Nowhere are the pain and horror of sin more real than at the cross of Christ. Yet, in spite of the ugliness of sin, the author of Hebrews tells us of a joy that is greater than any pain in this world. It is this joy that vanquished sin and allowed Jesus to despise the shame and suffering of the cross. This joy is what God has in store on the other side of sorrow for those who trust him and fix their eyes on him.
We walk by faith, not by sight. But unlike many who say that faith is bling, biblical faith is not. Biblical faith is enlightened and driven by the assurance of God’s promises and the certainty of our hope. Those who believe in the God of the Bible are able to see past the appearance of this world to the consummation of the kingdom. They resist the lure of sin and temporary glory embracing the Suffering King as their Lord and Savior. To experience God’s joy on the other side of sorry we must first pass through the sorrow of denying ourselves, taking up the cross.
The aftermath of a natural disaster is oftentimes as devastating as the disaster itself. In God’s grace, however, some disasters can be redeemed and even used to promote new growth and new life to sprout. Like new vegetation sprouting from the ashes after a fire, we see a new generation of leaders and ministry initiatives sprouting out of the difficult circumstances in the previous chapter.
Our unity in the church is constantly tested both doctrinally and practically. Church history is full of schisms and divisions, some of which were necessary and others that showed the underbelly of our communities of faith. In this chapter, we will see how the early church managed the doctrinal and practical challenges to their unity to further the gospel and resist the temptation to cave to the pressures of the journey.
Our faith will be tested by fire. When we enter the mission field, we enter the battlefield. None of us will be immune to the tribulations that will come with the mission. God uses the fire of tribulations to refine our witness and make us more like Christ, but the enemy will seek to use the same trials to tempt us and pull us away from our commitment to Christ. What ends up happening will reveal the nature of our faith and maturity.
Good News - Bad News
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There is a time in every family when children must leave the nest and make their own lives. In God’s plan, multiplication both physically and spiritually happens best when we are mature and able to give ourselves so that others may grow. In Acts 13 we see that this is precisely the context in which the first disciple-maker multiplying movement began to reach the ends of the earth in the first missionary journey. Is DFBC a church where disciple-makers are empowered to multiply?
Going from receiving to giving is crucial for our maturity process. To go from disciples to disciple makers we need to have a mindset that focuses on investing in others’ growth not just our own. Paul’s discipleship ministry in Antioch becomes the hallmark of what, even the world, recognizes as distinctively Christian.
