I was listening the great John Piper sermon last night “Doing Missions When Dying is Gain” and he came to Colossians 1:24 in which it says “Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.” It is so challenging to read this! The only thing lacking in Christ’s suffering is the demonstration of it to people who have not seen it. And so John Piper avers that not only is suffering a consequence of evangelism, but that it is also the means to evangelism.
And I am left with some thought that I cannot sort out completely. How do you demonstrate suffering if you are rich? I am not saying that you do not suffer if you are rich, but to those who do not know your life or the gospel, how can they see that you have suffered for the sake of the gospel. I think that we suffer. It is mostly a physical and psychological suffering as well as some spiritual suffering as we battle our own sinfulness and satan’s barbs as he tries to discourage us. And I believe that this suffering is done for the sake of the gospel. But, . . . . I am not sure the people in town know it. It is not easily demonstrable suffering. I have a car, most people do not. When we do not have water in our house I keep buying pumps and hiring plumbers until I can get water to our tank. Most people cannot do that. My house has plaster on the interior walls, most people just have dirt walls and floors. We always make sure we have food. We filter our water to avoid waterborne illness. What do the people see in my life that makes them think, he has paid a price so that we can know this message that he is sharing, the gospel of Jesus Christ. How can we be rich and demonstrate the cross of Christ?
cairesonmission 
I’m so thankful for your blog … Thank you allowing us to enter in to your lives and thoughts. These are complicated questions. At our kids’ music program last night, they sang a song about fixing our eyes on Jesus, which makes our own problems fade. So with that in mind, as I think about your questions in this post and in your previous one, I’m comforted to see your lives parallel the mission of Christ … Who left the greatest of riches to come near to the suffering of his children. He laid down his life, though he always had the option of taking it up again. The riches and security he had were always accessible to him, but he chose to live with modest provisions. He had every option, every advantage, every ideal, but he chose to give it up. And no one has suffered more than he. I pray that your thoughts of him continue to bring you greatest comfort, joy, wisdom, and peace.
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Lisa, it is interesting what you wrote, because I have been thinking about Jesus a lot. I have been thinking about how he really knows what suffering is having been a man of constant sorrow. He is the solution to it all!
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Wow. And here I sit in luxury with a constant flow of water, my AC running and my beautifully decorated home as I’ve been scribbling in my journal about desiring to die well because I’m so stinkin selfish too many times. I really have no idea what it’s like to truly suffer. Thanks for this post. Jennifer
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I don’t think I have much personal experience in it either. Not really. But I see it all around us.
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Reblogged this on Praying for the millennials.
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