Blessings in Suffering

Romans 5:1-8 “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him” (Rom. 8:16-17, NASB). In the world of body builders there is an old saying, “No pain no gain.” Can you imagine yourself with a body sculptured like one of these athletes? Can you imagine yourself with arms and chest that big? How does one get a body like this? People are not born with muscles like this. It takes years of hard work and sacrifice. It takes good nutrition and strenuous exercise. The athlete exercises his/her muscles to the point of feeling a burning sensation during the exercise. Afterwards he or she feels pain. The same can be said about the Christian church and Christians individually. Growth and strength comes with sacrifice, hard work, pain and suffering. Now, for sure, one can maintain a healthy body by exercising regularly without exercising to the point of pain. One can live a good Christian life without too much pain and suffering. However, if there is to be growth in the church and maturity in the individual members it will take some pain and suffering. The good news for both the body builder and the church is that there is a blessing; and a reward that results from the pain and suffering. In this article I want to highlight some events found in the scriptures that illustrate this truth. One only needs to look back to the early stages of the church found in the book of Acts to find several examples. One example is found in Acts 2. In Acts 2 the writer, Luke, tells us that the Holy Spirit descends upon 120 of Jesus’ disciples gathered together in a house. On that day Peter preaches to the people telling them that Jesus is the promised Messiah. “So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls” (Acts 2:41, NASB). That day the church is born. Acts 2:42-47 tell us how the people came together to form one community. However, when the church begins to grow the people begin to experience persecution and suffering. “And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea, and Samaria, except the apostles” Acts 8:1, NASB). We will see that when the ministers of God suffer for Christ there is a blessing that result from their suffering. The writer of Acts after telling about the new community tells us what takes place when Peter and John begin to spread the good news. A man lame from his mother’s womb is healed and the people are amazed. Peter tells the people that this man is walking because Jesus died on the cross and God raised Him from the dead (Acts 3). Peter and John create a problem that causes them to suffer. “As they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came upon them, being greatly disturbed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead” (4:1-2). Why does this teaching create a problem? The Sadducees do not believe in the resurrection from the dead (Mk. 12:18). So, “they laid hands on them and put them in jail until the next day, for it was already evening” (v. 3). Peter and John have done a good thing. However, they suffer because the people believe their message. This creates a tension between the teaching of the apostles and the doctrine of the Sadducees. What causes pain when the body builder exercises their muscles? There is a tension created by the weight that the athletic is using to exercise their muscles. The weight is a resistance to the movement of the muscle. In this case the Sadducees are a resistance against which the message must contend. Peter and John are kept in jail for the night (4:3). This does not stop the message from being effective. “But many of those who had heard the message believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand” (v. 4). We can see that there is pain for Peter and John. There is also gain as the church continues to grow. We have seen an example of church growth though the suffering of Peter and John. Let us look at a second example. In Acts 9 Saul (later Paul 13:9) obtains letters from the high priest to go to the synagogues to arrest those who believe in Jesus (vv.1-2). On his way to Damascus Saul has a vision. He is blinded by the light. God appears to a disciple named Ananias and tells him to lay hands on Saul. Ananias is puzzled, but God gives him assurance. Notice what the Lord says to Ananias. ‘“Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake” (vv. 15-16). Did you get that? God has chosen Saul to suffer as he bears the name of Jesus. Saul will preach Jesus and the blessing will be the salvation of souls. This blessing is obtained through suffering. We know from the scriptures that Saul travels throughout Asia Minor and Western Europe on three missionary journeys. As he travels he establishes many churches. However, his success comes with pain and suffering. In Lystra, “Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having won over the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead” (14:19). Paul is not dissuaded. Paul gets up and travels with Barnabas to Derbe (v. 20). They return to Lystra and Iconium and to Antioch, “strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, ‘Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (v. 22). Let us hear what this great apostle has to say about suffering. In the book of 2 Corinthians Paul gives us an account of his sufferings (4:7-18; 6:4-10). The point that Paul is making is that the church is growing because people suffer. He and his companions are blessed as they suffer. They see people coming to know Christ. They see the believers maturing in their faith in Christ. The hopeless have hope. Miracles are performed daily. In Romans 5 Paul tells us that suffering gives us perseverance and hope. He says, “And not only this, but we also exult (rejoice) in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; perseverance, proven character, hope;” (vv. 3-4, NASB). Have you ever seen body builders work out? They grunt. They strain. They push each other to do more; to push the weights. You hear one say to the other: “Come on, three more. Come on, two more, and come on, one more.” The one lifting the weights puts the weights down. He stands up proudly. He takes deep breaths, and one can see the satisfaction that he has in his facial expression and in his body language. He suffers through the exercises. He looks in the mirror and sees the results of his hard work. It is my prayer that the church will begin to place greater emphasis on church growth through the spread of the gospel. It is the gospel that brings salvation (Rom. 1:16). Paul writes, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” We can increase the number of attendants in our churches using good marketing strategies. We can advertise our church programs and ministries and draw the crowds. There is no need to suffer because the people are getting what they want. People will come, but why are they coming? Is the gospel being preached? Are the people that are coming to the church being saved? In our churches, are we doing just enough to maintain ourselves and our programs? Are we causing a tension between the kingdom of God and the world? The blessings of the church are people coming to know Jesus Christ and maturing in their faith in Christ; willing to stand against all opposition that the world offers.