1 Peter 5:6 - 10 Part 6

Part 6. Last time we considered the difference between "resist the devil" and "be strong in your faith". We saw them as two different events and/or time frames. In this lesson, and our last on these verses, we need to consider what waits us after we have suffered for a little while. Against the time frame of eternity, our suffering here on earth, especially under persecution, can't last longer than a life time and that is little compared to our time in heaven.

We need to fix our focus on what God of all grace has in store for us after our suffering. When I see grace I often think of "justice" - receiving what you deserve, "mercy" - not receiving what you deserve, and "grace" - receiving what you don't deserve. Our God, our Father, has called us to his eternal glory in Christ. We did not initiate our coming; our Father chose us and called us through his Son. As a lost sheep we hear the call and we respond and follow our Shepherd, the Lord and one day we will stand before him and experience his eternal glory. So, what will the God of all grace do for us? He will restore us to a perfect state in heaven; he will confirm that we  belong to him and have eternal life; he will strengthen us when weakness wants to overcome us, especially when we face being tortured; he will establish us with him for an eternity. When we find ourselves going through a fiery trial, we need to fully understand what God has done for us and has waiting for us.

Prayer

Father, as we finish this series of lessons on suffering caused by persecution, I pray that in some small way my readers have been helped in their understanding of persecution and the importance of being prepared to live through it when it comes. We who are so used to comfort and safety may find it to be very stressful when persecution threatens our safety and comfort. Father help us learn from those suffering in other countries.

1 Peter 5:6 - 10 Part 5

Part 5. Last time we looked at the importance of being sober-minded and watchful because we have an enemy that wants to devour us. Considering the threat of ISIS and other groups like them against Christians, with deaths at an all time high, is is easy to understand the concept of the devil as a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. In this lesson we will look at, "Resist him, strong in your faith, because you know that your brothers and sisters throughout the world are enduring the same kinds of suffering" (1 Peter 5:9 NET).

I believe the statements "resist him" and "strong in your faith" indicate two different events and/or time frames. As long as we are free we need to use various methods, like legal, to help maintain our freedom to express our faith. We need to pray for wisdom to know how to resist the enemy. If the enemy has us in custody, we are not to resist even if it means our death. We are to be strong in our faith and not deny the Lord. Our submission, love for the enemy, and offering forgiveness is a powerful witness and has resulted in the conversion of many onlookers as well as hardened terrorists. Those on the front lines need to be strong in their faith while those who are free need to resist the enemy. We in the west need to understand this and provide the support and encouragement for our brothers and sisters who are giving their lives in spiritual battle. Let us not forget that we are family.

Prayer

Father, we in the western church need to learn from those being persecuted to learn the ways you bless them, what it means to have your love poured into them, and the fellowship of suffering they have with each other and with the Lord. We need to learn to have empathy toward them and understand how it is such a great honor to suffer for our faith. I believe we also need to be more careful in how we interrupt various verses to see them in the context of suffering in which they were written. Father, help us in the west to be better prepared to live with persecution when is comes.

1 Peter 5:6 - 10 Part 4

Part 4. To be prepared for persecution we have learned so far the need to clothe ourselves with humility and to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God. In this lesson we will look at the next verse in which Peter tells us to be sober-minded and watchful because we have an enemy that prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

To understand the meaning of this we need to look at it in the context of persecution and suffering that Peter was writing from. That context is found in areas like Syria, Iran and Iraq where followers of the Islam religion view Christians as infidels who are spiritually polluting their communities and need to be eliminated. Those who literally follow the Koran are terrorist, like ISIS, who see their goal of making Islam the religion of the world. These terrorist seek out Christians and primarily give them the choice of converting to Islam, dying or escaping. Many of these Christians are Muslims who have converted and have a passion to share their faith. With terrorist seeking out these passionate infidels there is a critical need to be sober-minded and watchful to put off as long as possible being caught. Remember, Jesus said that it was on account of him that they hate you. Remember, even before Jesus was born they tried to kill him. The world has always hated him and does today with increased intensity. Therefore be sober-minded and watchful or you may lose your head sooner than later.

1 Peter 5:6 - 10 Part 3

Part 3. Under persecution, humility is essential to find favor with God, for those who are proud draw attention to themselves and not to God, resulting in resistance toward you. But let's be honest about how we feel. Testimonies reveal there is fear and anxiety at first from not knowing what to expect, but over time this new life style of suffering becomes more normal as one learns from God how to live under it. Let us not move forward too quickly, but get back to our verse for this lesson.

First, we are to clothe ourselves with humility and then we are to cast all our anxieties on Jesus Christ because he will care for us. This statement raises two questions: 1) How do we cast our anxieties on him, and 2) How do we know he will care for us? We need to study and have faith to continue. To answer the first question we need to look at Philippians 4:6-7: "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (NASB). We will need this peace to guard our hearts and minds under the conditions we will experience. We will need to experience with these verses to make them part of our living experience, for without a growing practical working faith of this promise, we will come up short when facing persecution. To answer the second question, we need to remind ourselves that before the foundation of the world, our Father chose us and recorded our names in the Book of Life. He then adopted us into the family of God, causing us to be born again, and given as a gift to Jesus to receive eternal life. There is no way such a loving Father and Son would not care for us and see us through to the very end to stand in their eternal presence. Jesus was anxious as he faced the cross and we will be anxious, but as with Jesus, let us face this trial with joy.

1 Peter 5:6 - 10 Part 2

Part 2. Going back to verse 5, we are instructed to "Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”" Our posture under persecution is to be one of humility under the mighty hand of God. It is to be a time when God's love fills our hearts (Romans 5:5) and its characteristics of "joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, [and] self-control (Galatians 5:22-23) reflect from our lives. In the eyes of the world this is a posture of weakness and surrender, but it is one of God's greatest weapons and with it territory is being reclaimed from the powers of darkness and the church is experiencing growth.

Jesus humbled himself on the cross and purchased our salvation with his death and through our humble posture and willingness to sacrifice whatever is needed, he is building his church. Testimonies reveal suffering to be fierce and painful, but they also provide an opportunity for experiencing an intimacy with the Lord, his special blessings, especial those found in the fellowship of suffering with the Lord, and the honor of being counted worthy to suffer for the sake of Jesus. One must study the testimonies of those under persecution to understand the power and blessing of God being released during this time. The price of standing firm with the Lord may be extremely high then, but in the end at the proper time you will stand before God in honor.

1 Peter 5:6 - 10 Part 1

Part 1. My intent was to share only one verse to keep my post simple, but when I looked at the verse about the devil prowling around like a roaring lion, I realized I would not be able to restrain myself, so we will have to endure another teaching series. It is important to understand the context of these verses, which is persecution, with the theme of the book of 1 Peter being, "Hope in the midst of suffering." As I study the lives of my brothers and sisters under persecution I sense the urgency to prepare myself and others to face and endure what they are going through. 

We will begin with verse 6 next time, but will conclude this lesson with some hard questions. Do you believe the rapture will come before you have to face death at the hands of your enemy the devil? If you should wake up one morning and realize that you need to evaluate the value of you relationship with Jesus, how much are you willing to give? Are you willing to sacrifice your job, your comfortable home, maybe a family member, and maybe your own life, are you ready and willing to do that? These are questions our brothers and sisters in other countries have had to answer and now experience the results of their answers at the hands of terrorists groups like ISIS. How prepared are you?