Principle 8: Jesus wants to share the Joy of suffering

 

The suffering of Christ was not enough by itself. He wanted me to have the joy of suffering too.

Before you freak out about the doctrine of the sufficiency of Christ, let me clarify. The work of Christ on the cross was completely sufficient to accomplish the work of atonement, the forgiveness of our sins. However, Paul says in 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."

(Gee, how nice of you, Jesus, to save some suffering for us.)

 What exactly did he mean by this, " Lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions?" I believe he intentionally chose to include us in the work by asking us to go out and experience the necessary process of suffering to invite as many as possible to Kingdom citizenship and to build up the Church. For Paul this meant many days and nights of extremely hazardous travel which resulted in multiple shipwrecks and being left adrift at sea. It meant fearing for his life every time he got up in front of the Jews to speak the gospel. The list goes on, but the point is that Paul was happy to take all these risks and consequences because that was the suffering that Jesus was asking him to fill. Jesus came to save people but he has left it to us to spread the word. Should we expect that although our Lord and Savior had to suffer to accomplish the work that we would somehow get off the hook? We are off the hook for punishment, but we get to join him in suffering to bring about his Kingdom work here on earth. 

So this all got me thinking; what is it that inspires people to willingly follow someone into a situation that they know will bring suffering? 

A: The quality of the leader they are following. Have you ever had a boss that you just enjoyed working for? Not just the fun kind of enjoy, but you go to work every day with security knowing that your boss has your back and they will go to bat for you in a moment. You know they are looking for opportunities to be generous and they will truly appreciate, not just your work but you. These are the kind of bosses we follow into the fire. 

 B: The importance of the mission they are on. I think this is well illustrated by the current conflict in Ukraine. There is no way that the little, relatively young country of Ukraine should have lasted as long as it has against a behemoth like Russia. But if you think about it. The Ukrainians are fighting for their homes and their families as well as their country. Everything important to them is at stake. I would imagine many of the Russians don't even want to be involved in this war and don't believe in it but they are just doing what they are told. 

 

As believers, we have both the best leader that has ever existed and the most important cause to suffer for. 

I think that means that we ought to be willing to suffer more than anyone.  

But what it also means is that we can find the most joy in our suffering because there is no greater reason to suffer than bringing people into the Kingdom of God and eternal life. There is also no one greater to suffer for than Jesus, who has already suffered the ultimate penalty on our behalf. 

So, when he asks us, as Paul did to Timothy in his call to leadership, 

"but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God." (I Timothy 1:8)

We have no reason to shrink back from that but we can dive in will the full assurance that there is joy set before us just as there was for Jesus on the cross. 

For me, this time, that meant taking a relatively small risk of flying across a remote part of Alaska to serve our neighbors in whatever way was needed to show them what Jesus is like and that they are worth loving. It just happened to catch up with me. 

But many times this means choosing to work with difficult people. Perhaps moving to a location that is inherently dangerous. For some it means traveling into conflict zones to help the helpless. For others it might be facing hate or rejection for standing on biblical principles or sharing their faith. We don't have to be some "frontlines" missionary to fill up the sufferings of Christ, we just have to be willing to do what he asks. The suffering will find us soon enough and with it, we find the joy of participating in the suffering of Christ. 

Dear friends, do not be astonished that a trial by fire is occurring among you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice in the degree that you have shared in the sufferings of Christ, so that when his glory is revealed you may also rejoice and be glad.

(1 Pe 4:12–13).

Principle 7: Weak is the New Strong

So there I was, laying on the ice, not daring to move any more than wiggling my toes. That partly to keep the circulation going and partly to reassure myself that they still worked. I knew from the pain in my lower back that any unnecessary movement could have catastrophic consequences. Meanwhile my friends are on the ice next to me needing medical attention. One complains of trouble breathing, another is confused and disoriented. Ashley's not a complainer so she doesn't say much, but when I lift the blankets to see her face, I see a lot of blood and pain written all over it and I can tell she's worse off than me. As Eric hobbles around, he manages to keep us all warm, but he soon realizes that if he gets down to help someone, he's not getting up again. 

How am I feeling in this moment? Grateful to be alive? Yes, but also totally helpless, weak, useless. I have first aid training but I couldn't use any of it. I was totally dependent on someone coming to help with zero ability to help anyone else. 

The next three days brought lots of laying flat on my back unable to even sit up or roll onto my side. Pro-tip: if you're going to break your back, don't do it on a Friday because you have to wait for all the doctors to be "in the office" on Monday to decide what to do with you. Thankfully, they had a good plan and surgery went well. But then I got what sounded a little like a sentence to imprisonment. No lifting, bending, or twisting for 3 months, 1 year of recovery, lift no more than a gallon of milk. What does all that spell? Weakness... I'm going to be useless for a long time. 

But then there's Paul...

"If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness." (II Cor 11:30)

Gee, thanks a lot Paul, now I have to re-think everything...

When Paul says this, he's in the middle of a battle to re-claim credibility with the Corinthian church as their founding apostle. It seems that some "super apostles" had come in with fancy speeches, leaning on the conventional wisdom that "you get what you pay for" mocked Paul for his free teaching. While they claimed to be important people, Paul makes his defense by saying he could foolishly match all their worldly claims to fame, but instead he chooses to boast in his weaknesses. 

In II Cor 11:23-29 Paul goes on to "boast" about how he has been a manual laborer, a convict and nearly died multiple times. He appears to be extremely accident prone and it seems like nearly everyone wants to kill him. Then, to top off his resume, he has extensive experience being cold, naked, and anxious. 

He goes on to explain that he could boast in his incredible revelations from God, but no; God put a "thorn in his flesh" to teach him that, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." "Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why for Christs's sake, I delight in weaknesses , in insults in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties, for when I am weak, then I am strong." (II Cor 12:9-10)

So I guess that means, not only do I have to re-think the meaning of my weakness, but also my feelings about it. How dare Paul delight in his hardships!

So how exactly is God's power made perfect in my weakness? I don't know. But what I do know is that although Paul's resume may have been a little sketchy, he was one of the most successful church planter / evangelists of all time. As an apostle of Christ,  He is a foundation stone of the Church as it exists today. Why? Because of his weakness. 

So I choose to look forward to seeing what God can do through my current state of helplessness. It aught to be a good show.