Know His Sufferings

Philippians 3:10-11 - that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

I'm blown away again by how God works, how He gets me thinking me in advance of what is about to be revealed. I had part of this blog written last week but something was missing. I'd not quite finished it. During church yesterday I was able to complete this. God is so good. I'll try to piece the two together...

Our interim pastor, Paul Hanson, spoke his first sermon and it spoke volumes. He spoke on the Commitment to Press On. As a church we are in transition and Hanson has stepped in until we find a new pastor to lead this flock. In a nutshell he spoke about pressing on...toward the goal God has for each of us as individuals and as a church. Part of the sermon was on suffering...we all go through it, the church has gone through it, but we are not to keep that in the forefront of our mind.

Pressing on...toward knowing Christ...not learning about Him, but experiencing Him. This has got to be one of the most difficult things to explain. I've said it several times...it's not just about knowing who Jesus is but really knowing Him with every fiber of our being. The definition of knowing according to Hanson is come to know. It's an ongoing thing. It's not just hearing about Him and saying we know who He is. It's getting to a place in life when you desire to know Him, to sense His presence...to experience Him...to know His power.

Pressing on...to know God's will for each of us and again as a church. We each have talents. It's recognizing them and using them for God's glory. It doesn't need to be anything great, just walking the path God has put before us.

Pressing of the past and the future...forgetting the past and moving forward. Gee, I think I wrote about that already... But Hanson gave us the meaning of forget: it means to neglect--to no longer allow ourselves to feed whatever it is we should let go of. And then he told us this is how God sees those who have accepted Christ and have been washed by His blood. He no longer sees our sin. Hard to comprehend, but I'm believing it.

So the one thing he discussed was the phrase "the fellowship of sharing in His suffereings." And that was what I had started to blog. I've mentioned how Adam and Eve lived with toil and pain after their fall. So it is with us. However, Jesus came to be an example. "Follow Me," He tells us. The meaning of suffering is passion. Yes, passion. It's knowing the will of God. For Jesus God's will was to die for us. He sacrificed His own life. What is our will? One, to sacrifice ourselves for Him. Two, to know His will, which if accepted properly will be a sacrifice. And for all believers that is to show others the magnificence of who God is. 

Life will not be without suffering even for true Christians. Suffering can be part of our sacrifice. Suffering can be others rejecting what we have to say about Jesus, just like so many rejected what Jesus had to say about Himself. And I believe trials are there for us to look to God for strength...and to let others see our attitude and behavior as we go through a difficult time. Will others see the strength of Christ in us or will they see a person whose beliefs are weak when trouble comes? Suffering came out of disobedience and we won't get out of it. Christ came to help us through this suffering...because He's already gone through it all. He's the one who brings peace in the midst of trials.

Suffering, I think, can mean pressing on in a supernatural strength. I've seen people in our church who look defeated...week after week. Some grouse about their situations. There are others who never show their pain...they may feel it but it doesn't own them.  It's for a time but with God's help the mourning turns to dancing. If people are in Christ, truly counting on Him, there will be an inner joy--the joy of the Lord. And it means pressing on with life despite what life deals us. 

Either I have not experienced grief so unbearable or I bounce back quickly. I just don't know. I may go through troubling times but I think I get over it. There may be many mini-griefs but they're short-lived. I would like to believe this is the joy of the Lord, the peace that passes all understanding. I would hope I am gathering up the strength each day.

Pastor Hanson began the sermon by stating that commitment is liberating. What freedom is there in masking the troubles of life with alcohol or drugs? When we commit ourselves to Christ it is freeing. This so goes against the beliefs of some who think following Christ is a crutch. What are drugs and alcohol? I don't know what people who cannot get past their defeated attitudes need to do if they are adhering to the words of Jesus. I so hope that if I am in a situation where the trials truly come I will remember my words, no, Jesus' words...that I will turn to the Lord for my strength...and remember that as I suffer, I am sharing in His sufferings.

John 16:33 - [Jesus said] "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will  have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."