Solid Rock, the church I attend in Tigard, is currently teaching through a tremendous series out of the book (or letter) of Philippians, aptly titled "Philippians: A Colony of Heaven". As we slog through the text verse by verse, my mind is being reinforced that the story of Jesus is the greatest heroic story known to man...because it is the only story that carries with it the real, raw power to inspire, stir, churn, and spur every living soul into action in order to be integrated with that same story. I like having a role in the greatest story ever told. I like being a part of a story that has eternity shimmering on the horizon...not the pursuit of happiness.
Anyhow, some people see that story clearer than others, and Paul, who penned this letter, was one such person. Take a look at his words to the church in Philippi:
"Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.
Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will; the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment.
What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice, yes, and I will rejoice."
-Philippians 1:12-18 (NASB, emphasis added)
Here is Paul, imprisoned in the epicenter of Rome for treason. His "circumstances": beatings, ridicule, starvation, sleepless nights, and slow decay in a Roman prison (not exactly the Embassy Suites) as a cherry on top, have caused him to REJOICE!
Wow.
To Paul, to ask him about his life would be to ask "how is the gospel progressing in your region?" They were intertwined and inseparable. His sole ambition was advancing the story of God.
To Paul, prison was a grain field ripe for the harvest: "...so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard (the elite force to the emperor himself)..." What's more, Paul's actions turned out to be a catalyst for boldness within fellow disciples, who gained "far more courage to speak the word of God without fear."
I can only imagine...
My cousin Christian will be traveling to Indonesia this July for about a week of ministry there, and I can't help but ponder what would unfold if my brother were to encounter similar circumstances. What if he is imprisoned for proclaiming Jesus among the people, and he scribes a letter concerning the work that was accomplished. I would walk out to the mailbox here in our little Newberg apartment some tranquil afternoon (I'm pretending I'm still here and not in Serbia at this point :) and find a letter from Christian Buehring. I open it and read:
"Now, I want you to know, Tyler and Josh, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel here in Indonesia, so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole region..."
Atypical words found in a letter from a relative.
How invigorating that would be! My spirit would be set ablaze with courage. I would feel surges of fearlessness and firm resolution to proclaim the name of Jesus. It's a call to the greatest story ever told. It was that call that lit up Paul's heart and made him rejoice.
...
The point of this teaching from Solid Rock was that when it comes to hardship, trying circumstances, and suffering...there are a couple of camps people fall into.
People in one camp are enraged and embittered at God for their suffering, for experiencing "adverse conditions". In anger, they lash out at God, saying, "Why, God? Why is this happening to me? I thought that if I trusted You and sought after You and prayed day and night and followed everything written in Your Word, then no harm would befall me and any notion of suffering would be but a passing thought."
Then, there are those who land in the "divine blueprint" camp, where "God is in control", and "God has a plan, and this or that is a part of His will."
The problem with both, as outlined in the Solid Rock teaching, is that each places the ownership of responsibility on God. Both still play the blame game. What if, however, there are other forces at work in the world--forces that are black and white antagonistic to God and light? What if God's "plan" was actually Eden and harmony and beautiful communion with the Creator? What if Paul being abused and imprisoned by people influenced by evil was not any more "God's will" than Jews thrown into Nazi death camps?
What if, instead, God is with you in suffering? What if, instead, God is at work for redemptive purposes, because two kingdoms are flat out at war with one another? What if I believed what Romans 8:28 says:
"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."
The thing about creators is that they know how to put their creation back together when it is broken.
Why? For His glory. So things can be used for "the greater progress of the gospel"--the good news. After hearing this message, I choose to rejoice in whatever can be counted as suffering, because God is in the business of making things new.
To close, I simply want to offer more encouragement from the same letter to the Philippians. In his opening few lines, Paul states what Solid Rock believes to be, and what I have come to believe to be, the reason for praying. An answer to the question "why pray?"
"For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you (plural) will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus."
-Philippians 1:6 (NASB)
We pray because there is a gap between what is and what could be, and prayer moves the hand of God. Keep praying, because God began a good work in you, and He always finishes what He starts. Have faith in this, my friends.
God has a redemptive edge.
