It’s Not Easy, Yet It’s Worth It

It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover. So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. (‭Acts‬ ‭12‬:‭1-5‬ NIV, italics added)

There are a couple of things to say about this passage.

Being a follower of Christ is not all glamorous. It often calls for us to lay our very lives down for the sake of the message that Christ proclaims. [Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. (‭Mark‬ ‭8‬:‭34-35‬ NIV)] We see this happening as the church is being persecuted with death and beatings.
Being a follower of Christ will demand your life. We live in a time and age when the message of Jesus is being proclaimed to many people (yet all have not been reached with it), and as it was back then, people are willing to lay down their lives for the sake of the Gospel. This is nothing new. The prophets in the Old Testament suffered greatly; some to the point of losing their lives. Yet, people today are still willing to lay down their lives for the advancing of the message of Jesus. Should the systems of the world continue as they are, most of us will never have to physically lay down our lives in standing for faith in Christ. However, we do need to ask ourselves if we are approaching Christ and entering the Kingdom of Heaven as being worth it all. “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. (‭Matthew‬ ‭13‬:‭44-46‬ NIV) The kingdom of heaven is worth it all! When we go all in, we're not holding anything back from our old life, our old selves, our old ways of doing things. We are a people who have been changed and gladly will give up our trust and security in the things of the world so that we may know Him. But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. (‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭7-11‬ NIV)
Being a follower of Christ calls us to intercede for others, especially believers. Let's be real. We all go through some hardships in our lives. Perhaps the greatest hardship we face is when we lose. We lose jobs, friends, family, identity, security, etc. For Peter, he lost his freedom. However, the church was earnestly praying for him (Acts 12:5). When the church started praying for him, God answered their prayer by sending an angel who freed him (read the rest of Acts 12). That is why we need brothers and sisters who will stand by us when we lose. Real Christian community doesn't flake when the going gets tough. If you are in community with guys and girls you see as brothers and sisters in The Lord, don't be a wimp when they need you. Be there for them and show them Christ, show them the reason for their joy by staying up late to listen to them when they are breaking down. Support them when they have a big decision to face and can't do it alone. Intercede on their behalf when they are dealing with sin issues. Real Christian community doesn't run, it doesn't flake out, and it doesn't overshadow one's problems with your own.