Suffering missionaries, disagreeing with God about their suffering

[Curiousmind]

Hi,

So Paul was a missionary and suffered sometimes. Some contemporary missionaries sometimes also suffer sometimes for example this youtube. I have heard this testimony and other testimonies of missionary, but thing is I still kinda disagree with God's way, my expectation is, at least God could have protected the missionaries, they already have sacrificed earthly wealth and comfort to spread the gospel. Those who know the story of Corrie Ten Boom from world war two, she also suffered sometimes kinda for doing the will of God. I really disagree with God on this.

Br,

 

[Lukaris]

Lutheran Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer was imprisoned, eventually tortured & executed by the Nazis. He wrote on suffering during his captivity. Both Corrie & Dietrich did the work of God but maybe endured in various ways.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer Quotes About Suffering | A-Z Quotes

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[Curiousmind]

Lutheran Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer was imprisoned, eventually tortured & executed by the Nazis. He wrote on suffering during his captivity. Both Corrie & Dietrich did the work of God but maybe endured in various ways.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer Quotes About Suffering | A-Z Quotes

Discover Dietrich Bonhoeffer quotes about suffering. Share with friends. Create amazing picture quotes from Dietrich Bonhoeffer quotations.

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Thing is did God tell them face 2 face kinda like Moses telling him to go to Egypt, to do what he did ? I mean maybe he could have fled the country. THing is we cannot solve all worlds problem. Always be sure God told you to do it, then do it, otherwise choose comfort ? idk, if God really told him to do it and suffer, I disagree with God ways of handling reality.

 

[timewerx]

Always be sure God told you to do it

Absolutely. Because many missionaries ends up preaching a false form of Gospel. Most often the false "prosperity Gospel".

Perhaps they heard a spirit call to them or in a dream but then it not God but an evil spirit pretending to be the Holy Spirit.

Test the spirit always. Testing spirits, doesn't have to be formulaic, you can converse normally with a spirit to test it. There's a "formula" in the Bible on how to test spirits but I found it sometimes fails. Yet, there is more than one way to test spirits. and it would be advantageous that you know Jesus and His teachings very well like it's second nature to you.

otherwise choose comfort ?

What is the worth of comfort to you? Contribute to the commercialized destruction of our planet's ecosystems just to sustain a comfortable life?

You know what's going to happen if all people on earth lived like a middle class American? The world will be at war fighting for the fast depleting remaining resources. Such is not a sustainable lifestyle. To live such a life, you'd be taking from somebody else. Yet we never know, we never see it because this is how our evil world is made out to be.

Besides, seeking comfort is not agreeable to the teachings of Christ.

Sure, we must avoid needless suffering but we cannot indulge either. It's a sure sign we are loving the things of this world and seeking to be friends with this world. 1 John 2:15-17, James 4:4, 1 John 5:19, and John 15:19 (not a typo).

Even if you have plenty of money, try to live with austerity, humility, keeping a low profile. You'll be able to save up even more money this way to use for Godly work (not necessarily in missions).

Don't need to impress your friends, if your friends need to be impressed, replace them with more humble ones.

 

[LoveDivine]

We aren't guaranteed safey from persecution if we follow Christ. One of the conditions for being a true disciple of Christ is that we need to be willing to be hated of all men for his sake. The world hated and crucified Christ and it often hates and persecutes his followers. God does often protect and save his followers from harm, but sometimes he allows us to share in the cup of his suffering. There have been countless martyrs for Christ. They weren't mistaken in their calling. They accepted the highest calling which is to know Christ and enter into the fellowship of his suffering. Just because a missionary's life may end tragically does not mean they did not hear from God. It just means they were willing to endure any hardships for his sake. We have to count the cost when we give our life to Christ. This is the cost of discipleship: that we are willing to follow Christ to the point of death.

There are also times that God warns his servants to change courses for their own protection. Even Paul was warned of dangers by Agabus the prophet. It's not that Paul ignored these warnings or didn't take them seriously, but he was determined to fulfill his mission. His own life was not as valuable to him as spreading the gospel to all of the Roman Empire

 

[timewerx]

There are also times that God warns his servants to change courses for their own protection. Even Paul was warned of dangers by Agabus the prophet. It's not that Paul ignored these warnings or didn't take them seriously, but he was determined to fulfill his mission. His own life was not as valuable to him as spreading the gospel to all of the Roman Empire

For that matter, Jesus gave us instructions how to spread the Gospel.

One of them (an important one) is actually to avoid people who rejects us first thing. - Matthew 10:14.

I think that instruction serves two purposes:

1. To avoid unnecessary/excessive persecution and difficulties.
2. Not waste time on people who will reject the Gospel. Move on to the next village so the disciples are able to cover more ground and spread the Gospel to more people in less time.

Sure persecution is unavoidable as a Christian (unless you're the persecutor/bully). But we are still to act in ways to minimize persecutions because facing excessive persecutions is a waste of time, energy, and even resources that could have been used to preach God's Word instead.

Unfortunately, there have been many missionaries in history who did not follow Christ's instructions. They did not leave at the rejection but rather embraced persecution like a badge of honor or whatever.

Most of people who converted into Christianity out of their "sacrifice" were only Christians by "label". They don't know the teachings of Christ and rejects them by their words and actions. These are not good Christians and are the same people prophesied in the Book of Jude.

Leaving out a few teachings can come a long way into a generation who only knows Jesus by lip service but lives in complete contradiction of the Christ's teachings.

 

[Curiousmind]

For that matter, Jesus gave us instructions how to spread the Gospel.

One of them (an important one) is actually to avoid people who rejects us first thing. - Matthew 10:14.

I think that instruction serves two purposes:

1. To avoid unnecessary/excessive persecution and difficulties.
2. Not waste time on people who will reject the Gospel. Move on to the next village so the disciples are able to cover more ground and spread the Gospel to more people in less time.

Sure persecution is unavoidable as a Christian (unless you're the persecutor/bully). But we are still to act in ways to minimize persecutions because facing excessive persecutions is a waste of time, energy, and even resources that could have been used to preach God's Word instead.

Unfortunately, there have been many missionaries in history who did not follow Christ's instructions. They did not leave at the rejection but rather embraced persecution like a badge of honor or whatever.

Most of people who converted into Christianity out of their "sacrifice" were only Christians by "label". They don't know the teachings of Christ and rejects them by their words and actions. These are not good Christians and are the same people prophesied in the Book of Jude.

Leaving out a few teachings can come a long way into a generation who only knows Jesus by lip service but lives in complete contradiction of the Christ's teachings.

I was converted by watching christian tv. Most people are very hard to convert by tv. I sometimes think like this, u dont wanna believe in Jesus, ok ur lose, I wont waste my time in u, got stuff to do, like wash my dog, mow my lawn or something. If i was converted by christian tv, why not you ?

 

[bèlla]

Save others, snatching them out of the fire.

There's always a risk when you're taking ground. You're entering the enemy's camp and snatching souls. He doesn't roll out a welcome mat. He does everything in his power to oppose you. Everyone who walks that road confronts this at some point. If they've undergone missionary training the topic is broached. Especially when they're going to hostile or closed countries.

~bella

 

[timewerx]

I sometimes think like this, u dont wanna believe in Jesus, ok ur lose, I wont waste my time in u

Almost what Matthew 10:14 is saying.

If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet.

Now you see why Christianity is so messed up. The ones who did things NOT according to the Bible are the ones praised. It makes you wonder what other teachings in the Bible they have messed up. Most, if not, all false teachers don't know they are false teachers and many are willing sacrifice their lives for their false beliefs (they don't realize are false).

Not everyone who dies or willing to die for the cause of Christianity can be trusted to be a true Christian or teaches the Word of God. Dying for a cause is NOT the litmus test of Christ's Gospel.

Luke 6:26
Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.

No need to worry even if a false teacher converted you. You can always get back to the source, the Holy Spirit itself.