Speaker 1: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another episode of Commission Thursday, where we believe that every believer is the light, every believer is the salt, every believer is Christ's ambassador and every believer is the carrier of the message of good news.
Speaker 1: So I want you to turn with me to the book of Hebrews, chapter 5, verse 8.
Speaker 1: Let me just testify.
Speaker 1: As I was reading this portion of scripture, it made me to think a lot.
Speaker 1: Now, the scripture says that, even though Jesus Christ was the son of God, he learned obedience through sacrifice.
Speaker 1: Ok, some version says that he learned obedience through the suffering that he was enduring.
Speaker 1: Now, that made me to think how many of the times we are missing the opportunity or what God has designed for us because of the process.
Speaker 1: Now let me just clarify this.
Speaker 1: When we talk of suffering, I know we have two types of suffering.
Speaker 1: The first one is the suffering that we receive out of ignorance, when you're supposed to do something and you are ignorant and there is a consequence to it that is suffering.
Speaker 1: Now, I'm not talking about that.
Speaker 1: I'm talking about the suffering that has been designed by God.
Speaker 1: This is the suffering that you are living.
Speaker 1: Right, everything is okay, but yet you still have to endure this kind of suffering, because this is a suffering that is designed to bring the glory out of you, to bring the character out of you, to strengthen you so that you can endure that which God has bestowed upon you.
Speaker 1: Now I know one of the things that churches do not participate in is the place that we are commissioned to get out of our comfort zone, to go in the world zone, to go in the world.
Speaker 1: For example, in church on Sunday, you will see everybody vibrant and we are greeting each other with amazing language.
Speaker 1: But in our marketplace, the whole story changes, because we do want to experience Jesus Christ out there.
Speaker 1: One of the reasons why we are failing to do that is because we are afraid, on how people will judge us, that in the secular world where I work in the marketplace, if they know that I'm a Christian, they will treat me in a particular way, so people begin to lay low.
Speaker 1: Now that's the kind of suffering I'm talking about that people are not willing to lay down their life so that the glory of God will be manifested through them.
Speaker 1: The reason why we do this recording every Thursday is to challenge you, as a believer, to get out of your comfort zone and be the light in your marketplace, be the salt in your marketplace.
Speaker 1: And that means people probably might nickname you and some of us are not willing to be nicknamed and to be called other names out there.
Speaker 1: But look at this that even Jesus Christ had to go through a process.
Speaker 1: So what's that process that God has designed for you so that you will be out there carrying his glory?
Speaker 1: And in this particular week, that will be my challenge for you.
Speaker 1: May you bear that cross to be the light, to be the salt and endure the suffering.
Speaker 1: In all that you do.
Speaker 1: Be blessed.