On Suffering

Last week, we discussed that if you do not know that God tests the faith of man, you will surely stumble. Our God will surely test our faith. The church must assess, and even more so, God's Kingdom will scrutinize. Anything precious you desire, God will surely put you to the test. God often uses suffering to examine us; one trial reveals the truth of your faith. No matter what befalls you, you must overcome this trial. Ahead, you will discover grace and blessings before you, a great glory.

In the hearts of many Christians, there is a great illusion. Seeing material blessings, they think all is well, unaware that it is a great temptation, assuming it comes from God, but this is not necessarily so. Some see others promoted and prospering, and they think it is good, that they are doing right, that they are blessed, assuming it comes from God. But that is not necessarily from God. Christians will certainly experience God's grace, but these things are not the core of the faith in Jesus Christ. The faith in Jesus Christ is about life, and all that is good about life is in Jesus Christ. Your life is more important than all the wealth in the world. If these things lead people into sin, then you must be careful.

In the hearts of many Christians, there is another illusion. Seeing difficulties, they think it is not good, assuming it does not come from God, unaware that suffering can awaken the heart, allowing one to know God, experience God, and obtain life. In suffering, knowing how to persevere is key. One's judgment of right and wrong almost represents one's wisdom. There is an old Chinese saying: Born in sorrow, die in comfort. Many in this world perish in comfort. I encourage everyone to gain wisdom from the Word of God, to have a proper judgment of things and people. The view of suffering is crucial.

Building a church is not about the number of people, but about holiness and unity. Today, the brothers and sisters who remain in the church have the same vision and the same mission. Everyone must be of one heart and one mind. Although I often use stern words to teach everyone, you will not doubt my motives. People often fall into an illusion when judging things. Read the Word of God more, and take the Word of God as your standard of judgment. Foolish people rely on their feelings to judge right and wrong; people should judge things according to God's standards.

Perhaps a decision you make today seems right in the present, but over a long period, it may not be right. Some look at long-term interests, while others only value short-term interests. It is also difficult to judge which is truly right, long-term or short-term interests. If you look at your present affairs from the perspective of eternity, many things are worthless and meaningless. Looking down from God's throne, your concepts of right and wrong will be very different, your view of suffering will be completely different, and your way of life will greatly change. In one's life, it is difficult to understand God's work because God looks at everything in this world from the perspective of eternity. Today, we are priests of the eternal God; we must look at everything in this world from the perspective of eternity, otherwise, everything is vanity.

Scripture: Psalm 119:67 Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word.

A person's obedience to God's Word is inseparable from suffering. Without knowing bitterness, how can one know sweetness? The theme of Psalms is that suffering is beneficial to human life. Many people, after suffering, do not know to keep God's Word, but continue to go their own way, continuing to be deluded.

Prayer: Lord, in the past, we have all gone our own way. Lord, we have all strayed in our vanity. Lord, we ask that you personally manifest yourself to us today. Lord, we ask that you personally do such wonderful work. Lord, what you did in Psalm 119, also do in the lives of our brothers and sisters, and also in my life. Lord, let us turn back from this delusion. Lord, let us repent from the end, repent to you, and carefully keep and do your word. Lord, be with us, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!

Suffering as God's Good Creation

People only know to complain about disaster when it comes, but they do not know that disaster carries God's good purpose. Suffering is God's good creation, intended for people to gain life, to know how precious life is, to know how important it is to turn back from the end. God's creation should also come slowly, like a cicada shedding its skin. Completing this transformation of suffering allows one to fly freely. Every growth in life is a painful experience. The birth and growth of new life are inseparable from pain. Suffering makes people begin to seek the meaning of life. Suffering pushes us into God's church. Suffering makes us begin to learn to know God, and it is also suffering that allows us to see God's glory. Suffering makes us revere God and dare not deviate from God's Word. Suffering makes me constantly seek and follow today, building God's glorious church. Walking to this day in suffering, thankfully we have God so we can have peace. Thank God that in times of trouble, my heart can turn back to God, seeking God to escape vanity, knowing this Lord of life, allowing me to grow in Him. In the days of believing in the Lord, I will still often experience disasters, but thank God, in disasters, I continue to grow, experiencing God and witnessing God's glory. All who know God have experienced suffering and have uttered heartfelt praise. If you are now in suffering, it is God's miraculous creation coming upon you.

Suffering Can Free People from Vanity

When Adam and Eve were driven out of the Garden of Eden, people began to experience suffering. If people do not suffer, they will live in vanity, heading all the way to hell. Looking back at the things of the world, they are all vanity, without meaning. The spiritual world is so real, yet to some it seems elusive and incredible. The most tragic thing in a person's life is to live in what seems real but is actually vanity. Many suffer the pain of illness, but they still cannot think carefully about life, cannot return to the Lord, and still believe in those useless things. I pray for people for healing and deliverance, and the pain is quickly resolved because I know that behind these pains are the dark forces in the spiritual realm. I have obtained spiritual authority, and I no longer live in vanity. Taking up authority in the spiritual world, a person's life will be extremely good. If you do not know that this world is a spiritual world, clinging tightly to the world's money, career, eating, drinking, and so on is living in vanity. If God wants to save you, He will let you experience suffering. God will send down disasters time after time to strike people, allowing them to demolish their worldly ideas as soon as possible, walk out of vanity, and know the reality of the spiritual world. Put the Lord Jesus first in life, tightly grasp the spiritual authority given by the Lord Jesus, and learn to put down everything to worship the Lord Jesus. Learning His way of life, as Psalm 119 says, suffering will certainly make people think about what it means to live. If God wants to save you from vanity, you will encounter greater suffering, to completely shatter your worldly concepts. Start learning to obey and break away from vanity starting from small sufferings.

Suffering Can Lead One to Know the Lord of Life

Previously, I had heard of God, but now my own eyes have seen Him. Those who experience suffering will personally see God. God does not call you to die but to live; He does not call you to perish but to gain life. Suffering is a tool in God's hands. In South Wales, UK, after a mine collapsed, fourteen miners were trapped underground. The rescue team searched for three days without success, and everyone thought they were surely dead. But during the rescue on the fourth day, they heard faint sounds coming from the mine. It turned out to be the singing of worship songs. They sang hymns while waiting for their Savior to come, without any fear of death. The rescue team followed the sound and eventually rescued all fourteen miners.

From 2008 to 2010, I established and served a church, contributing both money and effort. However, I did not understand that God is a God who delights in unity. During that time, the church I built was full of strife, gossip, and immorality. Someone played a piano piece on stage and captivated a sister in the audience, who registered for marriage a week later and divorced another week later. It was extremely chaotic, which was a true reflection of the church. During this period, I experienced great suffering in my life and work. In 2010, my father passed away, and the future seemed uncertain. I had been a believer for many years, but I did not know God. I did not realize the extent of the harm that a divided church could bring to the brothers and sisters. Today, I am paying the full price to diligently preserve the unity of the church and will never compromise because of certain people or things.

Recently, a couple both lost their jobs. The wife worked in the Ministry of Education, and it was unheard of for someone working in the education department to be unemployed, yet they experienced it. Now they are unemployed at home and struggling. Although they both love and serve God, they do not know God and do not understand that God is a God of unity. I am very grateful that the brothers and sisters in our church value the unity of the church as much as I do. If anyone creates discord in the church, know that it is the dark forces behind the scenes at work; know the operating principles of the spiritual world. When I faced similar difficult circumstances, even when my finances were extremely tight, I dared not withhold tithes. I dared not use the offerings that belonged to God to solve my financial problems. I thank God for giving me such a mindset. If I could go back to that situation, I think I would make different choices. I would kneel before God and pray. If I had known these things earlier, I would not have had to go through those difficult circumstances to begin to know God.

God will use various methods to help us grow. Recently, two of our sisters began to encounter various disasters in their lives. I checked and found that they had been withholding tithes for the past few months. Is such behavior clever or foolish? I think you can judge for yourselves. We must learn to know God through small sufferings. If you still do not learn to know God in such circumstances, I really do not know how you will walk in the days to come. But I have made a decision in my heart: I will follow my God closely for the rest of my life because, in the days of trouble, thanks to God, I have peace, my finances have turned around, and I have achieved financial freedom.

Suffering Can Make One's Life Grow

Suffering is the key to making one's life grow. If you have experienced a lot of suffering in your life, you should thank God for letting you grow. If you do not experience anything, you should be careful. When an eagle builds its nest, it uses branches full of thorns. When the eaglets gradually grow and their wings become full, the thorny nest forces the eaglets to leave the nest and learn how to fly. To grow into a free and unrestrained life, one must experience these thorns. God often creates small disasters for us, but that keeps us from being destroyed.

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. (James 5:13)

In the Canadian Rocky Mountains, there is a tree that grows in a kneeling shape, usually above 3,000 meters above sea level. This tree cannot grow if it is moved to another place. This tree is often attacked by storms all year round. In order to adapt to the environment, the trunk chooses to change its shape into an S shape. This tree looks inconspicuous, but it is exceptionally strong. Precious violins are made of this wood. In seemingly barren conditions, it is tempered in the wind and rain, and through humility and obedience, it can show the glory of life. So, brothers and sisters, when you encounter difficulties and setbacks, do not complain. Know that this is God letting you submit before Him so that you can be edified. Even if there are sufferings and storms, you can still overcome them. If our lives can grow through suffering, wouldn't there be greater glory?

Suffering Can Make One's Life Manifest God's Glory

Some sufferings, when they come, will manifest God's glory. During the Boxer Rebellion, the church was looted by the whole nation. I have read some of the writings left by the missionaries who were killed at that time, and I was very moved. Their lives achieved a concentrated and incomparable glory. The life that we Chinese have today is bought with the blood of the missionaries who sacrificed in the Boxer Rebellion. This inspires us to put aside our small lives and imitate these missionaries, laying down our lives to serve this generation. Such a life can manifest the glory of God. I encourage brothers and sisters to begin to expand your horizons. When you lay down your lives to serve this generation, you will never lack God's glory in your life, and all the good things in the world will come upon your life. When Abraham offered Isaac and himself, he lacked nothing in his life. He served that era and became an instrument for manifesting God's glory in that era. Compared with the glory that God has prepared among us, what is the suffering we suffer?

Conclusion:

Psalm 119 records in detail every stage that a person will encounter in life. Thomas Adams, a 17th-century English theologian, said: Whatever trials God gives you, take them as benefits. We should not regard the sufferings and trials we encounter as losses, but as benefits. When we encounter suffering, we should not complain or be dissatisfied, but believe that those results are beneficial to me. Today, the most powerful church in the world is our Chinese church. I hope that our brothers and sisters will rise up. Although we are suffering, if this suffering is to achieve God's glorious work a hundred years later, even if we do not see it when we are alive, we will see it in faith. God will surely accomplish the generation we pray for.