Suffering in Ministry: Following Christ's example

We know that suffering is an inevitable part of life this side of heaven; we live in a world of death, grief, illness, relational difficulties and all kinds of struggles. But I thought it would be interesting to look at what the New Testament teaches on suffering specifically in Christian ministry. It's no newsflash to know that Christians suffer, but in an era of tele-evangelists asking for cash and a very prosperous Western church in general, you could be forgiven for thinking that those in ministry perhaps were exempt from life's struggles. That's not the picture that Scripture gives at all, and it's not the reality of life in ministry.

In brief, then, here's the deal: as Christians, we will face rejection from men just as Jesus did. Fact. 'If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first.' (John 15:18) The church will be attacked from within and outside continually (just read through the book of Acts, where the apostles dealt with multiple plots, arrests, imprisonment, violent mobs, deception and character assassination). Serving in ministry means becoming involved in this very real spiritual battle. You're going straight into the firing line!

When you're in ministry, then, you need to be prepared for trials. You need to imitate Christ in those trials, maintaining joy and faithfulness despite suffering, knowing that those around you will imitate you and follow your example.

The Example of Jesus Christ
I could write blog posts on all of these points, but I'm going to keep it brief!
☻ Prayer. Don't forget that Jesus lived on earth as a human, and He lived His life in perfect dependence on His Father, shown in His need to pray constantly. (Mark 1:35, Matthew 14:23, Luke 6:12, Luke 22, John 17 for some examples)
☻ Trust. He continued to trust God's plan even when personally rejected and ultimately crucified. (eg. John 19:11 where Jesus tells Pilate ‘You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.')
☻ Giving to others. He constantly had hoards of people coming to Him for healing and teaching, and He ministered to them with compassion. (Matthew 9:36)
☻ Singing in the shadow of the cross (Matthew 26:30). After celebrating the Passover meal with His disciples, where He taught them the true meaning of this festival was to point towards how His body would be broken and His blood poured out for the forgiveness of sins, Jesus sang a hymn then went out to Gethsemane, where He would pray in agony of spirit then be betrayed, arrested, and sent to the cross. Despite the weight of this knowledge, He sung praise to His Father (probably Psalms 113-118 which were usually used at this feast). In our sufferings (which must be meagre in comparison), we should do the same.

Jesus the Hero -1 Peter 2

Who is your hero? And why?

It's an interesting question. Ask a child, and they'll probably think of at least three examples (okay so some of their examples will probably be comic book characters). Ask an adult, and you're more likely to run into problems. You see, as we grow up, people let us down. We learn not to idolise others, because we realise (the hard way) that they are human and make mistakes. Sure, there are some fantastic inspirational people out there, but in the grind of daily life at the office, there are slim pickings for heroic models.

That's why it's so awesome reading the Bible and getting to know Jesus better. The more you read about Him, the more you have to respect, love... and worship Him. Not even His enemies could accuse Him of sin (see John 8). And the Bible is pretty blunt about people who sin, telling us all about David's mistakes with Bathsheba for just one example.

Jesus stood out as being different, and this chapter in 1 Peter really highlights these differences, and show us why Jesus is a true hero.

He is infinitely worthy, and yet suffered rejection.

Have you seen Batman: The Dark Knight? Batman takes the blame for some crimes he did not commit, in order to preserve the people's hope in their hero (who is not Batman). He is turned into an enemy of the people, when really he is donning his suit, jumping off buildings and facing angry rotweilers to save those people of Gotham.

Now Jesus is INFINITELY GREATER than Batman. He's divine, and He never makes mistakes. But I'm drawing a parallel to emphasise the situation. We've all heard the story before: Jesus comes and is crucified. The impact gets lost. This passage reminds us that Jesus is PRECIOUS! He is 'chosen by God and precious to Him' (4); He is the 'chosen and precious cornerstone' (6). And this precious One suffered for US to be saved:
'He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might de to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed.' (24)

Jesus is the most precious thing to cling to in this life. He is the means by which we are God's people, because He is the means by which we receive mercy (10). By Christ, we can leave darkness and enter light (9).

If we're ever going to value Jesus for His true, heroic worth, we need to focus on Him: His life, death, resurrection and all they achieve for us. Jesus is to be our great example to whom we can turn and imitate in all situations (21).

One final comment on the Batman analogy: the real tragedy of the film is that there are no heroes. The one the people honour (I'm trying not to spoil the story) turns into an anti-hero, Batman struggles with his human limitations, and the closest thing that comes to hope is the fact that the population make some surprisingly noble decisions. But look at verse 6: 'the one who trusts in Him will never be put to shame'. Isn't it awesome, that Jesus will never let you down? He will never break a promise, and He has promised to give eternal life to all who come to Him. He is our true hero.

Who is Jesus? -John 1

At the start of his gospel, John wants to make it crystal clear to us who Jesus Christ is. Why? Because it's the key to knowing Him and loving Him. And it stops us from dismissing Him as a man, eccentric or unusual as He may be.

For Jesus, John claims, was no mere man, but the Word, who was with God and who was God through all eternity (1-2). Jesus created the universe with God the Father (3); He is the source of life (4), and He humbled Himself to come to the earth He created, and suffered rejection there (10-11).

'Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God' (12). Why did Jesus, the mighty Creator of the universe, bother to come down to earth? To make it possible for YOU to become a child of God. It's not our natural status- we are children of sin. But Jesus was prepared to endure rejection by some, in order to give life to others who would accept Him.

What a cost it was, for the glory of the Son of God to be transformed and hidden in human flesh (14). And He didn't come down for a sinister purpose- to 'catch us out'- but offering grace and truth (14). Jesus came to make God known to us (18). That's so incredible, showing such amazing love and compassion, that it provokes us to stop, look and love Jesus. If you were in His position, would YOU have come to earth to save one like yourself? Ugly with sinful selfish thoughts and behaviour? Think long and hard. The answer is: 'probably not'.