Many Tribulations

Everyday Christianity: Testing (2)

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 them to continue in the faith, and saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” Acts 14.21, 22

Our defining priority
Jesus taught that one priority must define us as a people and direct the course of our lives: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…” (Matt. 6.33). 

The word first here does not mean “first in order”, as if you get up each morning, have your time in prayer and Scripture, and then, having thus sought the Kingdom, you get on with the rest of your life. The sense is rather, “first in all things”, that is, “defining.” The Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14.17, 18). Jesus intends that these attributes should define us in whatever we do every day. If they do, then, in whatever we do every day, we will know the joy of the Lord and bring Him glory (1 Cor. 10.31).

Which means that seeking the Kingdom is not a “one and done” proposition. We have found entrance to the Kingdom of God when we come to faith in Jesus Christ, this is certainly true (Col. 1.13, 14). But seeking the Kingdom of God involves more than merely entering it. Like Nineveh, into which Jonah walked a whole day to get only 1/3 of the way in (Jon. 2.3, 4), the Kingdom of God is so vast, so full of wonders and opportunities, that we must seek every day to enter more fully into it, to increase in its attributes and power (1 Cor. 4.20), improve our vision of its coming on earth as in heaven (Matt. 6.10), and proclaim Jesus and His glorious Kingdom as the Good News everyone needs to hear.

Seeking the Kingdom of God and realizing more of its presence, promise, and power is the defining priority for all who call themselves Christian. It defines and directs everything we do, every day.

But be warned: This way be dragons.

The lie of the devil
The last thing spiritual forces of wickedness want for you is that you should seek the Kingdom of God like this. The devil will vomit lies by the gallon (Rev. 12.15; Jn. 8.43, 44) to keep you from seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. He’ll lead you to think that your faith in Jesus is all about making you happy. And, since you’re happy enough as things stand, your faith is good enough as it is. Or he’ll suggest that seeking the Kingdom is certainly important, but not at this time, not while you have so many obligations and responsibilities. Maybe later, but not now. Or he’ll lead you to believe that you can seek the Kingdom by paying someone else to seek it for you, some missionary or pastor or whoever. Or that seeking the Kingdom is what you do on Sunday, isn’t it? And blah, blah, blah.

Lies, lies, lies. Don’t drink that diabolical Kook-Aid. The old dragon, who would have devoured Jesus to keep Him from receiving His Kingdom (Rev. 12.1-4), will seek ways to devour your time, attention, devotion, and strength to keep you from embracing Jesus’ defining priority (1 Pet. 5.8). And he will do so every day.

Every day, and every moment of every day, we are either seeking the Kingdom or dawdling with the devil. We may not like to hear this, or to think of our lives this way, but this is the teaching of the Word of God.

And so…
If the devil—who is on a leash, by the way, and can only do what Jesus allows Him to do—cannot persuade you to deny your calling and defining priority, he will figure out ways to attack you en route into the City of the Lord. Ask Job how that works. Paul said we must through many tribulations enter the Kingdom, and our Lord Jesus likewise promised, “In this world you will have tribulation…” (Jn. 16.33).

But every tribulation is merely the next step into a deeper and broader experience of life in the Kingdom of God. The Greek word, θλι̂ψις, thlipsis, means “trouble involving direct suffering—trouble and suffering, suffering, persecution” (Louw and Nida). So, OK, trouble: disruptions and disturbances. Suffering: pain, grief, loss, irritation. Persecution: being hated by the world. 

Sounds bad. But cheer up: Paul says we must know many such tribulations, be often bothered, obstructed, lied to, disrupted, irritated, wounded, and inflicted with pain as we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. That was Jesus’ experience. It was Paul’s as well. And Paul tells us to imitate him because he was only imitating Jesus (1 Cor. 11.1). The good news is that tribulation brings a prize: Further entrance to the Kingdom of God.

So as you begin each day, renewing your commitment to Christ and your resolve to seek first His Kingdom and righteousness, button up your chinstrap and put on your hazmat suit. Someone’s waiting to vomit lies on you. But since you know this, you can be ready and you can prevail in making a further entrance to the Kingdom of God by day’s end.

Jesus has bound the serpent and He is plundering everything the dragon holds dear. Every day you can join in that plundering by strengthening your soul and standing firm in the faith when tribulations arise. Whether your tribulations are merely slight irritations, seductive suggestions, or life-threatening matters, you can prevail.

Every day.

For reflection of discussion
1. What are some recent—or current—tribulations you are facing?

2. Is your vision of the Kingdom strong enough to help you press on through these? Explain.

3. Do you know other believers who are going through tribulation? How can you encourage them?

Next Steps—Preparation: As you pray for the day ahead, thank the Lord in advance for any tribulations you might encounter. Call on Him to give you mercy and grace for all your times of need. Pray for others who are facing tribulation.

T. M. Moore

If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).

This week: Our Read Moore podcast is from the book, Patrick: A Devotional History. In our Crosfigell teaching letter, we are studying examples of the spiritual poetry of the Celtic Revival. And in the daily Scriptorium column we are working our way through the Gospel of Matthew. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you. 

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