The Second Challenge

Now comes the second challenging: writing a second post that is blog worthy! Oh, the pressure. At the risk of not being profound, I shall proceed. I could write about me, but who wants to listen to someone rattle on about themselves? My life isn't that exciting.

I have thinking about Africa a lot lately... North Africa, West Africa, East Africa. It is a big continent containing thousands of tribal, animist, Christian, and Muslim peoples. There are still over a thousand "unreached tribes" that have never heard the gospel. The last couple months I have been reading a biography of Dr. David Livingstone and the autobiography of Dr. Helen Rosavere. Two very different people in two very different times who loved Africa very much. But more than that, they both understood the call to suffering and the priveledge of sacrifice for the Kingdom... like Paul did.

"Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions." - Paul (Colossians 1:24)

I heard Piper talk about this verse a little recently. What is lacking in the sufferings of Christ? Not the propitiation, but the propogation. The call to follow Christ, is the call to suffer with Him. We are the Body of Christ, the physical presence and demonstration of Christ's love here on earth.

"That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death..." - Paul (Philippians 3:10)

What am I suffering for right now? Is what I'm living for worth dying for... being confirmed to His death? Do we avoid suffering or embrace it? Do you have a solid theology of suffering, an understanding of God that includes a God that not only permits but also ordains suffering as part of his glorious redemptive plan for humanity? I need to get a better theology of suffering.

The purpose of the creation was for God to display the greatness of the glory of His grace in Christ Jesus. Without suffering, there would be no grace. Without suffering, we cannot expect to be ambassadors of that unconditional love and amazing grace to a hurting world that lives in rebellion. Lord, give us the grace to know You, in the power and boldness of your resurrection, and in the fellowship of your sufferings that Your name might be glorified in the uttermost parts of the earth.

What does that mean on a practical level? It means a quiet excitement intrinsically tied to larger hope in the midst of suffering. It is the deep knowledge that God does work all things together for good, even suffering. It means freedom to take risks, freedom to make mistakes, freedom to love the unloveable, freedom to die, freedom to be love and be hurt, freedom to cry on God's shoulder... freedom to live. What a gospel. What a God!