Walking through Corinth: Suffering and Comfort

What is suffering?   How do we know when we suffer?  Does God cause us to suffer?  At some point in our lives, we all suffer.  As Christians we often come to God with many questions.  We ask the questions "Why?" or "What now?" or "Don't You love me?". But although we ask these questions, is this the Christian response?

After his initial greeting to the church at Corinth (2 Cor. 1:1-2), Paul does something different than he does in his other letters.   Instead of offering up a prayer of thanksgiving for the recipients, Paul writes a benediction ascribing praise to God (1:3-7).

Paul has just gone through a period of great suffering is Asia.  He writes to a group of believers in Corinth and tells them that "we despaired of life itself".  The "itself" gives emphasis to the very "utterly, unbearable" crushing (1:8) that caused Paul to call into question "life." 

First of all, we should remember Paul's suffering was for Christ.  That is, Paul is not here talking about suffering brought on by his own poor decisions or choices.  Although his suffering included physical aspects, he is not talking about a disease. Too many Christians complain of their "trials" which could have been avoided by living in God's will.  This is an offense to God, who should not be an excuse for our own action.  When Paul refers to suffering, it is suffering brought on by being a faithful apostle of Jesus.

Secondly, we should remember that Jesus foreknew Paul's suffering. In verse 1, Paul tells us that he was "called" to be an apostle.  At the time of Paul's calling, Jesus tells Ananias  that Paul will be shown how much he will suffer on behalf of Christ (Acts 9:13-16).  The suffering that Paul endured, and that made him despair of his life is therefore part of what Jesus had him into.  

Thirdly, we should be reminded that it is hard to label an even in our lives as "true suffering."  In order to label some event as a time of suffering, we must know what God is producing through that event right now. Secondly, we must know what God will eventually produce through that event in the future.  Both of these things are beyond our knowledge.

I often think of Joni Earekson Tada, the Christian quadriplegic.

Although after her accident that left her paralyzed Joni was suicidal, she is now one of the greatest lights for the message of the gospel in the kingdom of God.  And her "suffering" also produced in her greater Christian character.

Finally, we should find solace in the cross. Paul views his suffering not in light his own pain, but through the lens of the cross (1:5).  Jesus suffered not only the physical pain of the cross, but the weight of all sin.  Yet through His suffering, the greatest comfort the world has ever known has been given. 

Believers should approach suffering not in despair or defeat.  For how do you or I know that our suffering will not produce a greater good in ourselves or others for the glory of Christ?  Rather we should remember the resurrection of Christ (1:5) and the hope that we have of new life with him both now and in the future. 

Through the lens of the cross we can see comfort in all things.  And this comfort is from our Father who comforts us (1:4-5).   Let us share that comfort with others.  Let us return that comfort back to God as a true offering of worship.

Walking through Corinth

2 Corinthians 1:1-2

    The letters of Paul most always follow the normal greeting found in the letters of his day.  This greeting consisted of 1) the name of the sender 2) the name of the recipient or recipients, and 3) a greeting or blessing. 
    This example can be found in many Greco-Roman letters such as the one composed in Acts 15 by the apostles.
   
    Paul does modify the greetings to his letter by adding his title (apostle), by mentioning Timothy and by substituting the word “grace” for greetings.  He keeps the Hebrew greeting shalom which is in Greek irene and translates as “peace.  This peace is that which is from God.

    Some scholars encourage readers not to be too caught up in the greeting of a letter, or to read to much into its details.  But there are many things here which the believer should notice.  The first is that Paul is not apostle by “choice” but apostle by “calling.”

    Apostles were those who had seen the risen Christ.  We are not apostles, or at least I am not, for I have not seen my risen Lord.  Whenever Paul thought of himself being called he was always no doubt brought to that startling moment when all that he had believed about himself, the world, and about God was proven to be false.
   
    The calling of Christ was none of Paul’s doing.  And as believers today, it is not to our own merit that we follow Christ, but rather to His glory.  The Christian should never think to his or herself, “I am saved, how wonderful am I!” but instead, “He saved me, he gave me even the faith to believe, how wonderful is He.”
   
    It is only by daily reminding of one's salvation that one can truly be humbled.  And it is only by humility, that one can be magnified through Christ.  We see our model of humbling and magnification in the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. And this humble promotion through the blood of Christ by “grace” grants the believer true “peace.” Who can take away the peace which God gives, or can give peace that abides in the “One who was, and is, and is to come.” (Rev. 1:4)?


 
God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing. - C. S. Lewis

What is the Pupose of Living?

Student Newsletter for 09/22/09

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Defending the Validity of Scripture

Science Can Not Explain Everything

Preaching: A Lost Art?

Although I am not "Reformed" in my theology, I do believe that the church is in need of reformation.  This is not a bold statement for many have thought so before me.  In truth, as long as the church is made up of Saints who are already saved yet being saved there will always be a need for reform.

One of the most astonishing areas in which the church needs reformation is in its proclamation of the word of God. That there is a lack of spiritual/doctrinal knowledge among the body of Christ can not be denied.  It is amazing how often even older Christians can not explain why they believe in baptism, what type of baptism it should be, or articulate even the basics of salvation or soteriology.

There is a lack of discipleship.  And it is a lack of discipleship in the Word of God.  We live in an age where more resources are available to the people of God than ever before.  Yet fewer unbelievers are being brought under the Lordship of Christ, and even fewer believers can share what that means.  We have at our disposal commentaries, lexicons, dictionaries, journals, and popular books.  There is no lack of media in our churches with moving backgrounds, still backgrounds, power points, and movies.

With the click of a mouse you can hear your favorite speaker or pastor's latest mp3 or read his sermons.

Yet men are no longer leaders of their homes or churches.  Wives and children, as well as others in our churches no longer know their roles according to God's Word.  I wonder if we have homes and churches made up of a bunch Christians instead of Christian homes and churches.

What would happen if in our churches on Sunday mornings, all pastors preached through the basic doctrines of the faith?  What if our pastors preached through the Bible verse by verse?  And what would happen if we expected those in our churches to know the Word and live it?  What would happen if we cut fellowship with them if they were unwilling to receive the truths of Scripture? 
 Christ commands such things in His Word.  And he was not unwilling to cut ties with those who would endanger the rest of the body. He commanded Paul to do such things. And Paul did them because he was more concerned about the Body of Christ than about the psyche of a few people, or about his own comfort among his people

What we need today are leader's in our churches who take people verse by verse through the Word of God.  They must take their people through books, and share God's ideas instead of their own ideas.  We need expository preaching not simply because it is Biblical, but to combat our own ignorance.

And we need better men of God, courageous men of God to speak His truth.  How can we bring persons to the God, whom we do not know ourselves?


NIV 1 Corinthians 9:16 "Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!"

A Hard Saying of Jesus

On Wednesday nights, I have been taking students through The Hard Sayings of Jesus by F. F. Bruce.

Last night, we focused upon Christ's words in Mark 2:17, "Those who are well do not need a doctor, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous but sinners."

I introduced the topic by showing the video "Skin (Sarah Beth)" by Rascal Flatts.  This video tells of a fear or an experience that we have all had, that of sickness. 

As a minister, and I suppose just as a result of growing older, I have come to despise cancer.  I have watched persons struggle with the disease.  And I have watched them die.  If I could do anything to cure cancer, I would.  I am sure that all of us would.

Now, what of the disease of sin?  The result of sin for us all is death (Rom. 6:23), but there are those of us who have been raised with Jesus who have no fear of the first or second death, hell (Rev. 2:11, 20:14).

We do not fear, because we have been to the doctor.  He has both healed us and given us a prescription to take before we will be healed fully.  We are saved and are being saved.

Now, will we not offer the cure to others?

Imagine if Jesus had simply sat in the synagogue, waiting for sinners to come inside?  It is interesting that this is often our plan, but when God was incarnate it was not his.

When Jesus associated with sinners, he did so in a very real way.  He sat down and ate with them.  He talked with them, shared food, laughed, and enjoyed their company.  It was only those who were religious who criticized him.  Matthew adds to Mark's saying by giving us Jesus' quote from Hosea 6:6.  "Go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.'".

Now not all of the religious persons were evil men.  Pharisees and their followers get a bad wrap.  Some of them no doubt truly had a heart for God and desired to please him.  But they had no heart for sinners.

I believe these words tell us today, "If you attend church every Sunday, if you lead in worship, if you are on a committee, if you are a deacon, or a minister, and you lose you heart for those in sin, then all of your other efforts are trivial."

I was glad at the end of our time together when our youth decided to break into their own groups and repent of their selfishness. Only the Holy Spirit could lead them to take that action.

Do you want to grow the body of Christ for the sake of Christ?  Then tell others about your favorite doctor.  The only One who brings true healing.

"Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither."- C. S. Lewis

Polkinghorne on Science and God.......

I am not a scientist. But most scientists are not theologians, either.  Fortunately, in John Polkinghorne God has provided His kingdom with both!

In his book Quarks, Chaos, & Christianity Polkinghorne discusses the relationship between God and science.  Of course, from his perspective they are intricately interwoven.

Polkinghorne states that "The need to mix fact and interpretation, to survey the world from a chosen point of view, makes science more daring, and more precarious, than people often realize."

Later on he writes that he believes science "never succeeds in telling us the whole truth about the physical world - there are some new things to find out - but, surely, it tells us some of the truth."

To illustrate this Polkinghorne uses the example of a road map.  Scientifically, the map is merely a collection of atoms and molecules that make ink and paper.  But a map is more than than merely molecules and atoms.

In the same way, science can tell us that our bodies are made of quarks and gluons, but it can not tell us more than our physical properties or how they arrived.

Some modern atheists such as Dawkins, Hitchens, and others say that evolution has disproved God entirely.  These arguments should not even cause a moment's hesitation for the Christian.  Not only because evolution might not be the best possible explanation found by scientists in the future, but because this claim can not be postulated by science at all.

 The claim that "God does not exist" must be made on the basis of one's interpretation of the facts of science.  And this interpretation is subject to the criticisms of philosophy, theology, sociology, and other methods of knowing.

One can not look at a cake and say, "Ha, I have discovered the ingredients and formula for mixing the ingredients, therefore a baker never existed!"  You can not observe your cake, and lay theological claim to it as well.

Forgiveness: Is It About Us?

Everybody desires forgiveness.  Forgiveness is necessary for maintaining relationships.  Even those who do not know or desire the forgiveness of God through Christ view forgiveness as necessary in their friendships, dating relationships, family relationships, and other areas of life.

But were we made to forgive or were we made to be forgiven?  If one holds that God is the Creator of the individual, then it seems that God creates the individual for his purposes.  And if God's greatest purpose in creating the individual is that the individual might know Him, then we must have been created to experience forgiveness. 

In the Old Testament we find that the Psalmist asks to be forgiven not for the sake of his self, but "for your name's sake", or for the sake of the Lord (Ps. 25.2; 79,9).  This theme is repeated in the prophets.

You see, when we follow the commands for Christ it is not out of a vain pursuit for our own holiness but for His.  It is love for Christ that motivates the believer to right living.   He says, "If you love me, you will obey what I command" (Jn. 14.15). 

That is how we know those who are in Christ.  They show love for Him and so they follow his desires and not their own for again, "No one who lives in Him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either known him or seen him" (1 Jn. 3.6).

If our motivation for not failing Christ is out of love for Christ or Christ Himself, then is our motivation for forgiveness the same?  Do we ask forgiveness to appease our conscience or to ease or guilt, or in order that God might be glorified?  True forgiveness is for "his name's sake."

Jonathan

"If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world."
--C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Remembering 9/11/01

On September 11, 2001 I was a freshman at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, AR. At that time, I was a music major with a vocal performance emphasis. I was at lunch in the cafeteria and a friend of mine, Brian Blocher walked in and said that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center Buildings in New York.

My initial thought was that something like a Cessna or smaller had mistakenly crashed into the buildings. I though perhaps the pilot had a medical condition which caused him to make such an incredible error.

Towards the end of my lunch break I walked in to the Student Center and saw something completely different on the television. I watched as I saw people jumping out of the building. I was there a few minutes before the first building suddenly collapsed and fell.

It was like a dream, or a movie, except you felt the instantaneous loss of life. When I look upon this day I remember several things.

First of all, we were all reminded of the reality of evil. Secondly, we were all reminded of our humanity. We will not live forever.

Finally, we were reminded of love. The firefighters, police officials and others who were died that day did so for their fellow man. And greater love than this can not be found (Jn. 15:13).

This September 11th I choose to honor them. And thinking of their sacrifice I think of Christ. And thinking on Christ leads me to ask myself, would I give my life so that others might know him? Am I giving my life today?

Abortion - Silent Funerals

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/september/17.78.html

A fantastic article by Dinesh D'Souza.

Scientists Discover Giant Rat, Frog With Fangs in 'Lost World' Habitat - Science News | Science

Scientists Discover Giant Rat, Frog With Fangs in 'Lost World' Habitat - Science News | Science & Technology | Technology News - FOXNews.com

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The Obama School Speech Controversy -- What to Think?

The Obama School Speech Controversy -- What to Think?

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Devotedly Yours

I want to make this blog a place where students and their parents can grow in "wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men." In order to do this, all growth must be founded upon God as known through Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and as revealed in his word, the Bible. So, consider this post as a first in a series of devotional thoughts.

How much time did Jesus spend in "church"?

When I ask myself that question two things come to mind. First of all, as a Jew, Jesus did appear in the institutionalized "church" or synagogues of his day (mk 1.21, 3.1, 6,2; lk 4.16, 4.33, 6.6, 13.14, jn. 6.59; mt. 12.9, 13.54). He always seems to have cause quite a ruckus when he was there. This often led to him being kicked out of the synagogue. His life was threatened by what he said in a synagogue once (lk. 4.29-29).

When it came to the institution of the church, Jesus seems to have been a participant. But perhaps not the ones all of us would like for him to have been. Jesus cared more about the hearts of those in the institution then simply the institution itself. His involvement in the synagogues could be summarized with the words of YHWH, hence Jesus' words as well, found in Isaiah:

Isaiah 29:13 The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men."


The second response I have to this question is that Jesus spent a lot of time "being" and teaching others to be the church as well. The church is his body, so wherever Jesus was, that was where the true people of God were. That was were the church truly was. Not in the synagogue, but with Christ.

Imagine if Jesus had spent all of his time in a synagogue merely having a teaching ministry. What would have happened after his resurrection?

Instead, he trained men on how to reach other men. He showed them how to care for the lost by caring for the lost. He showed them how to sacrifice by being the ultimate sacrifice. His life was the gospel that they would teach.

So, how much time did Jesus spend in "church"? Quite a lot, actually! But whether in our out of the synagogue, he was interested in "being" the "church". If we are not about doing, then we are not following Christ. And if we do not follow him, we are not his disciples.