C
We are fellow partakers in the tribulation in Jesus:
１
In Jesus means that we are suffering and being persecuted as we follow Jesus the Nazarene by the indwelling Spirit of Jesus, the Spirit of a man with abundant strength for suffering—Acts 16:6-7.
２
As we are suffering today, the Lord Jesus is suffering in us and with us—9:4- 5; Heb. 13:13.
３
We enter into the kingdom through many tribulations—Acts 14:22.
４
By the power of His resurrection, we are enabled to participate in His sufferings and to live a crucified life in conformity to His death—Phil. 3:10; Col. 1:24; S. S. 2:8-9, 14.
５
We should not love our soul-life even unto death and should lay down our lives on behalf of the brothers—Rev. 12:11; 1 John 3:16.
D
We are fellow partakers in the kingdom in Jesus:
１
The kingdom is the church life, in which the faithful believers live for their growth in life and transformation in life—Matt. 16:18-19; Rom. 14:17; 1 Cor. 3:7; 2 Cor. 3:18.
２
To practice the kingdom life, we need to pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart—2 Tim. 2:22.
３
To practice the kingdom life, we need to care for the sinning brothers in order to recover them—Matt. 18:15-22.
E
We are fellow partakers in the endurance in Jesus:
１
We must resist the wearing-out tactics of Satan—Dan. 7:25.
２
When we abide in Christ, we keep the word of His endurance and have the endurance to bear suffering and opposition—Rev. 3:10.
３
We can endure with the endurance of Christ that we have enjoyed and experienced—2 Thes. 3:5.
Morning Nourishment
Rev. 1:9 I John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and endurance in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.Acts 14:22 …Through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God.
The phrase in Jesus governs the words tribulation, kingdom, and endurance [Rev. 1:9], and we must pay close attention to it…According to the facts of His life, His name, Jesus, denotes a suffering person, a man of sorrows (Isa. 53:3)…When we say that we are fellow partakers of the tribulation, kingdom, and endurance “in Jesus,” this means that we are suffering and are being persecuted as we follow Jesus the Nazarene…The book of Revelation is for those who are suffering tribulation “in Jesus.” This means that those who are waiting for the coming of the Lord Jesus must be people who suffer tribulation in Jesus. (Life-study of Revelation, pp. 57-58)
Today’s Reading
Because we do not cooperate with religion, it persecutes us. The persecution that we are suffering today is the persecution in Jesus. He is now suffering persecution with His followers (Acts 9:4-5)…When Saul of Tarsus was traveling to Damascus with the intention of arresting all those who called on the name of Jesus, the Lord Jesus knocked him down to the earth, saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” (v. 4). When Saul said, “Who are You, Lord?” Jesus answered, “I am Jesus, whom you persecute” (v. 5)… According to the Lord Jesus, Saul was persecuting Him, because, at that time, He was in Stephen, Peter, John, and all His other members and was one with them. The same is true today. When the religious people persecute us, they are actually persecuting Jesus because Jesus is in us and is one with us…We are fellow partakers of tribulation in Jesus.If we are fellow partakers in the tribulation in Jesus, then we are fellow partakers in the kingdom. To partake of the persecution in Jesus is to partake of the kingdom. In a proper sense, the church is the kingdom [cf. Matt. 16:18-19]. Romans 14:17 also indicates that we in the church are in the kingdom. The proper church life is the kingdom life. The divine life brings us into the divine kingdom. The kingdom into which we are reborn in John 3:5 is the very kingdom mentioned by John in Revelation 1:9…After we have been reborn into the kingdom, we should remain in it…If you remain in the kingdom and live in it, you will never fight with your husband, your wife, or anyone else. Although the enemy may tempt you to fight, the ruling of the heavenly kingdom will restrain you.
In Revelation 1:9 John also said that he was a fellow partaker in the endurance in Jesus. For both the tribulation and the kingdom we need endurance. Many saints, even among us in the Lord’s recovery, lack endurance. Some have suffered persecution from their relatives, friends, and neighbors, but eventually, they exhausted their supply of endurance. While they were able to withstand the persecution for a certain time, they lacked the endurance to bear it for a longer time. When the Lord Jesus was on earth, He endured persecution (Heb. 12:2-3), and He is still enduring men’s opposition and reproach today.
When we abide in Christ, we partake of His endurance and have the endurance to bear suffering and opposition. The Lord’s word is even called the word of endurance (Rev. 3:10). Today the whole world is opposing and rejecting Him, but He does not fight back. He simply endures it all. Now as we have fellowship with Him and abide in Him, we partake of His endurance. As His followers, we must follow Him on the same pathway with endurance (Heb. 12:1). In this way we also can endure persecution, rumors, rejection, and opposition. This is a strong proof that we are those who are waiting for the Lord’s coming back. (Life-study of Revelation, pp. 60-65)
Further Reading: Life-study of Revelation, msgs. 6, 9; CWWN, vol. 38, “General Messages,” ch. 52