppose the gamut of suffering isn’t truly known for mankind is
clever and hasn’t exhausted the possibilities of what should happen to those
who don’t accept the accepted religious party line. One thing is for sure, buck
the system and the system will buck back; either stand in the system’s line
obediently, or the system will find a way to make you stand where it thinks you
should.
I used to think that God’s comments to Ananias were
somehow used to convince Ananias that God was going to give Saul some of his
own back to him. How stupid – that paints God in a pathetically petty light.
God wasn’t paying Saul back: God was using Saul to further the Good News; the
result would be for Saul (just as it is for everyone else who follows God in
this world) to suffer for the Name. (In a small way it was proof of where Saul’s
heart really was…)
Suffering for Christ is present with the disciple of
Christ because the world fears Jesus (in a pathetically petty way) and hates
the light of truth, and will fight against that light. Additionally, the
disciple may face push-back even from those who believe but choose to be quiet
about it: Shhh! You’re making waves! But
we are called to confront, and we are
called to make waves; and even when we’re not doing anything, we are suspected of
doing everything because of our persistence of standing with the Lord.
That’s how dimly the world views disciples of Jesus
Christ. So I will suffer – whether I like it or not. I am in a war – whether I
like it or not. And God will show me how much I’ll have to suffer for His Name.
It’s not about selfish masochism, it’s about relationship; Saul was viewed with
suspicion and contempt because he turned his back on their religion. The same
will happen to me. When I suffer I can take it as an indicator I’m on the right
track. Above and beyond it all I’m to view suffering for what it is and keep my
eyes riveted on the Lord because viewing Him causes my concerns about suffering
to evaporate like the fog under the heat of the sun.
Father, like You did for Saul, strengthen me to bear up
for the truth diligently despite suffering. It isn’t Your reward – it’s just
what naturally happens to those who believe in You in the face of a world that
is dead set against You. Help me to ignore suffering and not get fooled by it,
but to stay focused on Your beautiful face where suffering diminishes in the
light of who You are and what You are about. Amen.
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