To Believe and to Suffer

Most of us think of receiving a gift as a good thing. For those of us who are followers of Jesus Christ, nothing is greater than God's gift of salvation that comes to us through him. I am preparing to preach this Sunday from Philippians 1.27-30. Verse 29 says, "For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake." Did you get that? Paul places suffering for Jesus in the same category as believing in Jesus. Is that not startling?