Moralistic Therapeutic Deism

Christian Smith has stated that the de-facto new religion of the American teenager is Moralistic Therapeutic Deism. The complete article is here.

Smith further defines the creed of this new religion in following 5 points:

1. A God exists who created and orders the world and watches over
human life on earth.
2. God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as
taught in the Bible and by most world religions.
3. The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself.
4. God does not need to be particularly involved in one’s life except
when he is needed to resolve a problem.
5. Good people go to heaven when they die.

Smith goes on to argue that not only is Moralistic Therapeutic Deism the dominant religion among teenagers, but that it has become the dominant religion of American culture.

Here is a sobering thought - how many of your facebook "friends" who self-identify as "Christian" have no issues with the above 5 points? How many people in your church? In your home?

How many of us know enough applied theology to confront those who hold to this view? How many of us can properly articulate the Gospel of Jesus Christ to those who need it so desperately?

A Bible Superhero?

I cannot think of a worse way to teach gospel truth to young boys than with a cheesy costumed character. In a culture that worships self-sufficiency, individualism, and ultra-macho rule bending superheroes, why do we need a "Bibleman"?

Perhaps it is far easier to manufacture a fictional "hero" than to actually study the Bible and discover the heroes found there. Perhaps it is too much to ask of those seeking to "educate" children to look to the great narratives found in scripture for their source and content. Further, the biographies of many past heroes of the faith are filled with amazing stories of Spirit-led victory against impossible odds.

I think too, that this is a backlash against the limp-wristed sissy Jesus portrayed in so many Sunday School stories, and the abandonment of many men of their God ordained role as husband and father. I think there are too few real men to be found in homes and churches.

Within the church, far too many men leave the role of children's teacher to others and avoid any opportunity to teach children the gospel.

Most importantly we don't need a superhero. We have Jesus. Jesus is the hero of every story. We need to teach kids about Him - not some dude in tights.

Jesus says:

John 16:33 ESV I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."

The Apostle Paul writes:

Romans 8:37-39 ESV No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38: For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39: nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Young boys need to see that Jesus is greater than any hero mortal minds can conceive. They need to see how in perfect, willing obedience to the direction of God the Father and empowered by the Holy Spirit, on the cross Jesus defeated every enemy.

Most of all, we can balance the teaching of Christ as our great example with Christ as the Ultimate Holy Warrior who defeated the evil Satan and literally saved the world.

A Failed Gospel Tract

I found this image on the Jolly Blogger's blog the other day, and it spurred a few thoughts.

"Christian Moralistic Therapeutic Deism" is what Matt Chandler calls the modern "gospel" preached in many evangelical churches today.

This "gospel" differs only slightly from the so-called "prosperity gospel" hawked by the T.V. personalities - some of whom sit "on thrones and have wife who looks like she lost a paint-ball war" (description courtesy Mark Driscoll).

The big lie that many have bought into is that God just wants you to be happy in this life and spend eternity in heaven sitting on a cloud strumming a harp. You can be anything you want, and God is there - like a mystical genie in a bottle - for you to use toward whatever ends you desire. Jesus is your bff (best friend forever for those not into the txting lingo) that you visit with whenever it is convenient for you.

This view seems to me to fly in the face of the clear teaching of Scripture. Passages such as:

Romans 5:3-5

3: More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,
4: and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,
5: and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Hebrews 12:1-4

1: Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
2: looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
3: Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.
4: In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.

Revelation 2:8-10

8: "And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: 'The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life.
9: "'I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
10: Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.

These wonderful passages seem to tell of a faith not marked by easy and worldly success, but a life of joy filled suffering.

Taking Seriously Those Who Disagree

Abraham Piper writes a great message that I often need to preach to myself.

The key section for me is:

"Paying attention to those who disagree with us and taking them seriously, even if we're pretty sure we'll still disagree, is part of what it means to be in the body of Christ. It's humbling; it sanctifies. It will make us better husbands and wives. It will make us better Christians, and maybe even better Calvinists."

While I too need to heed this advice in regards to my theological convictions, I need to heed it in all areas of my life as well. Too often I am too quick to justify my own actions without even fully listening to the criticism. I must come to realize that my justification is not of my own doing - it is a completed work of the Cross. Christ -who knows my deepest sins, secrets and failings - willingly chose to become a sacrifice for those things. No critique, whether it be valid or not, constructive or not, can lessen my ultimate justification.

This does not give me license to then to do as I please and to ignore the counsel of fellow Christians. Where my sin against Christ, the church, or others is pointed out I must own it, confess it, and repent of it. Where my words and actions are a reasonable response to the sins of others I must understand that in the Crucifixion of Christ I receive the blood of vengeance I desire.

I realize these words are far easier to write than to live. I thank God for the gift of the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit which empowers and equips me more and more each day as I yield myself to the Lordship of Christ.

Be sure to read Abraham's full post here.

Gospel Manhood - part 7

Conclusion

Why do we resist this?

The easy thing to do is to be fat and bad. It takes hard work and effort – daily to be a Gospel man. As God established in Genesis 3, it is the desire of the wife to rule over her husband. Because of this same curse everything under our authority continually rebels, and our natural state is to rebel against God. See also Gen 4.

Genesis 4:1-16 ESV

1: Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, "I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD."
2: And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground.
3: In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground,
4: and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering,
5: but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell.
6: The LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen?
7: If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it."
8: Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.
9: Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" He said, "I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?"
10: And the LORD said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground.
11: And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.
12: When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth."
13: Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is greater than I can bear.
14: Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me."
15: Then the LORD said to him, "Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold." And the LORD put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him.
16: Then Cain went away from the presence of the LORD and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

Why does this matter?

The importance is quite clear. Men matter. Fathers matter. Our homes are our greatest missions field – our children will go farther and touch more lives than we ever could. The basic building block of any society is the family. As goes the family, so goes the city, the state, the nation, and the world. The church and the family exist to support each other. Neither can be truly healthy unless both are.

The urgency is clear as well. As Paul says in Romans -

Romans 13:11-14 ESV

11: Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.
12: The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.
13: Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy.
14: But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

How is Christ the Hero?

Jesus is Christus Victor, Christus Exemplar, Savior and King. He is the author and finisher of our faith. It is in Him alone that we can become the Gospel men he would have us be.

Hebrews 12:1-8 ESV

1: Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
2: looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
3: Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.
4: In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
5: And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him.
6: For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives."
7: It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?
8: If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.

Gospel Manhood - part 6

Who is your family?

Strictly speaking your family is comprised of your wife and your children together -those who live under your roof and make up your “household”. That is the biblical model. In addition to this is the Old Testament custom of the kinsman redeemer. If a family member was sold into slavery a close relative good by off the debt and redeem that family member. This a form of “gap” ministry whereby God in His Grace makes provision for those who fall outside of the biblical model. Therefore, Gospel men are to “stand in the gap” and seek to be a father to the fatherless.

Within the family there is a priority of relationships. Firstly should be the father's and mother's relationship (as one flesh) with Jesus. Secondly should be the marriage relationship of the father and mother. Thirdly is the mother and father (again as one united body) in a parental relationship with the children. The parents should never allow anything to come between them or their relationship with Christ.

The great misconception among Christians is that the church building is the center of our worship. The center of our worship is to be our home. It is to be the center of the Christian education of our children. We must not avoid Gospel conversations and discussions of Jesus and his work. Quite to the contrary. WE SHOULD SEEK OUT THE GOSPEL ANSWER TO ALL QUESTIONS AND PROBLEMS.

Gospel Manhood - part 5

What does Gospel Leadership look like?

A Gospel leader follows the example of Jesus and lives a Spirit filed, led and enabled life of servant leadership. Leading by both example and command in submission to Jesus and the authorities placed over him.

Ephesians 5:22-33 ESV

22: Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
23: For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.
24: Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.
25: Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,
26: that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,
27: so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
28: In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.
29: For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church,
30: because we are members of his body.
31: "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh."
32: This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.
33: However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Ephesians 6:1-9 ESV

1: Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
2: "Honor your father and mother" (this is the first commandment with a promise),
3: "that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land."
4: Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
5: Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ,
6: not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,
7: rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man,
8: knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.
9: Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.

For context and as a counterpoint, consider also what Solomon writes in the book of Proverbs:

Proverbs 31:10-31 ESV

10: An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.
11: The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.
12: She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life.
13: She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands.
14: She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar.
15: She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens.
16: She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
17: She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong.
18: She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night.
19: She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle.
20: She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy.
21: She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet.
22: She makes bed coverings for herself; her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23: Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land.
24: She makes linen garments and sells them; she delivers sashes to the merchant.
25: Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.
26: She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27: She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28: Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:
29: "Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all."
30: Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
31: Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.

As we can see from verse 16, the Proverbs 31 woman is no Stepford wife. See is a strong woman who willingly submits out of strength and not out of weakness.

Gospel Manhood - part 4

What does it mean to lead your family in worship?

What is Worship?

Romans 12:1-3 ESV

1: I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
2: Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
3: For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

Worship is so much more than gathering to sing a few moldy hymns, it is more than southern “gospel”, and it is more than rocking out, eyes closed and hands raised to contemporary christian music. Worship is more than music, more than prayer, more than church attendance, more that evangelism, more than simple good works.

OUR WHOLE LIVES ARE TO BE LIVED NOW AND IN ETERNITY AS AN ACT OF WORSHIP.

Proper worship puts God in His proper place and puts man in our proper place. We were created by God, foreknown and predestined for worship for eternity.

Gospel Manhood - part 3

Salvation can rightly be described as an eternal plan, an event, a process and an eternal destination. The True Gospel sees the story of God's Grace as having its foundation in eternity past, its content expressed in 7 C's and its final abiding state in eternity future.
The TRUE GOSPEL

Gospel Manhood - part 2

What is a “saving relationship?”

Perhaps even better stated is “What is Salvation?” Perhaps we ask as the Philippian Jailer did of Paul - “What must I do to be saved?”.

Acts 16:25-34 ESV

25: About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them,
26: and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were unfastened.
27: When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped.
28: But Paul cried with a loud voice, "Do not harm yourself, for we are all here."
29: And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas.
30: Then he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
31: And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household."
32: And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.
33: And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family.
34: Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.

Here we see a clear picture of the process of salvation. God in His infinite Grace extends a call, The Gospel is preached, the jailer responds – not just in word but with ACTION!

So that we don't get the mistaken idea that somehow the jailer saved himself by his acceptance, belief and confession we need the whole counsel of God revealed by Paul in Ephesians 2

Ephesians 2:1-10 ESV

1: And you were dead in the trespasses and sins
2: in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience--
3: among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
4: But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,
5: even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved--
6: and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
7: so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
8: For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
9: not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
10: For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

The key to this passage is to understand that dead men can do nothing!

Gospel Manhood - part 1

What is a Gospel Man

A Gospel man is an adult male who is in a saving relationship with Jesus Christ and leads his family in the worship of God. Unless you meet these 2 conditions you are not a man, but are in fact an overgrown boy with expensive toys playing house – and church.

What is a “saving relationship with Jesus Christ?”

We often throw out this nugget of christianese with out even thinking of the meaning behind the words. This question must be divided into 2 parts to be correctly answered – Let's unpack it a give meaning back to this amazing thought.

Who is Jesus Christ?

Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone who forms along with the apostles and the prophets our foundation. This where we must begin.

Ephesians 2:18-22 ESV

18: For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.
19: So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
20: built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,
21: in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.
22: In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

We must see Christ as John saw Him -

John 1:1-5 ESV

1: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2: He was in the beginning with God.
3: All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4: In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
5: The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

We must see Christ as Stephen saw Him -

Acts 7:51-60 ESV

51: "You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you.
52: Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered,
53: you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it."
54: Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him.
55: But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
56: And he said, "Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."
57: But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him.
58: Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59: And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."
60: And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

5 Latin Phrases Every Christian Needs to Know

There are 5 latin phrases that every Christian needs to know because they summarize the essentials that as believers in Christ form the core of our essential doctrine.

These 5 phrases are often called the "Five Pillars of the Protestant Reformation".

The 5 are, with the English translation of each:

Sola Scriptura - by scripture alone
Sola Fide - by faith alone
Sola Gratia - by grace alone
Solus Christus - by Christ alone
Soli Deo Gloria - glory to God alone

A confession I am privileged to make because of God's eternal plan and Jesus's completed work on the cross is:

I am a sinner saved - this is to say Instantly Justified, Progressively Sanctified, and Ultimately Glorified - by Grace Alone through Faith Alone in Jesus Christ Alone according to the Scriptures Alone for the Glory of God Alone.

This is the hill upon which I will fight and die - beneath the banner of the Cross.

Time Travel

Ever wish that you could go back to a certain moment in time your life and relive a memory? I am not talking about regret, where you wish to go back a correct some perceived wrong. I am talking about the wish to step back in time just to visit, just to experience the sights, sounds and feelings firsthand of my memories. Perhaps I visualize a something akin to a video recording, only far more immersive and interactive. Also, so many moments are impossible to catch on film and cannot be contained as either magnetic charges on rust or a string of 1's and 0's.

Ever notice how a smell can bring back a vivid memory? Or how some touchstone object can cause a distant thought to emerge?

On balance, though, I think perhaps God has it just perfect. As it says in the Bible "It is appointed for a man to live once...". The filter of time does seem to smooth and soothe old hurts, and brighten the hues of the the best times. Perhaps I should rejoice in the happy memories I do have, and given I cannot go backward, focus upon the road ahead and work diligently to create new memories for myself and those I hold dear.

A bit of encouragement from The Bible

We serve a God who is in control and has a plan. He will be victorious. We are not promised a life of ease and comfort, but a life of suffering. God's Grace through Christ gives meaning to our existence.

Zechariah 10:1-12 ESV
1: Ask rain from the LORD in the season of the spring rain, from the LORD who makes the storm clouds, and he will give them showers of rain, to everyone the vegetation in the field.
2: For the household gods utter nonsense, and the diviners see lies; they tell false dreams and give empty consolation. Therefore the people wander like sheep; they are afflicted for lack of a shepherd.
3: "My anger is hot against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders; for the LORD of hosts cares for his flock, the house of Judah, and will make them like his majestic steed in battle.
4: From him shall come the cornerstone, from him the tent peg, from him the battle bow, from him every ruler--all of them together.
5: They shall be like mighty men in battle, trampling the foe in the mud of the streets; they shall fight because the LORD is with them, and they shall put to shame the riders on horses.
6: "I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph. I will bring them back because I have compassion on them, and they shall be as though I had not rejected them, for I am the LORD their God and I will answer them.
7: Then Ephraim shall become like a mighty warrior, and their hearts shall be glad as with wine. Their children shall see it and be glad; their hearts shall rejoice in the LORD.
8: "I will whistle for them and gather them in, for I have redeemed them, and they shall be as many as they were before.
9: Though I scattered them among the nations, yet in far countries they shall remember me, and with their children they shall live and return.
10: I will bring them home from the land of Egypt, and gather them from Assyria, and I will bring them to the land of Gilead and to Lebanon, till there is no room for them.
11: He shall pass through the sea of troubles and strike down the waves of the sea, and all the depths of the Nile shall be dried up. The pride of Assyria shall be laid low, and the scepter of Egypt shall depart.
12: I will make them strong in the LORD, and they shall walk in his name," declares the LORD.

We should have no fear of death for no one can steal our Eternal Life.

Philippians 1:21-30 ESV
21: For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
22: If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell.
23: I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.
24: But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.
25: Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith,
26: so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.
27: Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,
28: and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God.
29: For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake,
30: engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

While we yet live here we are to be living a life worthy of the Gospel. Side by Side in Community, suffering for the sake of Christ.

Romans 5:1-8 ESV
1: Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
2: Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
3: More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,
4: and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,
5: and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
6: For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
7: For one will scarcely die for a righteous person--though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die--
8: but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

God uses suffering to produce endurance, character and hope. Suffering does not come from a lack of faith. Quite the opposite - Suffering comes as a proof of faith, and in suffering we learn not to hope in what we - or our leaders - can do, but to stand in His Grace, and to hope in His Glory. We must all follow the example of Jesus, Paul, Peter and the rest of the Suffering Servants of God.