I returned to Oakland Heights Baptist Church (OHBC) as Lead Pastor not long after a rebellion and church split. Pastoral change is a hardship of its own, and admittedly the new pastor (me) was not as great as the previous. Then OHBC, like all churches, faced COVID lockdowns and varied opinions about reopening. On the heels of COVID, OHBC endured the tragedy of a fallen leader and sorrow of public church correction. All of the above, led to cherished members leaving the church, which left others wounded, grieving, cynical, and disconnected.
The inevitability of hardship applies to churches as well: every church will face hardship in different ways and to varying degrees. But God be praised! OHBC is thriving, fruitful, and joyful. Those hardships seem nothing but a distant emblem of God’s faithfulness. Upon contemplation and reflection, below are four keys to healing a ministry after hardship.
Healing Key #1 – Accept hardships as a reality of following Jesus.
Nobody wants hardship, but nobody can evade hardships. They are a reality of life and ministry.
The Christian is not promised exemption from suffering or sorrow; instead, Scripture guarantees persecution for the godly person. Furthermore, for the great heroes of the faith, Scripture records even greater amounts of hardship. Job, Joseph, Noah, Moses, David, Nehemiah, John the Baptist, Paul, and many more suffered greatly from Satanic oppression, personal affliction, ministry burdens, consequences of others’ sin, or persecution. All the prophets suffered (Matthew 5:12; Acts 7:52).
But the greatest suffering was endured by the greatest one – Christ Jesus. Take a moment to consider how Isaiah 53 prophesied the Christ to be: a man of sorrows, despised, wounded, bruised, laden with others’ iniquities, oppressed, afflicted, cut off, stricken, buried with the wicked, put to grief.
Followers of Jesus should surrender to do the work that Jesus did but also to experience the hardships that He experienced – though most certainly to a lesser degree (John 15:20). OHBC needed gentle reminders that we should expect and accept hardships in his emotions, family, ministry, health, community, etc.
Healing Key #2 – Allow all hardship to bring you closer to Jesus.
Whatever the area of your hardship and whatever the degree, Jesus Christ can empathize. The encouragement of Philippians 3:10 is that you experience deeper fellowship with Him through suffering. In the same passage, Paul states his willingness to lose all things to win Christ. Fellowship with Christ is the ultimate prize – even worthy of losing all things.
If you are in hardship, don’t miss the opportunity for greater fellowship with Christ Jesus. Immerse yourself in the word; seek Him earnestly in prayer, and receive the consolation of Christ. You can expect 2 Corinthians 10:5 to become a reality – that when you suffer with Christ, He will console you. Our leaders needed to model and urge members to authentic communion with Christ – both individually and corporately
Healing Key #3 – Allow all hardship to make you like Jesus.
God’s precious promise is that He works “all things” for the good of making you like Christ (Romans 8:28-29). Your hardship certainly is included in “all things”. We return to Isaiah 53 for clear direction on how to be like Christ, as it contains His astonishing response to affliction. Each description directs us in how to respond in hardships – even when we are blameless:
Bear the griefs of those who did you wrong (v.4). Violations can make you unaware or callous to the griefs of others, especially of those who violated you. The mind of Christ compels you to empathize and carry the hurts of those who hurt you.
Keep your mouth closed (v.7). When you are slandered, falsely accused, misrepresented, or insulted, your flesh yearns to justify yourself. Though Christ Jesus was falsely accused, He did not condemn. Though He was reviled, he reviled not again.
Don’t respond in kind (v.9). When hurt, you will want to enact vengeance, to respond in kind. Though we would deem Christ Jesus justified, He did not allow the sin of others to dictate His response. Though they were violent, He was meek; though they falsely accused Him, He was honest.
Sacrifice yourself (v.12). Under attack, your survival instincts will likely activate, and you will act to preserve your position or reputation. Christ Jesus willingly laid down His life for God’s purpose.
Be willing to suffer unjust judgment (v.12). When misrepresented, don’t strive to set the record straight; let your testimony open gospel opportunities (Luke 23:39-43). Christ Jesus was not in the wrong; He was wronged, but He became obedient to a cruel, unjust, humiliating death.
Bear the sins of others (v.12). At times you must bear others’ burdens as they are being restored; at times you will suffer consequences of the unrepentant. Though Christ Jesus knew no sin, He suffered the consequences and paid the penalty for the sins of others.
Pray for forgiveness of those who sin against you (v.12). Acknowledge that God loves them and desires restoration; so, withhold those imprecatory psalms and pray for God’s forgiveness. Note, praying for God’s forgiveness implies that you forgive them. After all that Christ Jesus suffered unjustly, He interceded for God’s forgiveness on the guilty (Luke 23:34).
No one likes pain or sorrow, so we are eager to feel better and get past the hurt. Although God is good and gracious, His chief objective is not to get you out of your circumstances or feelings as quickly as possible; rather He wants to use them to make you like Christ. Our pastors needed to embrace and demonstrate Christlike humility, sacrifice, and love for those who violated us.
This leads us to the final key…
Healing Key #4 – Allow all hardship to focus you on Jesus’ mission.
Christ’s suffering as prophesied in Isaiah 53 occurred for God’s redemptive purpose – to save sinners. Christ died to fulfill the purpose of the Father, and the Christian must be submitted to the same redemptive purpose.
Christians are not called to evade hardship but endure it (2 Timothy 2:1-4). Enduring is more than surviving, attending, or maintaining programs. In its context, enduring hardness is the missional focus of a soldier. As soldiers of Jesus Christ, our mission cannot be forsaken because of hardships; contrariwise, we must press on with a strengthened resolve to fulfill our mission.
In the zenith of OHBC’s hardships, our pastors heard the Lord calling us to greater effort in His mission. We prayed for souls; we preached on evangelism and discipleship; we launched two new evangelism ministries. By way of testimony, in the months that followed, God had turned our weeping into rejoicing; life was a dream; we were filled with laughter and signing; we were bringing in the salvations. God confirmed in Psalm 126 – we were reaping in joy because when we had sown in tears.
James Dekoker is the lead pastor of Oakland Heights Baptist Church in Cartersville, GA.
