Obedience To Christ

"It's not easy to walk forward in obedience to Christ. Obedience to Christ is painful. Even Jesus learned obedience painfully from that which he suffered (Hebrews 5:8). Doing the right thing, making the right decisions, often entails pain for a Christian. It hurts to be struck on the cheek (Matthew 5:39). It's not very fun to turn the other cheek, so that that  cheek can be struck too. But there's a power to be found when someone becomes willing to absorb the pain of being hit and then continues to walk forward in the same direction as before. When a person takes a risk to follow Jesus, he or she must be willing to suffer. Christians must be willing to suffer and not revolt. 

I am reminded once again of the words of Peter: 'For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps...and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering He uttered no threats, bu kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously (1 Peter 2:21, 23).

Remember, it was Simon Peter to whom Christ said, 'Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers' (Luke 22:31-32). Jesus also said to him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself, and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go' (John 21:18). The Bible says Jesus was signifying the kind of death that Peter would die. It also says that 'when He had spoken this,' Jesus said specifically to Peter, ' Follow Me!'

The call of Jesus Christ is for us to follow him. We are commanded to go where we do not wish to go. We are also commanded not to revile back when we are reviled, but to suffer for his sake. 

The feminist movement is not famous for producing women who do not revile back. That particular glory is reserved for the women of the church. There is power in becoming a suffering servant. There is power in speaking the truth. There is power to be found whenever we entrust ourselves to him who judges righteously.

I am not saying that any woman should continue to be physically abused or financially destroyed if someone is attacking her body or squandering her provision. In those kinds of cases, a woman is reponsible to expose the hidden truth and protect herself along with any children she might have. It isn't biblical for wives or mothers and children to subject themselves to violent or reckless behavior. On the contrary, the biblical command is for women to speak the truth in love (Ephesians  4:15). No one enjoys confronting the truth when there is something dreadful to hide. But the one and only way for people to be freed is by the truth. Make no mistake--love doesn't set people free.1 Truth sets people free. Jesus said it plainly, 'And you will know the truth, and the truth shall make you free' (John 8:32).

1 God loves everyone, but not everyone is free. Many people's souls are deeply loved by other people, and yet they are still not free."

- Sarah Sumner, P.H. D.

from: http://www.amazon.com/Men-Women-Church-Consensus-Leadership/dp/0830823913/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1367863639&sr=1-1&keywords=men+and+women+in+the+church

Sumner, Sarah. Men And Women In The Church. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2003.