Ac9

"I will show him how much he must suffer for My name!" (What Jesus said about Paul before he was converted.)

We almost never talk about suffering for Christ. Why? Mostly because we don't ever have to suffer for His name. This is not normal for believers around the world. This was not normal for believers in the first century. Jesus said to His disciples, "The world hated me, it will also hate you."

Why did Jesus not say to Ananias when he was going to share with Paul, "I will show him how much I am going to bless his life."? And why do we always present the gospel in a way that leads others to believe that blessings in this life always follow? Yes, God has overwhelming blessed many of us in this life, but that is not normative.

God help us pray for the majority of christians who almost always still suffer because of Christ.