Suffering Little Children Part Three

Part Three: Reality Check

Christianity is declining throughout all the affluent countries in the world, particularly in America. It's not because of the Devil and his army of demons, although they surely play a role. Nor is it simply because of our materialistic wants and desires, even while they continue to grow. The biggest problem is that we don’t live in reality. We, especially our church, are increasingly fragmented, only interested in the things that affect our immediate life, the things that alleviate our suffering. We have built walls around the our individual suffering, and we hide behind those walls pretending nothing goes on underneath the skin. We become business men, professional women, moms and dads, coaches, Christians, outreach directors, and pastors. All our titles and hats are nice make excellent Halloween costumes… but God doesn’t see our titles- He sees suffering little children.

We are ashamed of our suffering… We hide it from each other.

1 Peter 4: 15-16
15.Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
16.For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

We would stop hiding if we weren't so ashamed. It is a travesty that our churches have become halls of shame and guilt, places that mock God's grace!

God brings conviction by three things:
1)The preached and revealed Word. 2) The moving of the Spirit. 3) The life example of the saints. (Not the stares, whispers, traditions, or ideas of the saints.)

Where did we get this idea to pretend that we are somehow beyond suffering? When we act in this fictitious manner we alienate 100% of the truthful population. We cannot be real if we as a church are not transparent about our struggles, trials, and suffering.

We must wake up and realize that suffering is a part of life and no matter what I am going to I am going to be faithful to God! Faithful to church! Faithful to work and my family and my wife! Stop thinking that any thorn disqualifies you from God's favor and grace. It may have been God who gave you that thorn. We have to determine that we are coming through this suffering and while it my bring me down, affect my body, it cannot make me ashamed. We have hope and hope makes us not ashamed.
We are all suffering little children.

An Unspoken Agreement:

We think its respectful to ignore the suffering of others… We ignore their suffering, they ignore ours

Galatians 6:2-3
2.Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
3.For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.

How dare we sit in church, thinking it prudent to not draw attention to other people's suffering and pain. We are in danger of becoming a group of doctors standings around in an emergency room talking and ignoring the sick while they stagger in injured and dying. This would be an appalling scene indeed. Yet, we don’t give encouraging words to our brethren. We have no problem discussing their suffering when they are not present (gossip), but when they are crying in their pew when they are fighting off depression at home we lose all the bars on our cell phones. We must completely reject the 'walking on egg shells' mentality.

When you dwell with suffering you can become immune to its effects. The suffering children of India made me want to stay in my house and never walk the streets. But as the months wore on the pain in their eyes became less painful to me and more of an inconvenience, before it finally became downright annoying.

What if God felt that way about us?

The Devil wants to destroy our unity and we are united in suffering. Reality dictates that suffering is not his tool and but God's tool. Therefore Satan is forced to manipulate our suffering and our minds. He has created classes, systems of suffering, different types so we can divide ourselves for his purpose and not fulfill the law of Christ which is our grace!

1 Corinthians 12:25-27
25. That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
26. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it ; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it .
27. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.