When you look through the pages of history of the church, which is something I love to do, you find so many amazing stories of faith. These stories are so very inspiring, from people like Richard Wurmbrand who suffered under communism in Romania, to Corrie Ten Boom who went through terrible suffering in the Nazi concentration camps, to people like John Wesley who faced such severe opposition, he was kicked out of so many churches or William Booth who had a vision of the lost drowning in the seas and the platform of safety, or Dietrich Bonhoeffer or so many others. They were people who trusted in their God, and their God did amazing things through them. When we read their stories, it inspires us to trust more fully in our God. But, what we must always remember is that part of each of their stories, indeed central to each of their stories, is pain and difficulty.
We admire people like Daniel, from the Bible, because he really did endure a night in the Lion’s den. We admire Elijah because he dared to believe that God would send fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice in front of the false prophets of Baal. We admire Stephen because he spoke so boldly in front of a mob, that then picked up stones and killed him moments after he finished speaking.
I think we all intellectually understand that part of the Christian life involves suffering. But, it’s different when we’re in the suffering. We wonder, what is going on? Where did this come from? Why is this happening?
And for many of us those questions have led us to prayer, and more prayer, and deep prayer and honest crying out. And the result has often been, that as we pray and seek God honestly, something begins to carry us through the suffering. And we bear it, with grace. A grace we didn’t expect, and couldn’t conjure on our own.
Today, I believe we’re going to learn about the grace available in suffering in particular, for the spreading of the gospel.
I think that when we simply accept that it is going to be painful, and embrace that, we will find that fear loses it’s power over us when it comes to sharing our faith with others.
Our scripture today says, in 1st Peter 3:13-14 “Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed.”
There are different kinds of suffering in life.
First, there’s the suffering because we made a bad decision. I’ve done this with me and my wife. We cook something, and we start to eat it, and realize, oh wait, this meat tastes funny. My wife stops eating, I don’t. I made it, I’m eating it. It smells good, and I’m hungry. Even though it tastes weird, I keep eating. And then the next day I’m sick. Basic suffering for being stupid.
Second, suffering because people are stupid. Chelsey and I were leaving Walmart about 2 weeks ago. And there was a ton of traffic, and the intersection ahead of me was jammed, but, it trapped the guy behind me in a spot where someone couldn’t get past him. So as he went by me later he did some unique hand signs with his fingers. I became upset, and it caused some suffering for me, albeit small.
Third, suffering for Jesus. This is when you suffer because you’re a Christian. This is when you do something like risk a relationship to speak up about something in your friend’s life. You share the gospel with someone and they mock you. You go out and witness to people for hours and you get home emotionally exhausted. It's small, but it's still a gift of suffering for Jesus.
Our suffering is often small in comparison to the greats throughout human history who even gave their lives for their testimony about Jesus. But hey, start small, if you can get out there with your faith, and share the message of truth, and you suffer as a result in some way, you should be excited.
Because to share in the sufferings of Jesus is a noble and beautiful thing. It’s something richly rewarded in heaven. Rejoice if you are mocked like Jesus was mocked. There is in fact a special crown in heaven for those who endure persecution for their faith, it’s called the crown of life.
Second portion of verse 14: “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.”
Do you struggle with fear in your life? I know I do. I think many people do. They secretly battle a lot of fear.
I know I’ve struggled with some fear in my life.
Fear can be so paralyzing. If we allow it to get out of control, it can control us, and keep us from sharing our faith openly.
Are you afraid to share your faith with others? Or are you pretty bold and open about Jesus?
For me it all depends on the day. Some days I feel quite bold, other days I just want to hide away and be by myself.
The Lord has encounters written for us, across this city. People you are meant to slow down and minister to. Every single one of you are called to it.
How do you know when though? When does God want me to act? You will sense a nudging from the Lord.
And he will call you forward to serve someone, in some way. This is really what we’re going to focus in on.
Are you open to God’s openings? We won’t be able to engage in every encounter God has for us. We’re human. We make mistakes. We miss things. We get busy. And the Lord has told me, "Justin I will always forgive if you miss an encounter with someone."
But I don’t want to miss any more encounters.
Watch for these encounters in your life. They are treasure. They are stories you will tell and retell. They are opportunities.
And if every one of you began to see your life that way, and you were watching for nudgings from God, we’d come back here in a week, and 15 of you would have stories where you encountered someone and you blessed them in some way.
And as the weeks go by, hundreds of encounters would happen, and each of those encounters would slowly bring this city closer and closer to Jesus Christ.
And he will call you forward to serve someone, in some way. This is really what we’re going to focus in on.
Are you open to God’s openings? We won’t be able to engage in every encounter God has for us. We’re human. We make mistakes. We miss things. We get busy. And the Lord has told me, "Justin I will always forgive if you miss an encounter with someone."
But I don’t want to miss any more encounters.
Watch for these encounters in your life. They are treasure. They are stories you will tell and retell. They are opportunities.
And if every one of you began to see your life that way, and you were watching for nudgings from God, we’d come back here in a week, and 15 of you would have stories where you encountered someone and you blessed them in some way.
And as the weeks go by, hundreds of encounters would happen, and each of those encounters would slowly bring this city closer and closer to Jesus Christ.
Three tips for these encounters:
The first thing to remember, is to slow down and watch for opportunities. We get going so fast as Americans, we miss opportunities. Slow down in your life and watch for "God moments."
The second, is to see this world as a mission field that you are called to.
Third, understand small things are actually big things. If you can strike up a conversation with someone, whether it’s the waitress at the restaurant, or someone in line at the grocery store, or someone walking on the beach, God can do a lot with those openings.
The first thing to remember, is to slow down and watch for opportunities. We get going so fast as Americans, we miss opportunities. Slow down in your life and watch for "God moments."
The second, is to see this world as a mission field that you are called to.
Third, understand small things are actually big things. If you can strike up a conversation with someone, whether it’s the waitress at the restaurant, or someone in line at the grocery store, or someone walking on the beach, God can do a lot with those openings.
Fourth, be bold. Recite this scripture over your life, "The righteous are as bold as a lion." Pray for boldness, God will help you.
One encounter at a time. It can be with family, it can be with friends, it can be with neighbors, it can even be with strangers.
How many of you are willing to put your relationships on the line for Jesus? How many of you are willing to invite your friends and family to church even though you might appear to be one of “those religious people?” How many of you are willing to walk up to a stranger and give them the gospel?
We need something in all this that we can only get from Jesus himself. We need holy boldness. The scriptures say the righteous are as bold as a lion.
I wonder if, when Peter wrote this, he wasn’t thinking about the incident in Acts 4, where Peter and John were arrested by the religious leaders and told to stop speaking about Jesus.
And after being released, Peter and John met with the church and they prayed for boldness, they prayed to God saying, “Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.” -Acts 4:29
Next, it says: "15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord."
Sanctify the Lord God in your heart. Regard God as holy. Reverence Him. Look to Jesus. Look at Jesus.
He is your God. Worship Him. Trust Him. Reverence Him. Submit to Him. Yield to Him. Surrender yourself entirely to Him.
He will give you everything you need. He will help you. He will carry you. Look at Jesus. Ignore the fear, and look at Jesus.
I think it’s asking yourself the question, “Is Jesus Christ really my God?” Is he really in charge of my life? Or do I live for myself?
That’s the first portion, look to Jesus. Second portion, be prepared.
It says, verse 15: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect”
Explain the gospel: Jesus is the Son of God. He came and lived a perfect life. He taught the truth. He died a sacrificial death to cover over all my sins with his blood. He rose from the grave. He is a living savior. He will change your life. Make him the Lord of your life. Jesus will save you from your sins.
If you’re not comfortable giving a gospel presentation like that, go to your testimony. We all have a testimony. Write down the main events of your story, if you haven’t ever done that. And in the future, I’m going to be challenging many of you here, to come forward at a service in the future, and give a 5 minute testimony of how God changed your life.
A simple testimony.
It’s simple. Tell the story. For me, after my parents divorced, I got into drinking and drugs, got into trouble, and became increasingly depressed, until I was suicidal. My grandpa who had recently become a Christian, invited me over, and gave me my first Bible. He shared about the love of Jesus, and how Jesus had died for me. I asked him hard questions. He didn’t have all the answers. I rebelled more. But slowly began reading the Bible, and I connected with the story of Jacob’s ladder. I watched the gospel of John movie over and over, until I finally realized, wait a minute, I need Jesus. And at rock bottom, I got on my knees, and I cried out and said Jesus please help me. His presence came upon me. And he led me on a journey into recovery, healing, and ministry. He saved me, he can do the same for you.
My story is wild, but your story is just as important ,it doesn’t have to be wild, it can be, “I was longing for something more, and a friend invited me to church, and I found out about how much Jesus loves me.” That’s just as powerful and probably more relatable to most people.
Do you have your testimony memorized, in your back pocket? If not, write it down, rehearse it, and then you’ll be ready.
Do all this with gentleness and respect.
If someone is rude to us, we can still be gentle and respectful. Also, if someone is resistant, I try to take a step back, and just listen. And kind of let them talk themselves out. Honestly, once they feel heard and respected, they are more willing to listen. So, even if they are snarky, if you can stop yourself from getting upset, and just listen with kindness, it may actually help win them over.
Next, verse 16: “...keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.”
Keeping a clear conscience is very important. If on the one hand I have this great testimony and I’m sharing the word with people, but at the same time there’s things in my life that speak a contrary word, it’s going to undercut what I say.
So it’s wise to deal with our sins, and clear them out. Repent of them. Ask Jesus for help to be free. We have the Holy Spirit, so we can expect to find healing and victory over anything that might upset our Christian witness.
At the same time don’t bully yourself, or abuse yourself with shame, accept that where you’re at is where you’re at, and God is doing something beautiful. And understand many sins are stuck because healing is needed, not because you’re a bad person. Invite God to do a healing journey in your life.
Next, verse 17: “For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.”
Peter reminds us again here, that is good to suffer for doing God’s will. But I think it’s wise, he mentions the concept of God’s will. I write a Christian blog, I have for about 12 years. Many times I would challenge young people on my blog to take up their places of ministry in the body of Christ, start websites, start podcasts, become ministry leaders, start businesses, and so on. But, I regret this for one reason: I never properly instructed them to do so only if it’s God’s will.
That’s something we all should learn as Christians. Often times we jump into something because we personally want it. But that isn’t how we should operate. We should always check with God, and ask Him, is this your will?
Next, Peter points us to the example of Christ, verse 18: "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.”
What Christ did, his crucifixion, effectuated for you, a complete process, of bringing you from total disconnection from God, to connected. His death accomplished this.
One encounter at a time. It can be with family, it can be with friends, it can be with neighbors, it can even be with strangers.
How many of you are willing to put your relationships on the line for Jesus? How many of you are willing to invite your friends and family to church even though you might appear to be one of “those religious people?” How many of you are willing to walk up to a stranger and give them the gospel?
We need something in all this that we can only get from Jesus himself. We need holy boldness. The scriptures say the righteous are as bold as a lion.
I wonder if, when Peter wrote this, he wasn’t thinking about the incident in Acts 4, where Peter and John were arrested by the religious leaders and told to stop speaking about Jesus.
And after being released, Peter and John met with the church and they prayed for boldness, they prayed to God saying, “Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.” -Acts 4:29
Next, it says: "15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord."
Sanctify the Lord God in your heart. Regard God as holy. Reverence Him. Look to Jesus. Look at Jesus.
He is your God. Worship Him. Trust Him. Reverence Him. Submit to Him. Yield to Him. Surrender yourself entirely to Him.
He will give you everything you need. He will help you. He will carry you. Look at Jesus. Ignore the fear, and look at Jesus.
I think it’s asking yourself the question, “Is Jesus Christ really my God?” Is he really in charge of my life? Or do I live for myself?
That’s the first portion, look to Jesus. Second portion, be prepared.
It says, verse 15: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect”
Explain the gospel: Jesus is the Son of God. He came and lived a perfect life. He taught the truth. He died a sacrificial death to cover over all my sins with his blood. He rose from the grave. He is a living savior. He will change your life. Make him the Lord of your life. Jesus will save you from your sins.
If you’re not comfortable giving a gospel presentation like that, go to your testimony. We all have a testimony. Write down the main events of your story, if you haven’t ever done that. And in the future, I’m going to be challenging many of you here, to come forward at a service in the future, and give a 5 minute testimony of how God changed your life.
A simple testimony.
It’s simple. Tell the story. For me, after my parents divorced, I got into drinking and drugs, got into trouble, and became increasingly depressed, until I was suicidal. My grandpa who had recently become a Christian, invited me over, and gave me my first Bible. He shared about the love of Jesus, and how Jesus had died for me. I asked him hard questions. He didn’t have all the answers. I rebelled more. But slowly began reading the Bible, and I connected with the story of Jacob’s ladder. I watched the gospel of John movie over and over, until I finally realized, wait a minute, I need Jesus. And at rock bottom, I got on my knees, and I cried out and said Jesus please help me. His presence came upon me. And he led me on a journey into recovery, healing, and ministry. He saved me, he can do the same for you.
My story is wild, but your story is just as important ,it doesn’t have to be wild, it can be, “I was longing for something more, and a friend invited me to church, and I found out about how much Jesus loves me.” That’s just as powerful and probably more relatable to most people.
Do you have your testimony memorized, in your back pocket? If not, write it down, rehearse it, and then you’ll be ready.
Do all this with gentleness and respect.
If someone is rude to us, we can still be gentle and respectful. Also, if someone is resistant, I try to take a step back, and just listen. And kind of let them talk themselves out. Honestly, once they feel heard and respected, they are more willing to listen. So, even if they are snarky, if you can stop yourself from getting upset, and just listen with kindness, it may actually help win them over.
Next, verse 16: “...keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.”
Keeping a clear conscience is very important. If on the one hand I have this great testimony and I’m sharing the word with people, but at the same time there’s things in my life that speak a contrary word, it’s going to undercut what I say.
So it’s wise to deal with our sins, and clear them out. Repent of them. Ask Jesus for help to be free. We have the Holy Spirit, so we can expect to find healing and victory over anything that might upset our Christian witness.
At the same time don’t bully yourself, or abuse yourself with shame, accept that where you’re at is where you’re at, and God is doing something beautiful. And understand many sins are stuck because healing is needed, not because you’re a bad person. Invite God to do a healing journey in your life.
Next, verse 17: “For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.”
Peter reminds us again here, that is good to suffer for doing God’s will. But I think it’s wise, he mentions the concept of God’s will. I write a Christian blog, I have for about 12 years. Many times I would challenge young people on my blog to take up their places of ministry in the body of Christ, start websites, start podcasts, become ministry leaders, start businesses, and so on. But, I regret this for one reason: I never properly instructed them to do so only if it’s God’s will.
That’s something we all should learn as Christians. Often times we jump into something because we personally want it. But that isn’t how we should operate. We should always check with God, and ask Him, is this your will?
Next, Peter points us to the example of Christ, verse 18: "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.”
What Christ did, his crucifixion, effectuated for you, a complete process, of bringing you from total disconnection from God, to connected. His death accomplished this.
Jesus paved a literal trail of blood to bring you from abandoned to adopted by God. A trail of blood brought you home. Is it so much for us to pave a trail to bring the lost to the feet of Jesus? There is no blood involved in that. Only some sweat and some tears. Jesus gave so much more!
When we minister to someone, we are helping bring them to Jesus, who will then bring them to God, if they allow Jesus to do so. Our task is to be the ambassador, who brings them to Jesus. If they choose to say yes or no, is none of our concern. We’ve been faithful to show them Jesus.
Next, verses 19-21: "19 After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits— 20 to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, 21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God."
There is a lot there, but suffice to say, we’re getting a picture of baptism. That when we are saved by Jesus, one of the benefits we receive is the washing away of all our sins. This gives us a clear conscience.
Lastly, verse 22, Peter concludes his gospel presentation, which began with bringing us to God, through baptism, and now to the resurrection.
It says, “It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.”
Jesus did not stay dead, he could not be our savior if he did. He is alive. He is in heaven, with all authority under Him.
As you engage in the task of spreading the gospel in this community, sharing your testimony, and bringing people to this church, know that Jesus Christ will be with you always.
All authority belongs to Him. By the power of His name, you shall be victorious.
Keep taking everything to that seat of authority. Bathe everything in prayer. If you ever give someone a tract, or share your story with them, or invite them to church, always pray for them after the encounter, when your at home or in your car.
One more thing: Expect the supernatural. Peter and John prayed for a man who couldn’t walk, and suddenly he was leaping and praising God, and this incident sparked everything else in Acts 4. One of the main ways our message goes out is through the demonstration of the power of Christ in healing and miracles. So expect for Jesus to use you and your prayers to bring healing and even miraculous events.
This is going to be a message that I harp on week in and week out, as we grow together as a family, your job is to spread the gospel, to evangelize your city. Have that mindset. Ask Jesus for help and boldness, and you shall succeed.
Think back to the legends we discussed at the beginning of the message. Wurmbrand, Ten Boom, Booth, Daniel, Stephen they suffered for Jesus, because they stop talking about Jesus. None of them did exceedingly complicated things, they simply obeyed the Bible and spoke up boldly. And we regard them as the greats. But they were just average people like you and me. In the great halls of faith, here we come to our hall, the hall of faith for our city, our nation, our time on Earth. By some simple actions by you, in obedience to the word, you become part of the hall of faith, of those who spoke up for Jesus. Pray about it. Make a plan. Then go out and do it.
When we minister to someone, we are helping bring them to Jesus, who will then bring them to God, if they allow Jesus to do so. Our task is to be the ambassador, who brings them to Jesus. If they choose to say yes or no, is none of our concern. We’ve been faithful to show them Jesus.
Next, verses 19-21: "19 After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits— 20 to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, 21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God."
There is a lot there, but suffice to say, we’re getting a picture of baptism. That when we are saved by Jesus, one of the benefits we receive is the washing away of all our sins. This gives us a clear conscience.
Lastly, verse 22, Peter concludes his gospel presentation, which began with bringing us to God, through baptism, and now to the resurrection.
It says, “It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.”
Jesus did not stay dead, he could not be our savior if he did. He is alive. He is in heaven, with all authority under Him.
As you engage in the task of spreading the gospel in this community, sharing your testimony, and bringing people to this church, know that Jesus Christ will be with you always.
All authority belongs to Him. By the power of His name, you shall be victorious.
Keep taking everything to that seat of authority. Bathe everything in prayer. If you ever give someone a tract, or share your story with them, or invite them to church, always pray for them after the encounter, when your at home or in your car.
One more thing: Expect the supernatural. Peter and John prayed for a man who couldn’t walk, and suddenly he was leaping and praising God, and this incident sparked everything else in Acts 4. One of the main ways our message goes out is through the demonstration of the power of Christ in healing and miracles. So expect for Jesus to use you and your prayers to bring healing and even miraculous events.
This is going to be a message that I harp on week in and week out, as we grow together as a family, your job is to spread the gospel, to evangelize your city. Have that mindset. Ask Jesus for help and boldness, and you shall succeed.
Think back to the legends we discussed at the beginning of the message. Wurmbrand, Ten Boom, Booth, Daniel, Stephen they suffered for Jesus, because they stop talking about Jesus. None of them did exceedingly complicated things, they simply obeyed the Bible and spoke up boldly. And we regard them as the greats. But they were just average people like you and me. In the great halls of faith, here we come to our hall, the hall of faith for our city, our nation, our time on Earth. By some simple actions by you, in obedience to the word, you become part of the hall of faith, of those who spoke up for Jesus. Pray about it. Make a plan. Then go out and do it.
