Aug
11
2010
To Serve Is to Suffer
Christianity Today recently ran an important essay by Ajith Fernando. I hesitate to call anything a literal “must-read,” but this is one that everyone in Christian ministry should seriously consider reading. An excerpt:
The West, having struggled with the tyrannical rule of time, has a lot to teach the East about the need for rest. The East has something to teach the West about embracing physical problems that come from commitment to people. If you think it is wrong to suffer physically because of ministry, then you suffer more from the problem than those who believe that suffering is an inevitable step on the path to fruitfulness and fulfillment. Since the Cross is a basic aspect of discipleship, the church must train Christian leaders to expect pain and hardship. When this perspective enters our minds, pain will not touch our joy and contentment in Christ. In 18 different New Testament passages, suffering and joy appear together. In fact, suffering is often the cause for joy (Rom. 5:3-5; Col. 1:24; James 1:2-3).
Another excerpt:
I have a great fear for the church. The West is fast becoming an unreached region. The Bible and history show that suffering is an essential ingredient in reaching unreached people. Will the loss of a theology of suffering lead the Western church to become ineffective in evangelism? The church in the East is growing, and because of that God’s servants are suffering. Significant funding and education come to the East from the West. With funding and education comes influence. Could Westerners influence Eastern Christians to abandon the Cross by communicating that they must be doing something wrong if they suffer in this way? Christians in both the East and the West need to have a firm theology of suffering if they are to be healthy and bear fruit.
I encourage you to read the whole thing. (You can also read the responses. One respondent was Lilly Little, whose husband was one of the eight brutally murdered in Afghanistan shortly after she wrote her piece.)
For a book-length meditation by Ajith Fernando on these themes, see The Call to Joy and Pain: Embracing Suffering in Your Ministry.
You can also watch or listen to his 2006 Desiring God Pastors Conference messages: