Fearless Suffering

Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. – Revelation 2:10a (NIV) 

I think most of us are quite content with theologies of grace that cost us nothing. Crowns without crosses; empowerment without investment; salvation without sacrifice. These popular perspectives define the order of the day.  

Yet in Revelation, the Lord – to whom many only look for deliverance from suffering – the Lord says to believers at the church in Smyna (present day Turkey), “Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer.” 

Here again, the one who bore our sins on the cross will not allow us to escape the painful consequences of bearing our own crosses for the sake of the gospel. Despite all efforts to remove the offenses of the cross and to conflate Christianity with capitalism, we cannot reign with Christ unless we suffer with Christ. 

We know the negative associations of suffering. But when someone chooses to suffer as a witness for righteousness, even that pain is filled with profound purpose. 

There is no victory without the suffering involved in a battle. There is no building of what’s next without the suffering that comes in dismantling what has dominated the past. There is no stepping into the light without the suffering we place upon eyes that have only strained to see in the dark. 

We suffer with purpose that reaches beyond our pain, and with faith that our sacrifices are not in vain. Thus, we are fearless sufferers.   

Isn’t it just like Jesus to infuse the negative experience of suffering with power that gives us purpose and perseverance? 

Prayer
“In the cross, in the cross, be my glory ever.”

About the Author
Kenneth L. Samuel is Pastor of Victory for the World Church, Decatur, Georgia.