And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God."
Acts 14:21-22

Okay, it is not the first thing we tell people when we are pointing them to Christ, but neither is it something we hide nor neglect.

"We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God."

There are many places in the world today (primarily in communist or Islamist lands) where people know full well that following Christ means suffering and persecution. But here in the land of the free? Sadly, all too often Christ and Christianity are presented as a golden ticket out of all one’s problems. Truth be told—and we must tell it—while Christ and the gospel is the golden ticket to forgiveness of sins and a new life in Christ, it does not take away our temporal problems. In Christ and filled with the Holy Spirit, we are equipped to endure problems—but escape from them? No.

This is important because when the false gospel of a trouble-free life in Christ is embraced, people end up disillusioned. Their problems do not go away, and a fair amount of these “converts” quickly turn away. And why shouldn’t they? What they were led to believe didn’t happen.

Paul and Barnabas told the truth. We must receive Christ, but not as a means to trouble-free living. And don’t those of us who have walked with Him know that to be true!

Let us remember to pray for our brethren in Christ who suffer in ways we can only imagine.