As we have noted in our last blog entry, the New Testament assumes that christians will experience many trials. Not only do the Scriptures assume suffering, the Bible seems to be preoccupied with seeking to encourage and strengthen believers in the midst of trials, tribulations and suffering. The apostle John’s words in Revelation 1:9 says it all.
Revelation 1:9 (NLT) I, John, am your brother and your partner in suffering and in God’s Kingdom and in the patient endurance to which Jesus calls us.
For John, the christian experience is not one done in isolation. He speaks of a partnership that he offers the churches he is writing to in this unique apocalyptic, prophetic letter. As I read this verse I see the very definition of what church is meant to be. We are to be partners:
Partnership in suffering
We never do suffering alone. The christian life is one of partnership. The community we call the church is to be the place of comfort, refuge and a safe harbour. The apostle Paul saw a correlation between our suffering, the comfort we receive from God and the ability for us to comfort others.
2 Corinthians 1:3-7 (NLT) All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us.
The one who seeks to comfort others must first experience comfort from the God of comfort. The more one experiences the comfort of God, the more one is able to share in the sufferings of others with the comfort that they have received from God. That is why those who have suffered much have a greater propensity to comfort those who are in the midst of trouble.
No one should suffer alone. If truly the christian life is one of partnership in suffering, then church must be a place of comfort. The first step to dismantling the institution of the church is to humanise it again – to embrace our human frailties and recognise that suffering inevitably is experienced by everyone. But in the presence of suffering, the christian becomes a reservoir of comfort as he or she experiences the downpour of comfort, cascading from the Father. Then only will we experience this community of care Paul describes – “… as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us.”
Partnership in God’s Kingdom
Not only did John offer himself as a partner in suffering, he also spoke of partnering with them in the Kingdom life. Living the Kingdom life is meant to be a shared life of people who love God and love one another. Paul modelled it in his life and we can see it lived out in these words:
Philippians 1:3-8 (NLT) Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. So it is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a special place in my heart. You share with me the special favor of God, both in my imprisonment and in defending and confirming the truth of the Good News. God knows how much I love you and long for you with the tender compassion of Christ Jesus.
Imagine experiencing a relationship like that in church life. Here is a man bound with chains imprisoned for the Gospel and sending out such love that without a doubt would have resonated deep in the heart of the believers in Philippi. The relationship is one of shared experiences. There is a mutual sharing of not just suffering, but also of kingdom life – “defending and confirming the truth of the Good News”.
Partnership in patient endurance
John saw himself as a partner in suffering, a partner in Kingdom life and a partner in patient endurance. The early church began the journey with words that reflected the imminent return of Christ. As years went by, it became very clear that believers needed to be instructed on patient endurance. John as the last of the original twelve, speaking as one who has suffered and endured the life of a disciple of Christ, offers himself to the readers as a fellow brother who is sharing in the life of patient endurance. Now more so than ever before the church needs to learn patient endurance.
Suffering has a shelf life. It will come to an end. All our trials and tribulations will end either on this side of eternity or when we cross the threshold of our present life. When someone is in the midst of their darkest moments, it is very difficult to see beyond the thick fog of adversity. Again we go to the words of Paul:
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NLT) That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.
That’s why we need partners in patient endurance. We need to remind each other that suffering has a shelf life. It will end. We need to help each other look beyond the pain, the discouragement, the disappointment and see what’s on the horizon – what is to come will last for eternity.
Suffering is part of the christian experience. But suffering does not have the final word. We are called to patiently endure simple because in the end – we shall overcome. The old African American spiritual says it best:
We shall overcome, we shall overcome
We shall overcome someday
Deep in my heart, I do believe
We shall overcome someday
That is ultimately every christian’s destiny. We are overcomers – in the end we shall overcome. As we live in anticipation of our final outcome let us remember:
WE NEVER DO SUFFERING ALONE. THE CHRISTIAN LIFE IS ONE OF PARTNERSHIP