Philosopher, scientist, and Christian apologist Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) observed that “all of man’s miseries come from him not being able to sit still in a quiet room alone.â€
Give a dog a bone to chew on and a warm fireplace to curl up beside, and it’ll be perfectly content. Give a cat a scratching post and a sunny windowsill, and it’ll be perfectly at peace. But give a man everything he could ever want, and he will eventually grow restless.
In numerous places, the New Testament states that followers of Christ should expect to face trials and persecution. Both Jesus and the apostles stated that fact. Here are some examples:
John 15:18-20 (ESV):
18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.20Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.
From my experience, one of the items that tends to get “glossed over” in mainstream churches is the following concept:
Sincere Christians should expect to face difficult circumstances – and even to be persecuted.
There are numerous passages in Scripture that describe this concept. Here are a few of them:
Matthew 24:4-5,9:
4And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. 5For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.
9“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake.
I thought this 10 minute video was inspiring in light of American Christianity’s tendency (in some sectors) to imply that joining the people of God means blue skies and prosperity all the time. John Piper shares the glory of suffering for Christ with a packed audience of college students. Thanks to Russ Brown for sending this over.