Called to Suffer

We are called to suffer when we live as God’s people in the world. God’s people are a people who engage the world constructively. We are a people who confront the world courageously. We are called to be holy, to be different. We are called to stand up and speak out. When we are faithful to God’s calling and our mission in the world, we will experience suffering. When we confess Jesus as Lord, and choose to live by Kingdom standards, when we choose to be different, when we respond to outrage and anger with love, forgiveness, grace, kindness, when we try to engage our opponents in dialogue and choose not to beat them into submission, when we choose to be ambassadors of Christ’s love, we will suffer in one way or another.

Part of our sermon series—”Be Courageous! Living as God’s People in God’s World.” This series is based on and follows the outline of Christopher J.H. Wright’s book,  The Mission of God's People : A Biblical Theology of the Church's Mission, (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2010).