Embracing Suffering: The Path to Ministry's Blessings

The New Testament gives no carnal human comforts about our sufferings it never the writers never in any way speak like oh I'm so sorry that you believers are going through this and one of the most remarkable things about the book of Job in light of this is if you had let one of your children go through what Jobe went through when the time was right wouldn't you try to comfort them and talk to them about the suffering and consoled them about it and explain it a little bit you would if you could in this amazing when God finally shows up to job God never brings up his suffering as a topic of discussion it never explains it that is amazing to me the New Testament and attitude and teaching for us relative to our trials and our suffering is not sympathy just reality like this [00:03:13]

I think it's a statement but I'll turn it into a question why do you think this is strange what you're going through you don't think this is strange as some strange things happening to you you're called to this suffering your path is not different than your Lords rejoice in your hardness as a good soldier in other words man up on through hard time and your hardness as a good soldier endure it fight the good fight of faith there's this call to us to be men about this and face it and realize this is what is our destiny in the ministry and even Paul in the missionary journeys he would come back to churches and even for the the Christian in general he told them we must through much tribulation enter the kingdom of God [00:04:20]

There is no other way in the ministry than suffering Amy Carmichael said this this is good it's a long quote but she said the Bible is full of great words for God's warriors they sound like trumpets sometimes but there are other words that speak very quietly deep within us perhaps there are some who are sorely tempted because of the hardness of the work and trusted to them that maybe some of you right now that would say at hope for has not happened perhaps they feel they can't go on at such times we should hear the words our Lord Jesus Christ has spoken well this is the whole Bible but he he spoke at all didn't he soon think of this they blew the trumpet trumpets and broke the pitchers in alabaster box of ointment very precious and she broke the box Jesus took and blessed the bread and broke it and gave it and Amy carbuncles and says also my body which is broken for you broken pitchers and the light shone out broken box in the ointment poured forth broken bread and the hunger hungry were fed and a broken body in a lost world was redeemed there is no fruitfulness in the ministry without God breaking us [00:09:51]

Our trials and suffering in the ministry is primarily for the sake of others think about this let me turn you don't need to turn to these I'll read them quick it's for the sake of others Amy Carmichael when she was younger I don't remember what age this was she was very active in India she was doing ministry evangelism rescuing girls from temple prostitution they had started their work donna ver and they had gone to look at a house i think to purchase it you were walking through it and there was boards that were weak and rotted out and she fell through the floor two against of the basement she messed up her back severely in her leg she was never the same again and from then on she was basically bedridden after a number of years and it was out of that suffering she began to write her books and so her suffering became for the future Church of Jesus Christ would she have gotten those books written without the suffering I don't know but our trials and suffering are often for our flock and for others that God brings endure loss [00:13:30]

Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities in reproaches and needs in persecution in de-stresses or Christ's sake your hardship and your sufferings and your tears and your trials are first for Christ's sake there for him to get out of you what he wants to get out of you and there for him to put in you what he wants to put in you that through you his fragrance will flow on others it's for Christ's sake in the depth of that we've never plumbed for Jesus sake [00:14:34]

Now if we are afflicted he's writing to the Corinthians it is for your consolation and salvation our sufferings are for the Saints what we go through it is for your consolation and salvation which is effective or enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer or if we're comforted that's for your consolation and salvation Philippians chapter 1 these are just a few references that show us Paul buted this way that are suffering us for others [00:15:25]

Paul's in prison he's suffering he says I know that this will turn out from my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the spirit of Jesus Christ according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I will be ashamed but with all boldness as always so now also Christ will be magnified in my body whether by death or by life whether by life or by death for to me to live is Christ and to die is gain but if I live on in the flesh this will mean fruit for my labor yet I shall what I shall choose I cannot tell for I am hard pressed between the two having a desire to depart and be with Christ which is far better nevertheless to remain in the flesh he's writing from prison cell remaining means continuing suffering remaining in the flesh is more needful for you Philippians being confident of this I know that I shall remaining to continue with you all for your progress and your joy of faith [00:16:27]

Our suffering that we don't see it at the moment is for the future progress and the benefit of other Christians if we are to impact Paul said the same thing to Timothy in 2nd Timothy 2:10 he says therefore I endured all things or the sake of who the elect that they may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory and see this is not an easy thing because here you are as a pastor and when you're suffering you can't just lay down John popper has a wonderful sermon on Spurgeon preaching through affliction and you read the Spurgeon autobiography the two volumes and you see this just exploded out of there when you're going through suffering and you're hurting you can't just stop you're hurting you're in pain you're under attack and yet you have to keep going and preach next Sunday you have to muster up the grace to do that you have to then encourage the weak and the weak minded and the new Christian who's confused and going through hardship you still have to minister to them words of life and comfort you can't stop being a pastor so even when we're under attack and we're discouraged and hurting and weak the reality of this is our suffering is for others [00:17:31]

The greatest blessing for me over these 40 plus years have been the Christians that I've been privileged to minister to to know to love this is the great joy of the kingdom seeing change lives the joy of seeing someone's life changed through your care through your ministry a joy that can't be expressed really can never be conveyed to others and we don't even see the reward and it's good we don't the Lord protects us from seeing it because we're laying up an incorruptible crown and so the blessings to me are the Saints and not only that within those who preach too but the blessings of God's people that you come to know in your life as a Christian think about it if you were not a Christian today you are in the ministry think of what you would have missed out on and think of the Christians that you come to know and love since you've been a Christian and since you've been in the ministry that are so widespread the dear relationships that you treasure that you don't always stay in touch with them but you treasure those friendships you treasure those relations you cultivate them you appreciate them [00:23:02]

God gives these precious dear relationships and we ought to treasure them rather we all enjoy one another well to encourage one another that's the great blessing in the ministry to me by far so I think that's all I've got to say we can just transition now if [00:26:10]