I'll Pass on the Suffering...thanks anyways.

Have you ever noticed that we as Christian's are quick to point out that such and such an actor/actress is or has become a Christian...

...or such and such the sports star is a Christian...

...or so and so the rich business man is a Christian...

...Why do we do this?

...Why does this seem to grab more attention than...so and so the garbageman is a Christian?

Now, if we do this in order to show the world that the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ reaches to all peoples...poor and rich...unknown and famous...then this is a good thing...

But sometimes this may not be the reason...and here is where we need to beware.

Sometimes we can get sucked into the health, wealth and prosperity gospel without really realizing it.

We bring in the baseball star...who makes millions...BUT...hey he loves Jesus too!

We hear of the movie star who is famous, rich...and HEY...they are Christians too!

And this business man...he is filthy rich...but looky over here...he follows Jesus too!

The subtle message can be...my life used to be miserable...a wash out...and then I met Jesus and everything became great...just look at my life...at my prosperity.

The trap is that people who hear that message may come to the invitation to follow Jesus...but not really to follow Jesus...but to follow the lifestyle that Jesus gives His followers...

But Jesus said that a servant will not be greater than his master...if the world hates me...then it will also hate you...

There is no such thing as a crossless Christianity...the cross was an instrument of suffering and death.

Look at the words of the Apostle Paul...a man who once was famous, rich, powerful...and then became an outcast, a criminal, beaten as an outcast...losing everything...

"For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me."