Called To Suffer Loss

“But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.” (Lu 6:27-30 AV)

 Suffering loss.  Enduring persecution.  Offering all that we have to those who hate us.  This is what we are called to do.  Whether we accept it or not, part of being a saint is putting up with abuse and knowing when to forgo asserting rights.  We have lost our way here in America.  We have a culture built on individual liberty and if our liberty has been encroached in any way, we feel we must stand up for our rights insisting on justice.  Now, before you get on my case, I am not asserting we roll over each and every time we are misused.  There are times to stand for that which needs to be defended.  Studying the ministry of Paul in the book of Acts will reveal nine different events when his rights as a Roman citizen were violated.  The student will notice in some of those cases, Paul asserted his rights under Roman law and defended himself as well as those with him.  However, there were times when not asserting his rights worked out better for the gospel’s sake.  Above, our LORD is revealing there are times when we must suffer loss.  Either material loss, or the loss of liberty.  It is how we react to that loss which will determine how much the LORD can use us to affect the world around us.

There are times to take it on the chin.  There are times to take a punch for the team.  There are times when others are watching us so at to see how we react.  Stories abound of martyrs who went bravely to their death as the means of bringing the gospel to a dark part of the world.  Foxe’s Book Of Martyrs is a volume full of accounts of those who endured through hardship rather than take up arms against a hostile world.  There are accounts of abuse, pillage, and persecution of those who were taken advantage of simply because they were believers.  However, there are other times when the saints took a stand.  They may have lost the battle, but their bravery did not go unnoticed.  I think of Bro, McArthur in California.  It is very interesting how many fundamentalists are standing in judgment of his actions.  I would expect that and more from those who are more progressive in their theology.  But not so-called fundamentalists.  There will come a time when God’s people will have to take a stand.  To do otherwise would bring cowardice and shame on the name of Jesus Christ.  The day is coming real soon when those who refuse to take any stand will be plowed under just as much as those who choose to.  When the same-sex crowd attempts to invade the church with their lifestyle and the government backs them, it is time for God’s people to stand up and refuse to capitulate.  These days are coming.  However, not every battle has the same sense of importance.  Wisdom is needed much in this area.

Knowing where those lines are, goes a long way in long-term leadership opportunities.  Revolting against a minor injustice thinking doing so will stop larger ones is a fool’s errand.  It may.  But it may just have the opposite effect.  Revolting against a minor injustice may stop that injustice.  But it might just cause the persecutor to redouble his efforts.  The point is this.  Jesus Christ abased Himself and came as a man so that He could die for our sins.  He put up with far more than we will ever have to endure.  He was abused at the hands of those whom He created.  He was beaten.  He was bruised.  He was stripped naked.  He was whipped.  He was spat upon and mocked.  Our Savior endured abuse that we can only minimally begin to understand.  And we get upset if the government gives us a mandate we don’t like.  Or, we are more upset at some small regulation thinking it’s the end of the world and compared to Jesus Christ and His passion, look rather petty.  Whether we like it or not, part of being a believer means we get the short end of the stick.  Being a saint means a life of misfortune and abuse at the hands of those who hate Jesus Christ.  Knowing they will take our cloak, we need to be prepared to give them our coat.  Knowing they will strike our cheek, we need to be prepared to offer the other.  It is too bad those who are so entrapped in rights and justice would see the above as compromise.  But it is not.  It is an opportunity.