Live to Die

God strategizes your suffering. Skin and bones and lungs have everything to do with evangelism and getting to the people who Christ died to save. The hurting is essential. Paul wrote, “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions” (Col. 1:24), and only one thing is lacking—a personal, embodied presentation of his suffering to those for whom he died. And this is the role of the Christian.

We will never be Christ’s Church or fulfill the Great Commission until we choose to take risks that can only be explained by the resurrection of the dead. Without a resurrection all risk—any self-denial—is foolish, but because there is a resurrection from the dead there is joy in suffering. And this joy is not optional—it is the only hope for obedience.

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