(Romans 5:3-4) "Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope."

There is more

Paul has just finished telling us about the peace we have with God, the grace of God and the boast we have in God because we shall see God, we shall see Christ and we shall be like him. (v3) "Not only so…" Just when you think the blessing of God has been fully disclosed Paul tells us there is far more. He is about to deliver one of the most profound applications of scripture in the Christian's life. He is about to confront the way we respond and react to problems and difficulties in our lives through faith. It has been vigorously argued that the fact we face trials undermines the whole experience of salvation. But in the last year of Christ before the cross he made it clear to his disciples. (John 16:33) "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." Paul and Barnabus traveled to the New Testaments churches making them aware of it. (Acts 14:22) "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God…" We are not to be surprised when we face 'momentary' troubles because it does not change the outcome of your salvation.

Test of faith

There is no greater test of faith than the way we react or respond to problems and trials through faith. It is the greatest challenge in our culture and in our church. Faith passes itself off today as a plan, strategy, logic, reason and a man made program of getting ahead. It is the demarcation between Christianity and other religions, cults and secular organizations. The Christian life is one that will never fail you when it is lived by faith. This cannot be said for other religions, cults and secular organizations. A cult will promise things at the outset like 'you will never face troubles again' or 'everything will be OK now.' But this is not Biblical language. (John 16:33) "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." When a person faces their worst day the cult will have an excuse or be unable to deliver on the promise or say it was because of you that it did not work. (1 Kings 18) Elijah is standing alone facing 450 false prophets of Baal and 400 of Asherah on Mount Carmal. A crisis of faith is created by building an altar with a sacrificed bull on it. (1 Kings 18:24) "The god who answers by fire - he is God." All morning the false prophets called to Baal and Asherah. By midday they were cutting themselves with knives. By evening the blood was flowing but nothing happened. They were left angry, confused and dissapointed. Elijah asked for 15 liters of water to be poured on the altar three times. There were 45 liters of water drenching the altar. (1 Kings 18:35) "The water ran down around the altar and filled the trench." Elijah was making it impossible for himself. A crisis or trial was created. He prayed once. (1 Kings 18:38) "Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench." The test of faith happens between the promise of fire and the fire consuming everything. In other words, the test of faith is always in the hours of crisis. God has given us a vision to bring change through challenge and build his church on this land. We are between the promise of fire and consuming fire. When your faith does not help you, your faith is probably in will-power, secular teaching or even a cult. Christian faith will always help you in your hour of crisis.

Christianity

There are many emotional, philosophical, psychological and spiritual experiences waiting for you. There are many who have had 'an experience' that was delightful, wonderful and exciting. But soon afterwards the experience vanished in the moment of crisis. What follows is a renouncing of faith and fellowship with other believers. Perhaps it was emotional (it engaged your sensory feelings) philosophical (it made sense as a reasonable and logical request) psychological (it was a concept in your thinking you had not thought about before) and even spiritual but it was not a decisive time when you exchanged your life for the life of Christ, where you were crucified with Christ, where you no longer live but Christ lives in you - born again. Salvation for you meant living free of responsibility, consequence and on the fuel of feelings. But trials, difficult times and crisis are almost a guarantee for the Christian. Why? It is the test of faith. One of the greatest delusions of our time is to simply subscribe to a belief as evidence of true faith. Real faith includes subscribing to sound Biblical teaching. But agreeing mentally will never keep you standing upright during a time of crisis. It has been said that the news is no longer reported by objective reporters and journalists but by a media engine that has its own opinion and will subject all other news to that opinion. Do you subscribe to scripture when it suits your own opinion? Has there been an undisputed death to yourself and life to Christ?

Rooted in Christianity

The parable of the sower tells us that some seed fell on good soil but it was shallow. It quickly sprang up but it did not endure. There were no roots that held it together when the elements swept over it, or in other words, crisis. (Matthew 13:21) "But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the Word, he quickly falls away." If you have tried drugs, abusing alcohol, crime, violence or any other addiction and it has failed, the last thing you need to hear in a church is a cult claim that if you come to Christ all will be OK. (v13) "When trouble or persecution comes because of the Word, he quickly falls away." The single question the world constantly asks is, 'if God loves me why would he let this happen to me?' Remember that the outcome of faith never changes but the life we live is scattered with momentary crisis like Elijah on Mount Carmal. (1 Kings 18:24) "The god who answers by fire - he is God."

Our response

What should our response or reaction be in a time of crisis? To not complain is not enough. To resist the thinking that we have been dealt and unfair hand is not enough. To put up with out trials in a philosophical effort of will-power is not enough. The Christian is not called to put up with problems or to fail because of them. It is not enough to be stoic being indifferent to pain or pleasure with a stiff upper lip. It is not enough to soldier on. (Romans 5:3) "Not only so, but we rejoice in our sufferings…" To 'rejoice' means to boast, shout aloud to the rock of my salvation, shout aloud to the God of Jacob, shout for joy and shout to the Lord. Paul is saying we should rejoice 'in' our suffering. It does not mean we rejoice in spite of our crisis, or in the midst of it. It includes rejoicing in the midst of it but it means so much more. It means to rejoice on account of it - because of it. This is what Paul means by rejoicing in our present sufferings: not in spite of them, in the midst of them but because of them - on account of them. I know that our church has a powerful agenda because of the trials I have faced.

Rejoice on account of crisis

It is the universal teaching of the New Testament that we do this. (Matthew 5:10-12) "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Acts 5:41) "The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name." (2 Corinthians 4:17) "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." (2 Corinthians 12:9-10) "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (Philippians 1:29) "For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him…" (James 1:2) "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds…" (James 1:12) "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial…" (1 Peter 4:12-13) "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ…" Our response is not to put up with it, or be happy in spite of it, or glad when we are in the midst of it but rejoice on account of it - because of it.

How does this work?

It does not mean we should be glad about suffering praising God thoughtlessly, automatically or unintelligently. Paul does not teach that we should be masochists suffering pain and humiliation obtaining some pleasure out of it. There are odd people who are only happy when they are miserable. Faith enables us to view our times of crisis proving that they are not working against us but for us. But responding to times of trial this way is not automatic but because of faith. At first we are troubled by our trials but them we begin to deal with them. How do we do this? (Romans 5:3) "…because we know…" What is it that we know? God's purposes and methods with respect to the life he has given us to live. (Romans 5:3-4) "…because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." The trials we face 'produce' in us. The purposes of God are worked in our lives through a process in the same way a doctor will use the appropriate treatment to bring the desired result. What is the result? "…hope." It is this hope that keeps you standing upright when trials come. We realize a new and fresh need for God. We overestimate ourselves thinking things are better than they really are. We are on good terms with ourselves. We balance the books that are in spiritual bankruptcy and claim we are in profit.

Our Challenge

We are yet to break through in our giving. It begins with the tithe and overflows into generous giving. What God has given us to do needs a willing people who will thank God throughout every year on account of the financial trials they face without missing a single bill.