The Glory in the Pain

Pastor Paul Dirks holds a special place in my heart.  Pastor Paul was the Sr. Pastor of Bethel Grace Baptist Church all through the 1990s into the early years of the new millennium. He was my pastor, and I had the privilege of serving under him on the church staff for several years. 

On one occasion we were having a celebration at Bethel Grace.  I don’t remember what we were celebrating that night.  What remains crystal clear is a conversation he had with a guest as I listened in. 

“How long have you been in ministry?” the visitor asked.  “About 50 years, going all the way back to Church of the Open Door.” “Wow! 50 years! Really?!”  Almost under his breath, I heard Pastor Paul chuckle and reply, “Yes, and I’ve got the scars to prove it.”  

I stood there taking this in as a young seminary student.  I’ll never forget it.  It only increased my admiration for a pastor who was finishing his decades of ministry very well.  It also sobered me in terms of what lay ahead on my path.  And yes, 25 years into this pastoral calling, I’ve taken a few blows along the way.

I’m reminded of another servant of God also named Paul.  He was carried by the Spirit to write 13 doctrinally saturated letters preserved for us in the New Testament, each one revealing more of Christ to us.  The Apostle was also willing to speak of the scars he received in the line of ministerial duty (II Corinthians 11:23-31). 

Remarkably, he was able to find joy in them.  They were like a badge of honor, the marks of being used by God in the highest of any calling.  It’s not so much that Paul took delight in being hurt and feeling pain.  Rather, it’s because the suffering was saturated with the glory of Christ. The very Christ that Paul wrote of and proclaimed was dwelling in his heart, energizing his efforts, advancing the Gospel through him.

²⁴ Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, ²⁵ of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, ²⁶ the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints.  ²⁷ To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. ²⁸ Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. ²⁹ For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. (Colossians 1:24-29)

The vocabulary of pain frames this paragraph. The language of suffering and affliction is in verse 24.  Then we read the language of toil and struggle in verse 29.  Within that framework, we find the glory of the great mystery: the indwelling of the Messiah.  “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”  

Paul marveled at this reality revealed in the New Covenant age.   The dear Christ enters into the hearts of His elect. And not only His chosen from the Jewish world but from all the nations of the earth.  Paul realized that his ministerial sufferings, and those of others serving the Gospel, were being used by God to spread the unique redemptive sufferings of the Son of Man. Christ Himself was at work in and through Paul and his companions to make the cross and empty grave known. And Jesus was entering into the lives of all kinds of people.

It must have blown his mind to see so many made new.  So many sinners forgiven.  So many souls reborn.  So many stricken consciences alleviated.  So many hearts receiving Christ by the Spirit. So many churches being formed to the glory of His Name.

If you will be used by God to bring Christ and Christlikeness to other people, it will have a price tag with it.  Your heart will hurt much of the time.  Don’t think it’s abnormal. Christ delivers us from the domain of darkness. And he sends us back into that domain with the Good News of the Kingdom. When the Gospel is spread among unbelievers, some people react harshly against the messengers.  When the Kingdom advances, it’s opponents war against it. And even in the work of discipleship, sinful attitudes don’t die easily, and we find that Christians can inflict wounds on other Christians. 

There will be scars.  Emotional, psychological, and maybe even physical. 

Yet even in the midst of this, there is the supernatural power that sustains and even invigorates.  Christ is dwelling within His servants.  He is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Christ in you reminds you of His scars of love and redemption.  Christ in you ministers the truth that your soul is precious to Him so that he took on flesh, that he took the nails, and that he took the wrath.  Christ in you assures you of the place He is preparing for you in the glory of His reign. Now He moves in you to take the Gospel to a world dying in its sin. He is with you every moment.

I’m so thankful for a model from the 1st Century world and another from the 21st Century world. Paul the Apostle had his scars. Paul Dirks had his scars. And above all, Jesus has His scars. His marks remain an eternal reminder of His redeeming grace. Now I pray He grants me a willing and joyful spirit to endure a few scars as well. And I pray that someday the testimony of His grace upon me will encourage others in the ways I’ve been encouraged.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as you endure ministerial sufferings, may the glory of Christ shine through the pain.