Is it possible that we have missed the source of true joy completely as we search for a Christianity that gives us prosperity and health? I think Peter would have a telling answer to this question.

1 Peter 4:12-16 Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.

The fiery trial of which Peter writes could be the burning of Rome, or it could be the years of persecution directed towards Christians over the following several hundred years. However, it must also be taken into account that Peter is writing in the context of the Lord’s return, something immediately preceded by tribulation in many biblical texts, most notably Matthew 24. Either way, it is clear that difficulty and suffering is part of the Christian life, and Peter is arming them with an attitude so that they can approach this suffering correctly. Peter is an interesting character to communicate a message about enduring persecution as he originally shrunk from it by denying his Lord three times. However, as he was filled with the Spirit, he preached many powerful sermons of the gospel in the face of prison and death. The author knows his subject matter intimately.

Now, for the matter of suffering. As I asked initially, is the church misled by seeking joy in a Christianity of prosperity and health? Let me ask a corollary question, is the church misled by seeking joy in a Christianity of suffering and poverty? I ask both questions because I think it is revealing as to Peter’s main point. It is neither prosperity nor suffering which brings the joy in the believer’s life, but union with Christ. Since Christ suffered immeasurably, the extent to which the believer faces persecution in this world because of his or her identification with Christ is a measure of the believer’s joy. However, I think that a believer living in a context without widespread persecution can still have joy to the extent that they are united with Christ. It is not the persecution per se, but the union with Christ that brings the joy. I often call to mind that poem about the book of Job, “he is not poor, nor much enticed, who loses everything but Christ.” Therefore, a Christianity which seeks joy in health and wealth is misled just as much as a Christianity which seeks joy in poverty and suffering (like the monastic tradition). We should seek Christ whether He blesses us with health and prosperity or whether He blesses us with persecution and trial.

That being said, it is also true that the Bible tells us that all people who live a godly life in Christ will face persecution. This is because the world by and large rejected and persecuted Him, thus if we are imitating Him the world will by and large persecute and reject us. There is a special identification with Christ in this difficult truth. In this suffering we come to intimately know a little bit of what Christ went through as He completed our salvation. This is why I also think that the idea present in a pre-tribulation rapture of the church, namely that God wouldn’t allow the church to suffer to such a great extent, is misled. This is an unbiblical idea specifically because the Bible presents suffering for the sake of Christ as a blessing and a joy. Therefore, the persecution that precedes the 2nd coming of Christ is even more joyous as we know that our identification with Him is that much closer, and we will be with Him. I understand that there are biblical arguments in favor of each camp of eschatology and I wouldn’t argue over this issue, but I feel that if we look at the larger themes throughout the Bible we will see that the church will be in this final persecution and it will be a blessing. Either way, we need to be seeking Christ whether we are blessed with plenty, or blessed with little. We should be able to say with Paul, “I have learned the secret of being content whether I abound or whether I am brought low.”