Strong Souls (4)

And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting themto continue in the faith, and saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” Acts 14.21, 22

“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.” John 16.33

No easy road
These days it’s easy to get the impression that being a Christian should be just one blessing after another. This is so for at least two reasons.

First, in this country at least, we have become accustomed to life getting better and better. For the most part, we live safely and securely in comfortable homes. We enjoy abundant food and other material benefits. We have churches, friends, work, and ample time for a variety of diversions. Life is good, and so we tend to expect that life in Jesus Christ will only get better.

Then, second, we are often subjected to teaching from Christian leaders encouraging us to believe that God actually wants us to enjoy all the best of life without the hassles and worries that drive other folks to distraction. Our sins have been forgiven, so we don’t need to live in guilt or shame; and our Father owns the cattle on a thousand hills, so we can go to Him for whatever we need or want.

Now that’s painting with a broad brush, to be sure. Nevertheless, “tribulation” is not something with which our generation of Kingdom-seekers is all that familiar. But the plain teaching of both Jesus and Paul is that tribulation comes with the turf when you’re seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. We will not realize full faith in Jesus Christ without a struggle. And the book of Acts, in which we see the Kingdom advancing with such power and scope, bears ample witness to the truth of this.

Evidence of tribulation
Consider the situation of the first Christians. They were hounded and harassed by local religious leaders. At times that harassment turned violent, making it necessary for people to flee their homes and occupations in order to find safety in other places. Some Christians lost their lives and others were imprisoned for what they believed.

As if that weren’t enough, false teachers appeared in many of the early Christian communities, making unjust demands on the believers, pitting church members against one another, and sowing a good bit of confusion, trouble, and uncertainty into the congregations of the Lord.

And then there were the tribulations that believers shared in common with their unsaved neighbors: poverty, drought, famine, military occupation, taxation, sickness, broken relationships, deprivation, loss of loved ones, and death. Add to these the daily temptations that confronted them, and it’s easy enough to see that the first Christians were no strangers to tribulation.

They had been told to expect it, and they were not disappointed.

Nevertheless, tribulation in all its forms did not hinder the progress of the Gospel. Indeed, the first Christians seemed to grow stronger in their souls through the various tribulations that beset them, and this is in no small part so because the Apostles, like the Lord Jesus, forewarned them of tribulation and prepared them to overcome in the midst of it.

Tribulation and the soul
Tribulation can have one of two effects on our souls. First, it can cause our souls to fall into despair. Mind, heart, and conscience can sink under the weight of tribulation. Dreams and visions evaporate; doubt, discouragement and disappointment undermine hope and joy; pragmatic self-preservation replaces holding fast to the will of the Lord. As our souls bend under the weight of tribulation, the progress of the Kingdom goes on the back burner, and we collapse into ourselves, looking only for some light at the end of the tunnel, rather than to live as the light of the world.

But if we understand that tribulation is inevitable, that God intends to use trials of all sorts to strengthen our souls, and if we prepare well and know how to deal with tribulation when it comes, then we can experience the overcoming power of our Lord Jesus, expanding within our souls and causing His Kingdom to go forward through and in spite of tribulations, however harsh they may be.

Full faith is the fruit of struggle, and often struggle through tribulation. Are you ready for tribulation? Do you know how to deal with temptation? To find joy in the midst of trials? To give thanks when sickness descends or deprivation and loss threaten to overwhelm? Strong souls don’t fear tribulation; they persevere through it, because they expect it and are prepared to deal with it.

For reflection
1.  Why is it necessary for Christians to endure tribulations of various kinds?

2.  How should we endure tribulation so that we grow through it rather than be crushed by it?

3.  How can Christians encourage and assist one another in growing through tribulation (Heb. 10.24)?

Next steps: How do your Christian friends deal with the various kinds of tribulations they face each day? Ask a few of them.

T. M. Moore

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This week’s ReVision study is Part 4 of a 10-part series, “Full Faith.” You can download “Strong Souls” as a free PDF, prepared for personal or group study. Simply click here.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.