“Therefore, since Christ suffered for
us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has
suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer
should live the rest of his
time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.”
If
we are to follow Jesus' example here in 1 Peter 4:1-2 we must arm ourselves in
the same manner, with the same thought and purpose, willing to endure suffering
rather than fail to please God. Paul did and shared this weapon with his
disciples, the elders of Ephesus: “And
see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that
will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city,
saying that chains and tribulations await me.” (Acts 20:22-23) How would
we respond to prophetic words of persecution, hardship and tribulation awaiting
us at every turn? I am not implying that all messages from God will be of this
nature, but there is an oblivious imbalance to the possibility of this reality
in the church today. Much of the five-fold ministry within Christ’s Body
focuses on prosperity, health, and peace, as if God’s only concern is for our
physical well-being and material happiness. This encourages people to seek God
for what He can do for them, to seek only His hands of provisioning. The foundation of their love for Him shifts
from who He is to what He can provide. They seek to fulfill ministry’s
proclamations rather than obey the God who “gave gifts to men”, who gave
ministry to the church. They are not interested in magnifying Jesus, whether by
life or death (Phil. 1:20). They want the good life now!
Notice
how powerfully this verse speaks to the transforming work of the Holy Spirit in
the life of the believer, and the power of suffering as a tool of
transformation: Suffering moves the saint from living for his human appetites
and fleshly desires into living for the will of God... the mind of Christ. And
notice that intentional sin ceases when we stop pleasing our Self with the
world’s pleasures and begin to please God.
There
are two Christian best sellers, one called “Your Best Life Now” and the other
called “Love Your Life.” Have you thought about how misplaced these concepts
are? Jesus said “He who loves
his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for
eternal life.” As Christians our
“Best Life” can only be our Blessed Hope of eternal life with our Savior; our
“Best Life” can never be now... in this life... in this world. Saints who want
their best life now and love their life here on planet earth have forgotten they
are strangers and pilgrims in a hostile land, and are living without God’s
greatest survival weapon... the mind of Christ. They are literally unarmed...
The
Apostle Paul warned of a time when people... the church, would not tolerate or
endure sound and wholesome truth, but with ears itching for something pleasing
and gratifying would gather to themselves teachers and ministries chosen to
satisfy their own desires – wandering off into myths and man-made fictions. (2
Tim. 4:1-4) I think the time is now...
“ARM YOURSELVES ALSO
WITH THE SAME MIND”
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