The Sons Must Suffer

Hebrews 5:8

Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;

I was sitting in a Sunday morning service recently, listening to Evangelist Annestta Samuels preach the word of God. Suddenly, I heard a still, small voice from within say, “humility is obedience to God in the midst of temptations, provocations and persecutions.” Needless to say, I immediately wrote what I heard. In doing so, my spirit began to leap with revelation on this subject.

If anyone is going to render the heart and mind of the Father regarding humility, they must do it from the perspective of eternity or the Spirit. It is time for the church to see as the Father sees. It is time for us to accept truth at face value. We are spiritual beings that have been translated into the kingdom of the Son of God. Though we are in the world, we are not of this world. This we have quoted for many years. But the time has come for us to grasp all the implications of our conversion.

Ephesians 2:2

Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

1 John 5:19

And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.

I want you to really see what is being said in the passages above. First of all, the course of this world is controlled by the prince of the power of the air, the spirit of iniquity. And secondarily, the whole world lies in wickedness. This is where the rubber meets the road. This world is off course.

It is a place of wickedness and unrighteousness. It is a place where truth has been perverted.

This world is a lie. Everything here is defiled and of the lie. Sicknesses, diseases and the deterioration of our bodies are manifestations of the lie. Everything we see here is a lie. All has been defiled by the spirit of the defiler.

This ruling spirit over the world, is also anti-Christ. It opposes everything that is called God. Therefore it has turned the world into a very hostile and violent environment. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. Matthew 11:12.

The kingdom of Heaven are the people of God walking the earth today. We are the only evidence that the kingdom exists. But we are also victims of the violence of this world. When Jesus says the violent take it by force, he is referring to the evil powers of this world. The forces of the enemy lay hold on the sons of God with the force of violence.

Some seem to think that Jesus was referring to us taking the kingdom by force. But I strongly disagree with this conclusion, seeing as how every time the word violence is used in the scriptures, it is associated with evil. The saints of God would never be characterized as violent. Jesus also acknowledged that his disciples were sent into the world as lambs among wolves. Lambs are not violent creatures.

The point here is that the world is the manifestation of a lie; and everything in it, except the sons of God, is a lie. The truth is only found in eternity and those who inhabit that high and holy place in God. Now that having been said, we might begin to see the purpose for the suffering of the saints.

Our God, who dwells in eternity, has testified of himself. He has said to the world, I am Light, I am love, I am slow to anger and full of mercy and grace. This is who he says he is. But then He also says, “as he is, so are we.” This points to our oneness with the Father and the Son.

I recently heard Annestta Samuels minister the definition of one-with-God, as the same as God. This sameness leaves no room for differences or variations. The scriptures calls it, without spot or blemish. As she said in her delivery, this sameness allows us to be hidden in God. Not that God is our covering, but that we are as he is without distinction.

Therefore, when the enemy brings persecution, he is simply poking at our flesh, trying to get us to identify ourselves separate and apart from God. He wants us to move out of place, out of character and into some dark estate so that he can see and deal directly with us. He knows that if he can provoke us to unrighteousness the shield of faith is lifted. His fiery darts will find their mark.

1 John 4:16

And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

If God is love, then all that is in God must be love, manifested here in the earth. There is no other way to declare him to the world. We must maintain our status as one-with-God. We must be as he is. This is the only proof that Jesus is alive and well; the saints of the Most High. God lives in us. But to what purpose? It is for the same purpose as that of the first coming of our Lord. We are to redeem the lost, the ignorant, and those who are out of the way. But the only way that can be done is by declaring the Love of the Father for mankind to the world.

But this world operates under the control of the prince of darkness. It hates God and all that is called God. Take note of the fact that Christianity and Judaism are the most persecuted religions on the planet. The Jews being the wife of God and the Christians are his sons. But if we are truly the sons, then we must manifest the personage of our Father.

We are everything this world is not. Our mere existence is an indictment of its unrighteousness. It is committed to pride and vanity, but we are commanded to be lowly and humble. We are the ones who dwelled in eternity with the Most High. We are here now to declare him to the world.

Therefore, there is no way to avoid suffering in this world. First we suffered the degradation of our own sins. Then, as saints we suffer the persecutions of the powers of the darkness of this world, in our efforts to reveal the love of the Father. But the beauty of this is that we continue on this perilous journey, simply because we love Him. Our obedience is out of love and not fear alone. We love the Father; and that is what he wanted from us. Therefore, he placed us in this hostile environment to see if we would obey him, in spite of the suffering we encounter.

Nevertheless, we are sent into the world to redeem those who hate and despise us; God having declared there to be no weapon against love. Thus we are commanded to love our abusers. It is reported that this love will win the elect and judge the unjust. Either way, we are commanded to walk in the love of God at all times and in all situations.

Hebrews 5:8

Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;

We too will learn obedience to the Father by the things we suffer. Earth is our training ground. Sinners and unbelievers are our chastening rod. As sons of God, we must accept that we too will learn obedience by the things we suffer. What is that learning? Well, the most important thing we discover is that our love for the Father increases in suffering; for it reveals the power of his presence in us. This is a great influence on the soul. We discover that to do his will in any situation is a manifestation of our place in the Royal Family. It truly establishes us as sons of God.

Therefore, the bottom line here is that walking in love is the only way to reveal who God is to the world. There will be many times when we will be mistreated and misused. However, God has fashioned us to be as he is. He will not allow more to be placed on us than we can bear. Therefore, there is no time in our walk that we are unable to walk in the love of God, even in this hostile environment.

God wants to speak to the world; and he is using us to do so. Therefore, it is important that we agree and obey him in all things. In doing so, he is manifested to the world as a God of great grace and love. Nevertheless, our charge is …labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it: 1 Corinthians 4:12

We can’t fight back. We are not allowed retribution. We are not even allowed to think evil of those who hate us and do all manner of evil against us. We are here for them. We are the only God they will ever see. So it is necessary that I suffer persecutions and afflictions. To refuse or reject suffering would be to be as the world. The character of our God would never be seen. Therefore, his very existence would be questioned. The bottom line is; there is no way to reveal God to this world except you are willing to suffer the offenses it will bring upon you.

1 John 4:17-18

17. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

18. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

When the script declares there to be no fear in love, it is referring to the fear of failure and damnation. If we know that we walk in love in every adverse situation and have indeed kept our hearts pure, then we have no fear of meeting our maker. As Paul and Peter testified of being ready to leave this world and enter into eternity, so will we feel the same, without the fear of knowing we have dishonored God by not allowing him to love his people, through our vessels. But again God speaks to us: Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. Matthew 5:48.

And what is the conclusion of the matter?

2 Thessalonians 1:4-5

4. So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure:

5. Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:

Our patience and faith in suffering is a token of the righteous judgement of God. It is proof that we are gods. Therefore it is the good pleasure of his will to put his sons on display to principalities and powers in heavenly places. It is his introduction to them of his sons - gods of his kind. We have been given power over all the power of the enemy. Therefore, the Father is desirous of a testimony that glorifies him with the love of his children.

Romans 8:35-37

35. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

36. As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

37. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

We are more than those powers who have conquered the souls of many. There is nothing they are able to do to us that will cause us to cease to love them. Nothing shall separate us from the love of Christ. We are one with the Father by his Spirit that dwells in us. We are persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

Suffering in this world proves that we are not of this world. Therefore, let us live as gods in this world, that we may qualify to live as gods in the world to come.