The Suffering Christian

 

Even after two thousand years of studying the life, ministry and teachings of Jesus Christ, his followers still have difficulty with what he said about suffering. His message is very straightforward: “Get used to suffering. It’s the way things are in a broken world.” An early Christian by the name of Augustine understood well what Jesus meant. He said, “God had one son on earth without sin, but never one without suffering.” 

Just talking about suffering today seems sadistic. We have so many ways of avoiding pain and discomfort, we wonder why anyone would choose to willingly suffer. But that is exactly why Jesus Christ came to this earth. It is the greatest of ironies: suffering enters human life because of man’s rejection of God. God enters human life to offer us a chance to return to him and accomplishes it through the sacrifice of his Son on the cross.

The suffering of Jesus Christ means that any serious follower of Christ can expect to experience the same as they journey through life. The Apostle Peter, in a letter he wrote two thousand years ago describes this reality in detail and gives us instruction on how to overcome. 

Regardless of what you believe, you will suffer at some point in your life. It is not a matter of “if”; it is only a matter of time. Jesus Christ can take that suffering and turn it into something that is eternally beneficial. Join us for one of our weekend services as we continue to study Peter’s first letter to Christians in modern day Turkey. It is far better to be prepared to suffer than to be held hostage in fear of it. 

Weekend worship service times: Saturday: 6:00 pm – Sunday: 10:00 am 

The Doormat Dilemma

People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.                                                                    Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
      Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
      Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
      Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
      Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
      Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
      Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
      Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
      Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
      Give the world the best you have anyway.”

^{The Paradoxical Commandments ― Kent M. Keith} 

The Paradoxical Commandments seem to be a crazy invitation to become a living doormat! And yet, they reflect the preaching of Jesus Christ and the writings of his disciples. Jesus said that his followers are meant to be just that, followers and imitators of him. 

When Jesus lived on this earth he set aside his personal rights and submitted his entire earthly life to one objective – rescuing the human race from the consequences of sin and evil. To those who have put their faith in him as their Savior and Lord, he calls us to willingly set aside our self-centered goals and submit them to the lifestyle for which he saved us. 

Will some people take advantage of this submission to God’s will? Absolutely. 

Does that mean we become doormats for other people to walk all over? Actually, it means being called “great” in the kingdom of heaven! 

Join us for one of our weekend worship services and begin to radically renew your relationships with other people. 

Weekend worship service times: Saturday: 6:00 pm – Sunday: 10:00 am