God's Purpose in Testing: Weeding out the Weak

Your challenges prepare you for your purpose.

I have written six things which I believe make up God's purpose in testing. I will admit this list is by no means comprehensive. But are, to my own mind, the primary reasons God chooses to pass his people through the fire:

1. To weed out the weak

2. To conform us into the image of His dear Son

3. So we might minister to others

4. So we can bear much fruit

5. To keep us humble

6. That He might get the glory

For the sake of brevity, I have chosen only to expound the first point. Perhaps, Lord willing, I may, by the Spirit of His grace, be given leave to revisit this topic at a future time. For now, however, let us be content to give our attention to that which the Lord giveth us.

In 1 Peter 4:12, Peter, speaking to tribulation saints, says, "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:"

Although the book of 1 Peter is not doctrinally addressed to "the church which is His body" (Ephesians 1:22-23), it still offers numerous insights we'd do well to give heed.

As the Apostle Paul notes in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works."

Now, I would like to dispel from the outset the erroneous notion that where God leads, life will ultimately be a bed of roses. So many times, I hear well-meaning Christians say, without thinking, things like "Where God leads, God will provide." Which is true, just not in the way many perceive. Let me explain.

Now I am thankful that if God, by His grace, has never suffered to pass you through the fire. And of a surety, not all of us are given the same lot in life. However, a life of ease for the Christian, according to the entire Scripture record, is the exception, not the rule. The problem, I believe, for most Christians who have never really faced adversity, is that they have never learned to be obedient to God in the little things. Before David was given the task of facing Goliath, there is no doubt that God tested him in the little things. And such is the case for every Christian. If we are unfaithful in the little things, God will never suffer us to face the much bigger things in life.

I was listening to a brother the other day who was a missionary to Mongolia, and he stated that over 80% of the people who go on deputation either don't make it to the mission field or quit within their first year in the field. While he was in Mongolia, he saw family after family and missionary after missionary come and go. And the reason I believe is the nefarious belief that if a person is in the will of God, everything will be okay; that life will be good.

For example, most who are familiar with the ministry of our Lord will at once realize, as He said, "...I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him." (John 8:28-29).

"Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work." (John 4:34).

"For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me." (John 6:38).

Now it ought to go without saying that the Lord was never at any time outside of God's perfect will. And yet, we find in Matthew 8:20 that the Lord himself declares, "the Son of man hath not where to lay his head." Let me say this in a way we can all understand: He was homeless. And so if we realize that even the Lord himself suffered, that he was born to parents of meager means, was despised and rejected, how much more then you and I? I think it's strange that folks will condemn these so-called name-it-and-claim-it prosperity preachers, such as Joel Osteen and the rest of that bunch, and yet never stop to think that they are doing the same thing when they say things that are clearly unscriptural. I often think, how many members of the body of Christ have had their faith destroyed, all because they believed that the trials and tribulations they were suffering were ultimately because they were out of the will of God? The Scriptures do not teach that the Christian life is all good times and noodle salad. On the contrary, the Bible is clear that "...all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." (2 Timothy 3:12). And that's all without exception.

There was a brother who, as a young man, left his home in, I believe, Scotland, with the equivalent of $1.26 in his pocket and an old rusty bicycle. Now, to my knowledge, as God would have it, he wound up traveling all over the U.K. and the world. One night, while giving his testimony, he gave an account of his witnessing to a homeless man in the early hours of the morning along the River Thames (downtown London). For those of you who are not aware, at the time, this was the place where the most undesirable of people gathered and slept, and where the women of the night took their patrons. It was a place no respectable person would want to be. But listen to what this brother had to say:

"'Oh, I roughed it, slept under haystacks on occasion. I remember walking up and down the embankment in London trying to keep warm.’ Well, you say, ‘Why didn’t you pray for a bed that night?’ ‘I did, but didn’t get one. But at 2 o'clock in the morning, I met a down-and-out, an unemployed man, who wouldn’t have listened to a Parson, but he was willing to listen to me. And I was trying to win him to the Lord.’ And finally, he said, ‘If what you say is true. If God does answer prayer, why are you walking the embankment tonight?’ And I said, ‘It was the only way for the Lord to arrange for me to meet you.’ And I had the joy of winning him to the Lord.’"

And here lies, I believe, one of the main purposes of trials and testing: the unwillingness of God that any should perish. And this is why Paul states that we are "not to be weary in well doing." (2 Thessalonians 3:13, Galatians 6:9). But the sad part is that so many are. And not, mind you, for reasons wholly of their own. It's because they have been led to believe that if they're in the will of God, they won't suffer. And this is why many never reap any real fruit. And it's the reason they'll never do anything for God.

Now I wonder how many Christians today would have had the fortitude that brother did to stick with it when God refused to answer his prayer, and when he was forced to seek refuge from the wind and the rain in old hay bales, and was left wandering on a cold riverbank at 2 a.m. with the down-and-outs of this world? God help us not to have that sort of Christianity.

Let me explain it like this. For those of us who have had the pleasure of going through basic military training, one thing becomes absolutely clear: all military training is a gut check. It's designed in such a way that it makes you quit. In short, it's designed to weed out the weak. Think about it, if Uncle Sam cannot trust you in a controlled environment, he'll never trust you in an uncontrolled environment. And neither will God. And that is the premise behind all military training. And God is no different. It is why so many pastors, preachers, bus drivers, Sunday school teachers, and missionaries don't make it. They've been sold a bill of goods. They've been told their whole lives, "Where God leads, He provides." And to them, that means a life of relative ease. So at the first sign of adversity, they conclude that, well, it must not have been God's will for them. And they use it as an excuse to quit on God.

The idea that if I'm in the will of God, I won't go hungry, or I may not have enough to pay the power bill, or that at times the mortgage might not get paid, does not align with Scripture. God put Paul and Silas in Prison to fulfill His will, and he stranded John, the beloved disciple, on Patmos to spend the rest of his days in solitude. (Which is a whole nother message on its own. John, who is a type of the Church in the last days, was, as tradition says, bioled in oil but didn't die, and was then exiled on the Island of Patmos. Think about that.)

When I was in Pensacola back in 2009, attending Bible School, there was a time I literally ran out of money. If you recall, that was during the 2008-2009 housing market crash. And folks, I can tell you I went hungry. I did without. But God saw me through it. I had people I didn't know pay my tuition, give me money for lodging, buy me gas, but it wasn't easy. I literally survived on one ramen noodle a day. Now I don't say these things to boast of myself, God as my witness. It's just this notion that if you're in the will of God, everything will be great, that there'll be no trials, no tribulations, that you'll suffer no persecution, is straight out the pits of hell.

I read one time about a dear family that, after being converted during the Welsh revival, left their home in Wales and came to California to begin ministering to those people. And this was in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Now, I forget exactly which city the family ultimately settled in, but reading about all the hardships that family went through was nothing short of heartbreaking. They endured winters with virtually no heat, they had very little by way of basic necessities, were unable to find any real lasting work, and even suffered the loss of their youngest daughter, who, because of their meager means, was ultimately buried in a beggar's plot. Yet through it all, God was blessing the preaching of His word. Now you can't tell me these people were out of the will of God for all the calamities they suffered. On the contrary, satan was doing everything in his power to make them quit. And yet these people remained faithful to God, and God got the glory. Now that's a testimony!

Now it seems rather strange to me that Peter, when asked for alms, declared, "Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have give I thee..." And yet we have so many Christians today who live lives of relative ease. Who suffer no hardships. Who never face adversity, and never suffer any persecution. Could it be it's because the devil has them right where he wants them?

About five or six years ago, I started my own remodeling business, and to my surprise, that business took off. So much so, in fact, that I remember riding down the street one day on my way to pick up some materials for a job and saying to God, "Lord, I know I asked you to bless my business, and I surely do not want to be ungrateful for what you have done, but this is getting a little bit ridiculous. I mean, I don't even have time to blink hardly anymore." And as I said that, this verse popped into my head. "Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me." (Matthew 4:8-9). It was as if God said, "How do you know I'm the one who blessed it?" Brother, I'm telling you it was like a light bulb went off in my head. I thought about my calling to preach the word of God and how, due to my business, I had totally neglected it. It was as if the Lord was saying, "If these things are keeping you from fulfilling your promise to me, you can rest assured I'm not the one blessing it."

It was shortly after that that I determined in myself to begin reducing my workload, and I made a conscious decision to start serving the Lord more. And lo and behold, it wasn't long after that the whole bottom fell out. As soon as I purposed in myself to commit my life to serving God and not mammon, tragedy struck.

The first thing that happened was that my mom fell ill and died. Up until that time, her health had been relatively okay. But after I made that decision, it wasn't long before her health quickly declined, and she was gone. Then came problems with my health (of which I still partly suffer). Because of my health, my business has been virtually destroyed. Because of the issues I've had with my health and with my company, the vast majority of my so-called friends abandoned me. And some of these people I actually attended church with and worked with. But through it all, I'm still not going to quit on God. As Jephthah said in Judges 11:35, "I have opened my mouth unto the Lord, and I cannot go back." I can't!

“And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten..." Joel 2:25

Now I realize that God, as with Job, and as He ultimately will do with Israel can "restore to" me "the years that the locust hath eaten." (Joel 2:25). But if not, as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego said, "...be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up." (Daniel 3:18). Satan can keep his filthy lucre. And he can destroy this tabernacle if God allows it, but I will not, and cannot, quit on God. My Bible tells me, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." (Philippians 4:13). And that His "strength is made perfect in weakness." And this is why Paul said, "Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

And this is why Peter says, "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:" (1 Peter 4:12). And Paul contends, "...all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." And he was saying that to Timothy, who was suffering from a stomach ailment. He was being touched in his physical body for standing for God. And yet, he was still contending for the faith, and he was still serving God. And he was still affecting others for the cause of Christ. He didn't close up shop at the first sign of adversity.

As one old-time preacher once put it, "If you're in a battle and you never come in contact with the enemy, look around, you might just be marching with them." And brethren, there is a lot of truth to that. The devil's not worried about the Christian who's doing nothing for God. And that means affliction is not always a sign you are out of the will of God. If you're not being hounded by the enemy, you're not in the fight. And if you are not suffering persecution, don't flatter yourself you're not living godly. "All," it says, "who will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." Not might. It says all.

The Russian Army

We have, in these last days, been given over to an effeminate form of Christianity. One where people are unwilling to suffer for the cause of Christ. Where people are not willing to sacrifice or endure anything if it costs them something, and that thing, brethren, is not of God.

Let me ask you something, is He worthy? I mean the one who endured such contradiction of sinners, and not for himself, but for you and me. I mean, what if Jesus had quit on us? What if, while dying on that cross, He said, "It's not worth it." As Paul would say, "God forbid." Everything our Lord suffered, He did it for you and me. There was nothing He did that warranted being spit on, and having the hairs plucked out of His face, and having a crown of thorns smashed against His head, or having a cat o' nine tails whipped across His back till He was a bloody piece of meat. Or having His hands and feet nailed to an old rugged cross. Or having His side pierced with a spear. No, sir! He did it for your sake and my sake, and we owe it to Him not to quit. "For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself," the Bible says, "lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds." (Hebrews 12:3). Consider Him.

"All this I did for thee."

Now, I have no doubt that the things in which I have endured over these last years are because I am determined to keep on keeping on for the Lord. And I have no reservations in saying that by the will of God, I aim to see them through.

So if you are currently suffering, don't quit. If you are currently being passed through the fire, continue to trust in God. If you have suffered the death of a loved one, hold fast. And do not be discouraged in the fight. This is why Paul tells Timothy, "Endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." (2 Timothy 2:5).

The Bible says that Daniel was "a man greatly beloved of God," but that didn't keep him from the lion's den. And neither did it keep those three Hebrew boys from the fiery furnace. But know this, as God was present with them when those trials came, so has our Lord promised to be with us.

And this is why Paul could say, "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." (Romans 8:18). "...for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." (Galatians 6:9).

"We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh." (2 Corinthians 4:8-11).

Now I will leave you with this one last thought. In Hebrews 13:5, the Bible says, "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."

For context, He's saying this to those saints who are going to pass through the most troublesome time this world will ever see (the tribulation). And as they are passing through this trial, this tribulation, the Lord promises them, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."

Brethren, how much more you and I, who are members of His body.

So if you're tired, keep on keepin' on. If you're weary, get on your knees and ask for strength. If you feel like quitting, man up and don't quit. Now I can't remember who said it right now, but a famous boxer once said, "The test of a true champion is, they get up when others can't."

There was this family that used to visit our church back in the day, back when I was just a young man, and they would sing this song that I still remember so well―Just one more soul. Folks, I am so glad for the faithful men and women of God who have remained faithful through the years. And that brother and his family were one of them. I'm so glad that God gave me a goodly heritage. Men of God who were faithful. They are men I've looked up to, and whom one day I could wish I'd have half the testimony they had. I think about Danny and Dee Dee Hall, Bro. Dave Spurgeon, Bro. Mark McGuahey, Bro. Rick Drummond and his family, Bro. Donovan and Dr. Peter Ruckman. Man, what a heritage we have. And we owe it to these men to keep on keepin' on. And much more than that, we owe it to Him who endured such contradiction of sinners for you and me. May God help us to be faithful to Him.

May the grace of our Lord be with you all!

"The preachers are weary

The singers are tired

The church as we know it

Is losing its fire

Some are discouraged from bearing the load

But we must determine to keep pressing on

'Cause if just one more soul

Were to walk down the aisle

It would be worth every struggle

It would be worth every mile

A lifetime of labor is still worth it all

If it rescues just one more soul

So preachers, keep preachin'

And singers, go sing

Laymen, keep sharing

That Jesus is King

The angels have gathered, they're surrounding the throne

And they'll start rejoicing for just one more soul

'Cause if just one more soul

Were to walk down the aisle

It would be worth every struggle

It would be worth every mile

A lifetime of labor is still worth it all

If it rescues just one more soul

'Cause if just one more soul

Were to walk down the aisle

It would be worth every struggle

It would be worth every mile

A lifetime of labor is still worth it all

If it rescues just one more soul"