April 6, 2015

“Not only this, but we also rejoice in sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance, character, and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. (For rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person perhaps someone might possibly dare to die.) But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:3 – 8

“Neither the accumulated wisdom of all the earth and the skies, nor languages, the Church Fathers, and daily reading of the Holy Scripture, nor immense learning and eloquence make a good theologian or pastor if the cross is not added. Through the cross, G*d purifies, cleanses, strengthens, and perfects the light of His true knowledge, of true faith in Christ, of true understanding of the divine promises, proper prayer, hope, humility, and all the virtues which He has first planted in the heart through the Word. Accordingly we should equip ourselves for the Cross, which is just as necessary for those who wish to serve the Church as air and food are for the maintenance of the body…How can a person be able to understand the Gospel or teach it to others if he himself has not experienced the power of the Gospel in the midst of sorrows and trials?” “A Meditation on the Cross” David Chytraeus (1531 – 1600) “For All The Saints” volume I p. 990

One of the best preachers I have ever heard it Joel Olsteen. He is a great preacher, but his message is not always one I can believe – and that is because of my life experiences. What do I mean? Well, Pastor Olsteen is a believer in the “Prosperity Gospel” – a theology that if we have strong enough faith, good things will fill our lives, especially prosperity. I wonder how this gospel message would have been heard in 1931 America, in the midst of the Great Depression? I wonder how this message would have been heard in the era of the Dust Bowl? I agree with David Chytraeus that a person most fully experiences the power of the Gospel when we are experiencing the trials and tribulations of our lives. Why? I have found that the difficulties of my life have taught me more about myself, and my faith, than any period of prosperity. When everything is good, I tend to allow other things to take away my attention and focus on G*d. When times are tough, and I am struggling, I more fully realize my need for G*d. I have found what Paul says to be true: suffering produces endurance, which eventually leads us to hope. If my life was all roses and sunshine, I might only hope in myself, or hope in the “things” that make my life good. When I am suffering, my hope is in what rescues me from the suffering – and ultimately, what rescues me from suffering is G*d, through Jesus Christ. Christ suffered for me – so that when I suffer, I am connected to Christ, and rescued by Christ.

Pastor Dave