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Philippians 1:29

For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, (Philippians 1:29, ESV)
"It has been granted to you..."

Hmm... It is a privileged gift to believe in Christ. What an honor! What a joy! To not only know the name of the savior of the world, but have His reality revealed to us in such a way that we have put all of our confidence in the work of Jesus Christ. But this is not the only gift that has been granted to us -- we have also been granted the opportunity to suffer for the sake of the name!

In Acts 5, after the Apostles have testified to the Jewish Council about the great realities of Jesus Christ, they are commanded to never speak about this again, and they they are beaten and released. After this beating we read in verse 41:
Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. (Acts 5:41, ESV)

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