suffering to brag about

Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring.

2 Thessalonians 1:4

Paul, of all people, knew the costs of personally following Christ and joining a hated minority. He was the original persecutor of Christians. Yet God sovereignty intervened on the road to Damascus and Jesus turned Saul the persecutor into Paul the persecuted apostle. And everywhere Paul went with the gospel, lives were changed, churches were born, and afflictions eventually came to those who followed Jesus. Paul knew this as a sure sign of faithfulness to the gospel: sinners would take offense when other sinners were saved AND the world would turn against those who faithfully follow Jesus.

But when Paul thought of these believers addressed in this letter, he was filled with a sense of gratitude. Their persecutions signified their faithfulness. They suffered regularly with endurance because they were legitimately following Jesus. They had abundant, growing faith (2 Thessalonians 1:3a). They modeled legitimate, Christlike love for one another in a growing care and fellowship (2 Thessalonians 1:3b). And Paul would “boast” of all this in thankful worship to God. Serious believers will look more like Jesus, including the fact that they will suffer as their Lord did.

So we should not be surprised when the world maligns Christian faith. This culture does NOT owe us some kind of alignment with Christian values. It has been opposed to Christ from the start. It ALWAYS has been against the gospel and until Christ returns it ALWAYS will. We don’t expect anything else. In fact, something is wrong when the world speaks glowingly of a church… Jesus Himself expressed that His blessing falls on and stays with the persecuted in His Beatitudes. He warned His disciples that a chummy reception by the world is a warning, not an achievement (Luke 6:26).

Lord,

Until You are revealed from heaven with Your mighty angels we will expect to be hated as You are. Give us steadfast faith and endurance! Strengthen us for this daily experience.

Amen