Suffering for being a Christian

“However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.” 1 Peter 4:16
The word ‘Christian’ is only used a few times in the New Testament (Acts 11:26, Acts 26:28, and here). It was not used by believers of themselves – they called themselves ‘followers of the Way’ (Acts 9:2, Acts 19:9, Acts 19:23, Acts 24:14, Acts 24:22). The word ‘Christian’ was initially a derogatory term. It means ‘little Christ’ (and of course, Christ means Messiah, or Saviour). How interesting that in subsequent centuries, we have taken this derogatory term and turned it into a badge of honour – just as the symbol of a cross, an instrument of torture and gruesome death, because a universal symbol for Christianity.
People use other words today to put Christians down. They call us ‘fundamentalists’, ‘Bible-bashers’, and so on. I don’t mind being called a fundamentalist. I believe in the fundamentals of the Bible, so therefore I suppose I am a fundamentalist. The believers whom Peter was writing to had other issues, more serious than just being called names. To be labelled as a Christian in that culture could mean being ostracised from society – nobody would trade with you. In the worst situations, believers would be rounded up and executed by various means, sometimes for sport. But even in all this suffering, Peter tells them not to be ashamed, but to praise God that they bear the name ‘little Christ’. Paul says, “if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory” (Rom. 8:17). Suffering and persecution is only for a time. If we do suffer for the name of Christ, we will receive “an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Cor. 4:17). Hold onto that truth today.