What would you do if you knew persecution for your faith was coming? Not theoretical — but real, government-sanctioned, life-disrupting persecution. Pastor Josh White posed that question to open this week’s study in First Peter, and it led us into one of the most encouraging — and most countercultural — passages in all of Scripture.
Expect It
Peter opens verse 12 with a warning disguised as an encouragement: don’t be surprised when suffering comes for your faith. That word surprised is important. Peter isn’t saying “if” — he’s saying “when.” For the Christian, suffering isn’t an anomaly. It’s an expectation.
This flies in the face of the health-and-wealth gospel that so many are drawn to. The idea that obedience to God guarantees health and wealth is a seductive message — because, let’s be honest, most of us want exactly that. But the Bible tells a different story. Jesus said it plainly:
“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.”
— John 15:18
If the world hated Jesus — mocking Him, beating Him, crucifying Him — why would we expect better treatment? Paul, writing to Timothy, was equally direct:
“Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
— 2 Timothy 3:12
All. Not some. Not most. All who want to live faithfully for Christ will face opposition. Why? Because the gospel is offensive. Second Corinthians describes believers as “the aroma of Christ to God” — but to those who reject the message, that same fragrance is the smell of their own condemnation. The gospel either softens a heart or hardens it, and for those whose hearts are hard, the messengers become the enemy.
But here’s the part we often miss: God uses suffering to refine us. Like silver in a crucible or gold in a furnace, the trials we face burn away the impurities in our lives. In Malachi 3, God describes His return as a refiner’s fire — not to destroy His people, but to purify them. Suffering isn’t random. It’s purposeful.
Rejoice In It
But Peter doesn’t stop at expectation. He goes further: rejoice in it.
“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.”
— 1 Peter 4:12-13
Wait — rejoice? In the middle of persecution?
Yes. And here’s why: the degree to which we suffer for Christ is directly proportionate to the eternal rewards we will receive. Jesus said it this way in Luke:
“Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven.”
— Luke 6:22-23
When the world mocks you for following Jesus, that’s not humiliation — it’s identification. You’re being numbered with Christ. And someday, when He returns in glory, the greater your suffering, the greater your joy and reward.
But there’s more. Peter adds a present-tense blessing: when we suffer for Christ, the Spirit of glory rests upon us. That same Shekinah glory that filled the tabernacle in Exodus — that visible, powerful presence of God — now rests on believers who endure for His name. It’s a refreshment, a empowerment, a divine sustaining grace in the middle of the trial. Paul experienced this same reality after his encounter with Christ. He wrote:
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness… Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
— 2 Corinthians 12:9
So What?
For most of us in America, the level of persecution Peter describes feels distant. We haven’t faced what believers in other countries face daily — imprisonment, violence, even death for the name of Jesus. And for that, we should be grateful.
But Peter writes this as a preparatory word. He wants us to understand that following Jesus doesn’t come with a promise of comfort. It comes with a promise of identification with Christ — in His suffering and, ultimately, in His glory.
If you’re suffering for your faith right now, take heart. The Spirit of glory is resting on you. Your trials are refining you. And your reward is being stored up in heaven. You are not alone, and you are not forgotten.
If you’re not currently facing persecution, use this time to build your faith deep — because the soil that produces lasting fruit in hard times is the soil that’s been cultivated when life is easy. Don’t wait until the fire comes to discover whether your faith can withstand it.
Peter’s word to us is clear: expect suffering, and when it comes — rejoice.
Scripture References
- 1 Peter 4:12-14 — Endurance in suffering
- John 15:18 — The world’s hatred of Christ
- 2 Timothy 3:12 — All godly people will be persecuted
- 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 — The fragrance of Christ
- Malachi 3:1-3 — God as a refiner’s fire
- Luke 6:22-23 — Blessed when hated for Christ’s sake
- 2 Corinthians 12:9 — Power made perfect in weakness