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Note: The following is copyright STEMI, and is a first draft translation of an booklet published by STEMI. Please do not publish this on your own without written consent from STEMI. The Value and Affirmation of Suffering - Excerpts from Dr Tong's seminar Foreword From which great principles or examples should we draw strength and the deepest wisdom for us to lead a victorious life? We hope that the sermon excerpts below will inspire all of you to think deeply, and be returned back to the Word of God and the Life in Christ Jesus, from whence we will find the strength to be submissive, and the secret to victory. Reminding us of our potential I have been preaching on and on, year after year, session after session, not wasting a single minute, guiding you with the Word of God. I do this so that you will be built upon the rock, and not be swayed by the wind, floating aimlessly, following the many deviant teachings in the world today. Today, the church needs to recover the faith that has been built upon the Word of God, so that you can be a person who has a strong foundation in faith, a person who would follow our LORD till the end. Brothers and sisters, we often reflect upon the great value of our faith only when the church faces great difficulties. We often discover great treasures within the treasure cove only when the church is under attack. We will only look for weapons to help us gain victory only when the church faces mighty enemies. The motivation to search for such solutions can come only because of the challenges we face. How would you know of victory if you do not have any enemies? Without the existence of your foes, how would you know of the value of triumph? You may think that you are a great person, an outstanding person because you have got no enemies. In reality, that may not be the case. You may be outstanding simply because your enemies have not appeared yet. Once they surface, you are not outstanding anymore… you probably will be kicked out instead. Thus, God has allowed the existence of our enemies to prove that you already have a potentiality within you. This is one of the values of the existence of suffering. I want to first explain to you the many reasoning relating to our understanding of suffering, values and our existence. Your faith would be built upon a strong foundation once you are used to these difficult sermons, sermons that put together spirituality and reasoning power. Some of my listeners are so used to my sermons that they find it difficult to listen to other sermons. I can understand their difficulties because they now have great expectations, and a qualitative standard. This is what God has intended for us through His Word. Please note that when God allows suffering to come upon you, He wants you to realise that you are a living being made in the presence of God. When God allows suffering and trials to come upon you, He is reminding you that your wholeness is under the threat of damage. When God allows suffering to come upon you, He is challenging you, asking you to draw upon the strength hidden within your potentiality. The process of suffering and the victorious result God wants us to know that suffering itself is not the end, but a process. When you are suffering, you may be tempted to say, "This is the end!" However, God says, "No! Suffering is not the end, it is the beginning." Suffering is the beginning of a struggle. It is the beginning of a battle, the beginning of a trial. The end of the trial is the conclusion, but the conclusion is not necessarily failure. The conclusion could contain the possibility of victory. Thus, when you are progressing towards a conclusion with the possibility of victory, you should face the suffering bravely. Let me say this once more, suffering not only is not the end, the coming of suffering is but the beginning of a challenge, the beginning of a battle, the process of facing the end. The suffering in itself is not the end; it is a process. And after this process, that is, the end of the process does not necessarily spell failure. If the end of suffering means failure, then suffering would have no value. On the other hand, if the end of suffering brings success, the suffering would have proven that you were able to transcend your difficulties, and showed you your true potential. You would then be a true victor. Thus, we need to rely on our suffering, to use our suffering so that we may be moulded to become more successful, more steadfast and more abundant. Thanks be to God! Salvation comes from receiving life; Victory comes from having an abundant life Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10) Salvation gives us life, and victory is having that life abundantly. In the process from salvation to victory, one needs suffering and trials. If there is no suffering or trials in your life, all you can say is "Thank you Lord I have been saved." Have you been saved? Yes! But have you experienced victory? Not yet. How then can you be victorious? You may ask, "Lord, I want victory in my life!" The Lord will say, "Without a battle, how can you be victorious? Without a strong foe, how can you prove that you have an abundant life? Without have been through trials, how can be know that there is the possibility of a victory?" This is why God has left us in the world. After we have believed in our Lord, after we have been saved and have received a new life, He still allows us to live in this temporary state; to continue to have tears, sadness, sighing, to be attacked, to be looked down upon, humiliated, insulted, defamed, and suffer the possibility of all sorts of injustices. All these came about because God wants us to manifest the possible conclusion through our processes. This may not be what you want, and may not be something the average person wants; certainly this is not what Satan wants. This is what God want. He wants to manifest the conclusion through you. Therefore, we should all note that when one is going through trials and suffering, one should not say, "I have believed in the Lord and look where it brought me. What should I do?" What you need to know is that the question is not what state you are in now, but what state you will be in through your trials. You did not become what you are because of your faith. This is just the beginning. Through suffering, we will be brought into glory finally. When the cicada flies to the top of the tree and starts calling, you would think that it is so adorable, so free. But it was once a larvae, and when it started to spin silk and make a cocoon to trap itself, it seemed that it was dying slowly. You see, it went into a state of difficulty and limitation, stripped of all its previous freedom and losing all its previous functions. When you are looking at a cocoon, it did not used to be like this. What happened? It is finished! It looks as if everything is doomed. God says, "No! The cocoon is not the end, it is only part of a process which will end." A process is a journey that will pass. We need to know the difference. We are not dying in the midst of the valley of the shadow of death. We are passing through the valley of the shadow of death. Do you understand this? We are not dying in it, but passing through it. Since we are passing through, it must be temporary. Since we are passing through, suffering will not be forever. When I am suffering, I have three thoughts. Firstly, this must pass away. Secondly, this should be constructive to us. Thirdly, if I have not suffered, how can I be victorious? If I attain victory without having suffered, how can I comfort those in the midst of the same suffering? These three thoughts have helped me win over all sorts of difficulties. Now I can say that the mercy of God allows me to experience spirituality, that is, the spirituality that looks lightly at suffering. When the suffering arrives, you need not be anxious. When trials come, you need not despair. You should say, "Lord, I am walking on thin ice. I am coming upon a deep abyss. I am fearful but I am holding on to you. You are with me. Although I may walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, because your rod and your staff comfort me." Suffering is the process of passing through that valley. Suffering is not a conclusion whereby we are trapped in that valley. Suffering is a necessary process. It is not a forgone conclusion. This is why when we are faced with the conclusion, when we walk towards that glorious and victorious conclusion, we will be able to look upon suffering lightly. We will be able to use suffering, so that we can reach the conclusion that God wants us to go into, the glorious shores on the other side. Realising our own responsibilities The arrival of suffering reminds us sternly that we must be aware of the responsibilities of life. Let me give you an illustration. An expectant mother would have realised that she is no longer the person who used to lead an active life, running here and there. At the late state of pregnancy, she would have difficulties walking, standing, sitting and even sleeping, tossing and turning through the night. This is because she is facing the suffering of childbirth. Right in the midst of her pregnancy, she would have started to think about herself, realising that she is no longer a young girl, but a person who is about to be a mother. There exists now in her body a sacred life, a life that would require her to support and to educate. Therefore, when a woman becomes pregnant, her thought process would certainly undergo many changes. Her personal character will also go through many cycles of moulding because the sense of responsibility from bearing a child and the suffering that comes from childbirth will force a woman to think about the whole issue of life and human character. If a person have never gone through any suffering or trials, his life would be similar to that of a reckless child. In a conversation, you will be able to tell if a person is leading a shallow or a meaningful life simply by listening to him. You can also tell if his experiences are superficial or deep. When a person speaks of his experiences, you can immediately gauge the quality of his life. Brothers and sisters, why is it that when you speak, others would not listen? It is because you have not suffered enough! Why then when you have suffered enough, others are still not listening? It is because you have not been victorious in your suffering. It is as simple as that. Where have we failed? We have failed in that we have not been victorious in our suffering. All we have done is to grumble against God in our suffering, pushing our responsibilities away. We have not thought about the issue seriously, and ask ourselves about our own responsibilities. We can see many young people today with many ideals. They kept talking about what they want, what they have prayed for, what their wishes and desires are. We have too many of these people around! Very few would utter in their prayers, "Lord, what must I do to be the ideal me?" When you pray to God, all you talk about is your ideals, "Lord, grant to me what I think the ideal me should be like." You have never asked, "Lord, I would want to make me into an ideal person for you." All you have said was "Lord, you give me what I want. You come and serve me." Do you see your problems now? If you are able to understand all these, let me tell you that you will benefit more than having spent years studying all sorts of books on philosophy and life. I have a very good student who studied ethics at Yale University. After he had completed his studies and returned to Indonesia, I asked him sternly, "Were you satisfied with your professors?" He answered, "Yes! I had four professors, and they were all very knowledgeable. They were able to quote the relevant books, had great technical know-how, well-read, experienced, quick-thinking, had clear logic, spoke well and taught well." Wow! I was impressed with the university; then again, it was Yale! What more could I say? How many universities is there in the world that can be compared with Yale? Out of 10,000 applicants, only about 700 will be accepted. To graduate from Yale is in itself remarkable. I asked again, "Were you satisfied with your professors?" He replied, "Academically, yes." I asked, "What about their character?" He answered, "Rev. Tong, the character seems to be non-consequential in the west." I said, "If that is the case, I do not want you to simply bring back your academic training. You must bring back the right character or I will not want to co-work with you." He sensed that I was getting serious, so he asked, "Rev. Tong, what do you mean?" I said, "My meaning is simple. Don't think that you can co-work with me after you have collected much academic knowledge from abroad. You must convince me that you have a worthy character first." He told me later, "All four of my professors taught ethics. However, three of them are divorced, having left their wives for younger students." Can you see the problem with the west? Can you see their deep structural weaknesses? Those who taught ethics do not practise ethics themselves. Upon meeting younger women, they dumped their wives immediately! Ironically, they are able to teach ethics convincingly with a clear sense of logic. This student of mine said, "Rev. Tong, I know what you mean. You want me to practise what I have learned, and not have head knowledge only." We can see a certain type of Christian today who listens to any sermon available. They are often arrogant because they think that they have heard it all. Once I start testing them, you will know that they do not know anything. Many Christians have worshipped for many decades but still do not know many important doctrines. They think that they know everything, have heard it all. They think that they have listened to many great evangelists. In reality, many evangelists do not even know what they are preaching about. After listening to so many sermons, you may think that you know everything, but in reality, you do not know much. Let me ask you if you have practised what you know? If you studied the Word but have not understood it; and if you have understood the Word but have not lived it, then you are a person who is far away from the Truth. The Truth is the embodiment of reason, faith, way and life. Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life." (John 14:6). Our faith then, is not one of empty theories. Brothers and sisters, what is God saying to you through your suffering? He is telling you about your responsibilities. Even while in the midst of suffering, we have responsibilities that cannot be taken lightly. This is why suffering is a necessity. Those who have not suffered are often boastful, with all sorts of high-sounding theories. Those who are in the midst of suffering, who have been oppressed by life, will know how to live their lives and how to live the Word. Living the Word of God within our lives is a very solemn responsibility. For this, we are thankful to God. No. of Accesses: 00154[TextCounter Fatal Error: Could Not Increment Counter] |