And cast him out of the city, and
stoned hm: and the witnesses
laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul. Acts7:58 The brutal stoning of Stephen was a turning point in the life of Saul who later becomes St. Paul, God using Stephens death in Saul's conversion. Jesus allows his friend Lazarus to stay sick and die waiting two days before he goes and raises him from the grave, God using Lazarus death to witness to Jesus as the Resurrection and the Life. In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, God allows Lazarus to suffer all his life and only after death does he reap the benefits of heaven, God patiently hoping for the rich man's conversion. God was pleased to bruise his Son, Jesus, allowing him to experience crucifixion before he is raised from the dead, God using the death of Christ for the salvation of the world. All of the original disciples die a martyr's death save John who they could not kill, throwing him in boiling oil and banishing him to the island of Patmos. Persecution followed the early church all the way until the fourth century when Constantine makes Christianity the national religion. Today persecution and violence are experienced in many parts of the world in the Christian faith with many experiencing martyrdom for their belief in Jesus. This is not the God people readily preach. Yet this is a consistent theme throughout the history of the church. It is the obverse side of God. At the nursing home I spend a good deal of my preaching on death. I tell them that death is not the ultimate issue, nor is pain and suffering. The ultimate issue is where you will spend eternity. When you find God, no matter what the trials and temptations are, dying in a state of grace is more important than dying in your sleep. In fact, if you know that Jesus experienced death for all of us, we can be assured that when we close our eyes for the last time we will not experience spiritual death but will awaken in the arms of Jesus. That for God seems to be the most important issue, the salvation of souls. In all the examples I gave, more important than pain and suffering, more important than life and death, is the salvation of souls. If he can use the trials of St. Paul to witness to the salvation of Christ, if he can use the stoning of Stephen to win the lost, God will do it. God can be very, very hard on us. He is after something we do not always see or believe, namely that the salvation of the world comes through suffering and death, the suffering and death of Jesus. St. Paul in Philippians three tells us if we share in the suffering of Christ, we will share in the resurrection. This is not an easy pill to swallow. What attracts people to Christ is faith, hope, and charity, the greatest being charity, long-suffering and kind. What attracts people to Christ is joy and peace in the mist of test and trial not apart from them. What attracts people to Christ is people who have gone through the storm and have gained the victory, not those who have been trouble free. So if you are puzzled by the situations you are facing and wondering where is God, he is right there with you. He is right there in you. He is right there working through you. This is the obverse side of God. It is the story of the church. amen |