This morning, I came to the next triplet of things Paul lists as testimony of his “great endurance” in facing everything that came to him as a result of believing and preaching the “gospel of the kingdom”.[1]
The first triplet from yesterday is: “Great endurance” of general troubles: “afflictions, hardships, calamities”.
The second triplet from today is: “Great endurance” of violent troubles: “beatings, imprisonments, riots”.
I think these are easy for us to picture as we recall scenes from the book of Acts that show how much trouble Paul got into with his ministry. It is recorded in history how he was beaten many times, even left for dead on one occasion. His imprisonments are the reason we have his amazing letters as gifts to the church since that is when he had time to write. And his ministry stirred up riots, not because he was doing anything riotous himself, but because the world, the flesh, and the devil hate Jesus Christ.
The funny thing this morning is that I got distracted from this by some thoughts that came together for a grad card I was working on. I shared this about it on Facebook:
However, the “rabbit hole” I refer to did come out of my meditation on Paul’s testimony in these descriptions of his suffering. Some of the trials I have endured as of late reminded me of the counsel I would give to a beloved graduate as she heads off into the world without yet knowing and believing in Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. I have a sincere hope that she will one day see how the people whose love for Christ is most genuine are typically seen by the world as worthy of contempt and rejection. However, their willingness to suffer the world’s hatred with joy shows that Jesus is worthy of our love, and honor, and praise, and obedient faith.
My take-away from all of this is that, if following Christ as well as Paul did is characterized by violence from the world, then the emotional and psychological beatings I have experienced because of proclaiming Jesus to everyone are an affirmation, not a condemnation. What sometimes feels like imprisonment because of calling people to walk in the obedience of faith regarding relationships in the church affirms rather than condemns. And the “riots” I have been through in church business meetings and relationships means that I am to rejoice in my persecutions and trials as instructed by God’s word and trust that he will show the genuineness of the gospel I preach to whomever he wills.
Which reminds me: I woke up praising God for trials I have gone through and thanking him for taking me through them as the discipline I need to grow up in Christ. I smiled with the thought that I did not need to know why he is doing such things, how long they will last, or what will come next. My soul was at peace that God is the one who is sovereignly working out his good, acceptable and perfect will in all our trials and sufferings, and his command is to rejoice in our persecution. I was happy that my heart was doing that as I awoke. Even what I wrote into the grad card came out of this peace with God, and I believe is a Christ-honoring expression of love.
I am now curious how this will all work into things that are staring us in the face with grief due to a recent death, my dad’s ill-health warning of another, and the interactions of loved ones as we grapple with the issues of life and death. I am sure there is more I don’t even know about, and that God will continue working it for the good of making his children more like Jesus every day of our lives.
© 2023 Monte Vigh ~ Box 517, Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8
Email: in2freedom@gmail.com
Unless otherwise noted, Scriptures are from the
English Standard Version (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text
Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of
Good News Publishers.)
[1]
These are from II Corinthians
6:4-10. The phrase “the gospel of the kingdom” is found in Matthew 4:23;
9:35; 24:14.
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