"Crazy Love" author Pastor Francis Chan says it is important to embrace suffering in order to overcome sin.
In a recent speech he delivered at Liberty University, the Cornerstone Community Church pastor focused on the Bible passage found in 1 Peter 4.
Chan told Christians to "arm themselves" with the same mindset that Jesus Christ had about suffering, according to Charisma News.
"When you have the mentality of, 'Christ suffered; I'm going to suffer,' then, when the suffering comes, it doesn't hurt you; it doesn't confuse you, like before," he explained.
Jesus is the perfect example to look up to when it comes to living a life of fulfilment despite hardships and suffering, said Chan.
"Jesus didn't come down to the Earth thinking, 'Everyone is going to love Me; everyone is going to worship Me; no one is going to reject Me,'" Chan said. "No, He says, 'I came to serve and I knew I was going to give my life; I knew I was going to be rejected; this is what I came for.' And if we entered into our church gatherings thinking, 'You know, I am going there to give my life for these people; I am going there to sacrifice for them,' and we arm ourselves with that mindset, we are not going to be let down."
In fact, when people embrace suffering, Chan said they are already on the right path to overcome sin. One's peers will not always encourage others to embrace suffering, but it is essential for spiritual growth, he said.
"My prayer is that we would change the culture, our mindset, that we would arm people so that they don't walk away from Jesus when life gets difficult, but that we arm them with a proper theology of suffering," he said. "We actually embrace it as a church because we rejoice in it. So no longer are we surprised, but we expect it, no longer do we complain when it gets difficult, but we rejoice in it, and no longer do we set our lives up so that we avoid suffering at all costs but we actually want some of it so that when Christ returns we go, 'I am one of yours. Look at my scars; look at my life; I've lived the life of Christ.'"
