An email on persecution and suffering

Matthew 5:10 Blessed are they which are **persecuted** for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Philippians 1:29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to **suffer** for his sake;

I read something that pointed out to me that persecution and suffering are what we are to expect when following Christ, the Saviour King. And the Work says the same. See friction as a gift, because it can be used to develop. To manifest the Second Conscious Shock. Persecution and suffering are redemptive for a regenerate follower of Christ. The Bible also says there is suffering before glory.

It's a reminder of the core of the faith, because we tend to want to avoid persecution and suffering. Yet the Bible explicitly tells us to expect it and to know we are on the right path when we encounter it. 

Of course, the Work teaches there is fake suffering and persecution, but the Bible means suffering and persecution that comes from going against the current of the world, the flesh (our fallen nature) and the Satanic Kingdom. 

I put this under Paul's original post on Requiem because we're talking about death... and rebirth.