Whatever it takes

We'll be taking communion in church this week. (By the way, I wonder how many of you would rather share communion every week rather than once a month? Or maybe twice a month?) I'm going to try and teach about the impact of Jesus' suffering and how it affects us. It's a huger (word?) topic than I could possibly do justice to. I hate when I feel passion to communicate something and I know I can't possibly convey that passion . . . but somehow we've got to get it. Without his suffering for us, we wouldn't have the life we have, wouldn't have the Spirit, all the grace that gets us through life, all the hope we have for eternity.

So then Paul brings it home even more for us whenever he tells the Colossians that his suffering for them filled up what was lacking in Christ's affliction for the church. That phraseology was used several other times in the bible, always referring to someone lacking something because of the absence of people who could meet the need. So Paul understands any suffering he does for the church is simply him filling in for Jesus since Jesus is no longer bodily present to suffer for them himself. Any suffering that has to be done for the sake of those who need it, anyone who will believe if only someone will be willing to hang in there, or go through a bunch of crap, or take some verbal abuse, or just never ever give up; well that suffering is filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions. Since Jesus isn't here to go the distance in person, he sends us to do it.

You want to do evangelism in this culture? There is no price that is too high to pay for the sake of the gospel. How much of yourself are you willing to pour out?

Not much, huh?

Gee whiz, I was hoping for a nice message in church this week about how to have a happy marriage, or maybe how to believe God for a new car.