Perspective, Perseverance, and Admonition
Joy and hurt are both experienced in the Lord. Grace is given through the suffering when we need it. God’s grace is sufficient for me…Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Through the pain of the moment, he will comfort our hearts as we experience the fellowship of his suffering. Walking in close proximity with our Lord requires obedience to his will. Oswald Chambers in his devotional “My Utmost for His Highest asks “What is it that God requires?” God says, “I require extreme service from you with no complaining on your part and no explanation on my part.” Within the will of the Lord, His grace is sufficient through the pain and suffering.
Pete’s friend Dave has been faithfully serving in the Middle East for twenty five years.
Dave works with Muslims in the Middle East to call them to Christ. When they’re converted to Christianity, they are “marked for death.” Baptism in the New Testament times was a symbolism of “death to this world to be raised to life in Christ.” Muslims who are converted to Christianity are taught that your commitment to follow Christ will cost you everything. In the United States, we think we know the cost of following Christ. However, In the Arab world, when former Muslims have given everything to follow Christ, they know by experience the cost of dying to self, taking up their cross daily, and following him.
Dave talks about three things in order to walk faithfully with the Lord: Perspective, Perseverance, and Admonition. These themes are illustrated in Hebrews chapters 11 and 12.
Hebrews 10:32 – 40 says, “But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions; 33. Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used.
34. For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.
35. Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.
36. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have”“done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
37. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.
38. Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
39. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.”
These three themes of Perspective, Perseverance, and Admonition continue in Hebrews 12:36 – 40:
36. And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:
37. They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; 38. (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
39. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
40. God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.”
Dave has experienced first hand the meaning of perseverance. In Jordan Dave ministered to Iraqi Christian refugees who had fled because they were being pursued and prosecuted by ISIS. He listened to their stories and prayed for them. They said, “Isis came, raped our daughters, demolished our houses, killed our fathers, and insisted that we convert from Christianity to Islam.” None of these Christians denounced their faith under this duress. Dave wept the rest of the day when he heard their stories. You would think that they would be sorrowful for everything they had lost for Christ. However, their stories and their lives were full of the joy of the Lord. They counted it all joy to suffer for the Lord. They counted all things but lost for Christ and joyfully accepted the confiscation of their property knowing that they had a better and everlasting possession and that in persevering they would receive the promise of God.
In the Middle East they anoint each new Christian with oil before baptizing them. They mark them in oil for Jesus forever. Paul said, I bear in my own body, the marks of my Lord Jesus Christ. Sometimes Coptic Christians tattoo their babies with the mark of the cross of Christ shortly after birth.
Hebrews 12:1-3 says, “WHEREFORE seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.”
The great cloud of witnesses is the witness of the believers in Hebrews 11. The cloud of witnesses continues today with the Coptic Christians who have been tortured and beheaded for their faith. The twenty three who were video taped had an opportunity to denounce their Christian Faith, but all 23 held fast to their faith and were martyred for their faithful stand for their Lord.
We run the race with endurance, not to see the results every day but to build a foundation of faith every day. The Journey is the daily walk. If we run the race with endurance we can stand. Consistence is the key to running with endurance the race set before us. In due time ye shall reap if ye faint not. The apostlic faith was inherited through the blood of the martyrs who proceeded us. Perseverance is finishing well, to hear our master say, “well done thou good and faithful servant.”
Millennials often get a “bad rap.” The Admonition is to consider one good thing about this generation: that they will try anything. Sometimes the traditional church has under-challenged them by giving them a watered down seeker sensitive gospel of easy-believism. They need to be challenged to be “all-in.” Many of them risk their lives to accomplish feats of extreme physical accomplishment. Extreme sports are popular with these athletes who are all-in to push themselves beyond previous physical limits. According to the Word, physical training profits us for a short time, but Godly training is profitable for eternity. Our admonition to these Mellinials is, “Where would you be today if you did in the spiritual realm what you’re doing in the natural realm?”
Perspective from God’s point of view shows us the benefit of perseverance and the admonition to push ourselves to be all-in… to commit ourselves to follow him day by day upon the journey of life.
May God richly bless you!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael