The pain that becomes a pleasure

I read somthing today which is a great encouragement to me.  It was this comment on 2 Corinthians 6 vs 3-13: "Paul...would have us value, and find the validation of our ministry in, pain and suffering. Purity, patience and kindness stand alongside beatings, riots and sleepless nights." (WordLive 18th Sept 09).


From what I've seen of Christian ministry, pain is often more in evidence than the joy of success.  Yes, some Christians, some church leaders, seem to have stories of church growth, of amazing conversions, of unexpected gifts.  But many more have stories of where the people they've been trying to help have hurt them, evangelistic events where no one has turned up, of being let down, shortage of money, of seeming to put in vast efforts for very little returns.

That's certainly true for me too, as sometimes it seems as if I have done nothing to serve God, and have just been wasting my time.  But God sees our efforts.  Without his help, I can do nothing to serve him (what a paradox!) but with his help I can do all he asks of me, even if it doesn't seem to me as if I am achieving anything.  He can see the whole picture, we only see a tiny part from here. 

I imagine that Paul, despite the great success of his missionary journeys would find much that's familiar in the modern church.  But many of us would struggle even to imagine what Paul went through- beatings, death threats, prison- even though for many Christians around the world they are still everyday realities and dangers. 

Perhaps this can encourage us that rather than thinking we've got it wrong, because we don't see the phenomenal growth and sometimes find it hard to go on trusting, let alone praising God, we've actually got something right.  If it's true that "effective ministry will always be conducted from a position of poverty and weakness" then perhaps we should learn not to be jealous of certain churches that seem to be successful from a worldly point of view.  No doubt they, and their leaders, have their own problems.  Perhaps we should learn to be glad that, like Paul, our sufferings are helping to build up the kingdom of God by suffering with the world and getting alongside those in need.  After all, that's what Jesus did.  He warned his followers it wouldn't be easy.  No one promised Christians an easy life. 

That may seem a depressing place to end, but I hope this post's encouraged you.  Next time I'm moaning about this, please remind me!