Passing the Exam
Suffering is an unavoidable part of our Christian experience. Jesus led the way by suffering persecution, ridicule, and eventually, the crucifixion. In James 1:2, we read, āConsider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials .ā
Notice James didnāt say if you encounter trials; he said, when you encounter trials. Trials and testings seem to be a normal part of the Christian life. Tough times and prosperous times are all from God. Our job is to be ready and able to handle the testing with his help when they come, secure in the knowledge of his care and ultimate delivery.
As a young Christian, one of my first tests put me in a difficult circumstance. After a long day at work in a warehouse, I was ready for a cold drink with my buddies. I felt at one with these guys until the Lord got hold of my heart. Gradually, the dirty jokes left me cold. Ever notice how sin isnāt any fun once you know the Lord? I noticed that immediately. When my buddies started in on a familiar dirty story, I felt polluted. I couldnāt listen.
When I stopped listening to the stories because of the negative impact they made on me, I was taking a stand for Christ. I strained my relationship with my friends because of it. However, by being obedient to the Lord in this small thing, I gained ground in the discipline of making wise choices in the face of adversity. My job may have been on the line if I offended my coworkers. What choice did I have? I knew I couldnāt afford to strain my relationship with my ultimate Boss.
Growing in the exercise of faith is key if we want to have an impact on our society. Scripture instructs us not only to believe certain truths, but to act on specific commands, such as healing the sick, tithing, giving to the poor, and sharing the Gospel, to mention a few. The things to believe are relatively easy, but the things to do take discipline and faith.
Every advance in the kingdom, whether in character or in the exercise of faith, will be met with a counter-attack. I taught about healing in almost every sermon for close to a year, even though we didnāt see any healing for close to nine months. In fact, two or three people died. Some even left the church because they thought I was teaching the heresy of divine healing.
I asked myself, āCan I continue to believe and practice what the Scriptures teach regardless of the results?ā I had to answer, āYes.ā I had learned that being embarrassed was not sufficient reason for abandoning obedience to the Lord. Remember the dirty stories I had to avoid at work?
So, we continued to pray for the sick, in compliance with the Word. Once again, I felt humbled by obeying the biblical principle to pray for the sick, with no particular guarantee that the Lord would ratify it. I had to prepare myself to continue to act on what I believed the Word taught, even if it meant that we saw no immediate results. The Lord taught me perseverance that time around.
John Wimber, Living With Uncertainty (Anaheim: Vineyard Ministries International, 1996), 5-6.
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John Wimber on Passing The Exam: “Scripture instructs us not only to believe certain truths, but to act on specific commands, such as healing the sick, tithing, giving to the poor, and sharing the Gospel, to mention a few. The things to believe are relatively easy, but the things to do take discipline and faith.”
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