“That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;” (Phil. 3:10)
The verse that comes to mind is Isaiah 53:3, “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”
That would be the suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ, so, are you acquainted with sorrow and grief, do you know this burden? Another would be, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb. 12:2)
Do you know this, have you been mocked and ridiculed for the name of the Lord, for standing your ground when all around you stand against you?
It is quite easy for most who are saved to be able to identify with the Lord Jesus when He was tempted, “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” (Heb. 4:15) To think of themselves as heirs of the Kingdom because of what He did, not so much though when it comes to that fellowship of suffering. An ache or pain arrives that will not abate, and off to the medical clinic they go, oh, perhaps after a quick short request to be healed, but the intent is to be healed, not to suffer.
A large part of their income goes towards health care insurance, as it is called today, the worries and frustrations of their lives are not laid at the feet of Christ but are spoken of to close family and friends. “And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians.” (2 Chr. 16:12)
How many times in your congregation have you heard of prayer requests for the healing of the flesh, and how many times have you heard, “Lord, we pray you will be with the doctors.”
I pose this question for you today that live in those nations where the clinics and hospitals are just down the street, where there are many pharmacies to choose from, where health insurance is as common as those cellphones so many seem to be addicted to are. What would you say to those who live in nations where the closest doctor may be 300 miles away, to those that do not have health care insurance, or even that cellphone, how do you think they pray when one is in need of healing of the flesh?
I do not believe that we actually know just how many miracles occur in those nations, to those people who serve the Most High with fear and trembling.
Now, ask yourself this, who is more blessed, those with that clinic on every other corner, or those who have no recourse but prayer and supplication to the Almighty?
Asa went to the physician and died. It is a difficult discussion for most Christians to have, it makes them feel less trusting of the Lord, while at the same time makes them feel more blessed because they have not only the financial resources to obtain that health care insurance, but the ability to go to the doctor for nearly every ache and pain.
Who is more blessed?
Try having this conversation with someone in your church, watch and listen to their reaction, and you will see just where their faith truly lies.
My lovely wife and I did not wear the masks, nor did we receive the jab, and were told at one of the local clinics that if we did not do so, we would be refused medical services. We walked out. That was only the beginning of what is approaching in this area, refuse to obey and services of nearly every kind will be refused to you, from medical of every sort to even the entering in of nearly every store. You may be tested to see if you are prepared to enter into the fellowship of His suffering in the coming weeks and months. Perhaps it is time to begin preparing your mind for that today.
