“I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.” Colossians 1:24-29
Why was the Apostle Paul suffering? Why was he persecuted, imprisoned and facing death? And Paul, like the other apostles of our Lord Jesus, faced many hardships.
To the Corinthians he wrote (2 Corinthians 11:24-28): “From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness — besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.”
Paul suffered all these things because he was a minister of the Gospel – he preached Christ, and Him crucified, as the only way to heaven, as the only salvation of sinful mankind. The Apostle called on men everywhere to repent of their unbelief and sin and return to the only true God through faith in the crucified and risen Son of God. And for that, Paul suffered greatly in this world – though he now wears a crown of righteousness in heaven with his Savior (cf. 2 Timothy 4:7-8).
Paul was a prisoner when he wrote this letter to the believers in Colosse. He was in bonds for preaching forgiveness of sins and life eternal in the crucified and risen Christ Jesus. Paul didn’t hold back from setting forth the truth in order to preserve his own life or to avoid trouble from those who opposed the Word of God. Believers could and still can rejoice in the Apostle Paul’s sufferings because he was suffering for his faithfulness to Messiah Jesus.
So, should we be surprised at trouble and even persecution here in this world? Should we be shocked when people speak evil of us for seeking to be faithful to God and His Word?
The Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy: “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” (2 Timothy 3:12).
Jesus said, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” (Mark 8:34-38).
Jesus Himself said, “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:11-12).
As Jesus said, and as His apostle, Paul, said, those who preach the truth of God’s Word, pointing out sin as sin and proclaiming the redemption accomplished by Christ Jesus as the only source of forgiveness and life everlasting, will be hated and persecuted in this world. People will hate them and persecute them because they don’t want their own sins exposed for what they are – wickedness in God’s eyes. And people will persecute them because they do not believe and trust in Jesus as God the Son and the Messiah and Savior of the world.
Jesus suffered and died upon the cross, paying in full for the sins of the whole world, and He rose again from the dead on the third day. Those who trust in Jesus for forgiveness and life and follow after Him will also suffer in this world. Because the world hated Christ Jesus, it will also hate those who follow Him and proclaim His Word.
For not shrinking back but being faithful to Jesus, Paul suffered and helped fill up that which was lacking in the suffering of the church – the true believers in Christ Jesus. For Paul’s faithfulness to Jesus and His unashamed preaching of the gospel of forgiveness and life in the crucified and risen Christ we too rejoice.
Even though so many within the visible church today would hold back to avoid sharing in the reproach of Christ, when followers of Jesus do hold fast to their Head and unashamedly proclaim His Word of life, we can also rejoice, even in their sufferings for Christ Jesus; for all who follow Jesus and are unashamed to speak His Word will suffer persecution in this world, and great is their reward in heaven!
If we must suffer for our faith in Christ Jesus, if we must face trouble and persecution because we follow Christ and seek to uphold all that God’s Word teaches, we too can rejoice for the privilege of sharing in the sufferings of our Savior. And the Scriptures assure us that a crown of righteousness awaits us with our Savior in heaven!
Dearest Jesus, our blessed Savior and Redeemer, embolden us to speak Your Word faithfully as we should and not hold back, calling upon people everywhere to repent of their sinful ways and trust in You for forgiveness and life. And, if we must suffer persecution – even if that be prison or death – let us rejoice that we were privileged to suffer for Your name’s sake. Amen.