THE JOY OF TRIBULATION

The Joy of Tribulation

by Dave Palcsak

“And they agreed with him, and when they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name” (Acts 5:40-41). Think of it. You’re imprisoned, beaten and given a command that you cannot and will not obey (see Acts 5:29), ensuring further punishment, up to and including death, yet you celebrate. This was and, in fact for many today, is the reality of serving Christ.

Some time ago, I read a book called The Heavenly Man by a Chinese pastor named brother Yun. He wrote about the persecution and incarceration he and many of his brothers and sisters faced and suffered for worshipping Christ in one of the many underground churches in China. I highly recommend it. It’s a compelling read and one thing in particular stood out to me. After several tortuous years of confinement in deplorable conditions, he was freed and working with pastors from the west who told him they wanted to pray for him and his fellow victims of persecution. Brother Yun insisted that it was him who needed to pray for them because they had no concept of the joy that comes from suffering for the name of Jesus. He viewed himself as fortunate, and his fellow pastors living in comfort and safety as being deprived. I read the book many years ago while I was early in my walk with Christ. I found it difficult to believe anyone could possibly count imprisonment and torture as a blessing. I was certain that I never wanted to face anything remotely like what he endured. It made no sense to me. I understood that, if faced with suffering, we are called to accept it. But embrace it? No. Avoid it if at all possible. That was absolutely my paradigm. I’ve been working on changing that, but I have a way to go. How can anyone possibly find joy in tribulation and suffering?

As far as I know, the only book teaching the joy of tribulation is the Bible. That should come as no surprise to those who read His Word daily. To Christians who don’t begin the day in God’s Word, start; nothing is more important than daily devotion. As I read Scripture, themes often come to light I hadn’t previously noticed before; or maybe I saw them but didn’t comprehend their real significance. But now, as I keep growing in Christ, they begin to pop up verse after verse, and I notice them more clearly. This has been my experience as of late – seeing the repeated references the Bible makes concerning the joy of tribulation. Here is a small sampling from one powerful but relatively short book, First Peter. This is a list (I’m not even certain this is comprehensive) of verses from this epistle speaking of the joy of tribulation: I Peter 1:6-7; 2:19-21; 3:8-9; 3:13-14; 3:17; 4:1-2; 4:12-16; 4:19; 5:10. My point is this: once you are cognizant of this idea, you will notice it time and again. This is biblical truth, and it must be embraced. We are relatively safe and secure in this country as Christians. This isn’t reality everywhere in the world and it may not remain so here. We need to stay committed to Christ regardless of our physical circumstances. Sunshine and lollipop preachers do a grave disservice to congregants by failing to sound the alarm. They also miss a major point of the Gospel (good news): material blessings pale in comparison to spiritual blessings. You must understand this before you can comprehend the joy of tribulation.

What do folks pray for most, if not all of the time? In a nutshell, the answer is physical and material wellbeing for themselves and others. This follows the leading of the institutional church. Brothers and sisters offer prayer requests for worldly issues for themselves and others. On one level, there’s nothing wrong with this; but it misses where the focus should be, which is on the spiritual. In this world we WILL have tribulation (John 16:33). How do we get through it? Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were not delivered from the fiery furnace, they were delivered through it; just as Daniel was delivered through the lion’s den. They were spared, at least in part, to demonstrated God’s power to the Chaldeans. But they were prepared to die as many did and still do today. “Women received their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection” (Hebrews 11:35). Think about the incredible significance of this one verse. The fact that women received their dead back to life means they most likely died willingly. It’s even more astonishing to me that people being tortured, refused deliverance to obtain a better resurrection! Can you imagine being tortured to death and having the faith and courage to stay the course when you have an out?

I marvel at the faith shown by so many saints who have dealt with situations I can barely fathom. I can’t completely claim to understand this fully because I have never walked the walk they did; but I believe this is certain: they KNEW the glory awaiting them. The primary purpose of life for them was/is to serve God in every way even unto death and torture. Am I/we prepared to suffer for Christ in this manner? Is it even possible to think yourself ready to suffer and die for Him without actually facing it? I don’t have definitive answers to those questions, but I try to do what I can to prepare in case I’m ever faced with that reality. First and foremost, not only in regard to this, but in every aspect of your walk with Christ, read your Bible every day, thereby putting on the armor of God (see Ephesians 6). Pray for Him to give you strength for courage, if, as my brother Lou says, you come to your final test (not denying Him to spare yourself). And finally, really think about the joy of tribulation and all that it entails.

I’m going to speak briefly about personal experiences I have with the joy of tribulation. I’m not as attuned to the Holy Spirit as I would like to be, but when a theme won’t leave my head as I write, it’s usually the Holy Spirit directing me. The reason for the disclaimer is because what I call “tribulation” is an embarrassing joke compared to actual tribulation suffered by others, but as of now, it’s all I have. When I converted to Christianity, I felt called to leave my house in Columbus, Ohio and move to Denver. I was on disability, getting paid while sitting at home. I quit my job, let a family member move into my house rent free, cashed in my retirement, and left. After a year I ran out of money and came back to my house in Ohio. I got a job and began witnessing to a young woman I met there and had become friends with. One day, my manger called me into her office to tell me I was violating company policy by talking about the Lord. I told her I didn’t care and would talk about the Lord as much as I deemed necessary. The following day I was called into another office with my manager and the head of HR. She informed me that if I continued speaking about God, I would be subject to discipline up to and including termination. I’ll spare you most of the conversation, but I did close with: “I’m afraid of God much more than I am of you. I won’t be silenced.” Unfortunately, my friend was also threatened, and she was afraid to talk to me ever again. Since then, I’ve moved back to Denver, down to South Florida, and now I’m in Texas. I took early Social Security due to some health issues. Serving the Lord full-time has cost me all of my material goods. I own a bed and my clothes. I have had many months when I didn’t know how my rent would be covered. I have no 401K, no savings, no property and no earthly “security.”

Now it’s time to come clean and tell you the rest of the story: I currently live in a beautiful spacious house on a golf course in Houston because of generous brothers and sisters who sponsor the ministry I’m with. I have more than everything I need. I never sought or asked for any of this. The Lord has and continues to provide for all of my needs and many of my wants. When times were very lean, and there have been plenty of those, it never seemed very trying. I was happy to leave Ohio. I never stressed about cashing in my retirement or spending all my savings. When I was threatened with termination at my job, I enjoyed telling them I was more afraid of the Lord than I was of them. I moved to South Florida for a year and a half to care for my dad at the end of his life. I have never felt qualified to be a caregiver, and I don’t think I was very good at it, but it gave me an opportunity to bond with my dad. I had been estranged from him for about thirty years and how we reconnected was clearly a miracle of the Lord, but that’s another story for another time perhaps. As to any personal wealth or security, I’m thrilled to have nothing but the Lord to depend on. It’s an absolute blessing I wouldn’t trade for the world (pun intended). I relay here a small part of my personal testimony in order to make this point: I have heard many folks marvel at the “sacrifices” I have made in my walk with the Lord. I hesitate to speak of them because when I honestly confess that none of it has been in the least bit difficult, people think I’m just putting on a brave face. I promise you, that is not the case. I came to the Lord relatively late in life and I know all too well what life without Him is like, and I’m blessed to understand that the worst day with Him is better than the best day without Him. I also feel very fortunate to have no allegiance to any church institution because I personally have found them to be spiritually dead.

I have never faced torture or death, so my experiences have not a scintilla of bravery. But I do read my Bible every day and I fervently pray that our Lord equips me to handle whatever is to come. I don’t know what will happen if I am ever confronted with bodily harm or death for His name’s sake. I do think about it, and I’m terrified of letting Him down. Maybe my pitiful excuse for painlessly “enduring” suffering (which has not really been suffering at all) demonstrates this to a very small degree. I am fully committed to serving Him, and my life – at least in some small way – demonstrates how richly He rewards His servants, even sinners like me. As to the woman I was witnessing to at my job after her visit to the manager’s office: we had become close through our chats about God, but when I asked her how her meeting went, she nervously said, “I can’t talk about it,” and scurried away. She worked hard to avoid me after that and wouldn’t even answer my phone calls. That deeply saddened me. It was a joy to witness to her, and the prospect of continuing in the face of termination only bolstered my resolve, but it scared her away. I certainly don’t blame her; she was being faced with losing her livelihood. But for me, the thought of being terminated not only didn’t concern me, but the prospect of being fired for His sake actually excited me! Is it possible that what I consider to be “trivial” (in terms of suffering) picture and reflect the grace and joy available to those who, unlike me, face genuine hardship? The reason I believe this must be true is because I can’t conceive how anyone could sacrifice themselves willingly and even joyfully (read Fox’s Book of Martyrs) without trust and absolute faith in God. Is it possible to have that kind of fortitude in the face of death without understanding, at least to some degree, the joy of tribulation?

When I started following the Lord after being agnostic most of my life, I became involved with very serious Christians from the beginning, and that was enormously beneficial to me. I knew I had to count the cost (see Luke 14:27-33). I believe that is a necessity, but it’s neglected in the institutional church as a foundational aspect of walking with the Lord. Gospel means good news, and central to the good news is the joy of tribulation. I have been directed by the Holy Spirit to attend services at different churches quite frequently here recently. I have yet to hear one word about the joy of tribulation. Why? As best as I can discern, it doesn’t comport to the message, or more accurately, the “production” designed to create a fun-time atmosphere. This past week, my brother-in-the Lord Greg and I went to a mega-church. The band was incredible. The preacher was a dynamic performer who actually spoke of things I agree with. He was very entertaining, and his sermon was interspersed with jokes and humor. This is pretty common among mega-churches. But there’s something seriously missing. While preaching, pastors encourage participants to regurgitate canned responses in unison to phrases, as opposed to letting those with a prophetic message speak as is consistent with the model given to us in First Corinthians chapter 14. Regardless of the size of churches I’ve attended, every sermon is ultimately upbeat and positive. Even messages that have serious content end on a high note. They do a disservice to the Word of God by “protecting” folks in the pews from the entire Gospel.

Read the books of the prophets in the Old Testament. You will find that not one book is named after folks prophesying “smooth words”. Yet, the “prophets” who spoke “smooth words” were always much more popular and well received than the ones speaking God’s actual Truth. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, etc. warned the Israelites (believers) of impending doom because of their obstinate behavior. To be honest, early in my walk, I had to force myself to read the prophets because they were so depressing, and in them, God seemed like a ‘big ole Meany.’ I see them differently now because God shows us how to avoid the judgement/punishment they were under. Tough times from the world (ignoring Christ) differ greatly to tough times for God’s kingdom. In John 16:33 Jesus says: “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” Tribulation suffered for His name is what we must embrace, and in addition, find joy in. It is written: “Yes, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” (II Timothy 3:12). Persecution and tribulation suffered for His sake are much different than punishment/tribulation the disobedient face. So why does the Lord put people under punishment and tribulation? Disobedience. It’s that simple. Realize the vast difference between suffering for Him as opposed to suffering for acting against His will. Which do you suppose will give you the best result? It’s obviously an easy question to answer but you need to understand joy in tribulation to properly incorporate that in your personal walk with Christ.

You see a cycle in Israel’s history of honoring the Lord and prospering until pride leads to folks convincing themselves that they accomplished their status by their own hand. They didn’t, and we don’t! God demands that we fully depend on Him and that we are constantly aware and thankful for His blessings. (see Isaiah 30:1-5). ALL good and perfect gifts come from Him (see James 1:17). Whether intentional or not, the feel good, welcoming and affirming, spectacle churches are like the false prophets of the Old Testament. There is no real faith absent of conviction, repentance and obedience. Why is this absolutely essential message left out of the vast majority of pulpits? From what I’ve seen from many denominational and many non-denominational churches, it doesn’t make people dance and it doesn’t open wallets. It’s ok to dance and we all must tithe as we are able (serving others as well as giving money), but that’s no where near the entire Gospel. The institutional church, from what I’ve seen (and I’ve seen plenty), doesn’t preach this life-changing, absolutely critical truth: suffering is inevitable. Do you prefer to endure without Him in a process leading to deeper and deeper despair, or do you prefer to suffer inside His will leading to life-everlasting in Christ’ presence? Learn to embrace whatever suffering you’re called to endure for God. It may cost you a friend. It may cost you your earthly life. Always trust Him. He will get you through anything and everything! I assure you: no such promise is available in any way shape or form outside of the one true God. There is no other, and our Lord does not share His glory. He is a jealous God, and we need to be always mindful and forever thankful for that. Praise His Holy name!

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