CARRY THY CROSS AND FOLLOW ME (MATHEW 16:2)

Christian suffering (Job 1 & 2)

Overview
Jesus prepared the minds of His disciples on suffering. On many occasions. The early apostles
suffered in various ways. When Paul got converted, God sent Ananias to tell him that he would
suffer greatly for the sake of the gospel, and indeed Paul later made a list of some of his
sufferings (2Corinthians 11:23 – 28) Peter also warns the believers that, even though they should
be careful not to suffer wrongdoing, they should not consider suffering strange, since it refines
their faith.
Content Exposition
Suffering is part of human life. Unbelievers as well as Christians suffer at a point in our lives.
However, it should be understood that God is not the orchestrator of evil or pain. Pain and
hardships came with the fall of man (Gen. 3:16-18). Man’s disobedience to God paved the way
for afflictions. With our redemption from the bondage, Christians still suffer for various reason:
1. Because we are still living in the world: once we are still living in a world full of sin we
are bound to suffer (Jn. 16:13).

2. Disobedience and lack of the knowledge of God (Hos. 4:1-6). There are many Christians
who want to live on the fringes of Christianity. Sin in their lives breaks the hedge;
therefore the enemy comes in to inflict pain (Isaiah 1:19, James 4:7).

3. To test our faith:

Through suffering, God is able to prove to the enemy and the cloud of witness the quality
of our faith in Him. An example is the story of Job (Job 1, 1Peter 1:6-7, Heb. 12 1-2).

4. Through suffering our faith is sharpened:

We learn to be more dependent on God when we face afflictions (2 Cor. 1:8 -11). God
uses trials to bring us to the point where we give up self-pride, rebellion, selfishness and
many sins which hinder our relationship with him apostle Paul teaches that suffering
produces perseverance and perseverance, character……… (Rom. 5:3-5).

5. For the sake of Christ:

Christians suffer when we want to do right in the face of evil. Again, we can persecute
for spreading the gospel or professing to be Christians (Phil. 1:29, 1Peter 4:12-13).

6. To build compassion for others:

When we have gone through a particular problem, we are able to understand the pain of
others who are going through similar problems. God can then use us to encourage such
people (Heb. 4:15, 5:1-2).
 7. To prepare us for glory:
The sufferings we go through for the sake of Christ earning for us glorious rewards
(1Peter 4:12-13).
How to Handle Suffering
The Christian should ensure that he/she is suffering for the right cause. When we are afflicted,
we need to evaluate our lives and understand why we are going through those afflictions. If it is a
result of sin, we would have to humble ourselves and ask for forgiveness (2 Chron. 7:14, 1John
1:9), where we suffer for other reasons, we should seek the peace and strength of God through
prayer (Phil. 4:6-7).
Discussion
 What should be our attitude towards suffering?
 What happens when we are not ready to suffer as Christians?
 How can we help a fellow Christian who is going through some form of suffering?
Conclusion
The Christian faith is not devoid of suffering. “we must through many tribulations enter the
kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22; NKJV). The Christian should, therefore, be prepared to go
through some suffering whilst we wait for the redemption of our bodies and for the sake of
Christ.