"Onward Christian Soldier!"

     Yesterday our pastor preached on Matthew 14:1-12 and used this passage to address the dilemma of suffering and pain in the Christian life.  This is the perfect place to deal with that subject, because it is where we find the story of the beheading of John the Baptist.  It is the story of an unjust end to a faithful servant of God, who was guilty only of preaching the truth!  Not only was his execution unjust, but the executioner was a vile, wicked man, motivated by an evil woman and her sensual daughter.  Everything about the story seems unjust and upside down.  In short, as Pastor said, the whole situation stinks!
     As Christians it leaves us with and unsettled feeling.  It raises questions that we can't answer for ourselves, much less for others.  We just want to look heavenward and ask, "What's up with that, God?  Where is the champion on the white horse?"
     Pastor did a really good job of exposition of this passage and I can't add to that, but it prompted in me a whole world of introspection.  He pointed out at the end of the sermon how "James got the sword while Peter got rescued!"  This spurred me on to think that yes, I have had friends who prayed and were cured of cancer and others who prayed just as fervently and died of the same disease.  I knew of one couple who suffered through the darkest persecution you can imagine and prayed for deliverance daily.They claimed the promises of God from the Psalms, daily, for God to rescue them.  They were defeated by unjust men, in the end.  They very nearly lost their faith.  They both went for years unable to read the bible and believe it.  And in the end it destroyed their relationship with each other and they were divorced.  I'm happy to report that a faithful God kept their faith from failing completely, and they both serve him faithfully today.  But they paid a terrible price.
     So what are we to think, in the face of suffering, when God doesn't seem to be coming through for us?  How are we to process this as we sing about our God who is "Mighty to save!"  Do we join the crowd at the foot of the cross, shaking our fists at Jesus and shouting, "He saved others, Himself He cannot save.  Where is His God now?"
     As I revisited the subject in my own mind, yesterday during Pastor's sermon, I remembered how I had in the past, answered the question for myself.  I remembered how I had observed, when counseling other suffering Christians, how surprised they seemed to be by their situation. They always seemed to ask, "Am I in sin?  Haven't I been serving the Lord?  Have I done something wrong?"  The bottom line question was, "Why is this happening to me?"
     When I thought about this, I remembered thinking, "This person doesn't realize that we are in a War!  One of Pastor's points was that God told us this would happen. In 2 Timothy 2, we have a complete discussion about the Christian and persecution and the suffering of the saints and a promise that it will come.  The early church who suffered the most terrible things because of their faith, were taught to expect persecution and suffering. 
     So why are so many Christians today, shocked and surprised when it touches their lives?  I reiterate... they don't understand that they are in a War!  

Eden...God's perfect world

     To explain this radical sounding statement further, we have to begin at the beginning.  God made a perfect world, then man sinned and everything fell apart.  God stepped in and promised He would send a Savior to redeem mankind and the earth He had given man to occupy.  And although the redemption of the soul of man comes immediately, it is not complete until the end.  In the meantime, according to 2 Timothy 2 we are "soldiers" engaged in spiritual warfare, for the souls of men and women, with a very powerful enemy... Satan,... the devil himself!
      Just as in physical warfare, there will be casualties.  God did make a perfect world, but when man fell, so did his world, not only did weeds, thorns and thistles grow, but so did disease, and evil in the heart of man.  This is the world we live in.  Now some people are willing to accept this truth, but unwilling to accept the truth that once in a while, God breaks into His creation to intervene and rescue man.  The reason He does this, according to my pastor, is to show us He can!  These kinds of "rescues" serve to spread His truth and His power and He uses us, His soldiers, to accomplish this.  Listen to 2 Timothy 2:9 where the Apostle Paul said, "And because I preach this Good News, I am suffering and have been chained like a criminal.  But the word of God cannot be chained."  Paul understood the war and his weapons, and his part in it.  Listen to him in Ephesians 6:11 "Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil."  Once again, he saw the war!  
     Still others go to the opposite extreme and expect God to make them supremely happy, cure all their ills and keep them from all pain and suffering.  Never mind that Jesus died on a cross and all the apostles except John, died a martyr's deaths. Then we have the promise of God that "All those who live godly in Christ Jesus, will suffer..."   We must reject both extremes. 

Jesus calls His disciples

     When something bad happens, remind yourself of this.  We are fighting a war!  No person wants war.  That would be irrational.  My grandson came back a year ago from Afghanistan.  He knows the face of war and it's ugly.  No parent wants their young men and women to see the things and have to do the things, that war demands.  But to insure freedom, sometimes you have to fight.  That's what God has called us to do.  When we come to Christ, we enlist in His army.
     In the meantime, my pastor said, "Do what's right and trust the rest to God!"  Don't expect justice.  Expect instead, mercy and grace from God, to handle injustice.  And be blessed and surprised, like the maiden who greeted Peter at the gate, when God steps into our time and space to rescue us! And on the way sing this song to each other: 

Click Here to Listen

I Will Rise by Chris Tomlin

There's a peace I've come to know 
Though my heart and flesh may fail 
There's an anchor for my soul 
I can say "It is well" 

Jesus has overcome 
And the grave is overwhelmed 
The victory is won 
He is risen from the dead 

[Chorus:] 
And I will rise when He calls my name 
No more sorrow, no more pain 
I will rise on eagles' wings 
Before my God fall on my knees 
And rise 
I will rise 

There's a day that's drawing near 
When this darkness breaks to light 
And the shadows disappear 
And my faith shall be my eyes 

Jesus has overcome 
And the grave is overwhelmed 
The victory is won 
He is risen from the dead 

[Chorus:] 
And I will rise when He calls my name 
No more sorrow, no more pain 
I will rise on eagles' wings 
Before my God fall on my knees 
And rise 
I will rise 

And I hear the voice of many angels sing, 
"Worthy is the Lamb" 
And I hear the cry of every longing heart, 
"Worthy is the Lamb" 
[x2]

[Chorus:] 
And I will rise when He calls my name 
No more sorrow, no more pain 
I will rise on eagles' wings 
Before my God fall on my knees 
And rise 
I will rise