You must be in fellowship prior to your Bible study, so that the spiritual information you receive can become a source, of blessing to your soul and produce spiritual growth.
12 Yea, [de] and [kai] all [pas] that will [thelo] live [zao] godly [eusebos] in [en] Christ [Christos] Jesus [Iesous] shall suffer
persecution. [dioko] KJV-Interlinear
12 And
indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. NASB
And here it is. Every person who believes in Christ, every believer, will suffer in one way or another, in this life, in this world. This is the devils world and the world hates you simply because you are associated with Christ, whom the world hates and has always hated.
This is not a possibility, not a suggestion, not optional, but a stated promise of reality. If you are alive in this world, then you will suffer at some time in your life, in some fashion.
This is not exclusive to believers, for every living human being will suffer, by the mere fact that they live in the devils world.
But here it is stated that sooner or later, in your life will come troubles, pressures, and certainly many of these things come as a natural cause from just being in this world. But Paul states emphatically, 'shall suffer persecution.'
Persecution, 'dioko,' means to pursue, to suffer, to persecute, and this means that trouble is not going to happen to you by chance or by accident, but it is going to pursue you constantly.
From your birth to the moment just before you believe in Christ, you are an unbeliever and your life is subject to the whims of the world. But once you believe in Christ, then your life is subject not only to Gods incentives from discipline, but you become a target of the world.
The world hates Christ and the world by association, will hate you.
The real question is, 'Will you live your life in fellowship while advancing to spiritual maturity?' Or, 'Will you live your life out of fellowship, and doing very little if anything within your spiritual life?'
Both will suffer, but only one, the advancing mature believer, will benefit from that suffering.
If you do not function within your spiritual life then all of the suffering that will enter into your life will just compound your failure in life, and you will not benefit in any way.
You might as well benefit from something that is going to happen to you, rather than not getting anything out of it.
But remember that the primary benefit is in your spiritual growth, in your spiritual endurance, in your faith, in your relationship with Christ, in your spiritual production which is rewardable.
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End Of Lesson
Study to show thyself approved (mature) unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing (studying/discerning), the Word of truth.
