A couple recently quit our church. They left because they were firm believers in prosperity on demand from God and naming and claiming health, wealth, and anything else they felt entitled to. I don't exactly understand why they came to our church as long as they did in the first place. We never taught any of that and it wasn't written on the door or anything. They were regulars at the Sunday afternoon prayer meetings and would typically come and bind Satan and claim God's healing in strong power for so and so. It was always a bit confusing to our pastor that they came with this technique although nobody else prayed in this way. The husband, Brian, would even come to our Wednesday morning men's Bible Study. This is where things began to sour as far as his opinion of us. The first study he showed up for was over trials in our lives. We read from James 1:2-3, "2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience."
And we were discussing how much frustration we can save ourselves if we just understand that God is using our trials to complete us. Brian was not liking what he was hearing. He made a small attempt to argue with us and convince us that prayer would deliver us from any of these trials. None of us that morning argued back because we didn't understand at the time that what Brian meant was that trials are nowhere in God's plan for us and that prayer would fight these evil attacks away from us and keep them back. Any trials in our life are Satan's plan, not God's, and lack of prayer will make us open to attack and hard trials.
This is not completely true. Anyone reading the book of Job will understand that the book is teaching that God, in His sovereignty, allows His children to experience tragedy.
1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
This word "temptation" doesn't mean enticement to sin. God will never do that, (James 1:13). It means "trials". It means "testing". God does allow His children to go through these things and James 1:3 says why, "... knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience."
All of us saved by Christ are headed somewhere.
Romans 8:29
For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
We are being transformed into someone...
2 Corinthians 3:18
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
The Lord builds us in discipline and that is seldom easy or quick...
Hebrews 12:5-6
5 And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:
"My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;
6 For whom the LORD loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives."
When we embrace this teaching we can find the strength God gives for endurance. We can now rejoice in sufferings, (Colossians 1:24-25). We can be encouraged in them (James 1:2-3), and not defeated. Nothing is coming at us that is not filtered through God first, (1 Corinthians 10:13). We are headed somewhere.
The next week at the men's Bible study we gathered and spoke about persecuted Christians in Egypt. We talked about the great reward in store for those believers and considered that, when we look at the big picture of how much reward those who suffer for Christ will receive, perhaps we are not worthy to suffer so intensely for Him, (Acts 5:41). Brian appeared perturbed and was having none of this kind of talk. He and his wife have not come back.
In the end I feel sorry for them. I think they have a long, tough, road ahead of them. Tougher than someone who doesn't know the Lord at all. It's going to be a road where trials and hard times are going to be considered defeat and shame. Sickness will be their fault from lack of faith and constant penitence to a volcano god out to get them if they stumble. So many false teachers are loose on the streets teaching this exact false doctrine. True Biblical teaching is profoundly deeper.
John 16:33-34
These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."
It teaches that sin is allowed for a season and the devil is loose albeit on a chain and nowhere in all of scripture does it say we should just settle into this world and make ourselves at home. Not in our houses, not in our jobs and not in our bodies. The Bible doesn't teach us to be negligent. It just teaches us to not love this world, (1 John 2:15-16). We are looking for, "... a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens" (2 Corinthians 5:1-3). If one were to maintain that catastrophes could never come to us because we are believers then I invite them to tell that to the Christians in Egypt, or Rwanda, or China, or North Korea.
Were God to take our health, our child, our livelihood, our spouse, our home and never tell us why. Could we still say, "Blessed be the name of the LORD." (Job 1:21)? Why or why not? We should consider that question and wonder at whatever answer we come to. God's goal for us to come to a place where we trust Him in anything He allows on us. How He gets us there is the point I am trying to make. We are not from here. We do not belong here. (We shouldn't belong here.) Things given to us are temporary. They always were and if you didn't know that then you were not paying attention to what the Lord has always said. We are not only not from here but we are not welcome here.
John 15:19
If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
We are illegal immigrants and the more we are despised by those who are "from" this world the more we are acting like our Lord, (Matthew 10:24-25, John 15:18). And what's the point in that?
1 Peter 1:7
that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,
The trials are forming us into the image of Jesus.
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