"I only have one goal: spreading the gospel. Paul's solution in such conundrums is simple: surrender both. The recent debate between the FBI and Apple centers on two deeply held American rights: privacy and security. Our culture is committed to protection, security, and pain-avoidance. Unfortunately, the incident had nothing to do with me being a voice for the gospel, so there wasn't much joy to be had in it. I got punched in the face in eighth grade. Apparently, he keeps signing up for this. He's beaten with rods three times, survives a stoning attempt, and is shipwrecked three times. Have you ever truly stopped to reflect on this? Five times Paul gets forty lashes minus one. And he reluctantly declares them in 2 Cor. If anyone has a resume with exhaustive suffering credentials to tout, it's Paul. The apostle Paul had a crystal vision-which is why he appears so reckless in the face of very real threats. In one of the messages, we focused on Paul's understanding of suffering as it shapes the life of the disciple and the church. This last spring our church did a seven-part series on the life of Paul during our capital campaign. Maybe it's because we don't have a solid grasp of what the "joy set before us" might look like. It's a position on suffering rarely modeled in a pain-avoidant society. The writer of Hebrews contends "For the joy set before him he endured the Cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (12:2). It's just something we're stuck with in our current state." Nobody's excited about the reality of suffering. Followers of Jesus will eventually move beyond this system, either at the point of death or at Christ's return. Death, tragedy, disease are the natural consequences of humanity's first and subsequent rejection of God's will. We are living in the midst of that fallout. This theory contends: "The Fall introduced brokenness in the world. The adherents of this view consider themselves realists. The second approach avoids the aforementioned escapism. Increased faith and an upward tick in moral performance insures a pain-free existence." If you've been in church circles long enough, you've heard a version of this view. God's intent for us is pain-free living and if we're stuck in some kind of agony something is broken on our end, not God's. The argument goes: "Christ healed the sick, diseased, and oppressed in his time and also does it in ours. They don't deny that pain exists they discount it as a constant for a person of faith. The escapist rejects suffering in all its forms. So how, in our preaching, do we reconcile the wish for pain-free living with the ever-present weight of suffering? Three approaches to human sufferingĪt the risk of oversimplifying a complex issue, allow me to present three approaches to human suffering: escape, tolerate, and redeem. ![]() At the same time, I've seen Jesus-honoring, Bible-believing, Spirit-led, faith-filled people breathe their last breath with their healing prayer unanswered. ![]() I come from a faith tradition where we believe that God can and does dramatically heal people. No one would ever confuse me for the most empathetic person they know, but I cling to the truth of Psalm 34:18: "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." My great hope is that those who are emotionally, physically, and spiritually injured would find healing and encouragement in real-time encounters with Christ. Let the pulpit be a mirror-a reminder that people don't have to live in denial of brokenness-and a beacon-pointing to Christ's faithfulness and care as we navigate dark valleys together.Įven the most broken preachers step into the pulpit with the desire to serve brokenhearted people well. And almost everyone pushes the pain just deep enough below the surface to hide from the most discerning eyes. A couple who lost their infant daughter to SIDS. A young man was recently arrested for his second DUI, scrambling to escape the maze of addiction. The husband who wandered in because his wife just served him with divorce papers is yearning for consolation. Whenever we gear up for our weekend services, and when we debrief conversations with people in crisis, we remind one another: "Never underestimate the pain in the room." On any given Sunday, the odds that one person in your sanctuary is struggling with loss, heartache, rejection, loneliness, or failure is 100%. We have a mantra for the staff here at Kensington Church. You'll do anything to escape the gnawing ache, the needling discomfort. The tag line for the ad was: "Imagine living pain free for the rest of your life." If you're struggling with chronic pain, you're ready to pick up the phone. I heard an ad on the radio for a physician with a solution for people suffering from nerve pain in their hands and feet.
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