Suffering

I was reading this book called the Bible (pretty good, I recommend it). But in 1 Corinthians 15 it talks about Jesus rising from the dead, along with the eye witnesses that saw Jesus after He had been killed.

One verse struck me in the passage. Verse 14 says, "And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain."

I have been asked the question before, "If Christianity is proved wrong, what will you do?" I had no idea how to answer a question like this. I always gave the holy/faithful (some what faking) answer of "that's never gonna to happen". 

But Paul is essentially answering that question here in v 14. He says that it is futile the way he has lived! Why would somebody want to go through the hardships of being a Christian when they could spend the easy life of being a non-believer? And if you are thinking to yourself that your life wouldn't change but the one day a week you go to church, maybe you should think more about what it means to be a Christian.

Being a Christian is tough! We don't get to understand the meaning of tough here in America. We can easily live two lives and put on a facade infront of our "brothers and sisters". Maybe we should all live in the Persecuted Church area for awhile and see what happens to our faith. 

Would you still be a Christian if somebody was beating you upside the head with a bat? Would you still believe if you witnessed your loved one's getting dragged out into the street and beaten? Would you still cry out to God when you have lived in solitary confinement for years? 

Christians in America don't have to deal with the hardships like our Asian brethren. But even without the persecution, what would change about your life if Christianity was nothing more than an SNL skit?