We Have Them Trapped
Years ago, when I was a pretty new Christian, our submarine was preparing to go on a “Northern run.” The plan was to rise early one morning, submerge off the coast of Norfolk, VA and 73 days later surface off Norfolk, VA. There were five or six Christians on board and 95, or so, others. All were very bright, very competent, and most were very not-Christian.
The week before we left, Doug said, “Let’s go to the bookstore and get some stuff.” I said, “Okay. What kind of stuff?” “You’ll see,” he said. So, we got there and proceeded to buy half the bookstore. We had boxes and boxes of books. All kinds of books, lots of CS Lewis, lots of gospel books. Then we went somewhere and picked up a couple of cases of Gideon New Testaments.
When I asked Doug why were buying all these books when we were leaving in a few days. He said, “We’re going to be gone for 73 days with 100 hundred guys who don’t know the Lord, and they can’t get away. They are trapped with us and Jesus.”
I don’t remember what the effect was on the crew from that one trip, but I do know that by the time Doug left the Navy there were 10-15 or more Christians on our boat, including the captain. And when I left there were 5 or 6 more, including wives, some of whose husbands hadn’t come to Christ yet.
I don’t know if that trip started the whole revival thing, but I do know that we could have gone on that trip with the attitude that they had us trapped rather than the other way around.
In Philippians, Paul said that one of the results of his being in prison, was that all the guards in the prison knew about him and the Gospel. Why was this? I think it was because when Paul was thrown into the prison, he didn’t just languish there, worrying about how things on the outside were going. He didn’t complain about how horribly he was being treated… and it wasn’t his fault either. He wasn’t a victim.
I think Paul preached the Gospel to whoever was in front of him and when he was thrown into prison, he thought, “Cool!! I have a new ministry. All these prisoners and guards are trapped in here with me and they have nowhere to go. Jesus and I have them surrounded.” And he preached like a crazy man. It might have been related to his age or his physical condition, but when we read Acts 28 we see a pretty lax guarding system. Paul seemed to have had a lot of freedoms that most prisoners probably didn’t have. I’m guessing that the hearts of those who were guarding him had changed.
There are a couple of other things make me think Paul didn’t change his view of ministry when things got hard: First, was what he said about how we should live in times of suffering. In Romans, he said,
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with Godthrough our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;and perseverance, character; and character, hope (Rom 5:1-4).
We have a right relationship with God because of Jesus’ death and resurrection and so we stand on this truth. But we also face tribulations in a whole new way. Instead of whining or complaining, we glory in our tribulations. We do this because we know that tribulations bring all sorts of other wonderful things that make us like Jesus: perseverance, character, and hope. And glorying means rejoicing, as James mentioned and for similar reasons (Jas 1:3). It means looking at the new situation entirely differently. It means going on the offensive for the Kingdom of God and sharing the love and joy of Christ in new situations and new contexts of life. Who knows, the people you meet in the middle of hard times might need to see a Christian life lived in front of them. They might never have met a Christian had you not fallen on hard times and had to go where they are.
Second, in his second letter to the Corinthians, he said this about his suffering,
Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Cor 12:9-10).
Get that? He gladly boasted in his infirmities. Gladly. Boasted. That means he took them, gloried in them and then boasted in them. Now, you might be thinking, “but Mike, look at the context. Paul is talking about having to deal with the thorn in the flesh that he got for seeing Heaven face to face. Anyone who had seen what he had could easily put up with a little thorn.” Ah, but as you are pointing out, context is king. Look at those verses again. “infirmities,” “reproaches,” “needs,” “persecutions,” and “distresses.” And I believe we could add this list as well,
Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness—besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation?
If I must boast, I will boast in the things which concern my infirmity. (2 Cor 11:23–30)
There it is again, “I will boast in the things which concern my infirmity.” Paul not only gloried in his suffering, he boasted in it. And instead of falling down and stopping, his new situation enlivened him to work all the harder to spread the gospel. Such that the whole prison guard knew he was a Christian and that that was why he had been thrown into prison.
Right about now you’re probably wondering why I’m writing this like this. Well, it seems to me that unless something pretty drastic happens in the next couple of days, our nation may drastically change, or be in the process of drastically changing. And I don’t think it will be good for the Christians.
Except that it will be good for God and his Kingdom. This is because he is in charge and nothing happens that he doesn’t want to have happen. He gets glory from whatever happens and if we learn to change our minds and minister in the new situation the way Doug pointed out and the way Paul taught us, then things may be hard, but it will be good.
So, if things get hard, attack with the Gospel. If things don’t get hard, attack with the Gospel. God wants us rejoicing, glorying, and boasting in whatever he brings to us. So be encouraged. Charge on! Go on the offense. Be winsome, kind, gracious, glorious even, and be hard as nails. We have them trapped! They can’t get away! We have God on our side! And He wins!