What is the expectation to experience in the Christian life ?
Well, BLESSINGS, of course !

Hmmm . . .
What does “blessings” mean ?
It depends on where you live in the world.
It depends on when you lived in the world.

where you live
In America, blessings from being a Christian is definitely the exception to the rule in the world today.
Most other places are cool or cold toward Christians, and many are hostile.
For them, persecution is the blessing of following Jesus, because it brings them much closer to Jesus—by their own testimony.

In America, blessings from being a Christian have pretty much matched approval and success in the culture.
B U T, that seems to be changing now—and quickly—and dramatically for some.
— Christian grandmother sentenced to jail time for quietly praying publicly.
— Christian family terrorized by huge, overbearing FBI raid to arrest the father, unjustified.
— Christian businesses sued and shut down for not promoting values against the Bible.

Comfortable Christianity is starting to lose some of its glitter, its shine, even in America.

But, many are still saying,
“If it hasn’t affected me and my family and my job [yet], I don’t have time to think about it [much]. I don’t hear those far-out stories on the news I listen to.”

Blessings, Success, Promises of Good Life—still very appealing, still popularized with big followings in ‘successful’ churches.

when you lived
In America, blessings from being a Christian is definitely the exception to the rule in the history of Christianity.
Expectations, in the past.
B U T G O D – – – What does He say ?
What is to be expected from the Bible ?
What did Jesus say ?
What did people of great faith experience—in the Bible, and in the 2000-year history of Christianity since ?

The Bible says,
GREAT FAITH – GREAT TESTING.

Jesus said,
GREAT FAITH – GREAT TESTING.

People of great faith in the Bible experienced
GREAT FAITH – GREAT TESTING.

People of great faith in the 2000-year history of Christianity since, experienced
GREAT FAITH – GREAT TESTING.

“God never uses anyone greatly until He tests them deeply”
—–A.W. Tozer

David Jeremiah*
C.S.Lewis*
Paul*
Charles Spurgeon*

– – –

Lots of theological ‘either-or’s pulling us apart inside, and pulling us apart from each other.
Some seem to never be settled, until . . . ?

— Debates over prosperity vs problems
— ‘Choices?’ over popularity or persecution
— “Take it easy” or “Endure hardness”
— “Friendship with the world—enemy of Christ” or follow in Jesus’ footsteps

So ?—therefore ?—now what ?—then what ?
What is the TRUE message of Christianity ?

Just read the Bible.
Believe what the Bible says.
Accept all the Bible’s promises.
Follow all the Bible’s instructions.
Take to heart all the Bible’s warnings.
Receive all the Bible’s words of comfort.
Do everything that the Bible tells you to do.

Jesus—“Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you, falsely, because you are my disciple. Rejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven. In the same way they persecuted the prophets before you.”
“For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.”

*Jeremiah—GREAT FAITH—“After half a century in ministry, I thought it would get easier.”

*Lewis—Shadowlands—GREAT FAITH—Such a powerfully used man of God, was devastated and tested severely when he lost his wife.

*Paul—GREAT FAITH—God told Ananias to baptize Paul, just converted, after persecuting Christians, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine. I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”—in prison frequently, flogged severely, exposed to death again and again, five times thirty-nine lashes, three times beaten with rods, stoned, three times shipwrecked, a night and a day in the open sea, constantly on the move, in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles, in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea, in danger from false believers, often without sleep, hunger and thirst and often without food, cold and naked, concern for all the churches.
And then Paul wrote, “I have learned, in whatever state I am, therein to be content.”

*Spurgeon—GREAT FAITH—“Many are the afflictions of the righteous;” so let this be some comfort to you, — that you are one of the Lord’s suffering children, one of those who have to pass through rough roads and fiery places in the course of their pilgrimage to heaven.
—–from sermon Believer Tested By Trials, 1880

“I know, perhaps, as well as anyone here, what deep depression of spirit means, and what it is to feel myself sinking lower and lower; yet, at the worst, when I reach the lowest depths, I have an inward peace which no pain or depression of spirit can in the least disturb.”
—–from sermon Rest As A Test, 1879

“It is appointed to man once to die, and after that the judgment.”

The verdict.
The judgment.
The sentence.

The verdict for every person’s eternal future is established before we die.
The judgment is announced by The Judge after we die.
The sentence is carried out immediately.

The verdict is ours to decide, now—perish forever in hell, then—or—live forever in heaven, then.
The judgment pronounced, after it is too late—name not found in “The Book”—or—name written in “The Lamb’s Book of Life”.
The sentence ordered, carried out immediately—“Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”—or—“Come, you blessed of My Father. Enter the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”

– – –

Some (most) will be wearing orange (condemned guilty).

Some (few) will be wearing white (redeemed righteous).

That’s right.
That’s great.
Those two college students belong at the other rally.
It may indeed be smaller, as promised by the leader.
Those two college students had already been to the other rally.
That is why they had a mission to be heard at this rally.
People at this rally desperately needed to hear that “Jesus in King”.
People at this rally had never been to the other rally to hear about Jesus.
So the two college students brought Jesus to the rally, for all to hear.
They paid a price—ridicule, shame, shoved, removed—like Acts 5:40,41.
But they were not ashamed, not then, not later.
Their testimony spread, through opposition.

Now—will everyone of us who follows Jesus do the same ?

“When the council had called the apostles back in, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.”

The election is over, but the issues are not.
Many people who cheered at rallies for the side that lost in the election, have not gone away or changed their mind—hopefully some have seen error and see light.

“Jesus is King” is not welcome by democrats.
“You’re at the wrong rally”—–Kamala Harris’ immediate public response when she heard “Jesus is King”.

Kamala, you ARE the wrong rally !

The people in that rally were deceived, cheering Kamala’s sarcastic put-down of Jesus, except for the two Christian college students.

– – –

Kamala Harris quoting the Bible over and over from the pulpit of a church a week and a half before the election was also not pleasing to God—demonic blasphemy—and that blasphemy from the heart did not go away after she lost and the democrats lost.
Remember, the devil uses Scripture too, twisted to his advantage, to deceive.
The people in that church were deceived, hearing God’s Word used by Harris, who was used by the devil, for campaigning against God.
The left will not give up, because their “message is brought to you by – – – satan”.

“Be not deceived—God is not mocked—whatever a person sows, that will he also reap.”

The Godless leaders and people on the left have not only sown seeds of evil in this country and in Americans, they are hell-bent on watering, fertilizing, and harvesting the fruit of their efforts—all on purpose, to intentionally destroy this “nation under God” and replace it with the same Godless results accomplished in communist Russia, communist China, communist Cuba, communist North Korea, tyrannically transformed Venezuela—socialist, marxist, communist USSA, United Socialist States of America.
And that ‘ain’t’ pretty—and that won’t be pretty here, no matter how much lipstick you smear on the pigs like Stalin, Putin, Mao-Xi Xi Ping Pong, Castro, Kim(one)-Kim(two)-Kim(three), Chavez-Maduro, Biden-Harris-Pelosi-Schumer-Blinken-Yellen-Austin-Garland-Mayorkas-Obama-Clinton . . .

– – –

The election is over, and thank God for victory, but the battle of God and God’s people against extreme evil in America is waging even more fiercely.
Just like the victory of Roe being overturned increased the intensity in the fight for life.

Elected leaders can stand and stop some of the evils, but only Christians can fight the evils inside us, with Jesus.

“He who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption; but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.”

“Doing good” includes helping anyone in need (especially other believers), encouraging those in the right, confronting those in the wrong, and taking action to fight evil everywhere around us.