THE SUFFERING OF CHRIST

My Dear Precious Child,
    The prevailing topic of every letter to the churches, whether from Paul, James, Peter or John, is how Christ Jesus died once and for all for the sins of the whole world, although He was innocent and without sinning.  He died for the guilty so that you would be led to know Me.  In His body He was put to death, in the Spirit He was raised to life.  In the Spirit He went to preach to the spirits in spiritual prison in hell in order to redeem them.  When Noah was still building the ark which saved only a small group of eight people by water, while I was still waiting patiently those unbelieving spirits refused to believe in Me.  The water relating to Noah is a type of baptism which saves you now.  It is not the washing off of physical dirt but an oath made to Me in a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has now entered heaven and is at My right hand.   Now He has made  subjects of the demonic angels, the dominions and the powers of the kingdom of hell. (I Peter 3:18-22)
    Think about what Christ suffered in His life and then arm yourselves with the same determination that He had: that anyone who in his or her earthly life has endured bodily suffering for My sake has already broken with sin because for the rest of his or her life on earth they are not ruled by human passions but only by My will through the power of My Holy Spirit. (I Peter 4:1-2)
    You spent many years living the life that pagans live, behaving indecently, giving way to your passions, drinking all the time, having wild parties, drunken orgies and degrading yourselves by following false gods.  Since you are now believers in Christ Jesus, unbelievers cannot understand why you no longer want to rush off with them to join the flood of people who are rushing to destruction.  You don't join with them, and so then they spread lies about you.  They will answer before  the judge of the living and the dead. The devil judged the prophets and the people who believed in the future coming of Christ Jesus.  Because they were judged also and sent to spiritual prison, the dead had to be told the Good News as well so that, regardless of the fact that in their life on earth they had been through the judgment that comes upon all humanity, they might now come to God life's in the spirit. (I Peter 4: 3-6)
    Peter warned the believers to keep a calm and sober mind so that they could pray better because he thought the world was soon coming to an end.  He encouraged you to never let your love grow insincere since love covers a multitude of sins.  He encouraged you to be a hospitable host who welcomes each other into your houses with a good attitude, never grumbling.  He reminded the believers that each one of you has received a special gift of grace, so you must be good stewards of My grace and put yourself in the service of others.  He challenged you who have the gift of speaking that you must speak in words that come from Me; if you have the gift to be a helper, then you must help as if every action was done at My command; so that in everything I will receive the glory through Christ Jesus, since to Him alone belongs all glory and power forever and ever.  (I Peter 4:7-11)
    My dear children, do not think it is unusual that you should be tested by fire.  Nothing that has been done to you has been unusual.  If you have some share in His suffering then you should be glad.  You will enjoy a greater gladness when His glory is revealed to you. Consider it a blessing when people insult you for bearing the name of Christ because it means that you have the Spirit of Glory, My Holy Spirit, resting on you.  None of My children should ever have to suffer for being a murderer, a thief, a criminal or an informer but if you suffer for the cause of being a Christian, then you should not be ashamed but thank God for having been called one.  (I Peter 4:12-16)
   Peter proclaimed that it was time for judgment to begin at My household.  If we know now is only the beginning of judgment, what will it be when it comes down to those who refuse to believe My Good News?  If it's hard for a good man to be saved from the destruction of the devil, what will happen to the wicked and the sinners?  So you who are called by Me to suffer against evil must trust yourselves to My constancy of being emissaries of My love in the earth and go on doing good in your lives on earth. (I Peter 4:17-19)
   In the earth in a court of law a judge rarely has the duty of judging a person guilty or not guilty because that is the duty of a jury of the peers of the accused.  It's the same thing in My kingdom.  Christ Jesus said to His disciples after He was raised from the dead that whose sins the believers forgive are forgiven and whose sins the believers retain are retained. (John 20:21-23) So guilt and innocence is determined by My children.  You forgive the sins of everyone because Christ died so that you are forgiven, so you must extend the same grace to people who are caught in the traps of the devil and commit sin.  It is by the power of My Holy Spirit in you that you have the power from Me to forgive sinners.
   You have an awesome responsibility to extend the same mercy and grace to others that I extend to you.  When you do extend mercy instead of judgment to sinners, then you are acting in the perfect image of My love.  Then you have become My true children, displaying My true character and personality to unbelievers in the world.
   Your Father of Merciful Blessings and Rewards