Matthew 16 carries the episode. You remember. Seconds before, Peter's finest hour. He allowed the Truth of God to bubble up out of his mouth-gate, "You are the Christ!" Not only that, "You are the Son of the living God!" I'm sure the other disciples were in agreement, but it was Peter through whom the revelation came audibly.

But it was only to be the first of several major revelations on that incredible day. The rest of the revealing seems to have been lost on this disciple with whom we all relate so freely when he is making his super blunders. The other revelations went something like this:

This Christ must go to Jerusalem and suffer.

This Son of the living God must die at the hands of fellow Jews.

This Jesus is to rise again on the third day after His death.

From that day to this the idea of a suffering Christ and a suffering Christian has been fought. We are rightly taught that it is of the Devil to be persecuted. But we are further led to believe, by implication if not outright statement, that believers have the right to fight the Devil's attacks and win. We have in fact bought the Enemy's interpretation of the Psalm to the fasting Jesus that suggests that since angels have charge over us, we can never be harmed.

Satan has not changed his tactics. He is, using our love of the flesh and this world, still creating stumbling blocks to our ultimate destiny: the crown that follows the cross. Satan's pathway is a shortcut that leads to a coronation now. A kingdom now. Power now. Comfort now. The American dream... He still favors the things of men over the things of God.

If there is any doubt in my readers' mind about the cross Jesus mentions being ours and not just His, He goes on in that same chapter to make it clear:

• We must deny ourselves.
• We must take up the cross.
• We must lose our lives.

And absent any of the above, we must forget any idea of reward.

This Christ we follow, the One you follow, the One you say is actually living His life in you... does He suffer? Does he lead you, not only by still waters, but through the valley of the shadow of death, for His Name's sake? Yes, keep that last phrase in there. I'm not advocating a martyr complex, suffering for suffering's sake, feeling sorry about life's circumstances, of which all men partake, no.

This cross business is about Jesus. I'm speaking of the peculiar flavor of suffering that can only come about when one chooses it, yea desires it above all else. Has your Christ become so powerful that you fear losing Him more than you fear losing the dearest relationship, the most expensive toy you own, or life itself?