Victory through Suffering

On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.

Acts 8:1

The early church father Tertullian said, “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” What he meant by this was that every time the enemies of the church tried to stamp Christianity out by persecuting and killing Christians… the church grew. It was almost as if the persecutors of Christianity were planting seeds by spilling the blood of the martyrs on the ground. Everywhere Christians were killed for their faith, new believers sprang up.

This is exactly what we see in Stephen’s case. His death was the catalyst for a great persecution that broke out against the church in Jerusalem. And it caused a great scattering of believers. Just as seed is scattered over barren ground to bring in the harvest, God used this persecution to scatter thousands of Christians throughout Judea and Samaria and eventually out even into farther regions. Acts 11:19-21 tells us that eventually those who were scattered by this persecution even went as far as Syrian Antioch 300 miles north of Jerusalem. 

And guess what they did? They took the gospel with them! Everywhere these Christians went, they preached the gospel. Thousands of believers were essentially sent out on mission by God through persecution because of Stephen’s death. And those thousands accomplished more for the kingdom than Stephen ever could have by himself even had he lived a full life.

So, yes, God allowed Stephen to suffer. But God used Stephen's suffering and his death to accomplish far more than Stephen ever could have by living a full life. Stephen’s suffering and death wasn’t his defeat. It was his greatest victory!

None of us want to suffer. But for believers. Sometimes suffering isn't defeat. Sometimes suffering is the beginning of our greatest victory. Because sometimes God uses suffering in our lives to do His greatest work through us. Who knows what victories God might bring about through your suffering, your hardship, your difficulty. If you will only faithfully bear witness to Him through it. So, let’s pray that, like Stephen, we will be faithful to the end and that God will give us great victories even through our suffering.

The Gift of Suffering

Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.

2 Corinthians 12:7

Paul was an apostle. He was planting churches and sharing the gospel. Why would God let this happen to him? Why allow this thorn in the flesh to come into his life?

Paul tells us exactly why. He says, “in order to keep me from becoming conceited.” This thorn was given to Paul to keep him from becoming conceited about the great vision of heaven that God had given him.

God saw that there was a danger of Paul becoming conceited. And even though we don’t think a lot about pride bring very dangerous, it is. It’s a deadly sin. In fact, God knew that pride posed a greater risk to Paul than suffering. So, "God lovingly, gently and sovereignly afflicted His apostle to protect him."*

The Enemy has destroyed many Christians by success and wealth and power and pride that he never could have destroyed by failure or pain or suffering. So, beware too much success. Beware pride. Great Christians, great pastors have been ruined by them.

We have a terrible tendency to think that any hardship, any suffering that God allows into our lives must mean that He has abandoned us. But the truth is that sometimes God sends suffering into our lives as a gift. Certainly, it’s a gift that no one wants to receive. But it is still one which God gives in love. Sometimes suffering is sent into your life to protect you… to protect you from a fate far worse. Sometimes hardship, suffering, and difficulty signs that God loves you and is working to protect you.

*Yarbrough, Robert W., Andrew David Naselli, Dane Ortlund, and Frank Thielman. Romans–Galatians. Edited by Iain M. Duguid, James M. Hamilton Jr., and Jay Sklar. Vol. X. ESV Expository Commentary. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2020.

The Impact of a Godly Mother

I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.

2 Timothy 1:5

In this verse, Paul reminds Timothy of the heritage of faith that had been passed down to him by two godly women: his mother and his grandmother. And Paul points out that these two women had a sincere faith. They weren’t fake Christians. They weren’t hypocrites or pretenders. They didn’t teach Timothy a false gospel. No! These two women were the real deal. By their words and by their life they passed down the genuine faith to young Timothy. They planted the seeds of the Christian faith deep in his heart, and those seeds grew Timothy into a mighty oak of a man of God.

And what I want you to see is that by doing this one simple thing, by raising Timothy up to be a man of God, Lois and Eunice made no small contribution to the early church. We don’t know much about Lois and Eunice. This is the only time their names are mentioned in Scripture. But they raised one of the men that the Apostle Paul relied on the most. When others were deserting Paul, Timothy stayed by his side. Why? At least in part, because of the influence of these two women of God.

Mothers and grandmothers, understand that you are raising future pastors, deacons, music ministers, youth pastors, children’s directors, missionaries, Sunday School teachers and lay leaders for the church. The future of the church nurses at your breast and plays at your feet. The future of the church looks to you to help them understand who God is. They look to you to teach them right from wrong. You are laying the foundation for the future success of the church right now. Lay it carefully and don’t underestimate the importance of the work you do.

Don’t let anyone tell you that being a mother isn’t important. Don’t let anyone tell you that your greatest achievements will come in the workplace. That shouldn’t be true of anyone… man or woman. No! The greatest achievement of your life may very well be raising your children up in the fear and admonition of the Lord to serve His church. Remember this... godly mothers and grandmothers can still raise up Timothy’s with help from the Lord.

Lord, give us more Timothy's, and give us more Loises and Eunices for the growth of your church. In Jesus' name, Amen.

 

Pursuing God at an Early Age

Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and followed the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left. In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David.

2 Chronicles 34:1–3

Can you imagine becoming king at just 8 years old? I would imagine that Josiah was under the care of guardians until he was older, but still he had to wield a tremendous amount of influence. His every need and whim must have been catered to. It sounds like the perfect situation to produce an arrogant, spoiled brat. But, that isn’t what happened.

From an early age, Josiah apparently realized that he needed God’s help to be a good king. So, the Scripture says that “In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David.” At just 16, Josiah purposed in his heart to seek the Lord. He began pursuing God of his own accord.

Oh, that more young people would do the same! You are never too young to start pursuing the Lord. You are never too young to start building a personal relationship with Him. You aren’t too young for prayer. You aren’t too young to read your Bible and take notes. You aren’t too young to be used by God. Don’t wait until you get older… begin seeking the Lord now!

It is a good thing to pursue the Lord when you are young, but Josiah sets an example even for those of us who are older. Far too many Christians choose to live for themselves… to live for fun, for pleasure, and for the things of the world. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking, “One day, I’ll get serious about my faith. One day, I’ll do what I know is right. One day, I’ll start seeking God.” No! Today is the day! You are never too young or too old to grow your relationship with the Lord. Begin seeking the Lord today.