Subject: persecution, suffering, charity |
Bible Note: 1 Peter 4:12 "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed." No one should expect to be free from suffering, and this experience will bring great joy at the glory of Christ's return. For us in the United States, we are being persecuted by the very nature of our secular culture, in subtle ways we may not even notice, which can be even more dangerous to us spiritually than physical violence. Along those lines, I feel that one way we in the US suffer is by witnessing the persecution of others from our very safe vantage point, yet short of military intervention, we are not able to stop it directly. Our suffering is made worse by our belief we should do more, yet we don't. Perhaps we feel we are weak or are afraid to make the necessary sacrifices, as if we in fact knew what those were. Perhaps worse, this fear keeps us from trying to find out what we can do to help, even in small ways. Finally, it would be perverse for us to think that, because God can provide a blessing to us through our suffering, we should accept or condone the persecution of others because we think it is how God may be blessing them directly and/or us indirectly. In any case, Peter's instructions are clear, we should rejoice in our participation in the sufferings of the Body of Christ so that we may fully appreciate his return. This is good for us, but what about our responsibilities to others? Hebrews 13:3 "Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering." We should not expect everyone to be in prison or under severe persecution. Those who are not in prison or being mistreated are instructed "to remember" those who are as if we were in their place. Given that we do remember them, what next? Hebrews 13:2, just before the prison verse, says "Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it". We are to be charitable to strangers. Combining this with the prison verse,13:3, I infer we should be charitable to those in prison or under persecution. This seems quite practical because even though we may not be able to stop their persecution, there is almost certainly some way we can be charitable to them, however modest that may be. |
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Questions and/or Subjects for 1 Peter | Author | ||
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Rrwal9510 | ||
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Pigskin | ||
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Lourdes | ||
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dabmci | ||
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Parable | ||
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Parable | ||
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Heaven Bound | ||
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-Faith Dude- | ||
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Holy Bible | ||
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SUGARDOLL2 | ||
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jackel |