Pain, Doubt, and Faith: The Forging Of A Kingdom Ambassador

The book of James challenges Followers of Jesus to live lives that truly reflect the gospel of the Kingdom of God.  In it, we are reminded that Jesus called us not to simply believe a set of new doctrines, but to a Way, a life of faith lived practically in alternative community, in solidarity with the poor, the outsider, and the oppressed, and in resistance to injustice. But James holds no illusions that such a life will be easy. On the contrary, the short and unpretentious letter assures us that following in the path of the crucified and resurrected king will mean also sharing in his suffering. That our suffering will test our faith is certain. That our redeemer lives and will be vindicated is even more certain.

The end of James reminds us to consider the suffering of Job, describing him as “steadfast” (James 5:11). What may surprise us is that the Bible’s account of Job’s story is not one without pain, doubt, fear, or sorrow. On the contrary, much of the book of Job poetically delivers songs of Job’s grief and anguish in the middle of his pain, words shouted to heaven demanding that God give an answer for his condition.

If Job is James' example of steadfastness, then we also have permission to wrestle with questions of justice, to even boldly ask of God why we continue to suffer pain in our resistance. If it is for mercy that God's final hand of justice is held back from those who continue to abuse, deceive, and oppress, what of God's mercy for us who seek to act and live rightly, and yet receive abuse, exile, even imprisonment for our righteous, faithful resistance?

Such questions are common in the book of Psalms. Even Jesus himself prayed through sweat and blood, asking God if his cup of suffering could pass from him. We need not fear asking such questions as though doing so would betray some weakness in our faith. The entire book of Job records the suffering man's lament in the midst of his pain, and his abject refusal to accept any answer given by his dogmatic and privileged friends that did not fully satisfy his deepest questions. James' affirmation that Job remained steadfast though he asked such bold questions of God reminds us of the encouragement with which James began his letter.

James 1:2-8 (ESVUK)

2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Our wrestling with our belief, faith and action in the midst of resistance is not a sign of doubt or of weakness in our faith. On the contrary, it is this very engagement with the struggle that God will use to fashion us into greater instruments of Kingdom Justice.

Our lives sing the clarion call of the Kingdom Come. The suffering of our Great King slaughtered on the Roman cross exposed the powers and authorities of Empire (Colossians 2:15). The cross made a show of them to be seen for exactly what they are: corrupt, violent, abusive, and false. Our suffering in this age is a small reflection of that same exposure. As we walk in the footsteps of our Saviour we shine like a city on a hill the truth that the world need not be as the Empire has fashioned it (Matthew 5:14). As we cry out "why?" to our Lord, we are not rebuked for our questions. Just as James describes our faith as demonstrated and made real in our actions (James 2:17), so also does our doubt not make us "unstable" or "double minded" unless we act upon it. Though tested, though mocked, oppressed, or imprisoned, we remain steadfast. Though we may walk through the darkest nights of fear or pain in the midst of our struggles, though we may raise our questions in lament, uncertainty, or even anger to God, we remain steadfast. We do not waver in our action. God does not require our unquestioning, dogmatic, untested belief, as Job's friends required of him. Instead, it is in the uncertainty of the fire that our steadfast will is forged.

We are the ambassadors of the coming Kingdom. We are the citizens living for eternity, demonstrating the new order now, even in the midst of the Empire's continued cruelty. We live in the margins, in practical solidarity with the oppressed, outside of the current order as it now is. But we do not hide.

Our alternative communities of generosity and love, and our bold proclamation of the new order and law of liberty point a finger boldly at the heart of Empire. We do not retreat, for the battle belongs to the King and the victory has already been won. The Kingdom is here. God's Spirit in us is the evidence. We continue to participate in God's work in the world. We continue to share in communities that live in resistance to the kings of this age, in humble submission to the true King. No trial or sentence by these wretched rebel authorities will end our resistance. As long as they exist, we will persevere. Our resistance will continue.

Our resistance does not stop though we are imprisoned or exiled. Instead, we grow in the face of adversity. Within it, our character and conviction is reinforced, the Empire within us further removed, the Kingdom through us more clearly seen. What once may have been doubt is converted to deeper faith more surely forged through fire. The unmistakable injustice of the spirit of the age is revealed in its oppression of the righteous and faithful. It is when confronted by this oppression that we become more intimately aware of the violent, selfish, and merciless nature of the rebel Empire and all its willing agents. Inside the prison we are brought to our knees before the Great King who walked the path before us. As we share his suffering, we most deeply know his sovereignty, his justice and his mercy.

We will resist. Though the rebel oppressors of this world may hate us, we will resist. In our continued, faithful, humble resistance, we are blessed.

Matthew 5:11-12 (ESVUK)

Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Blessing is not based on a reaction to an external circumstance. Blessing is an objective and unalterable state derived from the approval and reward of the Almighty God. Like the prophets, like John the Baptist and Elijah, from within the wilderness of these dying empires we will declare the rise of living justice! We invite all to dine at the table of the King!

We are the voice crying out in the wilderness,

“Repent! The Kingdom of God is here! Prepare the way of the great King!”

When the kings of this age, of money, religion, or power, hear the news and tremble in anger or fear, some may repent. Some may retaliate. Either way, the message cannot be stopped. Should we be beaten, imprisoned, or killed, the Kingdom grows still.

The seed of the True Kingdom planted in the world at the execution of the King cannot be destroyed by martyrdom. The blood of the martyrs further scatters the seeds of the Kingdom. We declare victory over death. We fear no lesser power. The Kingdom will come.

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This blog entry is an excerpt from the book Radical Religion by the Pirate Pastor, the first book of the Radical Christian trilogy. For vendor locations or how to order from the publisher, please email jesuspunks@gmail.com.

Introducing the Pastoral Epistles – The Ideal Meets the Real

1 Timothy 1:1-2 (ESV)
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Saviour and of Christ Jesus our hope,

2 To Timothy, my true child in the faith:

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

The gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) tell the story of Jesus, his life and ministry, and his central message of the coming Kingdom of God. He taught that the Kingdom had come, was near, was indeed among the people he taught. He spoke of a Great Reversal, where the rich would be humbled, the oppressed set free, the last made first, rulers removed, sinners forgiven, and blind see. He taught people to live the truth and life of the Kingdom now, in this life. He promised that the Great Reversal would permeate the world like a yeast would dough, grow over the empire like weeds through the sidewalk, tearing it's deadness down by the life of Spirit-filled communities of justice.

In his death and resurrection, he planted the life of God in the heart of humanity, by grace offering a free invitation into this new Kingdom to everyone, everywhere, regardless of any background or origin of any kind.

Acts tells the story of the first steps of this living community. They wrestle with how to share their abundant life with the diverse crowds that joined their numbers. In their practice, the ideal of the Kingdom that Jesus taught met the reality of life lived in resistance to empire as it was around them, and the spirit of empire in which they had always lived by habit. In the collision of Jesus' universal, eternal, and highly ideal declaration of Kingdom Come with the temporal, complicated, unusual, and unexpected life lived in diverse community the members of community were changed. In both conflict and cooperation, the Holy Spirit among them used every circumstance to further grow them individually and as a community toward the fulfillment of Jesus' Kingdom promises.

The Kingdom had come. People shared everything they had with reckless generosity. Poor people were fed, taught, and equipped in community to be free. The very economy and power structures of empire and religion were confronted and sometimes dismantled by the influence of the growing communities.

But the Kingdom is also still yet to be. The teachings of Jesus are universal, but the diversity of these early Kingdom communities meant there were differences in understanding and application of these commands. The members of community still had habits and expectations from their previous lives in bondage to the spirit of empire. Selfishness and pride sometimes led to conflict. These communities still lived (and today, still live) in a world where the empires and powers have influence and control. Resistance was (and is) difficult at best. At worst, it leads to persecution by the powers of the world.

As the ideal of the promised Coming Kingdom meets the reality of practical demonstration now, every community had to wrestle with how they each would best demonstrate the gospel in their context. These communities were called churches, which means a gathering. The practice of Kingdom life was called the Way. Members of these communities were called Followers of the way, or Christians, after Christ, which means Messiah, or chosen one. Letters were written between the churches, especially by the apostles (which means sent ones), the people who travelled between the churches and beyond to plant new ones. These letters were called epistles.

The diversity in backgrounds within the churches is matched by a diversity of gifts administered by the Holy Spirit within its members. At its best, every member of the community is enabled to give according to their unique gift and calling. Every member contributes to the whole, each supplying to others the ability to all operate to their full function as parts of a body all contribute to the healthy function of a whole person.

Since every church was unique in its cultural context, membership, and gifting, the epistles (the letters to the churches) each dealt with very specific issues unique to each gathering. While Jesus' teaching were universally true and applicable, not every instruction to every church was necessarily so. What may have been assumed in one church may be a sharp controversy in another. As such, the epistles must be interpreted carefully according to their cultural context and intention.

Among the epistles, Romans and Hebrews both stand out as very broad and thorough in the scope of their messages. Romans, an epistle of Paul,  has a very thorough and complete theology of salvation (called soteriology). Paul wrote this letter to a church he'd never visited, so he started from scratch and grew a well formed story of the gospel for the Romans. Much of the New Testament is seen through the theology of Romans, once called the grand cathedral of Christian doctrine. Hebrews has a well formed Christology, a study of the person of Jesus the Messiah. It also traces the history of Covenant from the beginning of Hebrew scripture until the Kingdom age.

Most of these epistles are addressed to a church or churches of a region. Church members would read the letters to the community, probably in full, and the gatherings would then wrestle in word and deed over how to put the instructions into practice. Letters would be copied and distributed widely, so the best opportunity could be given for a wide audience to benefit. Over time and practice, certain books would be recognized by the churches as especially helpful for teaching doctrine or instructing practical community life. These are the books that remain in the New Testament today.

Along with apostles (sent ones), who taught widely and planted churches, the pastoral gift was also given to equip the church communities to function as Jesus had taught. Pastors in the early church served as community organizers and equippers of the body, seeking the best for all members and helping each member find their place in the whole. Pastors became the servants to all, giving their life to preach for, serve, and love their communities.

The communities were multiplying so quickly that many pastors were still themselves young in the faith. Three of the New Testament epistles are addressed to two specific pastors, both of whom had served with Paul, to whom the letters are attributed. 1 and 2 Timothy are addressed to Timothy, the young Greek man who served with Paul on his second missionary journey (Acts 16). Much of both of these letters encourage young Timothy to be bold in his ministry, and not to be timid though he may be young or inexperienced. Timothy pastors in a church in Ephesus, to whom Paul also wrote the highly poetic and beautiful book of Ephesians. Titus is probably more confident in his ministry, as Paul's letter to him is far more direct and to the point, and dispenses with the strong fatherly encouragements of the Timothy letters.

These three letters are commonly called the Pastoral Epistles. In them we find some of the most specific and practical instructions for the organization and administration of church community life of any of the writing of the New Testament. In them, Jesus' broad and universal promises and instructions about the Kingdom of God meet the most immediate, practical, and specific application in the present world. The ideal becomes real.

As we read the instructions of the pastoral letters, we are equipped to also practice the abundance and justice and love of Kingdom life in our communities in their cultural contexts today.

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These are the repeated messages emphasized in the pastoral epistles of 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus:

1 – Preach good doctrine.
Remember what you’ve been taught.
Use the gifts you’ve been given and the tools you’ve been trained in.
Study the Bible and know it.
Preach often.
Preach Jesus.
Preach the gospel.

2 – Practice good doctrine.
Be a good example of a Jesus follower.
Have integrity.
Do not give anyone an excuse to question your teaching.
Teach people proper application of the doctrine they learn.

3 – Do not be caught up in quarrels with false teachers.
Teach the truth humbly, boldly, continuously, and gently.
Correct wrong teaching.
Warn divisive people to stop being divisive.
Do not associate with those who insist on continuing to quarrel and be divisive.

4 – Recognize, train, and help people develop their gifts.
Teach others to be teachers that teach teachers.
Do not minister alone.
Expect integrity from those who teach in church.
 

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The pastoral letters, and all the epistles, should be read as following after the book of Acts, as Acts follows the Gospels. In other words, the Gospel, the Good News of freedom and justice and love and the Kingdom of God are central. This is the most important thing. Paul himself says this many times in his letters to Timothy and Titus. In Acts, the church takes its first steps in applying the message of freedom in community. The pastoral letters give practical instruction to pastors for how to demonstrate the teachings of Jesus and the truth of the gospel in their churches. Therefore, these letters reveal as much or more about the process of discerning that practical application as it gives us practical advice today. Also, our context and culture may make some of the advice irrelevant to us. 1 Timothy 5 is mostly about taking care of widows, of which there are none in our church. So these books also reveal much about the practical concerns that faced the early church.

Our job is to discern and practice the gospel in our context. The pastoral letters teach us to keep the gospel central. The examples of instruction in the letters help us see how we too can practically demonstrate the good news of the Kingdom in our context today. Whether we find the instructions within these pages helpful or irrelevant, the principles point to Jesus, and our mandate remains the same to discover how our churches may best honour Jesus and walk in faith.