Joseph Prince Lied against the Holy Spirit & Preaches against the Costly Discipleship of Jesus – By Rev George Ong (Dated 24 May 2022)
(This article was also sent to Rev Dr Ngoei Foong Nghian, General Secretary, National Council of Churches of Singapore (NCCS) office, and for the attention of the Executive Committee Members.)
In a weekly Sunday sermon aired on YouTube on 22 May 2022, last Sunday, 2 days ago, Joseph Prince said the following;
Please click here to view excerpts in the 2-minute video:
“I challenge you to look in the scriptures. Look at all the Spirit-inspired epistles of Christ through the Apostle Paul. All the letters to the church through Peter, James, Paul. Paul wrote most of it. Jude, John. In all the Spirit-inspired letters to the church, after the book of Acts, you don’t find one single mention of ‘disciples’ anymore.”
“So the word ‘disciples’ are there throughout Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. And the word ‘disciples’ are there in the Book of Acts throughout. But something happened in Acts 11. Look at this. This is interesting. (Acts 11:26). Acts 11, when he had found, Barnabas found Paul. Paul just got saved. He brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year, they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called ‘Christians’ in Antioch. What are you? You are not a disciple anymore. The disciples are now called Christians.”
“So here the disciples in the book of Acts; and by the way the Book of Acts is the one that ends the word ‘disciples’. You don’t find them anymore.”
“Not one instance in the epistles, did the Holy Spirit choose the word, ‘disciple’. Be it in the noun or the verb. You don’t find it.”
“Back to this again. Why did the Holy Spirit not use the word, ‘disciples’ in all the Spirit-inspired letters to the church? Because He knows that sonship has come. So He (Holy Spirit) renamed the disciples for the first time. In Acts again, He (Holy Spirit) named them what? The disciples were first called ‘Christians’ in Antioch. So which is more important? The disciples, the names are changed to Christians. We should be calling each other sons of God or Christian.”
In another Sunday sermon preached at a different time, on the same issue of discipleship (Luke 14:25-27) Joseph Prince said,
Please click here to view excerpts in the 30-second video:
“He turned around. He turned to the multitudes and said, ‘If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes, his own life also, cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me, cannot be My disciple.’” (Luke 14:25-27)
“And then turned around and said (Lk 14:25-27), ‘if you want to see me as a pattern, you want me as an example, do what I did – give up everything. I gave up heaven to come to buy that pearl of great price, that treasure hidden in the field. Can you do it?’”
“And we take this whole thing and say (Lk 14:25-27), ‘This is what we must learn to do, count the cost.’”
From what Joseph Prince said in the video excerpts, he made 3 key points:
First – though the word ‘disciples’ is found in the gospels and Acts, it is not found in the epistles a single time. Since ‘disciples’ is not found in the epistles at all and you are now called a ‘Christian’ in Acts 11:26, you are not a disciple anymore.
Second – it was the Holy Spirit who renamed disciples to Christians. Hence, the word ‘disciples’ has been changed to ‘Christians’.
Third – Joseph Prince is fiercely against the costly discipleship that Jesus teaches in the gospels, such as Luke 14:25-27. This was why Prince completely turned around and grossly distorted Jesus’ teaching and intention on costly discipleship in Luke 14:25-27 (in the last video excerpt).
1. Argument from Silence to Deceive
Joseph Prince is indeed a veteran at using the argument from silence to deceive – that since ‘disciples’ is no longer mentioned in the epistles, we should not be called disciples.
Let me use the argument from silence back on Joseph Prince.
I’m sure Prince is aware that the word, ‘Trinity’ is not mentioned a single time in the entire Bible.
So would Prince teach that the concept or theology of Trinity is never taught in the Bible at all?
Just because the word ‘Trinity’ is not mentioned in the entire Bible doesn’t mean that there is no evidence of the Trinitarian God in it.
On the contrary, the Bible is full of evidence about the Trinitarian God: God, the Father, God, the Son and God, the Holy Spirit – so it is the case with disciples or discipleship as I will later show.
Does Joseph Prince know that the word ‘church’ is absent from 2 Timothy, Titus, Hebrews, 1 & 2 Peter, 1 & 2 John, and Jude?
So going by Prince’s argument from silence, he would have to argue that the church is absent from these epistles and that they were not written to and for Christians!
Ridiculous, isn’t it?
That cannot be the conclusion as all these eight books are clearly written both to and about the church, even though the word ‘church’ isn’t mentioned at all in these epistles.
Does Joseph Prince know that the word ‘God’ is not mentioned in the Book of Esther?
Because God is not mentioned in Esther, and going by Prince’s argument from silence, he would have to conclude that God is not there at all in the Book of Esther. But does Prince or anyone have the audacity to say that God is not there in Esther?
Is Joseph Prince aware that Jesus never mentioned the word ‘grace’ a single time in the entire Bible?
If he is aware, why doesn’t he go around and spread this piece of ‘juicy news’ to everyone as he did to the word, ‘disciples’?
He wouldn’t dare to as that may affect the perception of people towards his Pseudo-grace theology.
And I would be foolish to use that against Joseph Prince’s Pseudo-grace theology.
Though Jesus didn’t use the word ‘grace’ we are well aware that Jesus Himself is the personification of grace (Jn 1:14,17).
Christ’s dealings with many people in the gospels are based on grace (not only grace, but also law as He can be pretty severe in many other instances too).
Just because Jesus never mentioned ‘grace’ in the Bible, doesn’t mean He doesn’t show grace or teach grace.
Can you see now how the use of the argument from silence which Joseph Prince deceptively uses on discipleship can lead to?
This argument from silence, if consistently applied, leads to an incredibly absurd conclusion.
I am belabouring this issue about the argument from silence because this is one deadly tactic that Joseph Prince uses to deceive and confuse people.
I do use the argument from silence too.
In my opinion, the argument from silence is permitted only if there is already concrete evidence to back up one’s position. The argument from silence can then be used as complementary evidence to strengthen one’s position.
But it cannot be used as Joseph Prince has done as the single and only argument to prove one’s position, and more so, when there are already facts and evidence that point to the contrary.
What’s more is that there are loads of evidence to prove that although the word ‘disciples’ is not mentioned, costly discipleship of Jesus is alive and kicking in the epistles (Please see Appendix A at the end of this article for more details).
Although Paul and the other apostles didn’t use the word, ‘disciples’ in the epistles, that doesn’t mean they didn’t talk about discipleship.
In fact, their lives (and particularly Paul) throughout the Book of Acts and the epistles were an excellent example of a self-denying, self-sacrificing and a suffering disciple of Christ whose life of costly discipleship (which Joseph Prince teaches against) ended up in the glory of martyrdom.
So, just because the word, ‘disciples’ doesn’t appear in the epistles doesn’t mean discipleship is not evident or important in the epistles.
In fact, these epistles are pulsating with the evidence of costly discipleship (Please see Appendix A at the end of this article for more details).
Regarding why the word, ‘disciples’ is not used in the epistles, one insightful teacher wrote the following:
“Some suggest that the lack of the use of the term ‘disciple’ after Acts in the New Testament suggests that the latter writings of the Bible show that the term had “died out” in use.
This is a distorted reading of the evidence since the book of Acts covers history of up to between 62 AD to AD 70, a time period when many of the epistles were already written.
While Paul never uses the term in his epistles, it is not foreign to him as he used it in Acts (Acts 20:29-31).
Acts 20:29-31 NIV
29 “I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.”
It was also not foreign to Luke, his (Paul’s) companion who wrote both Luke and Acts.
If there was a change in emphasis of discipleship in the early church, Luke would have learned it from Paul. He would have exclusively used terms other than ‘disciple’ in the Book of Acts.
As it is however, he uses the term, ‘disciple,’ 28 times, most of which describe the believers of Jesus.
The use of silence of a Scriptural term to determine the validity or obsoleteness is not difficult to be disproven.
For example, the term nesteuo (to fast) occurs about 19 times in the Gospels and Acts but not in the Epistles.
Does that mean fasting was not practiced or that it became unimportant in the early church?
The term mnemeion (grave or memorial) occurs at least 35 times in the Gospels and Acts but not in the epistles.
Should we conclude that this became obsolete in early church practice?
Many other words occur many times in the Gospels and/or Acts but only few times in the Epistles.
The word numphios (bridegroom) occurs at least 12 times in the Gospels and once in Revelation.
Does that mean weddings were ‘out of fashion’ in the early Church?
The word ‘Peter’ occurs over 150 times in the Gospels and Acts but about 4 times in the Epistles.
Does that mean Peter became unimportant in the church?
The verb ekballo (to cast out) occurs over 70 times in the Gospels and Acts but only 4 times in the epistles.
Should we attempt to discover a theological significance to this?
The word ploion (boat/ship) occurs over 60 times in the Gospels and Acts but only 3 times in the epistles.
Were boats/ships used less in the latter days of the first century by Christians?
There are more, but hopefully these examples help us to see the futility of depending on the silence of scripture to establish or even support a theological position.
In almost all the above, one could come up with reasons why these words occur in the Gospels and Acts but not much, if any, in the epistles.
But these reasons would all ultimately be conjecture. Silence of word use does not demand or prove anything except that the word was not used.
There are any number of reasons why these words and the word ‘disciple’ and even the word ‘follow’ (akoloutheo) do not occur or occur vary rarely in the epistles.
These range from genre, the setting of the writing, author preference, and the abundant synonyms available.
The scripture is not silent on the use of the word ‘disciple’. It was defined by Jesus in the Gospel. He commanded his disciples to make more disciples after his resurrection (Matt 28:16-20).
The disciples did just that and made more disciples after the church started (Acts 14:21), and the followers of Christ continued to be called disciples at least up until between 62 AD to 70 AD in the New Testament.
Acts 14:21-22 NIV
21 They preached the gospel in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, 22 strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said.
There is no indication in the above text that the content of the meaning of the term ‘disciple’ changed from what Jesus established in the gospels.
Once again, the context of the gospels would tend to support the idea that Jesus’ command in Matthew 28:19 to go and make disciples would have to take its meaning from Jesus’ previous teaching.
In addition, it would be hard to conceive that Luke who wrote both Luke and Acts would have a different meaning for being ‘Jesus’ disciple in Acts than is set forth in Luke.
Otherwise we have one writer using the term ‘disciple’ in two different ways in a sequential book series (Luke-Acts) without any hint of the change in the text.
Disciples of the Lord in the early church in Acts surely means the same as disciples of Jesus in the gospels. The content of commitment to learn from him and follow his teaching and example, to deny self, and make him Lord of one’s life remains constant.”
2. Joseph Prince Lied against the Holy Spirit that He has Renamed & Replaced ‘disciples’ with ‘Christians’.
Joseph Prince said,
“Back to this again. Why did the Holy Spirit not use the word, ‘disciples’ in all the Spirit-inspired letters to the church? Because He knows that sonship has come. So he (Holy Spirit) renamed the disciples for the first time. In Acts again, He (Holy Spirit) named them what? The disciples were first called ‘Christians’ in Antioch. So which is more important? The disciples, the names are changed to Christians. We should be calling each other sons of God or Christian.”
Joseph Prince told the truth that disciples are called Christians in Acts 11:26:
Acts 11:26 NIV
26 and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.
But Prince told a blatant lie that ‘disciples’ has now been renamed as and replaced by ‘Christians’ by the Holy Spirit Himself.
Imagine the unholy daringness of Joseph Prince – that he is even prepared to lie against the Holy Spirit who is God Himself. How can he not be a wolf in sheepskin?
Prince didn’t tell you that even though disciples were called Christians in Acts 11:26, they were still called disciples in many other passages in Acts.
Prince has also hidden this fact from you that while the word ‘Christians’ appeared 2 times in Acts and 3 times in the New Testament, the word ‘disciples’ was mentioned 28 times in Acts and 280 times in the New Testament (depending on the version you use).
During Jesus’ earthly ministry, those who believed in Him and chose to follow Him were called disciples. After Jesus’s death and resurrection, the term ‘disciples’ didn’t disappear from the scene.
In the Book of Acts which documents the history of New Testament Christianity, and arising from the church’s obedience to Christ’s Great Commission to make disciples, those who repented and believed in Jesus were still called disciples:
Acts 6:7 NKJV
7 Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.
On another occasion, Luke, the author of Acts, reported another increase in converts. But this time instead of using the term ‘disciples’, he used the word, ‘believers’:
Acts 5:14 NKJV
14 And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women,
From these 2 passages (Acts 6:7 & 5:14) it is rather clear that Luke treated these 2 terms: ‘disciples’ and ‘believers’ as synonymous.
Whenever the word disciple is used in the Book of Acts, it refers to believers without exception. All believers are called disciples. Those who believed in Jesus and were saved in the Book of Acts, are called disciples. One becomes a disciple when he decides to become a believer. In other words, the terms ‘believers’ and ‘disciples’ are synonymous.
Furthermore, there are many other synonyms used to refer to those who are believers in Christ: ‘disciple’, ‘Christian’, ‘saint’, ‘brethren’, ‘the elect’, ‘people of God’, etc.
These have not replaced one another but, generally speaking, they can be used in place of one another.
Disciples are also called Christians because they are synonyms and not because ‘disciples’ has been replaced by ‘Christians’ as Joseph Prince has falsely alleged.
To say that the word ‘Christians’ is another way of addressing disciples is totally different from saying ‘disciples’ have now been renamed as and replaced by ‘Christians’, and hence, in Joseph Prince’s own words: ‘you are not a disciple anymore.’
3. Joseph Prince teaches against the Costly discipleship of Jesus.
Joseph Prince said,
“He turned around. He turned to the multitudes and said, ‘If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes, his own life also, cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me, cannot be My disciple.’” (Luke 14:25-27)
“And then turned around and said (Lk 14:25-27), ‘if you want to see me as a pattern, you want me as an example, do what I did – give up everything. I gave up heaven to come to buy that pearl of great price, that treasure hidden in the field. Can you do it?’”
“And we take this whole thing and say (Lk 14:25-27), ‘This is what we must learn to do, count the cost.’”
This is outrageous!
In my 55 years as a Christian, this is the first time I have ever heard Luke 14:25-27 being interpreted in that twisted and negative way that Joseph Prince had done.
Prince is clearly saying that Luke 14:25-27 is not teaching that we must count the cost of discipleship.
Therefore, he is implying that Jesus wasn’t sincere about what He said, or Jesus didn’t mean what He said in Luke 14:25-27.
The truth is when Jesus laid down the cost of discipleship in that passage, He was absolutely sincere about His intention.
By Joseph Prince’s interpretation, he is implying that all our Church fathers, Reformation fathers, Bible commentators, pastors, preachers throughout the many centuries of Christianity, who have taught on the cost of discipleship on Luke 14:25-35 were all wrong, and he is the only one who is right.
Prince would have to declare which Church Father or Bible teacher or commentator or Pastor taught or teaches the same way as he did on Luke 14:25-27?
I can bet you that there is hardly any.
Because Joseph Prince is fiercely against the costly discipleship that Jesus teaches in the gospels, such as Luke 14:25-27, he completely turned around and grossly distorted Jesus’s teaching and intention in Luke 14:25-27 – that the high cost of discipleship put forward by Jesus was not His real intention but to spite the people.
Just imagine! – Even Jesus’ real intention for teaching on the cost of discipleship was not spared and had to be twisted to fit Joseph Prince’s perverse grace theology.
There is a voluminous amount of scriptures that prove that Jesus is authentically laying down the high cost that all disciples must be prepared to pay in Luke 14:25-27, 33:
Luke 14:25-27, 33 NIV
25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters – yes, even their own life – such a person cannot be my disciple. 27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. 33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.
Joseph Prince, by clearly implying that Jesus’ intention was not to teach and affirm the high cost of discipleship in Luke 14:25-27, simply means that all that the Apostle Paul, Peter, the rest of the disciples in the early church and throughout the centuries of Christianity, who did to live out their costly discipleship by suffering, being imprisoned, and even martyred, were all done in vain.
Joseph Prince is effectively mocking those who practised costly discipleship and had given up their everything for Jesus.
Had not Paul given up his everything to gain Christ?
Philippians 3:8 ESV
8 “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.”
Had not Peter given up his everything to follow Christ?
Matthew 19:27 NLT
27 Then Peter said to him, “We’ve given up everything to follow you…”
Had not the disciples given up their everything to follow Christ?
Luke 5:11 NIV
11 “So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.”
What Joseph Prince said in the video is utterly sickening and revolting to me.
Joseph Prince is mocking the multitudes of saints throughout the centuries of Christianity who understood what costly discipleship means and had given up everything, including their own lives, to follow Christ.
Paul was beheaded under emperor Nero in Rome in 67 AD.
Peter was crucified upside down in 68 AD.
James was stoned and clubbed to death in Jerusalem in 62 AD.
Andrew was crucified on a ‘X’ cross in 70 AD.
Matthew was nailed to the ground and beheaded in 70 AD.
Thomas was speared and cast into the furnace in India in 70 AD.
James, son of Zebedee was beheaded by Herod of Agrippa in Jerusalem in 45 AD.
Simon, the Zealot, was beaten to death in 70 AD.
Matthias was stoned and beheaded in Jerusalem in 70 AD.
Jude, son of Thaddeaus, was stoned and clubbed to death in 63 AD.
Nathanael was flayed and beheaded on an ‘X’ cross in Armenia in 70 AD.
Philip was tied to a pillar and stoned to death in Phrygia in 54 AD.
John was boiled in a cauldron of oil, but the execution failed. He was exiled to Patmos.
In the first 300 years of Christianity, what the early Christians had to go through was brutal.
Those who refused to say Caesar is Lord because the only Lord they know and would acknowledge is Christ were brutally martyred.
Just because believers admit they were Christians, they were sewn in leather bags together with poisonous snakes and thrown in the rivers and perished.
Some were condemned to be dressed in animal skins and torn apart by dogs.
Hundreds and even thousands of believers were thrown to the lions, and many, as they were eaten up alive by the lions, were praising God.
Christian women, totally naked, had boiling tar poured on them and then set on fire, mothers and daughters huddled together, burnt to death.
Emperor Nero wrapped up believers and set them as poles on fire to burn as human torches just to illuminate the Imperial Garden, the place where he threw his Garden party for his guests.
In the present day (several years ago), believers have been martyred during the ISIS reign, in Syria and Iraq.
Believers throughout the centuries knew what costly discipleship that Jesus preached meant and had given up their lives for the sake of Christ.
These godly men and women were willing to pay the ultimate price – giving up everything and even their own lives in order to follow Christ.
As I write this, tears literally flowed down my eyes – in my heart, I stood and gave these martyrs the most respectful and grateful salute I could offer for laying down their lives for the sake of their hero in Christ and our sake.
Yet, these are the very godly men and women that Joseph Prince is mocking when he preaches against the costly discipleship of Jesus. How sickening, revolting and disgusting can he get?
Why is Joseph Prince against costly discipleship?
He is against the costly discipleship that Jesus teaches because it threatens the very foundations of his grace theology.
Joseph Prince’s
no-repentance,
no-guilt,
no-obedience,
no-discipleship,
no-cost-of-Christianity,
no-sacrifice,
no-suffering,
no-martyrdom,
no-law,
no-effort,
no-works,
no-fasting,
no-more-commandments-to-obey,
no-more-fear-of-God,
no-more-anger-from-God,
no-more-punishment-from-God,
no-more-judgement-from-God,
no-sanctification-for-salvation,
no-more-pleasing-and-loving God,
no-more-examination-of-self,
no-more-sins-to-confess,
no-more-conviction-of-sin-from-the-Holy-Spirit,
no-more-guilt-to-bother-you-with,
just-enjoy-the-love-and-the-grace-of-God feel-good grace teaching and easy Christianity,
is in total contradiction to and irreconcilable with the tough demands and the high cost of discipleship that Jesus teaches.
Now, you know why the carnal crowds are attracted to Joseph Prince’s teachings?
This is because most people are easily drawn to easy-believism and the feel-good religion of Joseph Prince, but they would be put off by the tough demands and the costly discipleship of the Lord Jesus.
Rev George Ong
Appendix A:
Evidence of Jesus’ Teaching on Costly Discipleship in the Epistles.
Since the Apostle Paul was the main character, and the one who wrote most of the New Testament books, the proof of whether there is discipleship of Jesus’ type in the gospels, Acts and the epistles is to examine his life and ministry through them.
We cannot miss out on the Apostle Peter too, who wrote two books of the New Testament, and, moreover, he was also the leader of the 12 disciples.
And I am not forgetting Apostle John, who wrote five books of the New Testament, and lastly, James, the elder brother of Jesus who wrote the Book of James.
The following are what I had painstakingly and meticulously read through and scoured all the New Testament books (except the gospels and Acts) for evidence of the cost of discipleship in the epistles in order to debunk the bogus claim of Joseph Prince that since the word disciple isn’t used in the epistles, it has died out or it is no longer relevant or important:
Didn’t Paul marvellously say that we can glory in our sufferings?
3 “…we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance.” (Rom 5:3 NIV)
Didn’t Paul remark that our suffering is nothing as compared to our coming glory?
17 “…if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. 18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” (Rom 8:17-18 NIV)
Hadn’t Paul counted on the unchanging love of Christ for all his unbearable tribulations?
35 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 …For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” (Rom 8:35-36 NIV)
Didn’t Paul urge the believers in Rome to offer their lives as a sacrifice in total commitment as a disciple would do to God?
1 “…to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God…” (Rom 12:1 NIV)
Didn’t Paul perceive our living and dying entirely in terms of our surrender to the Lordship of Christ,
8 “If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.” (Rom 14:8 NIV)
Wasn’t Paul willing to be the worst of the worst – to be the scum and garbage of the world for the sake of Christ?
11 “To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. 12 We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; 13 when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world – right up to this moment.” (1 Cor 4:11-13)
Didn’t Paul impress on the Corinthians the vital importance of obedience, which is a key mark of a disciple?
19 “Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but obeying God’s commandments is everything.” (1 Cor 7:19 ISV)
Didn’t Paul reveal himself as a faithful disciple of Christ who followed Him all the way?
1 “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” (1 Cor 11:1 NIV)
Didn’t Paul learn about dying daily to self from his master Jesus?
31 “I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.” (1 Cor 15:31 NKJV)
Wasn’t Paul stretched to the limit in his agonising sufferings for the Lord?
3 “…the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort… 4 who comforts us in all our troubles… 5 For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ… 6 If we are distressed… which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 7…because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort. 8 We do not want you to be uninformed… about the troubles we experienced… We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.” (2 Cor 1:3-9 NIV)
Wasn’t Paul faced with the pressure of persecution and the prospect of death constantly in his ministry?
8 “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.” (2 Cor 4:8-12 NIV)
Hadn’t Paul gone through so many hardships that are uncommon to the ordinary man?
4 “Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; 5 in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger.” 9 “known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; 10 sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.” (2 Cor 6:4-5,9-10 NIV)
Hadn’t Paul inspired us that one can be joyful even in tribulation?
4 “Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my boasting on your behalf. I am filled with comfort. I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation.” (2 Cor 7:4 NKJV)
Hadn’t Paul gone through suffering that was unparalleled?
23“… I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. 27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.” (2 Cor 11:23-28 NIV)
Hadn’t Paul got the idea about taking up the cross and crucifying himself from Christ?
24 “Now those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” (Gal 5:24 NET)
Wasn’t Paul prouder of his scars of suffering in battle than a soldier of his medals and decorations?
17 “From now on, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.” (Gal 6:17 NIV)
Wasn’t Paul gloriously suffering as a sacrificial shepherd for the benefit of the sheep?
13 “I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.” (Eph 3:13 NIV)
Didn’t Paul use his imprisonment to urge the Ephesians to be serious about their calling?
1 “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” (Eph 4:1 NIV)
Didn’t Paul call for a high standard of holiness among the disciples?
3 “But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.” (Eph 5:3 NIV)
Didn’t Paul command the Ephesians to obey – obedience being a key quality of a disciple?
1 “Children, obey your parents in the Lord…” 5 “Slaves, obey your earthly masters…just as you would obey Christ. 6 Obey them…as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.” (Eph 6:1,5-6 NIV)
Didn’t Paul consider it a joy to suffer for the sake of the church?
24 “Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.” (Col 1:24 NIV)
Didn’t Paul view his suffering as a means for which the gospel can be proclaimed?
3 “And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.” (Col 4:3 NIV)
Didn’t Paul say his imprisonment has only served to embolden believers to further the spread of the gospel?
13 “…I am in chains for Christ. 14 And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.” (Phil 1:13-14 NIV)
Didn’t Paul say that living is defined in terms of Christ and death is viewed as gaining Christ?
21 “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Phil 1:21 NIV)
Didn’t Paul teach that suffering for Christ is a call for both Paul as well the Philippians?
29 “For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him.” 30 since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.” (Phil 1:29-30 NIV)
Hadn’t Paul given up his everything in order to know and gain Christ?
7 “But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ.” (Phil 3:7-8 NIV)
Hadn’t Paul revealed that his knowledge of Christ is deepened through his suffering for Him?
10 “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.” (Phil 3:10 NIV)
Wasn’t Paul unashamed to boast about the persecutions and sufferings of the Thessalonians?
4 “Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring. 5 All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering.” (2 Thess 1:4-5 NIV)
Didn’t Paul exhort Timothy never to be ashamed in his suffering for the Lord and the gospel?
8 “So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God.” 12 “That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.” (2 Tim 1:8,12)
Didn’t Paul enlist Timothy to suffer like a good soldier of Christ would?
3 “Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” (2 Tim 2:3 NIV)
Hadn’t Paul endured everything in his imprisonment and suffering, which is for a bigger cause of the gospel and Christ?
8 “Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, 9 for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained. 10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.” (2 Tim 2:8-10 NIV)
Hadn’t Paul prepared Timothy that everyone who desires to be Godly will suffer persecution?
12 “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” (2 Tim 3:12 NIV)
Didn’t Paul lose his life for Christ as a martyr so he will find it?
6 “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near.” 8 “Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” (2 Tim 4:6,8 NIV)
Didn’t Paul view the Christian life as a fight to be fought, a race to be run and a faith to be kept?
7 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Tim 4:7 NIV)
Wasn’t Paul deserted by everyone, and he had to defend and suffer alone as Christ did with no one to support him?
16 “At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them.” (2 Tim 4:16 NIV)
Wasn’t Paul an encouraging example of one who was imprisoned through his elderly years for the sake of the gospel?
9 “…It is as none other than Paul—an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus 10 that I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains.”
13 “I would have liked to keep him with me so that he could take your place in helping me while I am in chains for the gospel.” (Philemon 9-10,13 NIV)
Didn’t Paul (assuming he is the author) encourage the Hebrew believers who had endured much suffering, persecution and imprisonment?
32 “Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering. 33 Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. 34 You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.” (Heb 10:32-34 NIV)
Didn’t Paul exhort them to share in the sufferings of fellow believers who were imprisoned?
3 “Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.” (Heb 13:3 NIV)
Didn’t James exhort us to face trials with joy and to persevere?
2 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (Jas 1:2-4 NIV)
Didn’t James encourage believers that victory over suffering will bring about blessing and reward?
12 “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” (Jas 1:12 NIV)
Hadn’t James inspired believers to have patience and perseverance in the midst of suffering?
10 “Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.” (Jas 5:10-11 NIV)
Didn’t Peter encourage us to rejoice over the triumph of our suffering because it will bring honour and glory to the Lord?
6 “In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” (1 Pet 1:6-7 NIV)
Didn’t Peter exhort believers about the importance of obedience and the pitfalls of disobedience?
14 “As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.” (1 Pet 1:14 NIV)
22 “Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.” (1 Pet 1:22 NIV)
8 “…They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.” (1 Pet 2:8 NIV)
17 “For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?” (1 Pet 4:17 NIV)
Hadn’t Peter reminded us that we are commanded to be holy as God is holy?
15 “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” (1 Pet 1:15-16 NIV)
Hadn’t Peter warned his flock to deal with every sinful desire decisively and to fear God?
1 “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.” (1 Pet 2:1 NIV)
11 “Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.” (1 Pet 2:11 NIV)
17 “Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God…” (1 Pet 2:17 NIV)
Hadn’t Peter reminded us that Christ had set us the perfect example of suffering?
21 “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.” (1 Pet 2:21 NIV)
1 “Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin.” (1 Pet 4:1 NIV)
Hadn’t Peter said that it is God’s will to suffer for doing good?
17 “For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.” (1 Pet 3:17 NIV)
Didn’t Peter instruct believers not to be surprised at their suffering?
12 “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.” (1 Pet 4:12 NIV)
Didn’t Peter cheer the believers up that the suffering done in the cause of Christ will bring blessings and exceeding joy?
13 “But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15 If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler.” (1 Pet 4:13-15 NIV)
Didn’t Peter inform them that suffering was the norm for believers and churches throughout the entire world?
16 However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. In fact, he instructed them that such suffering was the norm for believers and churches throughout the entire world.” (1 Pet 4:16 NIV)
19 “So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.” (1 Pet 4:19 NIV)
9“Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” (1 Pet 5:9 NIV)
Didn’t Peter assure believers that it is the grace of God that will see them through in their suffering?
10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” (1 Pet 5:10 NIV)
Hadn’t John taught that the proof of our faith and our love for Him is by our obedience – a non-negotiable for discipleship?
3 “We can be sure that we know God if we obey his commands. 4 Anyone who says, “I know God,” but does not obey God’s commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person.” (1 Jn 2:3-4 NCV)
17 “The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” (1 Jn 2:17 NIV)
24 “The people who obey God’s commands live in God, and God lives in them…” (1 Jn 3:24 NCV)
2 “This is how we know we love God’s children: when we love God and obey his commands. 3 Loving God means obeying his commands. And God’s commands are not too hard for us.” (1 Jn 5:2-3 NCV)
Didn’t John command the disciples that they must live the way their master Jesus did?
6 “Whoever says that God lives in him must live as Jesus lived.” (1 Jn 2:6 ICB)
Hadn’t John set us the example of being faithful in spite of suffering even in his elderly years?
9 “I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.” (Rev 1:9 NIV)
Didn’t Jesus (through John) encourage the church in Smyrna to be faithful unto death despite the impending suffering and persecution?
“Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.” (Rev 2:10 NIV).
Didn’t John write Revelation, the final book of the Bible, to prepare the people of God for the toughest ever persecution that will result in the massive martyrdom of believers?
9 “When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. 10 They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” 11 Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been.” (Rev 6:9-11 NIV)
14 “…And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” (Rev 7:14 NIV)
11 “And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die.” (Rev 12:11 NLT)
10 “If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity they will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword they will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people.” (Rev 13:10 NIV)
11 “And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name. 12 This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus. 13 Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.” (Rev 14:11-13 NIV)
5 “The name written on her forehead was a mystery: babylon the great the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth. 6 I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus.” (Rev 17:5-6 NIV)
24 “In her was found the blood of prophets and of God’s holy people, of all who have been slaughtered on the earth.” (Rev 18:24 NIV)
4 “…And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God…” (Rev 20:4 NIV)
If Joseph Prince still can’t see the loads of concrete evidence about the cost of discipleship that Jesus said in the gospels: obedience, self-denial, dying to self, carrying the cross, suffering, persecution, giving up everything including our lives that I have unfolded in the epistles, then he really must be blind.