Suffering in Naperville/Wheaton

Read: 1 Peter 4: 12-19 and Matthew 5: 10-12

Okay, I admit I had a lot of trouble with this passage (the 1 Peter one), but not because I have issues with suffering. Rather, I had trouble because I think we all know, more or less, that suffering is a part of the Christian calling. The problem comes in the form of two questions:
1. Why is suffering part of the Christian calling, and
2. What does that look like, especially to those of us living in the Developed First World?

Perhaps it would help to look at the Beatitudes, or if you have time, the entire Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7). The key to all this is that it is in our poverty, in our mourning, in our meekness, in our hunger and thirst, etc. where we see the greatness and beauty of God and His Kingdom. When we are poor in spirit, we see the abounding richness of God. When we are in mourning, we see the comforting loving kindness our God showers upon us. In our meekness, we see the overwhelming power and strength of the God that moves mountains, the God that shatters economies, the God that determines which nations survive the next year.

No wonder John the Baptist declares that “[Christ] must become greater, I must become less. (John 3:30)” Not because St. John is being ke-chi. No - John the Baptist knows that the only way of knowing God in all His greatness and magnanimity is through backing out and letting Jesus take his place in the spotlight.
So now we return to 1 Peter. Why should we be joyful in suffering? Why must suffering be part of the Christian calling? Simply this: it is in suffering, when we lose things of this world, when we see the greatness, the glory, and the lordship of God over us. If we are not willing to suffer, it means we have bigger things in our hearts than God. Thus, to suffer is a tremendous witness for the pagans, but to avoid suffering at all costs is such a devastating example of faithlessness. If the righteous, says Peter, can’t even stick their necks out for their Jesus, what makes Jesus worth following?

Which now begs the question: what does suffering look like to the one who lives in places like America or Singapore? First off, we need to realize is that suffering needs to be context-based. In the USA and definitely Singapore, chances of you getting shot for your faith is quite small (in Singapore, it is none - no guns allowed). I would define biblical suffering as others dishing out something to you that causes great distress and unhappiness simply because of something having to do with your faith in Christ.

Maybe you got made fun of in school because you pray before meals. Or because you quote the Bible all the time. Or because of your ethic that sex is a gift reserved for after marriage. Or because you don’t argue too much for that 1 extra point on your exam because of your pacifist tendencies. Or maybe at work you don’t suck up to your bosses. Maybe you’re labelled as intolerant because you believe that Jesus is the Way, Truth, and Life.

In 2003, when America was caught up in the frenzy of “patriotism”, Duke University theologian Stanley Hauerwas spoke up against the War in Iraq. He was derided by most Christians as “out of touch”, “anti-American”, and some even “anti-Christian”. The Iraq War eventually cost American taxpayers $845 billion dollars (costs still rising, by the way). Imagine how far $845 billion would’ve gone to helping the financial crisis in 2008. Hauerwas‘ critics were silenced. My friends, sometimes suffering comes in the form of rejection, from Christians and non-Christians alike.
And why all this suffering? Because in a world of sin, doing what’s right is unnatural. We live in a world of violence. Peace is unnatural. We live in a world of I-get-what-I-want. Loving our neighbors as ourselves is unnatural. We live in a world of self-glory. Humility is unnatural. We live in a world where it’s easy to ignore the victimized. To speak out for the voiceless and the victimized is unnatural.

And when we do what is unnatural to human nature, we will suffer for it. For example, Archbishop Oscar Romero, for speaking out for the poor and against the wealthy businessmen and government members of El Salvador for their oppression, lost his life for doing what’s unnatural.

Jesus instructs us to be salt of the world. Why salt? Two reasons: It preserves and sweetens. Salt preserves meat and fish by drawing out anything that can cause rot out of the meat. Meanwhile, those of you who can cook know that if you use salt correctly, it brings out the sweetness in foods. So as Christians, we keep what is noble and beautiful in our world, making the world nicer and more hospitable in return.

And sometimes, to do that, we need to suffer. So let us not be afraid of suffering when it comes. Instead, let it be more of a reason for us to continue living as Christians in a fallen world.

Wednesday: Pray for friends (inside and outside church)
Pray for your Christian friends, that they will not be swayed by outside pressures