Prepare to Suffer

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Good morning Chapel family. We’re taking this winter to walk through the book of Acts. Did you know that Acts is the only book of the Bible that lays out the history of the early church, from the time Jesus left this earth around 30AD, all the way through about 62 AD. For a little historical context, if you saw the recent movie Gladiator 2, that was set in the year 211AD; the original Gladiator was set in 180AD. So the events in Acts took place in the Roman Empire—just like Gladiator—about 150 years before the events of Gladiator. The difference is: Gladiator is a made-up story; Maximus and Lucius are fictitious characters (sorry to break it to you), but the events in Acts actually happened. So here we are 2,000 years later; the Roman Empire is ancient history, but the Christian movement is still going, and it’s going strong.  

In fact, we’ve been saying every week that this movement of Jesus is experiencing some level of revival in recent months. College Christian groups are spiking; churches are growing; Bibles are selling. Somebody asked me the other day, “Do you think it’s because we have a new president in the White House?” And the answer is no—because this started happening in early 2023, almost two years before the election. It’s not a political thing; it’s a spiritual thing. And just like you can’t predict or control the wind, you can’t predict or control what the Holy Spirit will do. So at The Chapel we are trying to stay in step with what the Holy Spirit is doing, and it’s been really exciting.  

So when you go back to the beginning and you ask, “Okay…how’d they do it? How did the Christian church defy the odds and explode in growth?”, you might assume that when people became Christians, their lives immediately got better. It must have been a step of upward mobility—like joining an exclusive country club. Tons of connections; tons of perks and privileges. And all your friends would see how great your life was, and they would want to join up too. It must have been like that—that’s how they attracted so many people! You might assume that. 

And you’d be completely wrong.  

Because in many ways, choosing to follow Jesus, and join his church, made life harder. It opened you up to suffering in ways that you never had to experience before. That was true back then, and we need to hear this: it’s true today. And the obvious question is: why would anybody sign up for that? That’s what I want to talk about today. 

Today we’re going to meet a man named Stephen. Do you know Stephen’s claim to fame? He was the first martyr. The first person to be put to death for his Christian faith (besides Jesus). Let me give you a little background on Stephen. At the beginning of Acts chapter six, the church in Jerusalem appoints a team of people to oversee the ministry of feeding widows. One of the guys on that team is Stephen. Listen to how he’s described: They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit.  

We find out quickly that Stephen is more than just a food server. He’s a powerful speaker for the gospel, which eventually gets him into trouble. Some people make false accusations against him, he gets dragged in front of the religious authorities, and he makes a really long speech—it takes up 50 verses, so we’re not going to read it all. But basically, he walks through the history of Israel and gives example after example of how God sent rescuers to his people, and consistently, the people rejected everyone God sent. Keep in mind: Stephen is a Jewish man—so he’s critiquing his own people. And as he talks, the Jewish ruling council is getting more and more offended.  

So we’re going to pick up the very end of the speech, and see at what happens. Acts 7, beginning in verse 51—this is the end of Stephen’s speech. Let’s hear God’s Word together… 

51 “You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! 52 Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him— 53 you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.” 

54 When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 

57 At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58 dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. 

59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep. 

8:1 And Saul approved of their killing him. 

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

Stephen suffered for his faith. And if we follow Jesus like he did, we will suffer too. So why would we knowingly sign up for that? 

Let’s talk first about The Call to Suffering. Can we all agree that Stephen’s message is the least seeker-friendly sermon ever? Stephen clearly had not read “How to Win Friends and Influence People.” He’s direct; he’s confrontational. And that’s not always the right way to address people; sometimes it is; other situations call for more gentleness. But here’s what Stephen shows us: we should always choose our words not to please people—to make them like us; to avoid offending them; to appease them—we should choose our words to please God. Paul says it so clearly in Galatians 1:10—Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. Man, if you struggle with people-pleasing, you need to put that one on your cell phone screen saver. So that should guide everything we say: I’m going to be a God-pleaser, and not a people-pleaser. 

And most of us could use some growth in this area. Our friend Kevin King, who wrote the book Living out Loud, says most of us have two different ways of talking. We talk one way when we’re around our Christian friends, and a different way when we’re with others. If your Christian friend asks what you did over the weekend, you might say, “I heard this sermon about forgiveness—it really challenged me.” But then your friend at work asks the same question, you say, “Oh, I watched the playoff game.” Because you don’t want him to think you’re weird—some religious nut. Or you’re down in New Hope, Pennsylvania—you know, down on the Delaware River—strolling through the shops with incense and crystals and horoscopes and Tarot cards. If you’re with your Christian friend, you might say, “Man, this makes me so sad—people are looking to fill a spiritual hole with this stuff that only God can fill.” If you’re with your secular friend, you say, “I hate the smell of incense—I’m going to wait outside.” You see how we do that? And the challenge is to simply be who we are, no matter whom we are with. If Jesus is the most important thing in our life, and if our faith in him gives us a certain way of viewing life, that’s who we are—and we should be who we are with everyone.  

And here’s the point: when we do that—when we live to please God and not people—sometimes people won’t be pleased. That religious council was not pleased with Stephen, and sometimes people won’t be pleased with us. Usually they won’t stone us, but they’ll laugh at us; they’ll write snarky comments about us online; maybe avoid us; sometimes they’ll cancel us entirely. Not everyone, but some will. Sometimes within families, adult children will cut out their parents, or block their parents’ access to their own grandkids, because of their parents taking a stand for their faith. And all of those things bring suffering into our lives. We are called to suffer. 

I have read and taught Acts countless times, but I noticed something this time that I had never seen so clearly. In the first week we looked at Acts 1:8, where Jesus says But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses… In fact, we’re calling this whole series “You Will be My Witnesses,” because we are called to go out and point people to Jesus. But here’s what I realized: the Greek word for “witness” is marturas. You can translate that word “witness;” guess how else you can translate it? Martyr. Whoa. You could actually translate Acts 1:8, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my martyrs…” Wow.  

But that’s crazy. The Bible must not really teach that. Let me show you a few verses… 

Matthew 5:11…Jesus says…Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.  

John 15:18, Jesus says If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 

Philippians 1:29…For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him. 

2 Timothy 3:12…In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. 

1 Peter 4:12-13…12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.  

Time after time, the New Testament teaches that following Christ will lead to suffering. Not all the time; not by everyone we encounter. But if we’re truly living this faith, there will be times of suffering. And that can be hard to accept, especially for Americans. 

Ajith Fernando is a Christian leader from Sri Lanka, and he wrote this: 

The church in each culture has its own special challenges—theological blind spots that hinder Christians from growing to full maturity in Christ …. I think one of the most serious theological blind spots in the western church is a defective understanding of suffering. There seems to be a lot of reflection on how to avoid suffering and on what to do when we hurt. We have a lot of teaching about escape from suffering and therapy for suffering, but there is inadequate teaching about the theology of suffering. 

So what I’m trying to do today is to give us a basic theology of suffering. It’s part of what Jesus calls us to, and we should know that.  

I have a friend who lives and serves with his family in a culture that’s almost completely Muslim. Everyone around them knows that they’re Christians and they’re doing Christian ministry. In his city, over the past several years, there have been several Christians kidnapped by militant groups. So I asked him once, “How do you deal with the risks?” And he very calmly said, “We’ve talked about that as a family. We realize the danger. And we’ve decided that it’s worth the risk, because this is where God has called us.” He’s one of my greatest heroes. Because he reminds me that it’s not about my comfort; it’s not about my safety; there’s something bigger that’s worth living for. 

Okay, so if I encounter suffering for my faith, how should I handle it? Let’s talk about that—point number two: The Model of Suffering. So at the end of his speech, Stephen directly accuses them of killing Jesus, and it says they were furious and gnashed their teeth at them. Quick side note: we have a little 15-pound terrier named Maggie. She’s he sweetest dog…unless you reach for her food. If she’s eating and you go near her food, she gnashes her teeth and lets out this low growl (actually not with me—I’m the Alpha dog, so she respects me). But with everyone else she gnashes her teeth and lets out this low growl, and the message is clear: “Back off, or you’re gonna get bit.” Because that’s what dogs do. And that’s what people do, when they feel threatened.  

So they gnash their teeth at Stephen. And look at Stephen’s response—verse 55: 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit… So right in the conflict—in this terrifying moment—it again emphasizes that Stephen is not living life on a natural level. He’s living on a supernatural level: “full of the Holy Spirit.” Remember what we said a few weeks ago? Every believer in Christ has the Holy Spirit. That’s God’s promise: when you receive Christ by faith, you receive the Holy Spirit. But it is very possible to have the Spirit, but not be filled with the Spirit. You can take a glass of milk and squeeze some Hershey’s chocolate syrup into the milk, and where does he chocolate go? It sinks right down to the bottom of the glass and stays there. So that milk has the chocolate, but it’s not filled with the chocolate. So what do you need to do? Stir it up. And then, every molecule of the milk is permeated and flavored and affected by the chocolate. So when we yield our life to God, even if it means suffering, and when we ask God to fill us with his Spirit, that’s when the change starts happening. That’s when the power starts happening. Do you see the power in Stephen? While he’s getting attacked, there’s a calmness; there’s self-control. This is supernatural. 

There’s something else you have to see about Stephen’s response. Remember what Jesus said about the people who crucified and mocked him? “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they’re doing.” He actually had compassion for the people who were murdering him. And that’s exactly what Stephen does. Same words to the people who are throwing rocks at him. Can we all agree: that’s not natural? My dog doesn’t respond like that. If you reach for her bone, she doesn’t think, “Lord, please forgive him for stealing my bone. Don’t hold this against him—he doesn’t know what he’s doing.” She’s like, “You touch my bone, I kill you.” So Stephen’s response to suffering is so unnatural; it’s so supernatural; and so Christ-like.  

So let me be really clear: the model of suffering is Jesus. Look with me at 1 Peter 2, starting in verse 19: 19 For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God. 20 But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. 21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 

22 “He committed no sin, 
    and no deceit was found in his mouth.” 

23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 

Listen: when you live out your faith, and in response you get mocked or attacked or excluded or you experience some kind of suffering, it’s commendable to bear up under that. And not just passively bear up—not just putting up with it—but actively maintaining your composure, refusing to growl back, refusing to demonize your attacker—because Jesus loves them and died for them too, and speaking blessing on the people who mistreat you. That’s how Jesus responded, and in the power of the Holy Spirit, you can respond the same way. What a powerful way to live.  

And when we do this—when we accept our call to suffering, and when we respond like Jesus, in the power of his Spirit, we’ll get to experience a depth of blessing that most people never dream of. 

Point number 3: The Fruit of Suffering. I have a little home gym in my basement. And about three times a week I go down there and I do some cardio on my spin bike, but before that, I do the dreaded part: weights. I do not enjoy lifting weights, but I know that at my age, if you don’t do some resistance training you lose muscle mass—and I don’t have a whole lot of muscle mass to begin with, so I do weights. And when I’m in the middle of a set of bent-over rowing, or dumbbell flies, or curls, it is not fun. It is agony. My muscles are burning, and I very much want to stop. But I’ve learned that when I put myself through that pain consistently, something really good happens: I feel stronger and healthier, and my body is in better shape. So I’ve associated that pain with something joyful. And so now, when by body hurts like that, I say to myself, “Ah—I know this feeling. This is the feeling of growth!” Which doesn’t make the pain any less, but it fills the whole thing with hope. 

And when we suffer for our faith in Christ, we should be filled with hope because it’s producing rewards on two levels. 

First, there are rewards Inside Us. Suffering for our faith grows us in ways that nothing else can do. Listen to these New Testament promises: 

Romans 5:3-5…3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. 

Romans 8:18—I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 

1 Peter 5:10—And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 

Look at those last three words: strong, firm, and steadfast. Do you want to be that kind of person as much as I do? For your friends, for your spouse, for your kids? The world desperately needs people who are strong, firm, and steadfast. And that only comes through suffering.  

If you were to ask most mature people, “Tell me about the times in life when you grew the most, spiritually.” You know what they would say, right? They would say the times of deepest growth were the times of deepest suffering. Don’t you hate that? Of course. But those are the times God becomes so much more real to us.  

So suffering makes us the strong and firm and steadfast people that we deeply want to be. 

But more than that, suffering brings rewards that go way Beyond Us. After Stephen was put to death, here’s what happened next—Acts 8:1…On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. When you first read that, it sounds like a bad thing. But look closer. Do you remember what Jesus had told them, right before he left? He said You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses…and then he gave these three geographical areas where they’d be his witnesses: in Jerusalem (which is where they were at the time); what was the next level out—anyone remember? in all Judea and Samaria. Did you see where the believers went after Stephen died? It says “throughout Judea and Samaria.”  

When Luke wrote this, he could have used the general word for “spreading out.” But he specifically chose the Greek word diaspeiro—that means “to scatter like seed.” The disciples got scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. And when seed gets scattered, things get planted.  

The early Christian writer, Tertullian, was speaking to Roman rulers in the early 3rd century, and he famously said this: “Kill us, torture us, condemn us, grind us to the dust…The more you mow us down the more we grow. The seed is the blood of Christians.” And through history, this is what we’ve seen: Christians have been persecuted, and the church has continued to spread and grow. Jesus said, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not overcome it.” And he always keeps his promises. 

When we’re willing to suffer for our faith in Christ, there are rewards within us and there are rewards way beyond us. 

I’ll close with this: there is something in this passage that’s so easy to miss, but it’s one of the most breathtaking things in all of Scripture. Look again at verses 54-56: 54 When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”  

Throughout the New Testament, it says that after Jesus completed his work—after he died on the cross and rose again—he sat down at the right hand of God. That act of sitting down symbolized completion: his work was done. So think about this: Stephen is just about to be stoned by an angry mob; he looks up, and God gifts him with this vision: he sees heaven cracked wide open, and as he looks into heaven, he sees the glory of God—which is probably some kind of radiance or glow. And right next to that brilliant glory of God, he sees Jesus—but not sitting down, like he always is in the New Testament. What is Jesus doing? He’s standing up. Why would he do that? Because he was honoring Stephen and welcoming him home. And I cannot leave you with a better vision than that.  

I started this message with a valid question: if following Christ leads to suffering, why in the world would anyone choose to do it? And this is the answer. Not only does it make you firm and steadfast as a person; not only does it cause the gospel to spread and grow. But here’s the most compelling reason: when you’re willing to suffer for your faith, it honors the Lord Jesus Christ. And when you honor him, he stands up from his throne to honor you. And one day he’s going to stand to welcome you home.