The Book's Purpose

• Show that joy and suffering are essential aspects of Christianity
• Provide a practical Christian theology of suffering
• Help Christians embrace suffering so that they can experience biblical joy
• Give a thorough exegesis of Colossians 1:24-29, showing how the verses blend pain and joy

The Book's Message

In a world that focuses on affluence and modern technology, comfort and convenience become ultimate values and expected human rights. Even some preachers communicate that believers have a biblical right to attain these and that suffering is something to be avoided.

The natural outcome is a belief system that minimizes the important role pain and suffering play in leading believers to full maturity in Christ. Colossians 1:24-29 presents a different perspective and reminds Christ’s followers of the joy that they can experience when suffering is viewed from the eyes of faith.

Suffering and Joy are Essential to Christianity

Can a person experience joy even in the thick of deep grief? Colossians 1:24 provides the answer: “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake.” Joy and suffering can walk in tandem.

Two Essential Calls

God issues two calls that are foundational to the Christian experience. First, He calls us to joy. The Old Testament often gets a bad rap for its harshness. Actually, it oozes with messages of joy. In fact, the Old Testament contains 23 Hebrew words for joy, The English word rejoice appears 81 times, with Psalms leading the way with 31 references. Singing is mentioned 87 times in Psalms.

The same pattern appears in the New Testament. The angels announced the joyful news of Jesus’ birth. The Wise Men rejoiced with exceeding joy. The three parables in Luke 15 are accompanied by great joy and celebration when the lost was found. The early church met in homes where they fellowshipped with glad hearts. Salvation is such a wonderful blessing that gives us cause to have joy, even in trying times.

The second call is a call to suffer. God designed suffering to be as much a part of life as joy. Did not Jesus imply such when He stated that following Him required taking up a cross? The call to discipleship is costly.

Even a casual reading of the New Testament reveals that suffering and blessings go hand in hand. One of the blessings often listed is joy. In 18 New Testament passages, joy and suffering are found together.

Pleasure in the Rhythm of Life

The Bible doesn’t frown on bursts of pleasure in the human experience; they make up an important feature in the basic rhythm of life. These bursts become one’s rewards that emerge after the rigors of everyday living. Some are good for us; but, obviously many can be harmful as well, such as binge drinking or sexual escapades.

The Old Testament prescribed festivals as a way to build celebration as a part of life’s rhythm. But it must be noted that the celebrations were not daily affairs. They were periodic and gave the Jews opportunity to express their joy and thanksgiving to God.

God is the one who created within us this capacity and desire to experience pleasure. To maximize the joy, we must see the events as spiritual activities of companionship with God. Otherwise, we move toward unacceptable expressions of pleasure and engage in activities that bring only momentary fulfillment. Believers need to demonstrate to our hedonistic world that lasting joy and pleasure come only through a meaningful relationship with God.

Three Essentials Needed for Joy

Before we can experience joy in suffering, three essential things are needed.

Lament is the first essential. Believers must not deny pain. One day, in the final consummation, suffering will be a thing of the past. But between now and then believers must learn to express their suffering. The Old Testament informs us about one such outlet called the lament.

More than a third of the Psalms and the whole book of Lamentations are classified as songs of lament. Haggai is the only prophetic book that doesn’t contain any laments. What was common in the Scriptures is much rarer in today’s worship songs.

Laments are the cries of God’s people who go through extreme trials despite their faithfulness. They are cries to God that want to know why and for how long. They represent honest grappling with theological questions about suffering.

After the tsunami of 2004 hit our country of Sri Lanka, I led our congregation in a time of corporate lament. We mourned over the devastating tragedy and then prayed to God for relief. Churches today have buried the biblical practice of lament. Restoring the practice would be a good thing.

In the same way, personal lament needs to be restored. Healthy expressions of our pain bring God’s comfort and help us heal from any bitterness that can easily take root.

Have you noticed that there is no place for lament in prosperity theology? Such theology focuses only on the blessings of God and fails to acknowledge personal pain. To lament would be an expression of distrust in God. Prosperity preachers don’t last long in countries where there is persecution. They usually just leave.

Faith is the second essential. Lament is not essential all the time. Faith is. James 1:2-3 reminds us that trials are opportunities to express joy. Unfortunately, many Christ-followers have great difficulty being joyful. They have the attitude that nothing ever works out for them. One of the greatest challenges of Christian leaders is convincing those who have faced rejection all their lives and those who seem to go through endless trials that God delights in blessing them.

Romans 8:28 teaches believers that God causes all of life’s circumstances to work out for good. As we go through seasons of pain, we see this truth validated each time, thereby strengthening our faith that God, indeed, brings blessings through life’s difficulties. When something bad happens, we may groan, get angry, and argue with God. But deep inside we know that God is up to something good.

During the darkest days we must learn to feed our faith. How? By continuously reading through the Scriptures. The Word of God will be our strength, hope, comfort, and guidance.

Surrender is the third ingredient. Like faith, surrender is essential all the time. We can become so protective of our stuff that it can sap the joy right out of our lives. Take a home for instance. Parents may guard the beauty and cleanliness of their home so obsessively that the children can have no fun whatsoever.

God calls us to surrender these idols so that we can be released from their hold on us. The most significant thing that we surrender is our own lives because our sinful human nature leads us to seek full control of self. We must understand that the purpose of surrender is that we might enjoy the fullness of a joyful relationship with God.

It is not easy to surrender things that are close to us or vital to us. But we must understand that surrender is often the pathway to an exciting adventure of eternal significance.

A Defective View of Suffering

Christians in the western world possess a defective view of pain and suffering. There is more talk about how to avoid and escape suffering but very little about the theology of suffering. Mention suffering, and the subject is typically viewed in a negative way. The results of such attitudes? First, the good life becomes a value that is viewed as a basic human right. Second, when pain does come, we suffer more than we need to. Third, we may move away from potential suffering to an easier path and miss the blessings of God’s best for our lives.

Suffering Draws Us Closer to Christ

“Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church” (Colossians 1:24).

Suffering with Christ

What does Paul mean when he refers to “what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions?” Was he suggesting that Jesus’ death on the cross was inadequate? Not at all. Christ suffered on the cross. If we are to be like Him, then we also must suffer. Philippians 3:10 uses the phrase “the fellowship of his sufferings” to remind us that when we suffer, we suffer with Christ.

Suffering for the sake of Christ must be viewed as a privilege and something that draws us closer to Him. This intimacy with Christ is sweet and satisfying and causes the pain to lose its sting. Instead of fearing it, we embrace it because we know that our fellowship with the Savior is growing deeper.

Becoming Like Christ

Survey the New Testament and make note of all the examples where Jesus is presented as a model to follow. Most of the instances relate to His suffering as an example. Perhaps the best known is Hebrews 12:1-2 where we are exhorted to Suffering Jesus as the one who endured the cross and despised the shame.

This truth runs counter to the popular message of many television preachers who claim that because Jesus suffered, we don’t have to suffer. If we do suffer, it is because we have sinned or don’t have enough faith.

The biblical truth is that Jesus suffered; and we should expect to do the same. In Philippians 3:10, Paul states his desire to share in His sufferings and become like Him in His death. This passage provides us with a clear understanding that suffering helps us become like Christ.

Purifying Our Motives

Suffering also has a way of purifying our motives. As Hebrews 12:3-11 reminds us, God sometimes administers His hand of discipline upon us to rid us of impurities. Teachers of God’s Word need to heed this truth. Pride is a common struggle among ministers. And when pride sets in with our desire to please people instead of God, the Spirit’s anointing on our lives departs. The result is a powerless ministry. Sometimes this recognition is the very discipline God sends to wake us up and to purify our motives.

Albert Osburne, well-known Salvation Army hymn writer, can testify that suffering purifies our motives. He was at a juncture in his ministry when leaders were seeking to divide his district. Others urged him to fight the decision. But he refused, wanting to do nothing more than to please God. Eventually, this move gnawed away at him as he realized that dividing the district would minimize his power and prestige. He became more concerned about his position in the kingdom rather than the work of the kingdom itself.

He was just going through the motions of ministry when one day he was involved in a serious automobile accident that required a long recovery. It was during his hospital stay that he heard a patient across the hall singing hymns of praise. His heart once again began to yearn for an intimate walk with God. This experience purified his motives and restored him to meaningful ministry.

Experiencing the Pain of Shame

Suffering can become bearable if others appreciate the sacrifices we make for the sake of Christ. But if others think our suffering is the result of God’s punishment for wrong doing, then the shame can become unbearable. Jesus must always be our model. He won our salvation by hanging on the cross in shame. We who follow Christ must recognize that inevitably we will suffer shame as well.

The pain of shame is especially difficult to bear when it comes from your own people. For example, we love Sri Lanka and are willing to suffer for the welfare of our nation. The temptation to flee the country for a better lifestyle is ever present. But we choose to stay. Yet others accuse us Christians as being the puppets of foreign nations driven to overpower and conquer our land.

Hebrews 12:2 states that while Jesus was enduring the pain of the cross, He despised the shame. The reason He was able to have this attitude was that He knew that there would be joy at the end. Everyone believes that evil should be punished and good rewarded. It is easy to understand the anger that results when the opposite happens. But we must never allow injustice to make us bitter and ineffective in Christian service. We must always remember that for the believer, joy will come when it’s all said and done.

Suffering Benefits the Church

So far, based on Colossians 1:24, we have seen that suffering and joy are essential elements of Christianity. We have also affirmed that we can be joyful in suffering because pain draws us closer to Christ. The verse concludes by giving us a third affirmation: suffering benefits the church.

Suffering Leads to Church Growth

One of the glaring omissions in most church growth books is the role that suffering plays. A study of Scripture and Christian history reveals that significant suffering (especially among church leaders) occurs before dynamic bursts of growth in the church.

The church in Sri Lanka can testify to the role suffering plays. It was two centuries ago when the first Methodist missionaries came to Sri Lanka. One story of hardships, suffering, and death after another dots the pages of our history. In the first 52 years of the Methodist movement, seventeen missionaries died. At least eight of them were under the age of 30. If you travel through eastern parts of the country today, you see Methodist churches prominently located throughout the area.

After Stephen’s stoning an outpouring of persecution followed. As a result, followers of Christ were dispersed throughout Judea and Samaria. These believers continued their witness wherever they landed. Later we read about the start of the first Greek church in Antioch which would evolve into a key center for the spread of Christianity. Acts 11:19 suggests that the stoning of Stephen was the catalyst resulting in the significant growth of the church.

Suffering Incarnates the Gospel

In order to redeem us, God had to become like us. He did so when He became human flesh. Jesus came into the world to bring salvation. In the same way, we are called to spread the good news of salvation. And just as Jesus became like one of us, we must become like those we seek to reach. This challenge is daunting, because most people are much different from us.

Today, we are taught that we should operate out of our strengths. But that’s not the way we incarnate the gospel. Think about Jesus and the Samaritan woman. He didn’t start by trying to fix her immoral situation. He started from a position of weakness by asking for a drink of water.

Hebrews 2:18 reminds us that Jesus suffered when He was tempted so that He could help us when we are tempted. That’s the incarnational way. The ultimate example of incarnational ministry took place on the cross where He paid the price for our sins. Therefore, He can relate when we suffer. The world needs to see a similar pattern in us. People need to witness our presence when they go through difficult times. And when Christians suffer, may we not kick and scream, but may we suffer with honor and joy.

George Harley, a medical missionary to Liberia, had served there for five years without the first person responding to the gospel. No one ever came to the weekly worship services. While on the field his son died. With the exception of one African man, no one came to the place of burial. After he shoveled dirt onto the coffin, Harley sobbed uncontrollably. The man with him grabbed his hair, held up his face, and stared at him for a long time. Then he ran back to the village where he told everyone that the “white man” cried just like them. The following Sunday’s worship was packed with people. Harley continued his ministry in Liberia with great success for 35 years. But before these results, he first had to give his son.

Suffering Leads to Deeper Commitment

Volunteers in any ministry need to see that their leaders are sacrificially committed to the vision, even to the point of suffering hardships. When they see this level of sacrifice, they will be willing to pay the price themselves.

There is a grossly noticeable lack of commitment in today’s church. Members have adopted the consumer mind-set. Large staffed churches tend to feed this mentality through top quality children’s ministries or excellent worship services.

Certainly there is nothing wrong with striving for excellence. But leaders must never forget the biblical model of suffering. Paul used his prison experience as a means to advance the gospel. When leaders suffer for the vision, people respond with high levels of fresh commitment.

Jesus explained this concept when he contrasted Himself as the Good Shepherd to the hired hand. One dies for the sheep; the other scatters when hardships arise. Many who visit our churches today come with heavy hearts. They have faced bitter experiences and heartbreaks. “What a breath of fresh air it will be for them to see a leader who is truly committed to them and who suffers inconvenience, tiredness, financial loss, or some other loss in order to help them.” If leaders are willing to die, the people will be willing to die.

The leader who nurtures, cares for, and teaches the people is not in vogue today. Today’s model is more specialized. The lead pastor preaches and does very little visiting or counseling. This model can actually stunt the growth level and commitment of the members. The pastor/leader who is willing to invest time with his people, serving their needs and caring for their hurts, will find that his people will be less apt to go church shopping for a church that might have better programs. Commitment fosters commitment.

The Way to Avoid Suffering

The surest way to avoid suffering is to have little or no commitment to people. Sri Lanka has had its share of devastation with war, revolution, tsunami, epidemics, and the persecution of believers. But the greatest pain comes from relationships. If you are committed to people, you will suffer pain.

Paul shared his long list of stories of pain and suffering. But his greatest pain came from the sin and the rejection of the people in the churches he served. The Apostle did not avoid these issues and move on to new arenas of ministry. No, he hit the issues head on. His Corinthian letters provide ample evidence. Moreover, when he and Barnabas learned that the Jerusalem church insisted on circumcision for salvation, they immediately made the 400-plus mile trek back to Jerusalem to discuss the issue.

People today tend to avoid depth in relationships. They figure if they keep their distance, then chances are better they will not be hurt. They believe that staying emotionally aloof from others will keep them from suffering pain when others go through difficult problems. We must understand that genuine commitment in relationships includes experiencing vulnerability. The easy way out is to stay detached; but that is not the way of Christ.

Here are some practical examples of avoiding commitment and averting suffering. When a church member commits a serious sin, ignore it and avoid the painful process of discipline. When we have trouble with a group, just leave it and go find another group. If someone questions the direction we are taking, invite him to leave and go find another place where he may be more comfortable. If people leave because they are upset about something, don’t give them opportunities to express their grievances.

Suffering Produces Servant Disciples

Grace Is the Key

Some believers are great servants, but they are unhappy about their roles. The reason that they are unhappy is that they are not serving out of grace. For example, some serve out of resentment. They feel exploited, unvalued and unappreciated. Certainly, those who treat God’s servants this way are wrong. Nevertheless, Christ-followers must check their motives. Biblically speaking, they should always serve as an overflow of God’s grace and mercy.

A second example that produces unhappy servants is the insensitivity and unkindness of people. But focusing on the hurt will lead to bitterness. We must remind ourselves that God’s love is much greater than any mistreatment we might receive. We must not allow ill-spirited people to deprive us of joy. Grace can heal any pain incurred by others’ actions.

A third example is fatigue. Fatigue is not necessarily wrong. Our Savior experienced it. But if fatigue drains us to the point that we have no energy left to serve, then we must do something to remedy it. The most difficult thing to do is to serve God in our own strength. Burnout is right around the corner. Nothing helps this problem more than uninterrupted time praying and studying God’s Word.

Joy Is Greater Than the Cost

Many of the mediations in this book have focused on the cost of servanthood. But we would be amiss if we didn’t spend some time talking about the rewards. The joy we receive far outweighs any cost we must bear.

In Colossians 1:25-26, Paul writes about his task to make known the Word of God. Then he refers to the Word as a “mystery.” The roots of this word suggest that only God is able to reveal the meaning and significance of this mystery. Paul had a calling to make known this mystery. We have the same calling.

We know that this mystery of the gospel is able to meet people’s deepest needs. And we do all that we can to help them recognize this truth. While preaching the Word, we must realize, regardless of how tired or discouraged we may be, that we are proclaiming the truth.

It can set people free. And when we ponder this thought, our discouragement and fatigue, as least for the moment, are forgotten. The Colossians 1 passage goes on to talk about “the riches of the glory of this mystery.” And to think that He chose us to tell others about this mystery! What an awesome responsibility! The gospel has much more value than health, wealth, and success. Why? Because it satisfies the deepest longings of our heart and gives us a glimpse of the exciting things that happen after this life. When the earthly blessings of prosperity, comfort, and health don’t come our way, we must stay focused on the One who will see that we reap the beautiful riches that await us in heaven. Our experience of Jesus today is only a foretaste of the glory to come. We await this glory with great anticipation. “May those thoughts comfort us in our pain, motivate us to costly service, and be a constant reason for joy.”

Discipleship Is Our Objective

Our Colossians passage is loaded with insights on what it takes to produce disciples. Ultimately, it is all about Jesus. He is our message. So, how do we fulfill our objective of helping people become like Jesus? Verses 27-29 reveal six aspects of disciple-making.

The first step is proclaiming. “Him we proclaim…” (v. 27). There are multiple concerns that disciple-makers must give attention to when developing others (economic, physical, moral, spiritual). But the key to everything is Jesus. Therefore, the ultimate focus must be on Christ.

Ministry is tough. People will disappoint us. Our labor will go unrecognized. There will be sorrow, fatigue, and heartaches. Church politics can leave a bad taste in our mouths. And if we are not careful, these negative factors can make us angry and bitter and result in making our sermons unattractive to the very people God has called us to reach. We must never stop proclaiming Jesus because He is the only hope for everyone.

The second and third aspects are warning and teaching. Verse 28 says, “…warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom.” If we observe people on the verge of doing wrong, we must confront them and warn them of the dangers they are facing. As we teach, we must provide them with biblical instructions on all the issues that affect their lives. On top of that, we must help them develop a mind-set that will help them see all of life from God’s point of view.

Verse 28 clarifies the goal of our teaching and warning: “that we may present everyone mature in Christ.” Bottom line, we strive to help people (all people, not just a few) know the Word and live the Word.

The fourth aspect in disciple-making is toil. “For this I toil, struggling with all his energy…” (v. 29). The word toil suggests labor and hard work. Making disciples is not a piece of cake. It requires huge commitments of time and energy. Living a balanced Christian life (devotions, worship, family, job, neighborly contacts, etc.) is hard enough. But to lead someone to full maturity in Christ requires many more areas of attention.

Personal appointments with protégés are important as well as teaching them the basic tenets of the faith. We must help them get comfortable with self-feeding from the Bible. And, of course, we rub shoulders with them when they have special needs~sickness and discouragement, for example, as well as in the times of celebration. A master list of things involved in disciple-making would be endless. Suffice it to say that being with people is the key.

Although toil is a part of the process, we must remember that the very things we labor hard over are also the very things that invigorate us. For example, teaching the Bible to others is hard work. But is it not also extremely fulfilling and inspiring?

The fifth aspect is struggle. Verse 29 says, “…struggling with all his energy….” The word here is agonizomai. Paul uses the same word elsewhere to talk about fighting the good fight and about competing in athletic contests. “Disciple-making is a strenuous struggle for souls.” Making disciples can be disheartening when you pour your life into someone only to see him wane in his commitment. A common theme in Paul’s letters is his struggle for the souls of those he was seeking to lead to full maturity.

Perhaps the most effective way of struggling for someone’s soul is through prayer (see Colossians 4:12 where agonizomai is used in the context of prayer). When we pray for someone, we are engaging in spiritual warfare on his behalf. Prayer is hard work; but it is also energizing because it puts us into intimate contact with the Father.

This point moves us to the sixth aspect of disciple-making~energy. The phrase in verse 29 has three words related to energy: “with all his energy that he powerfully works within me” (underlines added). The way these words are phrased leaves no doubt that the energy needed for disciple-making comes directly from God. He is the one who gives us the spiritual, physical, and emotional energy to complete the task with success.

Final Thoughts

These meditations have put before us one of Christianity’s most profound paradoxes. On the one hand, God promises in His Word that He will watch over the faithful and meet each of their needs. On the other hand, He also promises that followers of Christ will suffer.

In Mark 8:35, Jesus called people to a life of self-denial and crossbearing. But He added that faithfulness to this call will lead to abundant living. In John 16:33, Jesus assured His followers that they would certainly face tribulations in this world. But He added that they would experience peace in the midst of the tough times.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, while on sabbatical in the United States, was urged to stay in the country and pursue further studies rather than return to Nazi Germany where he was certain to face many difficulties. He wrote to Reinhold Niebuhr that it was a mistake for him to go to America, indicating that he could not expect to help in the reconstruction of Germany unless he was willing to share the tribulations with them.

People close to us will try to prevent us from engaging in Christian ministry that has the potential of harm. When others tempt us to stay away from imminent persecution or suffering, we need to remember that Jesus called Peter “Satan” when the disciple tried to convince Jesus not to go to the cross. Just like Bonhoeffer stated in one of his letters, God and suffering form a unity; they are not contradictions. We must refuse to look at suffering as a big deal. We conclude these thoughts by recalling that Paul, near death himself, exhorted Timothy to endure hardship like a soldier” (2 Timothy 2:3).