The State of the Church: Faith Tested

7 October 2018

Psalm 26; 1 Peter 1:3-9; Revelation 2:8-11

No one likes to be tested, and many Christians – especially (but not only) those of the ‘prosperity gospel’ variety – outright reject the idea of our Holy Father bringing what we would call ‘misery’ into our lives to “test” our faith.  Shouldn’t The All-Knowing already know?  What are we being “tested” for?  And why must we suffer if we already believe?

These questions go to the heart of why “bad things happen to good people”.  We cannot get next to the idea of a merciful God who “so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” but who then “tests the genuineness of our faith”, as Peter wrote. 

Jesus Himself was tested.  The test of Abraham with his beloved Isaac (Genesis 22:1-18) is beyond comprehension and seems so arbitrary, even …cruel!  And the idea that “Satan” could wander into the heavenly court and challenge The Lord has always been disturbing to me, too outlandish to even take seriously (Job 1:6-12).  And then think of this; the merciful God and benevolent Creator of the entire universe would throw one of His most faithful servants under the bus just to prove a point to “Satan”??

In the biblical context, “suffering” is noble and necessary to spiritual growth and maturity.  In our contemporary context, “suffering” is a curse.  “Suffering” is the evidence of evil and, in the minds of some, the absence of God.  “Suffering” is when the devil is “out to get me”. 

Jesus came to deliver The Lord’s people from sin, and those who believe are blessed.  Yet we suffer.  We are tempted sometimes beyond our capacity to endure.  When does it end, and why must it happen to “me”??

There are no easy answers, of course.  Sometimes our suffering is a result of our poor choices or lapses in judgment.  Suffering which comes from results of careless actions is just; and if we take our medicine, if we “suffer” the consequences, spiritual growth can come as a blessing when we are called to account for our actions.  It means we are loved.  It means we are not being neglected.  Even if we meant no harm, sometimes corrections become necessary for the sake of holiness – “going on to perfection” - if we are willing to “suffer” the consequences and not strike back defensively. 

We may be tempted to think a mountain is being made of a mole hill, but that’s only a matter of personal perspective.  It is important and necessary for us to remember that what we perceive and how we perceive it is not always how others will.  As St. Paul warned the Romans that “stumbling blocks” can be real hindrances to those weak in the faith and can lead them to sinful thoughts and actions (Romans 14:13), we must be aware that what may be a “mole hill” to us is a genuine “mountain” to another.

What the faithful Church is being warned about in The Revelation, however, is a whole other kettle of fish.  The suffering they will be forced to endure will not be due to their carelessness or lapses in judgment, and it won’t be the result of political disagreements.  The nature of what they may be forced to endure may be along the lines of what Peter wrote: “They [your persecutors] are surprised that you no longer join them in the same excesses of dissipation, and so they blaspheme” (1 Peter 4:4).  That is, what the faithful Church once was is no longer who they have become in Christ Jesus.

We are not told exactly what was to come upon the faithful Church in Smyrna or exactly by whose hands it may come, though it is implied their persecution will come by the hands of “those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan”.  We are also being given clues as to what tools a faithful Church will have at its disposal when (not if) the dark clouds of persecution are upon us.

We are told there are “riches” the faithful Church may not be completely aware of, being more mindful of a perceived level of “poverty” (Rev 2:9); that “poverty” perhaps being more the mind of “victim” of circumstance rather than a heart of “victory” in Christ – which we find in the means of grace.  We often confuse political adversity and opposition with genuine persecution.  As a result, we are much more likely to lash out in anger and only compound an existing problem rather than work through it with “patient endurance”. 

If it is, however, that the faithful Church already knows the opposition they face and have the assurance of “the crown of life”, what prevents us from enduring, from “suffering” (allowing) these things to run their course without our direct participation?  Could it be “fear” that prevents us from “turning the other cheek”?  Or is it … pride?  A false (worldly) sense of self?

The idea we and our witness would be better served if we were to stand down in the face of adversity rather than to lash out is distasteful to most of us, and yet “suffering” is exactly that – “allowing” adversity to run its course knowing there is something better, something more wonderful than we can possibly imagine, waiting for us on the other side of that adversity – but only if we are willing to endure and be led through it rather than to get caught up in it. 

Our God has tested – and will continue to test – His people not only to see where our true faith lies, but probably at least as much so we can see for ourselves what we really believe and Whom we really trust.  It is easy to say we believe when things are going our way, but it is suffering in adversity which reveals how deep our faith truly is, how much we really trust our Shepherd to lead us. 

This testing is also as much about preparing us for something else down the road, strengthening us to face even greater adversity when that time is upon us.  Just as we parents know we cannot always protect our children from heartbreak and disappointment, we also know we can guide them through these challenges and show them life beyond the suffering.

So it is with our Holy Father.  We must learn to endure life’s challenges, but we must do so in The Word rather than on the unbelieving world’s terms.  Only then may we pray as the psalmist prayed, “Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in [You] without wavering” (Psalm 26:1). 

For the “crown of life” and to the glory of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit.  Amen.