A Theology for Suffering

Christians have established teachings on many topics including God, salvation, church, and the end times. But we also need a doctrine on the subject of suffering, because if our belief system is unsettled pain can potentially derail our Christian life.

Here is a simple set of beliefs based on Psalm 34:19, "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all."

I. CHRISTIANS SUFFER

II. CHRISTIANS OFTEN SUFFER

III. JESUS DELIVERS

IV. JESUS ALWAYS DELIVERS.

These four simple statements provide comfort and reassurance. I encourage you to adopt, memorize, and use these truths the next time your experience heartache.

What is your theology of suffering? Please share it with me.

 

 

 

The Difference between Salvation and Discipleship

  • In salvation we come to the cross, but in discipleship we carry the cross.
  • For salvation we believe in Jesus, but for discipleship we follow Jesus.
  • At salvation we sip the milk of God's word, but for discipleship we chew the meat of God's word.
  • At salvation we are indwelt by the Spirit, but in discipleship we become intimate with the Spirit.
  • Salvation is instanteous, discipleship is ongoing.
  • At salvation we leave Egypt, but in discipleship we enter the Promised Land.

"Therefore leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection" Hebrews 6:1

Staying Salty

I asked my dad, a retired scientist, about how salt loses its flavor (Luke 14:34) He explained that salt is sodium chloride, and moisture is what breaks the bond between these two elements. Water causes salt to lose its effectiveness.

In Luke 14:25-35 Jesus wasn't giving a chemistry lesson, rather He was teaching about discipleship. Jesus explained that just as moisture can seep in and ruin salt, so certain things can creep into the life of a believer and render them useless as a disciple.

According to Jesus three things can break the bond between us and Him.

To avoid being watered down by these invaders. We must hate, die, and relinquish. 

  1. Jesus said in comparison to our love for Him we must hate other people.
  2. Jesus said we must take up our cross and die to our selfish pleasures.
  3. Jesus said we must be willing to relinquish every possession and follow Him.

Jesus said we cannot be His disciple unless we keep the bond between us and Him strong. We must avoid anything that weakens our relationship with Christ. This is how we stay salty, and remain effective in the Lord's service.

 

Going Deep with God

Luke 5:1-11 contains the account of Simon Peter launching out into the deep water with the Lord and catching a net full of fish. 

To be fully blessed with God we must go further deep with God.

  1. Going deep with God requires obedience. In verse 3 Jesus told Simon "Put out a little." We must be obedient in the small things before we can experience big things with God..
  2. Going deep with God requires solitude. We cannot be with the crowd and be alone with the Lord. Simon was willing to leave the others on the beach in order to have private time with the Lord out in the boat.
  3. Going deep with God requires repentance. Jesus asked Simon, a professional fisherman, to do things in a new way. We cannot go deep with the Lord and stubbornly insist on our old familiar ways. 
  4. Going deep with God requires faith. In verse 5 Simon said, "Nevertheless at Your word I will." Like Simon, if we want to go deep with God, we must trust God and obey His word.
  5. Going deep with God requires confession. Verse 8 says Simon realized his sinfulness and acknowedged it to the Lord. If we are going to go deep with God we must deal with personal sin. 
  6. Going deep with God requires missions. Simon learned that going deep with God was not about catching fish, but about catching men, verse 10.
  7. Going deep with God requires discipleship. Verse 11 says, Simon "forsook all and followed [Jesus]." Going deep with the Lord is not a one time event, but a lifelong journey with Jesus.

Are you ready to quit splashing around in "the shallow end of the pool" and go deep with God? 

 

The Fellowship of the Criticized

In Paul's second letter to the Corinthians, he defended himself against bogus accusations. These false teachers complained about Paul:

  • "He's not a real apostle."
  • "He is fickle."
  • "He appearance is deplorable."
  • "His speech is contemptible." 
  • "He can't get churches to financially support him."
  • "He doesn't carry letters of recommendation."
  • "It is obvious God is not blessing him because of all the suffering he endures."
  • "He is holding you back."
  • "He's bossy."
  • "He's crazy."
  • "God doesn't speak through him."
  • "He doesn't love you."
  • "He is cheating you."
  • "He doesn't have the authority to tell you what to do."

These enemies of Paul were probably the Judaizers who stalked him throughout his travels. They tried to inject law into the gospel and that's always a bad combination. 

Since Paul, the greatest missionary of all time, had critics, we should not be surprised when people complain about us also.

Turning Criticisms into Lessons

Paul used the criticisms of his enemies as an opportunity to learn, articulate, and teach the following:

  1. The benefits of suffering
  2. The schemes of Satan
  3. How to identify false teachers 
  4. The sufficiency of God 
  5. The folly of ministerial boasting
  6. The judgment of believers by Jesus Christ
  7. The joy of generosity
  8. Persevering in Christian service.

2 Corinthians is a wonderful epistle and it shows that a bad situation can be a good learning opportunity.

What difficulties are you going through today? And what lessons is God trying to teach you?

How to Handle a Fool

All of us have people who irritate us. We are tempted to lash out them and "give them a piece of our mind," but the best course of action is to leave the alone. Solomon the wisest man who ever lived had this to say Proverbs 29.

"If a wise man contends with a foolish man, whether the fool rages or laughs, there is no peace." In other words, there is no talking sense with some people, so best leave them alone.

"A fool vents all his feelings, but a wise man holds them back." Here Solomon advises it is never good to fully express your disastisfaction. Hold your peace.

As I write these words I acknowledge I am frustrated with a couple of people. I have thought about reasoning with them, but I have tried that before. I have also briefly thought about really unloading on them and telling them how disappointed I am in their behavior, but I realize nothing good will come out of me scolding them. So I am left with the words of Solomon. I must hold my tongue, move on, and try to be a person of honor.