The Fiery Ordeal and the Call to Discipleship
“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. ” 1 Peter 4:12
The bible verse for today captures the reality all of us face from time to time in life. Let's read it again.
"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."
I have to admit that I don't really like facing "fiery ordeals" but, if I am honest, the lessons learned and the spiritual growth gained by going through times of difficulty are irreplaceable. If we read on in 1 Peter 4 we see there is no glory in suffering for the wrong reasons. Among the criminal activities mentioned, meddling makes the list of things to avoid. This indicates to me we really need to make sure we are suffering for the things that matter to God and not our own desires and mistakes.
Verse 14 has a great promise for us as we endure suffering for Christ's sake.
If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
By now you may be wondering what all of this talk about suffering and overcoming has to do with discipleship?
When we set out to help people, who are not Jesus followers, find their place in God's great story we are entering into a war zone because the one who owns the soul of the non believer is not very open to them changing their allegiance to Jesus Christ. Then, when a person decides to be a Jesus follower, the real battle begins. This is why we say discipleship is hard work. It is hard because the enemy would prefer that no person turns their allegiance and devotion to Jesus Christ. But if they do, the next strategy is to keep them defeated and ineffective in their desire to be a disciple of Jesus.
The ideal candidate for a disciple-maker is someone who will stick by the new believer and patiently walk with them through the inevitable struggles of being a new Jesus follower. In the process the new believer will have opportunity to observe how the disciple-maker handles the "fiery ordeals" of life. Ideally in time the new believer will mature and become a disciple-maker as well.
