This Sunday we will learn how to suffer, I hope. No, it’s not an extra long sermon nor an attempt to cut our bills by switching off the heating. Rather, we are closing out our series on the Holy Spirit by discovering how the Holy Spirit enables us to tackle the hard yards of life’s journey and to develop a growing, persevering, faith.
Most of us are pain avoidant. For good reason, seeking out pain and harm signal something deeply unhealthy. Nevertheless, suffering has an uncanny knack of finding us.
Scripture makes it clear that faithfulness to Jesus puts us at odds with the world and brings with it opposition and suffering. Open Doors estimates that this year more than 380 million Christians face persecution and discrimination for their faith. Hard fact: more Christians are killed for their faith in Nigeria than in the rest of the world, combined. We may not face martyrdom in this country but we are still called to live counter to our culture and to enter a spiritual war against malicious and malevolent powers. That is no luxury cruise, that is a battle.
Scripture could hardly be clearer: we follow a suffering saviour, who was enthroned on a cross. Jesus tells us that we will have trouble in the world and the Spirit drives Jesus out into the desert, not for a rest but to go toe to toe with the devil himself. So, faithfulness to Jesus brings its own opposition and its particular hardships, yet we can pick up the false idea that living in faith and victory means we are immunised against suffering or that if we do undergo pain then it’s because of our own sin.
Of course this is nonsense. This Sunday we will look at Romans 8:20-26 which tells us that suffering is part of life in this world and that suffering is a sign of discipleship. The Roman believers needed to learn how to suffer well in the Spirit. Uncannily within 10 years of receiving this message many of them would face the most unspeakably cruel crackdown on Christians under emperor Nero. Nero was notorious for having poured pitch over Christians before setting them alight to illuminate his gardens for party nights.
So what about you and me? Are we prepared to suffer? How do you deal with suffering?
Romans 8 is not a celebration of a grin-and-bear-it mentality. Rather it leads us to welcome the Holy Spirit into the inarticulate groaning of our hearts in our suffering and the suffering of the world, in the certain hope that this groaning, like the contractions of labour leads to liberty and life.