An Important Note To Students And Teachers
Among the major stressors to faith in people of faith are hardships and suffering. Among the most common producers of faith crisis is pain. Few experiences make people question faith as quickly as hardship and suffering. The questions and frustrations swirl! "Where is God?" "Why does He not hear my prayers?" "Why does He not use His power to deliver me?" "God is not keeping His promise!" "God does not care about me!" "If God loved me, He would not let this happen!"
Many reasons allow hardship and suffering to be transformed easily into a "faith in God" crisis. Some of those include these. (1) Major deficiencies in an understanding of God's nature and character. (2) Failure to understand Christianity's foundation and heritage (we did begin with a crucified Savior!). (3) Viewing salvation as a divine insurance policy guaranteeing protection from undesirable happenings. (4) Viewing God's power in terms of protection against terrible experiences. (5) Forgetting physical existence is the current battleground in the war between good and evil. (6) Failing to realize "my personal comfort" is not God's highest priority. (7) A theology focusing on "my desires" instead of God's purposes.
Few things in the decision to be loyal to God create as much internal conflict as that moment of conflict between loyalty and pain. Few things have the intensity of demand as the Christian decision, "How much is too much?"
This study challenges you to deepen your understanding of spiritual commitment and divine purpose. It challenges you to understand that everything (including physical existence) revolves around God and His purposes, not around us. It challenges us to understand there are eternal issues at stake that are much more significant than personal comfort. It challenges us to realize God's purposes in the lives of the Bible's faithful people were not centered in the person of faith being shielded from the disappointments of hardship.
These lessons do not have the objective of securing your agreement. They have the objective of making you think, challenging your thoughts, and stimulating growth in faith's root system in your heart. Please do not approach these lessons with the attitude, "What can I find to disagree with?" Please approach these lessons with the attitude, "Challenge me to grow in my relationship with God!"
When the American Christian realizes God's objective is NOT "placing me in physical control of all that happens in my life." it is often a major challenge. We American Christians are used to control. Control commonly includes banishing hardship and suffering. Christians in many places of the world have few options in confronting hardship and struggle. Often they place great confidence in God because of hardship and in spite of suffering. In such circumstances [the circumstances of the majority!] faith in God is stimulated, not defeated, by the existence of inescapable hardship and suffering.
As you prepare your mind to begin this study, consider these statements from the Bible.
"And He has said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.' Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me" (2 Corinthians 12:9)
"For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God" (1 Corinthians 1:26-29)
A God Who produced our salvation opportunity through the suffering and death of His son does not think as we do!
