Same mind

I think we see only the part that says arm yourselves likewise with the same mind. I find the word armed very interesting.. to be armed  means to be equipped; weaponed. Another weapon God has given us if you will.. To be in the same mind, to be with one another is unity and to walk gather in agreement. This is a powerful weapon in and of itself.
Amos 3:3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed? 


That mind being Christ. Being in one accord for we know that two cannot walk together unless they agree. This is the Spirit of unity, the Holy Spirit. He is the One that brings this kind of same mind. This is powerful in and of its self. It’s a good word.
What catches my eye is this part of the scripture…. For he that hath suffered in the flesh hath  ceased from sin…
Those who willingly suffer for the cause of Christ Jesus find it easier to resist sin and to follow Gods will. These have united themselves with Christ Jesus and shared His cross.. As a result the pull of sin is made insignificant and the will of God is what has this group of people’s attention. That is their focus. And it isn’t only for a few but for all of Gods children.
Arm Yourself for the Purpose of Suffering 

The word from the Lord for us this morning is: Arm yourselves with the purpose to suffer for righteousness' sake if that should be God's will. The pieces in this armor that support us and encourage us and sustain us are:

Piece #1: Christ, the one we love and follow suffered.
Piece #2: When we suffer, we make a clean break with sin.
Piece #3: Any amount of past sinning is sufficient. It's enough.
Piece #4: The adversaries will be brought to justice.
Piece #5: We who embrace the gospel will triumph over death.

There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
1 Peter 4:2 That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.

 This is a spiritual principle and will work in all of our life’s.. Obeying God even when it means suffering and be ridiculed or being rejected, or being misunderstood.  Believe  it  or not when this happens we become stronger. It strengthens us morally and spiritually. And we will receive  a greater grace.
It is normal for a person to want to avoid . Followers of Christ however,  should be willing and prepared to do so. Pain and danger reveal our true values. Any one who suffers for doing good and still faithfully obeys in spirit of suffering has made a clean break with sin.
This rejection can come from ones we love, our family and  friends. We never know when it can happen but we are told not be act like it is something that can not happen. Jesus told us this would happen many times over.
. Rather than be concerned when we do suffer persecution, we should be concerned if wearen't suffering some persecution. Although we aren't persecuted nearly as much in our country as Christians are in other places in the world, anyone who takes a stand for Christ anywhere will be talked about and hated by others. We should expect that. Jesus said, "Woe to you when all men speak well of you" (Luke 6:26,)


1 Peter 4:3 For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:
Some of us change so radically at conversion. That we may experience contempt from old friends.  They may scorn us. I have seen this between Christians and it should not be this way. Many times people are put in our life for a season. And it is God that calls the seasons in our life. I have had people put in to my life and people taken out of my life. I trust God in all of this. He loves us and wants us to have only the best. 
I have learned threw  persecution . I have grown due to it. I suffered things I  never would of dream of.  And that is ok. When we suffer we are pulling close to God. I am talking about suffering for standing for God, not because we want to do something wrong according to the word of God. 
We are not the main target of the world's hatred. It is actually God Himself. We are just being caught in the crossfire. We need to respond to it and not react. When we react we are acting out of our emoitions, When we respond we are thinking about what we are saying or not saying. There is a time to speak and a time to be silent. God will talk care fo those that speak evil of us. And how he does it will be what is best in that given sitionation. Amein
The amazing thing is that it is often people who claim to be Christians who persecute those who are born again. Jesus said, "The time is coming when those who kill you will think they are doing God a service" (John 16:2). These kinds of "Christians," however, aren't really saved, as proven by their hatred for true believers. John wrote, "If someone says, ‘I love God,' but hates another Christian, that person is a liar; for if we don't love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we have not seen?" (1 John 4:20).

John 16:1-4
“These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues [today it might be from churches]; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me. But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them."
 
John 17:14-18
"I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one."
 
Galatians 5:11
"And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why do I still suffer persecution? Then the offense of the cross has ceased."



2 Timothy 3:1-5, 10-14
"But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God…. And from such people turn away!
        "…all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you must continue in the things which you have learned ...


Matthew 10:21-22
"Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake."


1 Peter 4:4 Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:

He tells us not to think it is strange, when we dont do the things they are doing, that the turn and speak evil of us. This is going to happen.They slander you. They make you look the fool. Better to embrace that like Jesus did, if it is God's will, than to choose sin. The time that you've spent sinning is sufficient. It's enough. LIght and darkness do not mix. It can not. and the light of Jesus , those of the world hate. Why? Because it exposes their sin. It convicts them. This is why we can not mix with the world.


Suffering can take many forms. By choosing to obey the Lord Jesus Christ, we are setting ourselves at odds with the world. Galatians 1:10 says, "For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ" (NASB). By closely adhering to the teachings of the Bible, we set ourselves up for rejection, mockery, loneliness, or betrayal. Often, the cruelest persecution comes from those who consider themselves spiritual but have defined God according to their own ideas. If we choose to take a stand for righteousness and biblical truth, we ensure that we will be misunderstood, mocked, or worse. We need to keep in mind that no threat of suffering deterred the apostles from preaching Christ. In fact, Paul said that losing everything was worth it "that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death" 
Jesus said the path that leads to life is difficult (Matthew 7:14 For the gate is narrow and hthe way is hard that leads to life, and ithose who find it are few. This is a bible truth here. Jesus said it. He desires for all to be saved but only a few will find the gate. That gate is Jesus. He is the way the truth and the life.He is the gate , He is that door. And when we find that gate, there is the path, that one that seems hard. It is hard if you are not in love with Jesus. We dont walk this narrow path alone. He is walking with us and threw us all. He is the one that gives us the power, no matter where we are lead by him, to walk it and live the life He desires for us to live.


Jesus said if we deny him before men, He will deny us before His Father in heaven 

(Matthew 10:33;Matthew 10:33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
 Luke 12:9)Luke 12:9 But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.
. There are many subtle ways to deny Christ. If our actions, words, lifestyle, or entertainment choices do not reflect His will, we are denying Christ. If we claim to know Him but live as though we didn't, we are denying Christ ,Many people choose those forms of denying Christ because they do not want to suffer for Him.

I want to add this. I hope you take heed. Every time a person comes to the knowing fact, and recieves their athorty in Christ Jesus. One that is taking a stand and walking in that athority. There is going to be all kinds of war fare break out because that person just become a  theat to the  Enemey of our soul. Its going to get hard. The more we grow in Him the stronger He becomes in us. And the stronger He is in us, the harder the warfare becomes. The enemy wants you to fall away to walk off from the calling you have in your life. He will make life extreamly hard. And with out Christ we couldnt do it.