I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for his body, the church. God has given me the responsibility of serving his church by proclaiming his entire message to you. This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to God’s people. For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.
So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ. That’s why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ’s mighty power that works within me.
Suffering for othersI recently was talking with a lady from the church who just returned from a mission trip to Haiti. Shock over the deplorable poverty the people live in still resonated in her voice as she shared her experience. I was reminded of my trip to Zambia with Mike and Wendy and the rampant poverty we witnessed there.
Going on a mission trip wakes us up to the blessings we have here in America. We realize just how blessed we are and how luxurious our accommodations are. At times I think I am suffering because I drive a car I don’t really like, or do not have a particular tool I want to use. I look around and see other people with more than I have and can begin to bemoan my own “poverty”. Truth be told, I am wealthy.
As I read about Paul suffering for people he did not even know I am challenged to give up some of what I have to help others. Paul suffered for the Colossians in his body. How am I suffering for believers around the world in my body? Do I deny myself anything for the sake of others? Am I willing to sacrifice my pleasure so the needs of others I do not know can be met?
Jesus, you suffered the ultimate price for my salvation. Teach me to sacrifice my pleasures for the needs of others that your Kingdom might be spread through the world. Transform my attitude to think of others more than myself. – Dan Jones
The ProclaimerContinuing the Good Friday suffering of Christ in my body isn’t my cup of tea. Paul can have it – all of it. He can have the “fellowship of sharing in his sufferings.” I don’t want it. But, alas, anyone who senses a responsibility to proclaim the same message Paul did, is stuck with some aspect of suffering.
My body hasn’t suffered like Paul’s body did; nothing close, unless church potluck suppers count. But my emotions do. And my relationships. Being a Proclaimer of the “secret” that Jesus Christ wants to live as absolute leader within everyone – especially outsiders and people of other religious persuasions (Gentiles) – guarantees misunderstandings, accusations, rejection, and attacks. Warning and teaching others about something so personal as spiritual truth cannot help but share company with emotional and relational strain, even pain.
Why would suffering accompany a message that promises to bring life to the full and forever? Why did it for Christ himself? I think it’s simple, perhaps obvious. While we all want to taste glory, we want it on our terms. The message of Christ not only refuses to allow us to set the terms, it insists we travel a radical pathway to obtain it, one that seems upside-down and opposite to common human experience. His is a message that demands a complete rewiring of the human mind, reconstruction of the human heart, and rearrangement of human personal and social patterns.
So, as much as I’d like to walk away from the religious spotlight to live out my days in a relatively safe – at least less painful – place, I remain a proclaimer of Christ as a profession and a way of life. That’s my calling and responsibility, as is the pain associated with it.
Lord of my life, as much as I hate the stresses and strains, brokenness and alienation that accompanies a Proclaimer’s calling, I’ll remain steadfast, with your strength and help. – Mike Leamon
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