Since the beginning of the Church, false teachings have crept into it. Sometimes this comes from a slow drift in which cultural norms gradually shift the focus of the Church’s teaching. Whole groups of the people of God become unmoored from the clear testimony of Scripture and embrace something unorthodox. Sometimes it comes from powerful charismatic leaders who champion a twisted understanding of the Word and lead the sheep astray. Sometimes it is found in people who want to do what seems right and may even be praised by men but are against the clear Word. Yet, since the dawn of TV evangelists and in our age of social media saturation and Instagram-perfect lives, perhaps the most pervasive and persistent fall is under the category of the prosperity gospel.
The prosperity gospel comes in many forms. Some are crass and easy to spot, while others are far more subtle and invasive. The easy-to-spot ones are when you hear that God wants you to be wealthy and healthy, and if you just give money to this ministry, He will, in turn, bless you tenfold. Do you want healing? Then make a sacrificial gift. If you want to be financially independent, then write the check. After all, God wants you to be wealthy. He wants to bless you. You just need to prove you trust Him, and then you will see what wonderful things He does for you. Now, the more subtle version will, in various ways, seek to impress upon you that suffering, in whatever form it takes in your life, is not part of God’s plan. The point of going to church, the point of being a believer, is to experience true glory. It is not glory in some distant prize beyond the horizon but glory here and now. They persist in the illusion that we, as the people of God, are promised a suffering-free life.
However, today we are greeted with the words of Saint Peter, words about the reality of suffering in our lives. He says, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.” Do not be surprised, he says, do not be shocked when you suffer. In fact, he goes on to say, “If anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God.” The gift of faith does not promise a removal of suffering from your life. Rather, suffering comes as a test and a judgment on the people of God. It refines your faith and turns you again and again to the gift and promises of your God. There will be a day to come beyond suffering, a day of glory and eternal joy, but not yet, not now.
Despite what the prosperity preachers would have us believe, the truth is suffering and hardships regularly come with the faith, not apart from it. I remember one of my first courses at the seminary: An introduction to Christian history taught by Dr. Feuerhahn. He was an incredible churchman and a devout professor who cared deeply about his students. One day, in the midst of a lecture on the early persecution of the Church, he suddenly paused and said he wanted us to know that he and his wife regularly prayed for us. And like a man who knew far more than he was saying out loud, his eyes began to tear up as he told us that because of our vocation the Devil would take aim at us, and when he could not get to us directly, then he would go after our family, go after those we loved, in order to turn us from the preaching of the Gospel. To be a Christian is not to be neutral. You are on a side and you have an enemy.
So, Peter says, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary, the Devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” The devil is relentlessly at work. He never tires of his mission, and he is never deterred from his attacks. He has willing accomplices all around. It is a partnership with this fallen world, where he uses suffering and hardship as a means to cause you to doubt your faith, to distrust the promises of your God. Suffering becomes the catalyst for turning towards your own work, towards your own effort to try and overcome. And the Devil aligns with your own sinful desires, your longing for glory, causing a spiral toward despair. If you suffer, you work harder to be more righteous, to dig yourself out, but this leads to more doubt and more suffering, and shame mounts up as hope dissipates.
All this leads us to a place where we begin to believe suffering has no place in the household of the faithful, it has no role in the life of the Church. So, we cultivate a lie, and tell ourselves that if we suffer, we must suffer alone. Do not let anyone else know. Do not let anyone else in. Church is a place for glory, for the abundant blessings of God, so we hide our suffering. We hide it when we get dressed up and put on a fake smile. We hide it when someone asks how we are doing and say, “Fine,” but in reality, we are riddled with pain and doubt. This lie persists to the point that when a brother or sister in Christ is truly suffering and they do not think they can hide it anymore; they pull away from the fellowship. They think to themselves, “Let me get this figured out first, let me get my life back in order, then I will return.” That, my friends, is the work of the Devil!
To this, Peter says, “Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.” Your suffering ought not separate you from one another but bind you together. We are a fellowship of the suffering. There is no shame in your suffering. It does not mean your faith is small or your righteousness is lacking. For the righteousness that you have, the righteousness that gains you eternal life, which gives you the promise of glory, is not your righteousness. It is Christ’s. It is a gift given freely to you from a God who suffers for you. We gather here not in glory but under a cross, a cross that gives you salvation.
Therefore, let us persist in our gathering. Let us share in our suffering, knowing God hears our prayers and cares for us. Our suffering is to be a cause to pull closer together, to receive His gifts and drink deeply of His promise. Let us hold fast to what Peter said, “After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To Him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
