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Heir Borne

Colossians 1:24 [Even] now I rejoice in the midst of my sufferings on your behalf. And in my own person I am making up whatever is still lacking and remains to be completed [on our part] of Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of His body, which is the church.

Years ago I was reading Acts 5:40-42 that stated: and summoning the apostles, they flogged them and sternly forbade them to speak in or about the name of Jesus, and allowed them to go.41 So they went out from the presence of the council (Sanhedrin), rejoicing that they were being counted worthy [dignified by the indignity] to suffer shame and be exposed to disgrace for [the sake of] His name.42 Yet [in spite of the threats] they never ceased for a single day, both in the temple area and at home, to teach and to proclaim the good news (Gospel) of Jesus [as] the Christ (the Messiah). Verse 41 dumbfounded me: So they went out from the presence of the council (Sanhedrin), rejoicing that they were being counted worthy [dignified by the indignity] to suffer shame and be exposed to disgrace for [the sake of] His name.

For years I couldn’t understand the reaction of the Disciples until I combined it with Paul’s declaration in Colossians 1:24: I am making up whatever is still lacking and remains to be completed [on our part] of Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of His body…We don’t fully comprehend the fact that we make up the Body of Jesus. It’s not simply metaphorical, or symbolic language. We are the Body of Jesus. That means everything we suffer in obedient surrender to Jesus is being done to Jesus. That is the honor. Your sufferings are equal to Christ’s sufferings and you are being made one with Him through His sufferings. Your rejections, and persecutions, and the criticisms you receive on His behalf, your sacrificial, and misunderstood obediences, giving till it hurts, and giving to those who use and abuse you – all of these are added to the furrowed scars in His back, the nail scars in His feet and hands, and His thorn-pierced brow. All of these are added to His Glorified, Resurrected Body! Isaiah 49:16 states: See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands…(Which means we really are engraved on the palms of His hands.)

Recently a member of our church asked, Is Jesus still suffering? To which I replied, Absolutely! He suffers long in His love, and prayers for us. But it never crossed my mind to add, when we suffer – He suffers. We become His nail-pierced hands and feet. We become His pierced side, and His thorn-pierced brow. We become His scarred and furrowed back. We become the drops of blood He sweat in the Garden.

Most avoid suffering at all costs failing to realize these eternal truths. For these things we will be rewarded as He returns to earth in His Glory. For you see, His Glorified scars become our glory as we share in His Glory. This is why Paul reminds us in the book of Romans 8:17-18 And if we are [His] children, then we are [His] heirs also: heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ [sharing His inheritance with Him]; only we must share His suffering if we are to share His glory.18 [But what of that?] For I consider that the sufferings of this present time (this present life) are not worth being compared with the glory that is about to be revealed to us and in us and for us and conferred on us! Jesus’ Glory is to return to this earth to rule and reign. Only the meek will inherit the earth with Him. The meek being those who chose to suffer with Him in faithful love and surrender to His Word, His Will, and His Way. These are the true sons, and daughters of God. Those who are willing to follow Him in discipleship, serving others, witness, and missions. As the prophet Bob Jones was asked by Jesus, Did you learn to Love? Love God with ALL? Love your neighbor as yourself?

Raising the Bar

1 Thessalonians 1:6-9 And you [set yourselves to] become imitators of us and [through us] of the Lord Himself, for you welcomed our message in [spite of] much persecution, with joy [inspired] by the Holy Spirit; So that you [thus] became a pattern to all the believers (those who adhere to, trust in, and rely on Christ Jesus) in Macedonia and Achaia (most of Greece). For not only has the Word concerning and from the Lord resounded forth from you unmistakably in Macedonia and Achaia, but everywhere the report has gone forth of your faith in God [of your leaning of your whole personality on Him in complete trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness]. So we [find that we] never need to tell people anything [further about it].For they themselves volunteer testimony concerning us, telling what an entrance we had among you, and how you turned to God from [your] idols to serve a God Who is alive and true and genuine,

The distance between Macedonia, Achaia and Thessalonica was approximately 190 miles or the equivalent of the entire length of the country of Greece. A modern day equivalent of that distance would be equal to traveling from here to Wilmington (193 miles) or from here to Raleigh (183 miles). Does anyone in either city know of your faith? Are you impacting the Christians living in those cities? Are other pastors and Christians sending their church members to watch you in action? To learn how to follow Jesus; live like Jesus; live like a disciple? Let that sink in deep. Listen to what Paul says about their faith: everywhere the report has gone forth of your faith in God [of your leaning of your whole personality on Him in complete trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness]. They were leaning their entire personalities in complete trust and confidence in God, His Son Jesus, and the testimonies of the Apostles. They had set themselves to become imitators of Jesus and the Apostles. If they were imitators of all the above they were not simply reciting information, nor were they excelling at attending house church. No this means they were putting into practice what they taught and practiced. This means they were preaching, teaching, winning the lost, going to the nations, serving the poor, serving the church, baptizing others, making disciples, casting out demons, raising the dead, speaking in unknown tongues, and overflowing in the Holy Spirit. Those are the things Jesus and the disciples did. That was their normal. What has happened in modern Christianity that sees this as abnormal? How have we become so impotent, and watered down? It’s time to raise the bar once again!

At the 19th Summer Olympics in Mexico City in 1968 an American named Dick Fosbury set an Olympic record in the High Jump and brought home a gold medal. No one had ever jumped 7’4.25″ before! What was so unusual about Fosbury’s feat was that he did the high jump backwards. It looked awkward and strange. It was called “The Fosbury Flop.” But it worked! Branching out in a new high jump technique is one thing. Getting it accepted by others is another matter. Fosbury remarked,“I was told over and over again that I would never be successful, that I was not going to be competitive and the technique was simply not going to work. All I could do was shrug and say,’we’ll just have to see,’” AND PEOPLE DID SEE! Since then, nearly all world-class high jumpers now use his technique. To attain his goals, he changed his approach to high jumping, and he didn’t allow others’ comments to make him feel like he would not achieve his conviction. Is that the modern Christians’ problem? Have you been letting others determine your altitude?

Wow! This whole thing is astounding and humbling all at the same time. (I just blew my own mind!)