One day, as a young believer, I was in the lunchroom, where I worked, and one of my coworkers asked me a question. He asked, “You want to be a preacher, let me asked you a question, ‘Can a prostitute be saved?'” I replied, “God can save anyone.” His response was “Then save one for me this Saturday!” Everyone in the lunchroom began to laugh, and the Lord gave me this response, “I cannot save anyone, but if you bring her to me, I will share with her the gospel message, and we will see if the Lord will choose to open her heart to that message and if she will accept the salvation offered to her through Christ.” He then began to attempt to explain the purpose of his question was not to get a response but a reaction from me. I look back at that response and am responded of Peter’s teaching in 1 Peter 4:14-16. When people look at us who or what do they see? In 1 Peter 4:14-16, Peter offered a specific example of the type of suffering a follower of Christ might face. In this passage he says if you are “insulted” because people see Jesus in us, we are blessed. That blessing takes the form of “the Spirit of Glory and of God” (that is the Holy Spirit) resting on them. We can understand that the Lord will send His Spirit to strengthen those who are insulted for their faith. How should we deal with the insults that are leveled at us? Normally, if you receive an insult, revenge is in order, expected, and anticipated. People who fling an insult are daring you to punch back. God wants those insults received because or our allegiance to Him to witness to His Grace and Love. We do not suffer for Jesus because of what we do, but because of who we are. Following Christ makes us different in our thinking and actions, and the attack of the world, while directed at us, is really directed toward the Lord who lives in in through His Spirit. As bearers of Christ’s name, a true Christian is His representative on this earth; Therefore, in everything they do, including what might seem like shameful suffering, we can bring glory to the Lord.
