Suffering

Its safe to say that I needed to be in Sunday School yesterday.  They did the last lesson in the book they've been studying.  The book that I've missed all the lessons to because I've just been getting up and going to the later service.
As I sat and listened, I clearly knew I needed to hear the words from the pages that we went over.  What I am about to share is straight from the book that was used in Sunday School yesterday.  Master Work--Lessons from "He Chose The Nails" by Max Lucado and Desiring God by John Piper.


Suffering.  Why did Paul embrace it like he did?  Suffering was part of Paul's apostolic calling.  To be faithful to his calling, he had to embrace what Christ has given him--much suffering.  Paul describes suffering as a gift--just like faith is a gift. Phil. 1:29


Jesus said, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.  For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.  Luke 9:23-24  There is no true Christianity without cross-bearing and a daily dying--which sounds very much like Paul's "I die every day"(1 Cor. 15:31)  Jesus also told His disciples, "A servant is not greater than his master.  If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you."(John 15:20).  So something would be amiss if Paul didn't share in the sufferings of Jesus.  Jesus gave His disciples an ominous image of their ministry.  "Behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves."(Luke 10:3)  And so He promised them, "You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death.  You will be hated by all for my name's sake." (Luke 21:16-17)


Paul did not consider these promises of suffering as limited to the original 12 apostles, because he passed them on to his churches.  He strengthened his converts by telling them, "Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God." (Acts 14:22)  He encouranged the suffering Thessalonians by exhorting them not to be 'moved by these afflictions.  For you yourselves know that we are destined for this'(1 Thess.3:3)
2 Timothy 3:12 says "Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted."
So it would be understandable if Paul embraced a life of suffering because it would simply confirm that he was a Christian.


Paul learned that  God uses our suffering to wean us from self reliance and cast us on Himself alone.    This is God's universal purpose for all Christian suffering:  more contentment in God and less satisfaction in self and the world.  


The pearl of greatest price is the glory of Christ.  Paul stresses that in our sufferings the glory of Christ's all sufficient grace is magnified.  If we rely on him in our calamity and He sustains our 'rejoicing in hope,' then He is shown to be the all-satisfying God of grace and strength that He is.  If we hold fast to Him, 'when all around our soul gives way,'  then we show that He is more to be desired than all we have lost.

God's universal purpose for all Christian suffering: more contentment in God and less satisfaction in self and the world. ~John Piper

So suffering is clearly designed by God as a way to spotlight His grace and make it shine.  The deep things of life in God are discovered in suffering.  It means experiencing depths of yieldedness to God that would not have been otherwise demanded.


Colossians  1:24 says "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church."  This may be the most powerful motive for Paul's choosing a life of suffering.  

Paul's sufferings complete Christ's afflictions not by adding anything to their worth, but by extending them to the people they were meant to save." ~John Piper

 What is lacking in the afflictions of Christ is not that they are deficient in worth, as though they could not sufficiently cover the sins of all who believe.  What is lacking is that the infinite value of Christ's afflictions is not known and trusted in the world.  These afflictions and what they mean are still hidden to most people  God's intention is that the mystery be revealed to all the nations.   So the afflictions of Christ are 'lacking' in the sense that they are not seen and known and loved among the nations.  They must be carried by ministers of the Word.  And those ministers of the Word 'complete' what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ by extending them to others.  


Colossians 1:24 "Now I rejoice in what was suffered 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."  That means that Paul exhibits the sufferings of Christ by suffering himself for those he is trying to win.  In his sufferings they see Christ's sufferings.  Here is the astounding upshot:  GOD INTENDS FOR THE AFFLICTIONS OF CHRIST TO BE PRESENTED TO THE WORLD THROUGH THE AFFLICTIONS OF HIS PEOPLE.
God really means for the body of Christ, the church, to experience some of the suffering He experienced so that when we proclaim the Cross as the way of life, people will see the marks of the Cross in us and feel the love of the Cross from us.   Our calling is to make the afflictions of Christ real for people by the afflictions we experience in bringing them the message of salvation.
This is why Paul spoke of his scars as the 'marks of Jesus'  In his wounds people could see Christ's wounds(Gal. 6:17)  Or as Paul stated it in 2 Corinthians 4:10-12 "[We are] always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.  For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.  So death is at work in us, but life in you."

God intends for the afflictions of Christ to be presented to the world through the afflictions of His  people. ~ John Piper

Christ's suffering is for propitiation; our suffering is for propagation. 2 Timothy 2:10 and Col. 1:24 makes suffering the means of evangelism: "I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may also obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus."  We complete Christ's afflictions by providing what they do not have, namely, a personal, vivid presentation to those who do not see Christ suffer in person.  The startling implication of this is that the saving purpose of Christ among the nation and in our neighborhoods will not be accomplished unless Christians choose to suffer.


What is the gain and joy in suffering?  Gaining Christ was Paul's great passion and goal in all he did.: "To live is Christ ands to die is gain." Phil 1:21  GAIN is the goal of his life and suffering.  Paul desired to 'depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.' Phil 1:23. 


The Bible says that we are to rejoice in persecution...for the reward is great.   Matt. 5:11-12 says "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.  One way in rejoicing in suffering comes from fixing our minds firmly on the greatness of the reward that will come to us in the resurrection.  The effect of this kind of focus is to make our present pain seem small in comparison to what is coming:  "I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us" Romans 8:18


Rejoicing in affliction deepens assurance of hope.  Joy in affliction is rooted in the hope of resurrection, but our experience of suffering also deepens the root of that hope.  Paul says that  "We exult in our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance produces proven genuineness, an genuineness produces hope."(Romans 5:3-4--authors translation)


Intense joy comes from the sense that you have endured with the help of Christ.  Rejoice in suffering for others--They see Christ.  


Im going to stop there.  I know that this is a lot to read.  But, I also know that my heart is heavy for many people right now, including myself.  What is suffering to you?  What is it to those around you?  What is it to people on the other side of the world?  To some, it may be the loss of a job, living without a car, having no health insurance, and SO MUCH MORE.


To me, its watching my son live with an incurable disease.  BUT, even though I see him deal with that daily, I can rejoice in knowing that one day, he will receive total and complete healing.   And I know this because of his new found faith the Jesus Christ.  He's allowed Christ to come into his life and my constant prayer as his mother is that he will allow Christ to be #1 in everything that he does, for the rest of his life.  And that means, that his dad and I must be an example for him to follow.  No matter what we deal with in our own daily lives.  We must allow God to be front and center in everything that we do.   No matter what happens with our finances, our home, our cars, we must allow whatever suffering we go through--we must continue to rely on God for strength to persevere.  And while those little things may seem meaningless and small to some, to others they are huge. 


And remember, you may not always know what others are going through.  You may not know the extent of their suffering.  Pray for them.  Pray!!!