Victory In Jesus!

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time and not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Fort the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestations of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willing, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope; because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for what we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. Likewise the spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought; but the spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn amoung many brethern. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called, and whom he called, them he also justified, and whom he justifed, them he also glorified. What shall we then say to these things, if God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how she he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, Yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, for thy sake we are killed all the day long, we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For i am persuaded that neither life, nor death, nor angel, nor principalities, not powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:18-39

This last week I was on a missions trip to the island of Dominica. I have never been on a missions trip prior to this and had expectations of what the trip would entail, but it was much different than I expected. If you have never been on a missions trip, I highly encourage you to go on one. When someone would mention "missions trip", I had the notion that it involved going to a deprived country to help others less fortunate than us and spreading the gospel. And though some of that may be true for most trips, I had a much different experience than I expected. I feel that though we were a blessing to them, they were much more of a blessing to us. The people we worked with are on fire for God and are passionate and genuine about serving and living for God.

We were in a more Christian-friendly country so we didn't have to worry about being persecuted for spreading God's Word. But there are countless countries where church services are held underground and in homes. In China, many church services are held throughout the day so people can gradually trickle in as to not arouse suspicion. Those of us who live in a country where Christianity is legal are fortunate.

When we were in Dominica, we saw a video of a teenage girl who attended a prayer meeting in a Hindu country and was beaten by a mob and eventually lit on fire to burn alive. This is a sobering fact that as we sit here in our comfortable environment, taking for granted that we can get up and go to church when we want and preach in the street without being set on fire; others are being tortured, crucified, persecuted, and dying for Christ. This has led me to believe, after a lot of thinking, that those who are persecuted are more committed to serving God than those who have the luxury of never having it cross our minds. They could easily hide their faith and avoid the persecution, but instead, proudly bear Christ's name. I feel that we have grown complacent here in America. Those who experience what it really means to love God are the ones who not only grow closer to God, but understand the rewards of suffering for Christ and will receive those rewards.

I see our country starting to lean that way. We are fortunate to attend church without worrying about law enforcement cutting in, but Christianity is attacked harder in America now than it ever has before. Christianity has been labelled a hate religion and is the only religion that cannot be "tolerated". The government is starting to regulate churches and in many states, outlaw certain things that can't be preached. If a Christian speaks the truth out of love or attempts to lead a lost soul to Christ, they are rejected, ridiculed, and even dying. Yes, people are being killed and imprisoned in America for being a Christian or trying to live out Christian beliefs. So the question now lies, if you have to face severe persecution for your faith, will you, like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and like that teenage girl, stand firm?

I want to now call you think. Our souls were created for eternity, not this earth. When we die, our souls are taken from our bodies and continue to live for all eternity. This body and life are temporal and will pass away. Everyone will die at some point unless Christ comes to take us up in the near future. So the question for you Christian is this: Would you rather be persecuted and die for Christ to reap the Heavenly and eternal rewards, or would you live for yourself to extend your life and livelihood but for a short time longer, only to find the rewards that you could have had? I am not taking persecution lightly by any means. To live for Christ and to be persecuted is not an easy thing, nor something to be taken lightly. We can all say that we are willing to die for Christ, but if put to the test, how many of us would pass?

I feel that it is easy to imagine the extremes, such as death, and say that we will endure through the persecution, but let me ask you something. Would you be willing, right now, to live for God if it means persecution? I do not mean torture or physical death. I mean ridicule from your friends or coworkers. I mean the rejection from your family. I mean the hard decision to throw out a friend because they are taking you down a sinful path. I believe this is one of the hardest persecutions people face in America. When compared to what many of our brothers and sisters in Christ face, ridicule doesn't seem that bad. But take heart, God gives hope.

We are only here for a season and "I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." I love this passage because it gives hope that the sufferings here on earth are only for a short time. God will give us the strength to face persecution if we ask and if we endure to the end, we will received the rewards that cannot be compared to what we gain in this life.

"We know that all things work together for good to them that love God." When we read through Romans 8:18-30, we see the future glory in Christ when we reach Heaven. But when we go into verses 31-39, we see the ultimate final victory in Christ. We may suffer and may be persecuted, but God is still with us. God allowed his Son to die and are we any better? Jesus said that people will hate us because they hated God first and He set the ultimate example for us. Are we any better than our Savior? We are each appointed to die and I ask, who will you die for? Who will you suffer for? Who will you live for? Yes, we may suffer on this earth, but when we reach Heaven and look upon His glorious face, we would gladly come back to suffer ten times worse for the glory of God. "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and nothing less." When you face persecution, remember the One for whom you live. If you do not face some form of persecution, you should maybe be asking yourself who you are really living for.

This may seem like a depressing thought, but as I said before, our bodies were only created to inhabit this earth temporarily, but our souls are created for eternity. When we think of the short time here compared to eternity with Christ, our suffering is but a small stepping stone to the glorious place we will enjoy in eternity. I leave with one question: When death comes and you face Jesus Himself, will you be able to say "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith." Will you hear Jesus say, "Well done, good and faithful servant?" That will be worth it all, when we have victory in Jesus.