PURPOSE IN THE PREACHER’S PAIN

I am allergic to pain. When possible, I scrupulously avoid it—but, it is not always possible. If you are a preacher, you will be subjected to pain. We live on a broken planet, filled with broken people. The curse on humanity, brought by the depravity in our sinful state, will at times lead people to rebel against us. Their rebellion is against God and His rule, but since they cannot get to Him, they attack His emissaries. 

Eventually, every preacher will face the need to make decisions that are unpopular with a carnal crowd. He will be called to express convictions that are assailed by those driven more by culture than Scripture. Rejection, ridicule, pressure, and persecution are thorns in our side—thorns that accompany creation under the curse.

Then, there is the pain we all are subjected to—sickness, sorrow, stress in our family, shortage in our finances, and the like. We can grow weary from the daily demands of life and ministry. Being a man of God does not exempt us from adversity. Paul’s life stands in marked contrast to the false “prosperity gospel.”

The issue is not whether we will have pain.  The question is, “How will we respond?”  We wonder, “Is there purpose in the preacher’s pain.”  The overarching purpose for all of creation—for time and eternity—is this, “the glory of God,” (2 Cor.4:15). That is at the heart of the text we will consider. 

1.      THE PURPOSE OF OUR PAIN IS THE MANIFESTATION OF GOD’S GLORY IN CHRIST. 

⁷ Now we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us. ⁸ We are afflicted in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; ⁹ we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed. ¹⁰ We always carry the death of Jesus in our body, so that the life of Jesus may also be displayed in our body. ¹¹ For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’s sake, so that Jesus’s life may also be displayed in our mortal flesh. (2 Cor.4:7-11 CSB)

It is the glory of Christ that we show in our response to suffering. Twice Paul says, “so that,” pointing to the purpose in the frailty of our flesh (v.7), and that Christ would be “displayed,” (twice repeated, v.10-11). The old King James has, “manifest”—the manifestation of Christ’s life. 

What a treasure we have—the life of Christ indwelling!  The wonder of it all, is that He has chosen to manifest it by placing that glorious One in a jar of clay!  God allows us to be cracked pots—broken by the ravages of life—ready for the garbage dump. Yet, in a weak and worthless being, God’s extraordinary power is displayed!  Who gets the glory?  Only the treasure—Christ, the glorious One!

The preacher may suffer affliction, confusion, hostility, and brutality. Yet, the promise of God is that we will not be crushed under the weight of our burden, we will not be overcome by despair in our perplexity, nor abandoned by God when attacked by men, neither destroyed when struck down by those who hate us. 

Jesus was betrayed, bruised, beaten, scorned, scourged, struck, crowned with thorns, and crucified on a tree. Following Him, is to walk the Calvary Road that He trod. It was in His death that Christ brought life—in dying and rising from the dead, He vanquished death. Here is the principle, “Truly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains by itself. But if it dies, it produces much fruit.” (John 12:24) 

2.      THE PURPOSE OF OUR PAIN IS THE PROCLAMATION OF GOD’S GLORY IN CHRIST.

¹³ And since we have the same spirit of faith in keeping with what is written, I believed, therefore I spoke, we also believe, and therefore speak. ¹⁴ For we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you. ¹⁵ Indeed, everything is for your benefit so that, as grace extends through more and more people, it may cause thanksgiving to increase to the glory of God. (2 Cor.4:13-15 CSB)

It is the glory of Christ that we speak in our response to suffering. Two times in these verses, the Apostle mentions what is spoken—in a quote from Psalm 116:10 and in his example in following that imperative.  Don’t miss the connection between what Paul believed and what he proclaimed. 

Satan seeks to undermine our faith—to whisper words of doubt. If we are not careful, we may allow the painful circumstances to give credence to the lies. Then, we can find ourselves speaking words of complaint, anger, bitterness, and unbelief. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. 

Rather than complain about his pain, Paul chooses to celebrate God’s providence. He proclaims his confidence that life will overcome death, that grace will conquer sin, and that the present woe will be overwhelmed by eternal worship. He restates the Romans 8:28 promise in saying, “everything is for your benefit” (v.15). In his pain, the preacher proclaimed the Gospel—resting in grace and offering grace. More and more people would be impacted in the ongoing proclamation as the witnesses’ commitment, despite their suffering, gave credibility to their claim!  If Paul (and the other Apostles) had not seen Christ in resurrection glory, it makes no sense that they would suffer and die for a lie!

Paul chose to be thankful that he was counted worthy to suffer for Christ. Others would join him in thanksgiving and thereby magnify the glory of God.  Preacher, what do you say about your difficulty?  Do you whine about your suffering or witness for your Savior?

3.     THE PURPOSE OF OUR PAIN IS THE TRANSFORMATION BY GOD’S GLORY IN CHRIST.

¹⁶ Therefore we do not give up. Even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory. ¹⁸ So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Cor.4:16-18 CSB)

It is the glory of Christ that we share in our response to suffering.  Imagine—the very glory of God within us, transforming us from glory unto glory, making us more and more like Jesus!  We share in His life and experience His glory. 

This is why we cannot give up.  Whatever painful problem we face today, we know that eventually it is going to be better. That will ultimately be eternity, but how glorious!  God may give us a reprieve from our pain now. Difficulties today may yield to deliverance tomorrow. This will not last, however. More storms are on the horizon. These bodies of ours are subject to the grinding wheels of time, that at last turn us to dust.  

The outer person is decaying. I see it in the mirror. That is only the old house I am living in. It is not fit for eternal habitation, anyway. The inner man—my true self in Christ—is getting stronger and stronger, even as my body grows weaker and weaker. This is salvation in three tenses: I have been saved from sin’s penalty (justification); I am being saved from sin’s power (sanctification); I will be saved from sin’s presence (glorification). 

I need the proper perspective.  My afflictions placed in the scales of God’s purposes are momentary and light when weighed against the incomparable weight of eternal glory!  Shall I mourn travelling the temporary trail of tears, when it is leading to the destination of everlasting joy?

If we look around us, we will grieve. Let us look above us and be glad!  There is an unseen world that can only be seen with eyes of faith.  Yet, it is eternal. That which we see in the flesh is doomed for the trash dump. 

Preacher, we have a choice. We cannot always evade pain.  That is not the choice. What is in our hands is to choose to embrace God’s purpose in our pain.

I think of this scene in the Fellowship of the Ring as Frodo, the hobbit, complains to Gandalf, the wizard, about the burden he carries:

Frodo: I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.

Gandalf: So do all who live to see such times; but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world, Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring. In which case, you were also meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought.

THE MEANS, MANNER, AND MOTIVES OF MINISTRY

Read 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12

If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time!  Paul tells the church at Thessalonica that his ministry “was not without result.”  Leaders have a goal that drives them. As I have heard John Maxwell say, “They know the way, go the way, and show the way.”

Yet, as Christian leaders, we are not to establish our own direction, but rather be directed by the Word of God. We may be driven more by pragmatism, than Scripture, if we are not cautious. Much of the church world has pointed to success as being large numbers of behinds in the pew and bucks in the plate.  While we ought not discount this—the Bible is replete with reports of numbers added and multiplied, as well as large offerings given—we must make sure that this is the byproduct of Biblical directives and not the end in which we make the end justify the means.

The insinuation in evangelicalism today is often that we must  connect with the culture in order to win them, and that is true. We must build bridges, but may fail to remember that a bridge goes both ways!  We may take the Gospel to the world, but without safeguards the world is brought into the church. Connection with culture can gradually lead to compromise with the culture. Paul is clear that the Gospel was in conflict with the culture (read 1 Thess.2:13-16). It was not popularity, but persecution they received!

The result Paul was aiming for was faithfulness to God and then to trust fruitfulness to God. He could not control how receptive sinners would be to his ministry, but what he could control was his commitment to godly character and diligent service.

THE MEANS OF THE MINISTRY is seen to be the proclamation of “the gospel of God” (v.2). He would not tailor the message to suit the whims of the wicked, lest he promote, “error or impurity.”  It was no bait and switch from “an intent to deceive” (v.3). Paul saw the content as well as the communication of the Gospel as a sacred trust (v.4) for which he was ultimately accountable not to men, but God. The Apostle would not resort to “flattering speech,” to gain a convert to himself (v.5), for that is all they would be—and not a convert to Christ!

Let me move to THE MANNER OF THE MINISTRY. There was boldness in the face of opposition (v.2). He was no spineless, sniveling coward, but a man with courage of conviction.

Yet, he was not a Bible bully, obnoxiously offending others for the sake of a fight. Instead, he asserts, “we were gentle among you, as a nurse nurtures her own children” (v.7). He fed them truth with the tenderness.  As a mother pours her very life into her children, so Paul invested himself in feeding and caring for them (v.8). How often, do mothers rise in the middle of the night to comfort a sick child or console a scared one?  The Apostle was relentless in his activity, just like that, “Working night and day” (v.9)

There is another side to spiritual parenting—discipleship—and that is the exhortation of a father. Paul describes the manner of his ministry this way, “like a father with his own children, we encouraged, comforted, and implored each one of you to live worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.” (v.11-12). Good fathers have a passion to instill purpose in children—to paint a future plan for them and prepare them to attain it.

Paul’s manner might be summed up this way, “You are witnesses, and so is God, of how devoutly, righteously, and blamelessly we conducted ourselves” (v.10). These are matters of character. The leader’s character is the foundation of his ministry. If it is undermined, then sooner or later a storm will bring down what he has built—outwardly impressive though it may have been.

Let us conclude with THE MOTIVES OF THE MINISTRY. If the gospel of God is our means of service, then the glory of God is our motive. Twice, Paul mentions, “glory,” in these verses. This is the overarching motivation for ministry—the spring from which all other proper motives flow. The Apostle “didn’t seek glory from people,” (v.6). He had no craving for the spotlight—as many Christian celebrities do today—but, sought the glory of God (v.12). He was not building his own little kingdom, but was motivated to promote the kingdom of God. Paul had no “intent to deceive” (v.3). He was not motivated to beguile followers by doctrinal deviation, as some cult leader would do.

Another motivating factor was an awareness of eternal accountability (v.4). Pleasing God was his aim, not pleasing people. In fact, if you please God, you will often displease people!  Our motivation should be to hear our Lord say,  “Well done!”  In this we “live worthy of God,” (v.11). Our motive is a ministry that is suited to the high and holy calling we have received. Eternal reward and not temporal gain is what moves us. Paul’s example was not to have, “greedy motives.”  There is always a danger that we may do the right thing, but with the wrong motive, and that makes it still wrong!

I hear you Paul!  That is my prayerful desire—to fully embrace the right means, manner, and motives in ministry. I implore you to do likewise!

SWORD AND TROWEL

“The laborers who carried the loads worked with one hand and held a weapon with the other.” (Nehemiah‬ ‭4:17‬‬b)

The rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls required the laborers to work with a trowel in one hand and to wield a sword in the other. It is an apt description of those God has always used in the building of His church. The sword is required because there are spiritual forces arrayed against us, led by the archenemy of our souls, Satan. The trowel is required for it is not enough to fight our foe, but we must toil in our task, as well.

This was the thought behind Spurgeon’s monthly magazine called, “The Sword and the Trowel.”  He began its publication in 1865. The subtitle read, “A Record of Combat With Sin, and Labour For the Lord.”  The first issue made clear these twin purposes of battling and building. Spurgeon wrote, “We speak in love, but not in soft words and trimming sentences. We shall not court controversy, but we shall not shun it when the cause of God demands it. ...  We would sound the trumpet, and lead our comrades to the fight. We would ply the trowel with untiring hand for the building up of Jerusalem’s dilapidated walls, and wield the sword with vigor and valour for the truth.”  This, Spurgeon faithfully did, till his ministry concluded at his death.

This is our task still. Not all appreciated Spurgeon’s commitment to the truth—and make no mistake if you take a stand for Biblical doctrine and devotion in these days, you will be attacked as a hater, when it is love for the Lord and love, indeed, for those who reject the truth which motivates us, though it is not perceived as such. Yet, we dare not be ever looking for a fight, but must exert positive service in our Master’s cause. We must employ the trowel!

Pray for those who mount the pulpit today to carry sword and trowel. Ask God to help you as you enter the church house for marching orders and construction assignments—to go forth from that assembly into the world and make a difference for the cause of Christ.

SHEPHERDING GOD’S FLOCK

“I exhort the elders among you as a fellow elder and witness to the sufferings of Christ, as well as one who shares in the glory about to be revealed: Shepherd God’s flock among you, not overseeing out of compulsion but willingly, as God would have you; not out of greed for money but eagerly; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.”
‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭5:1-4‬ ‭CSB‬‬

It is both a glad and grave responsibility to shepherd God’s flock. The gracious call of the Lord, should be received with joy—that God would choose someone like us to such a task!  Yet, none should serve unless so compelled for apart from the activity of God, we are doomed to fail. Such failing would be grievous, for the pastor’s responsibility is the soul-care of God’s flock. They are His and He loves them all. Those entrusted to our oversight have eternal worth. Jesus paid the price of His own life to bring those lost lambs into His fold. For each one entrusted to us, we will give an account on the Day of Judgment. We ought to be driven to our knees in prayer for the Divine empowerment of the Great Shepherd that we might be faithful in this task.