September 14 | Week 2: Faith and Trust
Consider It Pure Joy
James 1:2-4
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
1. What attitude are we told to have toward trials?
The scripture says I should consider it “pure joy” when I face trials of “many kinds.” That sounds backwards. Why does it make sense? This attitude makes sense because trials are the foundation of the process that leads to spiritual maturity and completeness.
Hardship Produces Perseverance
2. What does the testing of your faith produce? “Perseverance” If I want to make it to the end and hear him say “well done” it will require “perseverance”
Romans 5:3-5
3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Perseverance Produces Character
1.Trace the chain in verses 3-4. Suffering produces what, which produces what, ending in what?
Hardship and suffering produce perseverance, which produces character, which ends in us having hope. Ultimately, Hope protects me from shame and leads to God’s love being poured into my heart through his Holy Spirit.
Character Produces Hope.
2. Have you seen this chain work in your own life? Where?
I was baptized March 11th, 1992 in the University of Hawaii at Manoa campus ministry. Immediately, I threw myself into evangelism and embraced God’s call to make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20). After a short 2-3 months of time the campus minister appointed me to lead a bible talk. However, the bible talk was not very effective as I did not really understand “spiritual” leadership. (1 Timothy 3:6) I started to drift from God and sink into discouragement, depression, doubt and hopelessness.
Discouragement Leading To Doubt?
Eventually, I actually began to doubt God himself. It did not make sense to me that I’d worked so hard for the past 1.5 years and saw nothing from it. Sadly, the campus bible talk I led had no baptisms nor tangible impact. This hardship exposed what was in my heart. In my dullness, I did not understand God’s grace nor the right motives for working hard spiritually.
I was also impacted by other events in my life at the time – namely my uncle Jake dying from an accidental overdose on heroin. Additionally, members of our campus ministry that had loved and mentored me into a real walk with Christ left their faith. Sadly, there were other disciples that were a formative part of my own walk with God left and some became persecutors. Lastly, my mother was deeply and viscerally opposed to my participation in the church at this time.
Hardship Comes In Waves
I wanted to quit this whole “church thing” so went to my favorite prayer spot behind the Japanese Gardens and tried to talk it out with God. Unfortunately, I had no “words” and instead started to have suicidal ideations. Thankfully, something told me (the Spirit?) to bring my classical guitar with me to my prayer spot. I remember writing a song trying to understand how to mourn the loss of my uncle Jake.
Thankfully, the disciples in the UH Manoa Campus Ministry did not give up on me. Lisha, who was an upperclassman and a mature disciple of Jesus, found out I’d stopped believing in God. She found me on campus and queued a casset tape to the song “Don’t Give Up” by Peter Gabriel. I’ll never forget the sincere love I felt and how much it helped me to “see” God. (1 John 4:16)
Unbelief Can Be Stubborn
Still, I doubted. I believe “deep down” I knew that staying faithful meant radically changing the entire course of “my” life. When we study the bible to become a “true” Christian, a “disciple of Jesus” we are commanded by Jesus to count the “cost.” (cf Luke 14:28-30) Obviously, I’d done this “estimation” when I first was baptized at 18 years old. However, that first year-and-a-half is what actually helped me “understand with my [heart]” what following Jesus “cost.” (Matthew 13:15)
I appreciate now how hard Curtis (the campus minister) tried to help me with my doubts. He set up a special devotional/bible study for me and prepared a meal in his home. Additionally, Curtis got some videos on apologetics (VHS tapes) and cosmology to help my faith. However, I know I would not be here if it were not for Patrick. Thankfully, he was relentless not only in trying to help my faith, but also in helping me face my character and self-deception.
Be Merciful To Those Who Doubt (Jude 1:22)
Pat spend the better part of one Friday evening with me listening to my self-focused pontifications and discouragement. Certainly, he listened to me – but I’m just as certain he used God’s Word to try and help my heart. Sadly, after all this love and encouragement (from Curtis, from Lisha, and others), my heart was still hard and unbelieving. So, Pat suggested we do the only thing we could do at this point, we should pray.
We sat on the stairs outside the brother’s household apartment having this prayer around 1:00AM. Pat simply prayed that God would help me with my doubts and that my heart would soften. Admittedly, I did not want to pray at this point. Therefore, my prayer was simple, selfish, and dare-I-say “sinful” – “God, if you exist, please just give me a sign.” (Matthew 12:39)
An Unexpected Message From A “Strange” Messenger
Pat and I said an awkward goodbye to one another. However, at that moment we both noticed a man about 50 yards away walking towards us on the street. Disconcertingly, as he walked close to us he stepped up on the sidewalk. When he got to the point where the sidewalk meets the bottom of the stairs, he turned and began walking straight towards the steps we were sitting on.
The man was homeless, drunk, and smelled strongly of B.O. and whatever liquor was in the bottle he held in his hand. We could see that his skin was dark brown, deeply tanned, and dirty. He was shorter in stature (maybe 5’7″) and wore bright colored sufer-shorts, a dingy tank-top, and black “flip-flops” (“slippahs”). Suddenly, the man walked straight up to us, lifted his head up, and gazed at us through bloodshot eyes.
Hey, God. Is. Real.
He then said two things I’ll never forget. First, he stated “I’m from Truk.” Secondly, and this with deliberation, “Hey…God is real. God. Is. Real.” After this, the homeless man staggered off into the night.
Pat and I were speechless. Pat simply said, “Well, Amen…there’s your sign.” At that moment, both of us knew that it was foolish of me to doubt God. Thankfully, my mind was blown and my heart was softened. Therefore, I decided to spend the rest of that night praying to God until sunrise. I remember saying “If the sun rises, then there is a God.” Of course, the sun rose and then it dawned on me, “if the Son rises, then there is a God.”
Hardship Begat Hope In Christ
All this to say, that era of intense trial and struggle helped me develop a cornerstone conviction that “God Is Real” because Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Jesus Christ is the author and perfector of my faith and these hardships helped me “fix [my] eyes” on Jesus. (Hebrews 12:2)
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Light And Momentary Hardship
1. How does Paul describe our troubles compared to the glory that is coming? Paul describes them as “light and momentary”
2. What are we told to fix our eyes on, the seen or the unseen? The scriptures call us to fix our eyes on the “unseen”.
“Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:8-9)
Fix Your Eyes On The Unseen
APPLICATION: Hardship is not the enemy of your growth, it is often the tool for it. Think of a hard thing you are walking through. Write down one good thing God could be building in you through it, and thank him for it.
The hardest thing I am walking through right now is sickness. Firstly, with my wife – her CFS affects every aspect of our lives. We operate as “one” and have God, our children, and our ministry to serve. It is obvious to me that she does her very best and even sometimes “over does it.” Secondly, with my mother who has cancer. I am grateful she is doing a second round of chemo and is fighting to stay with us. However, it broke my heart to speak to her the last few times and hear her say that she needs to get off the phone because she is really sick and in a lot of pain and so cannot talk.
I believe that God is building urgency and compassion into me through these hardships. Amen.
