Serving God Through Suffering by Apostle Michael Orokpo: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

Categories of Believers

All believers gather in church and claim to be believers in Jesus. But not all are in the same category. In salvation, all are equal. In the kingdom, however, believers are separated into distinct levels.

In the natural world, being a Nigerian citizen grants certain common rights, but not all rights are universal. A citizen cannot carry a firearm without belonging to the armed forces. Similarly, certain things in the kingdom are not available to all, but only to those in specific categories.

There are three basic categories of believers:

1. Saved Believers

   These are people who believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that he died for their sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day. They confess him as Lord and Savior. John 1:1-4, 12-14 establishes who Jesus is. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 summarizes the gospel: Christ died for sins according to the scripture, was buried, and rose the third day. Romans 10:9-10 confirms that believing in the heart and confessing with the mouth brings salvation.

   Every saved believer holds this conviction:

   • Jesus is the Son of God.
   • He died for sin and was buried.
   • He rose from the dead for justification.
   • His lordship over life is confessed with the mouth.

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   The cross was designed to kill the old man. The resurrection was designed to give life to the new creation. Christianity does not begin at the cross; it begins at the resurrection. As Paul stated in Galatians 2:20: "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me."

   Romans 6:4-5 confirms that if one was dead with Christ, when he rose from the dead, they also were quickened to newness of life. This is the summary of the gospel and what makes a saved believer. Without this qualification, a person may have been born in church or lived their whole life attending services and still not be saved. But it is not enough to stop at this level.

2. Discipled Believers

   After salvation, a believer needs to be discipled. There is a growth process in the kingdom; maturity must be pursued. A child born but never growing becomes a serious concern. Every saved person is considered born again, but after new birth, growth is required.

   Discipleship is the training process of the kingdom that brings the believer into maturity. Salvation has five credentials. Maturity has seven. Ephesians 4:11-13 reveals these levels of maturity:

   • Unity of the faith — A mature believer no longer sees fellow believers through ethnic or tribal lenses. Strife within the body reveals a baby Christian. As 1 Corinthians 3:1 confirms, the Corinthians had all knowledge and utterance yet Paul called them babes because of strife among them.
   • Knowledge of the Son of God by experience — Jesus is no longer merely a theological subject. There comes a point of personal encounter where the believer knows him experientially, not just academically. The reason no one can offend a mature believer enough to stop them from serving God is because they know Jesus too deep to deny him.
   • Being a perfect man — Not sinless perfection in this context, but authority over the flesh. James 3:2 says a perfect man is one who has rule over his tongue. Maturity means emotions no longer dictate behavior. A baby Christian is ruled by feelings; a mature believer tells their emotions to submit.
   • The fullness of the measure of the stature of Christ — Coming to a point where one lives by the principles of Jesus: loving enemies, turning the other cheek, giving generously, judging fairly. These are not for angels but for mature believers.
   • No longer tossed to and fro — Discernment has been developed through deep engagement with the word. A mature believer cannot be deceived by every wind of doctrine because their discernment has been built.
   • Speaking truth in love — Knowledge of truth is not enough. How truth is communicated reveals the spirit behind the person. Truth spoken in love rebukes and instructs without breaking people.
   • Growing up into Christ in all things — It is possible to be like Jesus in all things. This is the fullness of maturity in the kingdom.

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Apostle Michael Orokpo
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3. Commissioned Believers

   At some point in discipleship, Jesus commissions the believer to become a kingdom witness. Acts 1:8 declares: "You shall receive power after the Holy Ghost is come upon you and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth."

   Commissioning is not necessarily into the five-fold ministry. It means God deploys the believer to a place where they can bring witness to his kingdom. Their life begins to have kingdom consequences.

   It is in the context of this commissioned witness that serving God through suffering becomes relevant. If a believer is not yet discipled, they cannot be a genuine witness. It takes a level of maturity to sustain witness.

Categories of Witnessing

As a commissioned witness, there are multiple dimensions through which one witnesses for Christ:

• Witnessing by love demonstration — John 13:35: "By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." There are people who will not be touched no matter how eloquently the gospel is preached. The only witness that reaches them is the love of God made visible. Love must be developed before it can be deployed. The early church in Acts 2:44-46 had all things in common; none lacked. That kind of church could send out anyone and they would be a transformative witness wherever they went.
• Witnessing by power demonstration — 1 Corinthians 4:20: the kingdom of God is not in words but in the demonstration of power. There are places where teaching can happen for years and hearts remain unchanged. They want to see the proof of the message. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2:1-4 that he came not with enticing words of wisdom but in the demonstration of the spirit and power. When the apostles were flogged in Acts 4:31, they returned and prayed one prayer: stretch forth your hand that signs and wonders may be done. They knew the people needed power, not words alone. Acts 14:3 confirms God confirming the word with signs and wonders. Mark 16:20 records the Lord walking with the disciples and confirming the word. Nations are won through power.
• Witnessing by bold preaching and teaching — Acts 4:31 records the disciples praying to speak the word with boldness. A true witness cannot be silenced or bought. The word must be declared without fear or favor. The gospel is called the power of God unto salvation. Boldness is the mark of a genuine witness. Carry the message in the spirit, not in notes alone.
• Witnessing by holy living — Philippians 2:15: shine as lights in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation. A private life that contradicts public ministry undermines the witness. Visiting the fatherless, caring for widows, and extending love through charitable living is preaching without words. As Jesus said in Matthew 5:16: let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father in heaven.
• Witnessing by personal testimony — Mark 5:19: when Jesus healed the madman of Gadara, he told him, "Go to the city and tell what you have received." The man went and ministered to ten cities simply by sharing his personal encounter. The Samaritan woman's testimony brought an entire city to Jesus. Share what God has done personally, but ensure the testimony glorifies Jesus rather than exalting oneself.
• Witnessing through suffering — This is the final and deepest form of witness. Acts 5:41: the apostles departed from the council rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer for his name. Suffering becomes a witness for Christ.

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Categories of Suffering for Christ

There are five major categories of suffering a commissioned witness will encounter:

1. Persecution and Opposition

   Insults, threats, imprisonment, rejection for the sake of the faith. Matthew 5:10: "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Whether in ministry, business, politics, academia, or the armed forces, standing for truth will bring insult, rejection, and potential imprisonment. Paul catalogued this in 2 Corinthians 11:23-27: labors, stripes, imprisonments, stonings, shipwreck, a night and a day in the deep, perils of water, robbers, false brethren, weariness, hunger, fastings, cold, and nakedness. Yet he counted it all part of the witness.

2. Physical Suffering

   Illness, physical hardship, and bodily pain endured for the sake of the gospel.

3. Emotional and Mental Suffering

   Sorrow, loneliness, and anguish for the sake of Jesus and the church. Repeated attacks can cause a witness to become defensive. This is understood and part of the journey.

4. Social and Economic Suffering

   Loss of possessions, poverty, social displacement for the sake of Jesus. Many missionaries left everything behind, went to difficult places, and some died there. That Christianity is no longer popular because believers want to satisfy their appetites. But Paul declared in Philippians 4:11-13 that he had learned to abound and to abase, to do all things through Christ who strengthens him.

5. Spiritual Suffering — Warfare

   Resisting sin, enduring temptation, and battling principalities and powers. There are places where preaching Christ causes weeks of spiritual attack. Accidents will be orchestrated, men will be moved to hate. This is warfare. 1 Peter 4:1: those who have suffered in the flesh have ceased from sinning in the same way Christ suffered. Enduring hardship as a good soldier of Christ is part of the witness.

The Benefits of Suffering for Christ

• It deepens faith, conviction, and dependence on God. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
• It produces perseverance and character. Romans 5:3-5
• It engenders conformity to Christ. Philippians 3:10
• It occasions eternal reward. 2 Timothy 2:12, 2 Timothy 4:7-8, Romans 8:17
• It is a testimony to the generation. Acts 5:41, Philippians 1:29
• It strengthens the church. Acts 8:1-4
• It reveals God's glory in the believer. 1 Peter 4:14, Romans 8:17

Daniels who can confess lordship even in the lion's den. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who can praise in the fire. Stephens who under stoning can look up and see the Son of Man standing at the right hand of the Father. These are the witnesses the world needs. Not those full of lamentations when comfort is removed, but those who are masters both of abounding and of abasing.