A Witness To Sufferings

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (Romans 5:1-5)

I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:10-11)

“We understand that in a broken world there will be suffering. But our God promises to be with us.” –Reverend Richard Griffiths

During Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Richard gave voice to the thought that resides in the hearts of many Christians in the western world: I’ll take power and I’ll take blessing, but I’m not taking suffering.

Why embrace suffering? Our pastor reminded us of the beginning of Romans chapter 5. In the first five verses of the chapter, the apostle Paul encourages believers to view suffering as a catalyst to hope. The embracing of suffering for the sake of Christ is the first step in a developmental process. What does suffering develop in us? Perseverance; character; hope.

The world, though, lives in opposition to the word of God. The world says that we ought to be free to be, say, and do whatever we please. The world says that if we don’t like something, we ought to drop it-- after all, why suffer? That is the way our world operates.

However, there is a more dangerous opponent of the tenets in the book of Romans. That opponent is found in the church. The model of suffering has grown odious in some spiritual circles. So, instead of a call to suffering, there are pockets of church culture in which Christians are told that the evidence of their spiritual prowess is found in their avoidance of suffering. But if we seek to avoid suffering, then how will we develop spiritual maturity?

Paul was willing to suffer for the sake of Christ. Much of his apostolic influence came not from his in-person visits to churches, but from the precious letters he wrote while imprisoned and held under house arrest. His transparency about the sufferings he endured served as encouragement to his fellow believers... and to us as well! Here we are, thousands of years later, still learning and growing from this example of a man who was happy to embrace suffering as a catalyst to spiritual growth.

Are you willing to suffer?

Lord God, help us to joyfully embrace the fellowship of Your sufferings.

All Scripture references are from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Trading Frustration For Hope.

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (Romans 5:1-5)

During this past Sunday's sermon Pastor Sam shared (paraphrased here) that frustration is even more intense when we look for something that does not materialize; but our hope in God never makes us ashamed. Perhaps we might adopt this statement as a proverb of encouragement.

Where is our focus today? Is it directed towards the pain of searching for what we do not yet see, or is it fixed on the hope we have in God?

Our pastor noted that Simeon, at the prompting of the Holy Spirit, went into the temple courts on the day that Mary and Joseph arrived to offer the sacrifice required for a first-born son (see Luke 2:27-28). Because the Spirit of God had to tell Simeon to go into the temple courts, it seems that Simeon was not spending every day wandering through the temple courts looking for the Messiah. Rather, it seems that Simeon, a man filled with the Spirit of God, was content to live his life waiting on God.

I wonder if we who call ourselves Spirit-filled Christians are content to simply wait on God in hope, or if we instead have become consumed with an anxious looking for God's promise to materialize:

-God, You told me such-and such, so long ago, but I don't see the thing yet.
-God, You promised me peace but I feel like I'm drowning in chaos.
-God, they have rejected You for so many years; they're so far gone: is it too late for them?

How do we trade our frustrations for hope? Luke 2 gives us a clue in the life of Simeon: "It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Messiah." (Luke 2:26)

Simeon did not worship the promise; he worshiped the Lord. The canon does not record Simeon as a man who nagged God about issues of time or space or place. Because the Holy Spirit was on Simeon (see Luke 2:25), Simeon was empowered to wait.

In the Old Testament we have record of a famous couple who seemed to err on the side of worshiping the promise. Abram and Sarai, in their longing to see God's promise fulfilled, made the assumption that God was not able to handle the issues of time, space, or place. Abram did not understand God's ability to save, so he twisted the truth about his marriage covenant with Sarai, twice, in attempts to "save" his own life. Sarai did not understand God's ability to perform creative miracles, and canon gives testimony of two of her errors: stepping out of God's covenant promise by giving Abraham her slave Hagar to bear a child, and laughing in disbelief when she heard God's messengers reiterate His promise that she would bear a child in her old age. (See Genesis chapters 12, 16, 17, 18, and 20)

Do you know that anxiety can affect us just as profoundly as it did Abram and Sarai? Have you ever wanted to make your own way? Have you ever wanted to take matters into your own hands? Resist the temptation. God doesn't have a problem with time. And God doesn't have a problem with space or place. Knock on the door of the Advent narrative. Ask for a young lady named Mary. Ask for a man named Simeon. They will tell you that the hope of God will not put you to shame. They will tell you that the promise of God is worth the wait and the pain and the suffering.

We have an opportunity to embrace this hope. Bronx Bethany Church of the Nazarene will soon be starting an extended season of fasting and prayer. We are scheduled to begin the new year with a forty-day fast, and then in the period of Lent we will have another forty-day period (excluding the Sundays) to turn our plates down and seek the Lord. As we wait on the Lord and hear the gentle promptings of His Spirit in us, we can expect to be encouraged in hope and empowered by His love.

The Holy Spirit has invited you to His trading post. Are you ready to trade your frustrations for His hope?

Thankful. Always.

"It is not you doing it yourself when you can look back and say, like Joseph to his brothers, 'You meant it for evil but God meant it for good.' It's not you. That is not normal and that is not natural. You have to be under something in order to be able to say that." -Rev. Dr. Samuel Vassel

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5:18-20)

When we are under the influence of the Holy Spirit, we exhibit behavior which is produced by the presence of the Spirit. It is a behavior that confounds the enemy of our souls and confuses those who are not in relationship with Jesus Christ. Even when we are marginalized or persecuted, we do not seek rescue. Instead, we rest in the fact of our having been reconciled to Christ. That rest produces a heart filled with thanks and praise.

How is that we can be singing in the midst of evil days? The person under the influence of the Holy Spirit understands that God is able to use even the worst of situations in order to glorify His own name. Pastor Sam referenced Romans 5:1-5 (click here to link to the passage): we glory in our sufferings because we know that God is doing something. I encourage us all to take time today to read and meditate on the Romans passage, recognizing that we do not have to wait for rescue before we break out in shouts of rejoicing. There is much to be thankful for, even in the midst of crisis, and so we give thanks to our great God.

Lord God, today we do not seek rescue, and we do not seek revenge. We are simply resting and rejoicing. May You find our hearts always thankful.