The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: [1Peter 5:1]

Only those who partake of Christ's sufferings now in this world, will be partakers of His glory when He shall appear. This same revelation is corroborated in 1Peter 4:13-14

But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings, that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye, for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. [1Peter 4:13-14]

There is an unbreakable connection between suffering and glory, the two are opposites to each other, but one is a link to the other. The ONLY means to glory is actually through suffering, and those who do not want to partake in sufferings are only excusing themselves from the resultant glory.


"...witness of suffering...partaker of glory..."

Looking at Biblical Christianity very closely, you will notice that there is a lowliness, a humility, a submission that is attached to the fabrics of the Christian faith. Forget the pomp and noise that today's Christianity depicts, a careful search shows clearly that the Christ's kind of LIFE can only be achieved through the DEATH to self. The birth of Christ is a lowly one, the life of Christ is a humble one, the prince of this world searched Him, and found nothing of his in Him (Christ). His ministry, the way He went about reaching people, His relationships, His messages, His yieldedness, and to crown it up, His death on the cruel, demeaning cross, all are a show of the pains, shames, sufferings and submission of Christ.

One of the satanic achievements of modern day Christianity is his success in separating those shameful, humiliating, aspects of Christ from Christianity while leaving behind a shadow of the real. The cross and its shame, which gives Christianity its beauty, has been stripped off Christianity. Tears, passion, groaning and burdens have become old fashioned, feastings have replaced fastings. Christians now compete with the world in chasing worldly glories and credit their worldly achievements to Christ. The shame, pain and sufferings of the cross, which are the attractions thereof have been completely obliterated and Christianity has become a show of self worship rather than a revelation of Christ's grace.

The issue of being a partaker of Christ's suffering, and submitting oneself thereto without murmuring or complaining is a very serious issue presented to the believers in the book of 1Peter. Peter, the writer, through divine inspirations of the Holy Spirit continues to press the point in every verse that suffering for the sake of Christ should never be taken lightly. I am beginning to understand that this is a great prerequisite before a man can even be a partaker of Christ's glory. It is not enough to be a Christian or to be born again without drinking of this cup, righteousness is incomplete where the fellowship of Christ's sufferings is absent, a man can only partake and share in the glory of Christ when he willingly and gladly submits himself to Christ's sufferings, ridicule and shame that come his way.

I notice that the word 'suffer' appears about sixteen (16) times, while the word 'glory' appears twelve (12) times in 1Peter in the Authorized King James Version (KJV) of the Bible. These two (2) words however appear together in the same verse about 5 times: 1Peter 1:11, 2:20, 4:13, 5:1 and 5:10.

When a man, who has been a tenant for 20 years is getting ready to move to his own house in a few months, his attention and affection suddenly shifts to the new house, there is a longing to quit tenancy and be present in his house. No matter how beautiful others may view his old house, he has no appetite for it anymore, neither does the house have any attraction for him again, he is not considering staying behind. Whatever breakage, leakage or dilapidation in his old house will no more demand urgent attention, he will rather spend his money now on the new house than "waste" it on the old house he will soon depart from. Whatever inconveniences, lack, or pains he suffers in his old house now, he knows it is only for a short time, he is not demanding solutions to his problems in this old house, rather, he rejoices now because he knows his new house will solve all the problems. He is not quick to pour his savings on the old dilapidated house, he considers that as wastage now, he is not mindful of the ridicules that visitors to his old house rail on him, he simply explains to them that "oh! I have another home in view, I will rather spend my all to keep that home in perfect state than to squander it on an old house I will soon be leaving behind.

Such is the life of the Christian who has suddenly seen the glories of heaven, his new home. The shame he suffers here for the sake of Christ, is never going to awake a worldly ambition within him to begin seeking for a so-called better life in the world here, rather, it only gives him an impetus to desire the heavenly glorious home more and more, and become increasingly dissatisfied with the fading world. Friend, there is no better life here, there is no solution here, all the joys around here are weak and short lived, all the happiness here still wear a hidden garment of sorrow, it's only in our home above that there is inexplicable joy everlasting.

When a so-called Christian starts feeling ashamed of ordinary carrying the Bible, or being called by Christ's derogatory nicknames. When a Christian begins to feel more excited about being called a wealthy, rich man than being called a 'Jesus boy', when you feel better in the midst of the elites than in the midst of Christians, when it is becoming out of place and a thing of shame for you to be found in the place of prayer maybe in the office, when as a sister, you feel ashamed to mention the name of Jesus when it is time to pray in the midst of businessmen, when it looks more presentable for you to join the world in the way they dress for an office function, than to single yourself out as a lover of Jesus, because you fear the insults and ridicules they will release on you for Christ's sake..., then you are detaching yourself from Christ's sufferings, you are not delighting yourself in His sufferings, you don't count it all joy when you suffer for His sake, you are only a hypocrite who cannot stand for Jesus, you have lost your revelation about heaven and its glories, and no matter what righteousness you profess, you CANNOT partake of the glory of Christ eventually.


"...a witness of the sufferings of Christ..."

These people have even gone a step higher, he not only has chosen to suffer for Christ with joy, he has decided to be a witness of that suffering, he has by much conviction of the glories and beauties that await eternally, decided to live for this singular purpose, to declare and persuade men to enter into the blessings that he has experienced. He sees as many people who are outside this experience as blind, he has no regard for their worldly positions, wealth and status, but sees their emptiness and blindness. He is not struggling within himself to bend his body to conform to Christ or bend his nature to accept Christ's sufferings, no, he has finished with that, it has become his lifestyle, he is a new person now, who sees no joy in the world anymore, his only joy is in Christ and he is ready to die for Him.