Suffering on our Birthday?

(The following was published in bulletin at St Charles Bible Church – February 11th, 2018,  St Charles MN)

     We have a mission that we support called “Voice of the Martyrs.”  It seems to me that a mission agency like this one should have been around during the first century, when so many Christians were martyred for their faith.  Then I read some of the latest reports on the number of Christians today who are being martyred for their faith.  According to “Voice of the Martyrs” more men and women are being persecuted today for Jesus than at any other time in human history.  Literally millions of Christians face intense persecution and risk their lives for the sake of the Gospel.  I am guessing they take some satisfaction in reading Jesus’ letter to the church of Smyrna. 

     I know our problems seem overwhelming at times.  We are overwhelmed with a houseful of sick kids; or we just can’t seem to balance our budget; or one of our adult children is walking away from the Lord; or we are bravely facing another round of chemo, panic attacks or back pain.  We wonder if we will be able to hang on.  But most of us have never struggled to the point of “the shedding of blood.”  Still, the comfort and promise of Jesus to the suffering church at Smyrna seems like a good reminder to whatever we might be facing.  First, He reminds us that He has conquered life and death; second, we will never find freedom from suffering and sorrow in this life, but this life is only a precursor for the next.  As awful as it is for us to face death for any reason, it is not the “first death” that we should be afraid of—His promise to those who die “in the Lord” is that they will not be hurt at all by the second death. 

We have been introducing our theme for the new year, “Set your hearts on things above.”  It all seems very appropriate since that message is precisely what Jesus says to the suffering church.  “Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.”   He isn’t promising “life” here on earth, which will end when we die; He is talking about life after we die—eternal life.  And that promise was to comfort those who were facing death. 

Tim Keller writes: “While other worldviews lead us to sit in the midst of life’s joys, foreseeing the coming sorrows, Christianity empowers its people to sit in the midst of this world’s sorrows, tasting the coming joy.”  I remember the Apostle Paul calling that anticipation “our blessed hope.”  (I Thes. 4).  In fact, when it’s time to say our final “Goodbyes” to our loved ones, in the same chapter, Paul encourages us not “to grieve as those who have no hope.”  

In this life, we do not know what it will mean for those who choose to follow Christ.  If we are called to suffer, it will surely be worth it all.                                       

Pastor Jim B

 ’47 / ’56 ST Charles MN

Doris Jean High

’44 / ’55 Manheim PA