Embracing the Trial

Two houses. They both look alike. They both are built from the same materials. Which one is well built and which one is not? Which one has a good foundation and which one does not? Which builder was wise and which one was not? By just looking at them from the outside, there is no way to tell. Months and years go by and they both persist. As far as anyone from the outside can tell they are both the same.

But eventually the test comes in the form of a storm, and the test reveals the truth.

Two men. They both look alike. They are both built from the same materials. Which one is well built and which one is not? Which one has a good foundation and which one does not. Which builder was wise and which one was not? By just looking at them from the outside, there is no way to tell. Months and years go by and they both persist. As far as anyone from the outside can tell they are both the same.

But eventually the test comes in the form of a storm - a trial. And the test reveals the truth.

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” - Matthew 7:24-27

How do we know our faith is real? Testing and trials prove our faith. Look at the following well known verse:

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance." - James 1:2-3

The word 'testing' used here is the Greek work 'dokimion', which means "a test by which anything is proven". This test James is talking about is specifically for the purpose of proving our faith is real and true.

So who does it prove it to? Not to God. He already knows whether our faith is true or not. It proves it to us - to ourselves. When we experience a test of our faith and come through to the other side with that faith intact, it is a proof to us that our faith is real. That is why James can say "consider it pure joy" - because pure joy can only come from 'knowing' that you are truly a child of God. In fact, the word 'knowing' used in that same verse is the Greek word 'ginosko', which carries the idea of having a full understanding of something beyond just having the facts, an understanding or knowledge which comes from experience.

It's in our nature to abhor suffering and trials. We want to be comfortable. If we have a headache, we take an aspirin. If we have a pain, we go to the doctor. If we experience a trial, we want to get out of it as quickly and as easily as we can. That's just who we are. But trials and tests also have another side. When we only look at testing from a worldly view, they are bad and to be avoided at all costs. But when we look at them from an eternal viewpoint, we can see them for what they are - a proof of true faith in Christ.

"That the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ." - 1Peter 1:7

A Martyr's Life

Most of us are very familiar with the Bible, its teachings and its stories. We know the great work that men like Peter, James, John and Paul did in starting the Church. But what happened after they died? We may forget that there were men that came "after", men who were taught and schooled by the Apostles and were left to carry on after their deaths. These were great men, men who protected the truths that had been passed on to them by the Apostles and fought heresy at every turn.

I want to introduce you to one of those men. If you are not a student of church history, you may have never heard of a man named Polycarp. He lived from approximately 70 A.D. to 155 A.D. and was a direct pupil of the Apostle John. Polycarp became bishop over the church at Smyrna. He lived during a time of intense persecution of the Christians by the Roman state. To give you an idea of what went on during that time, here is an excerpt from an actual letter written by a Roman governor to the Emperor Trajan circa A.D. 112.

"In the meantime, the method I have observed towards those who have been denounced toward me as Christians is this: I interrogated them whether they were in fact Christians; if they confessed it, I repeated the question twice, adding the threat of capital punishment; if they still persevered, I ordered them to be executed. Those who denied they were, or ever had been, Christians, and who repeated after me an invocation to the gods, and offered formal worship with libation and frankincense before your statue, which I had ordered to be brought into Court for that purpose, and who finally cursed Christ - none of which acts, it is said, those who are really Christians can be forced into performing - these I thought it proper to discharge." - Pliny Secundus, A.D. 112

As you can see from the letter, Christians were given a chance to go free if they would worship the Roman Emperor and curse Christ. Note that during this time 'atheists' were those who did not believe in the Roman gods and in particular the deity of the current Roman emperor, so the Christians were considered 'atheists'. Untold multitudes refused to do this and were executed in the most heinous ways imaginable. Which brings us back to the story of Polycarp. We know his story because the church at Smyrna wrote a letter to the church at Philomelium detailing the circumstances of his death. We have this letter in its entirety and you can read it here.

http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0102.htm

He was captured by the authorities and led into the stadium. The crowds were said to be in great tumult, hearing that is was "the atheist" Polycarp. Then, the proconsul urged him and said, "Swear by Caesar, and I will set you at liberty, reproach Christ."

Polycarp responded, "Eighty-six years have I been His servant, and He has done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King who saved me?"

After further threats, Polycarp responded, "You threaten that fire which burns for a season and after a while is quenched: for you are ignorant of the fire of the future judgement and eternal punishment, which is reserved for the ungodly. But why do you delay? Come, do what you will." At that point Polycarp was burned at the stake and thrust through with the sword."

Our only surviving work of Polycarp is a letter. At one point in the letter he states:

"Let us therefore without ceasing hold fast by our hope and by the earnestness of our righteousness., which is Jesus Christ who took up our sins in His own body upon the tree, who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth, but for our sakes He endured all things, that we might live in Him. Let us therefore become imitators of His endurance; and if we should suffer for His name's sake, let us glorify Him. For He gave this example to us in His own person, and we believed this." - Polycarp, Letter to the Philippians, A.D. 110.

When I read about men like Polycarp who gave their lives for the cause of Christ, I must admit that I have mixed feelings. One side of me is glad that we don't live in an age where we must suffer the persecutions and the threats of death that the early church had to deal with. On the other hand there is a feeling that I can't quite explain. I wonder within myself "what would I do?" if I were to be confronted with that choice. Would I suffer and die for my Lord and Savior with the same bravery shown by Polycarp?

Fortunately or unfortunately, I doubt that any of us will ever have to endure that situation. We'll never be asked to deny Christ - or be torn apart by wild beasts. To deny Christ - or be burned at the stake. To deny Christ - or be crucified. I may not be asked in this life to die a physical death, but I've been commanded by Christ to surrender to another type of death. We must daily to die to self.

Jesus said it this way, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me." - Luke 9:23

Paul expounded on that in his letter to the Galatians by stating, "Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." - Galatians 5:24

When I think about Polycarp, what I realized is that he had experienced death thousands of times over his eighty-six years. He had already killed the part of him that would seek his own comfort and his own gain. What was left in him was Christ. To die that physical death wasn't a great thing to him - just the final step - the final death. He had lived a martyr's life, so he was able to die a martyr's death.

For those of us that wonder "What would I do if I had face martyrdom?", let me ask this:

Are you dying daily now? Are you crucifying the flesh? Are you living a martyr's life?

If you are, then don't worry. I have the utmost confidence that if you or I were faced with that choice, we would gladly die for the Him that died for us. But if you are not dying daily, if you are not experiencing death now - how in the world could you die then?

A Blind Skier

My family and I went skiing this past weekend in North Carolina. It's a trip we take every year with our family and friends (I think this year we had about 24 people in 3 houses). Anyway, Friday night we were on the slopes and some of the kids said they had seen a blind skier on the slopes. Of course we all discussed the situation and how she was able to ski with no sight, but after awhile the subject turned to other matters and the blind skier was forgotten.

The next evening as I walked outside, I noticed 4 of the teenagers in our group were talking to this blind skier. Well, I should say the blind skier was talking to them. I wasn't sure what she was saying, but looking at those kids faces I could tell that they were listening intently to whatever it was she had to say. Afterward, I found one of the kids and asked them what they were talking about. I just assumed that she was explaining how she was able to ski even without sight - but that wasn't it at all.

She told them that she had lost her sight when her car was hit by a drunk driver. She then went on to explain how she had gotten angry with God, but over time God had changed her heart. She was now involved in full-time Christian ministry to other people with rehabilitation issues. God had taken a bad thing in her life and made it good.

You know, I wish I could tell you that bad things are not going to happen in your life and mine, but I can't. Life happens, and in that life sometimes we endure trials and suffer. Those trials may seem unfair, and in many cases by our own measuring standards they are. But God is always in control. If we'll just let him, he can take any situation - even a bad one - and turn it to His glory.When bad things happen to us, we can raise our fists to heaven and give Him a piece of our mind - or we can raise our hands to heaven and give him a piece of our heart, that same piece that's been hurt, abused and trampled on. When we do that, He can bind up the broken-hearted.

I wanted to find that lady and tell her how much I appreciated her sharing her testimony with those kids, but I was unable to find her the next day. Who knows what fruit one little testimony on a ski slope can bring forth.

Well Done

I went to a funeral the other day and as we gathered in the fellowship hall prior to the service a woman came up to me. "You probably don't remember me", she said, "but my mother was Mrs. Causey". To be honest I didn't really remember her, but her mother I could not forget.

When I was a kid, we were at church every time the doors were opened - or so it seemed to me. We attended a Baptist church, so that meant Sunday School on Sunday mornings and "Training Union" (whatever that is) on Sunday nights. And there was a little red-haired lady that taught kid's classes at that church - her name was Mrs. Causey.

My memory tends to be sketchy sometime about things that happened in my childhood, so I don't remember how long she taught the class or even how old I was at the time. I can tell you with pretty good certainty that I did not appreciate at the time what she was doing. I'm sure we came week after week, a bunch of brats who were just tolerating her and the class because our parents made us come.

Today? I'm a Sunday School teacher. I appreciate so much what she did. Week after week studying and preparing and never knowing if the time and effort that you are putting in will really pay off in the lives of those you teach. But it paid off in my life and I'm sure it did as well in the lives of others. Because I can tell you that when I left that church I knew the Bible. And those verses and the lessons I learned stayed with me through the years - even when I did not stay with Him.

If you are serving the Lord in any capacity, let me encourage you to remain steadfast in your work and in your efforts. Just like Mrs. Causey, your investment in other's lives will bring forth fruit. You may never see it or even know about it - but do it for the Glory of God. Whatever talent or service the Lord has given you, cherish and guard it and be faithful to it.

She died last year one month short of 88 years. Her daughter told me that she had taught an adult Sunday School class for 47 years - let me repeat that - 47 years.

Well done, Mrs. Causey. Well done.

“So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ His Lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.’ " - Jesus Christ

Fight

A few weeks ago I was reading in 1 John and ran across this familiar scripture:

Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. - 1 John 2:3-5

I can truly say at this point in my life that I really want to walk just as He walked - but that means keeping His commandments. So what are His commandments? If you are like me and someone asked me that question, I could probably name seven or eight things He wants me to do. But I realized I had never really looked at a comprehensive list. So the next thing I know I'm going through the book of Matthew with a sheet of notebook paper and writing down every command that I could find.

- Repent

- Let your light shine

- Be reconciled with your brother

- Agree with your adversary

- Do not lust

- Do not divorce

- Do not swear

- Do not resist an evil person

- Turn the other cheek

- Give extra

- Go the extra mile

- Give and do not turn away

- Love your enemies

- Bless those who curse you

- Do good to those who hate you

- Pray for those who use you

- Be perfect

- Do your charity in secret

- Pray in secret

- Do not pray with vain repetitions

- Forgive

- Lay up treasures in Heaven

- Do not worry

- Seek first the Kingdom of God

- Don't judge improperly

- Judge yourself

- Do unto others as you would have them do to you

- Do the will of God

- Keep His commandments

- Pray

- Confess Christ before men

- Love Jesus more than family

- Take up your cross

- Follow Him

- Take on His yoke

- Deny yourself

- Lose your life

- Humble yourself

- Serve

- Be ready for His coming

- Feed the hungry

- Take in the stranger

- Clothe the naked

- Visit the sick

- Visit the prisoners

- Make disciples

- Teach others

That is not even a comprehensive list - it's just from the Gospel of Matthew. That doesn't take into account commands given in the other Gospels as well as the rest of the New Testament. But still, you have to admit - that is a daunting list. When you look at it and think about trying to follow them, you realize how difficult the task really is.

Now around the same time I was studying on this we had a guest speaker at church. In his sermon, he brought up the following scripture

From the days of John the Baptist until now, the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. - Matthew 11:12

Now it may seem that I've veered off the subject of obedience and started discussing another scripture, but in my mind that day these two subjects really came together. I don't confess to understand that scripture fully, but what I do understand from it is this: You can't just back into the kingdom or ease into the kingdom by accident. It's a purposeful decision and purposeful walk. When I look at that list of commandments I realize how difficult a walk it is. Did you notice how many of those commands force me to put someone else (even my enemies and those I may not like) ahead of myself? My flesh doesn't like it and doesn't want to live that way. But yet I'm commanded to walk as He walked. When I understand this conflict between spirit and flesh, between new creation and old nature, I can understand better when Jesus says the following:

“Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.” - Jesus Christ

That word "strive" means "to struggle, to make a great effort, to fight", and I think we can all attest to the fact that trying to keep His commandments on a daily basis is a constant battle between flesh and spirit - between the new man and the old man. That's why it is so important to keep our eyes on the prize. So that we can say as the Apostle Paul did:

"I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith."