“HAVE YOU SUFFERED LIKE THIS”

I always say that we need to be thankful for what we have in life. There is always others that are worse off than us. When you start feeling down, just look around, listen to the news, there are people going through some very tough things. This does not make light of what you are going through, but we need to stop looking at our self all the time. I heard a person say about a preacher once, “he teaches you how to help yourself.” I just thought that is one of our big problems today is “SELF”.

Have you suffered like JOB?

Job 1 & 2 talks about Job’s life. He had 7 sons, 3 daughters, 7000 sheep, 3000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys & a very great body of servants. He lost them all. All of his children were killed in one day. Then he was smote with boils from he soles of his feet to the top of his head. (BUT he did not sin with his lips) Have you suffered like this?

Have you suffered like PAUL?

2 Corn. 11:25-27 states: in laborers more abundant, in stripes above measure(beaten often), in prison more frequent(for preaching the gospel),in death oft, of the Jews 5 times received 40 stripes, save one. Thrice was he beaten with rods, once he was stoned, thrice he suffered shipwreck, a night and a day he was in the deep. in journeying often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by his own country man, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren, in weariness & painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger & thirst, in fastings often, in cold & in nakedness. Have you suffered like this?

Have you suffered like Jesus?

Matt 26:47-56 Betrayed with a kiss, spit on, slapped, put in prison. Stripped & a crown of thorns placed on His head, mocked, beaten, crucified. Isaiah 53:1-12 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.. Surely he hath borne OUR grief’s, and carried OUR sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for OUR transgressions, he was bruised for OUR iniquities; the chastisement of OUR peace was upon him; and with his stripes WE are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his OWN way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of US all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living; for the transgression of my (US) people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was nay deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear THEIR iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, an made intercession for the transgressors. Have you suffered like this?

There is always someone who is worse off. There are people who have had a life worse than you.

Have you suffered like those of Faith in Hebrews chapter 11?

Heb. 11:35-40 and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection: & others had trial of cruel mockings & scorings, yea, moreover of bonds & imprisonment: they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in the sheepskins & goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented, (of whom the world was not worthy) They wander in the he deserts, and in mountains, and in dens & caves of the earth and these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise. (Heb. 12:4 You have not yet struggled and fought agonizingly against sin, nor have you yet resisted and withstood to the point of pouring our you [own] blood) Have you suffered like this?

Have you suffered like those of today?

“Earthquake claims 10,000 in India”. “Thousands perish in Bangladesh’s flood.” Earthquake devastated China, over 62,000 killed and are without homes, food, etc…” “Tornadoes sweep the Midwest and kill many, leaving many homeless.” “ drunk driver kills a child.” “over 3 million homeless and an additional 5 million poor people that spend over half of their income on housing, leaving them on the verge of homelessness.” “people are dying of cancer, in a horrible way”

On April 15, Pastor Vic Vicera, his wife, Beth; and Pastor were shot at when an unknown assailant stormed Pastor Vicera’s home in Mindanao, Philippines, and started shooting. Pastor Vicera was killed in the attack. (for his faith in Jesus Christ)

There are so many more today that are hurting & suffering in so many ways. Too many to list. Have you suffered like these and many more?

As I searched the web for more hurting people I just wanted to cry, the hurting people are great. I am concerned that we are not a thankful people. The bible does say that in the last days people would be unthankful. Don’t let that be you. Take time to help others. Stop looking at yourself and what you are going through long enough to realize that you are not alone, you are better off than most people. Cry out to God. Pray for others. And if you are one who has suffered so much, then you have hope. When we place our Faith in what Jesus did for us at the cross we have hope. We are not like those without hope. Many commit suicide today because they have not hope. You are loved, you are blessed, you can make it through. Life is hard, BUT God is good. We can reach out to one another and lift those around us up. Don’t ever think that you can not do anything about those things around you. Maybe all someone needs today is your smile. Can you do that? Can you volunteer to help the homeless or the hungry? If we are reach out, the world would be a better place. When you get down just think Have I suffered like this?

THE CUP OF SUFFERING - By Rev. Len Paxton

St. John 18:11 " Then said Jesus unto Peter, put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it ?"

This cup very often points to some kind of suffering. God is in control, even of our suffering. No one likes to suffer. I do not enjoy suffering. I did not wish to be the victim of injustice nor to be apart from my wife and loved ones. I did not wish to hear all of the sad stories of all the broken lives around me. But God allows the things He allows for a reason; His reason.

God's reasons for allowing suffering in our lives are never for our destruction. Read Romans 8: 18,28.
When we drink deeply from the cup of God; He is revealed in us and to us. The Glory of God is resident within us and can only be revealed when we come to the end of ourselves.

Sometimes it is as if we must force ourselves to choke down a bitter cup. Why ? We do it because we believe in the Fathers bigger picture. You see, your suffering is not your end. Yes, Jesus died on the Cross, but He rose from the dead; thereby making our redemption complete. The suffering is only a part, not the whole. Our completeness is awaiting us on the other side of the storm.

God's purposes for us are always good, no matter where we are today. He has called us to His glory. God has equipped us to rise above any challenge, any struggle, any suffering; and be more like Jesus when we are through to the other side of the storm. Read Romans 8:37.

The purpose of God's intense glory is often to change people &/or circumstances. So, we yield to a cup from our Father. We often do not know the " why", but still we yield to God in the midst of questioning. We echo Jesus words in Gethsemane " Nevertheless, not My will but thine, be done." [ Luke 22: 42]. As Jesus dreaded the coming brief separation from the Father, I too have dreaded my separation from all I know and love. But as I have learned to trust God, He has revealed a little of His glory in my heart and this increases daily.
We are coming through the storm. We will not die in the storm.

We will drink the cup and although it is bitter; we know that the future God has for us will be filled with His Glory. Parts of our character may die, but we will experience the resurrection of God's Glory in that area of our lives. The Lord will use the cup to accomplish His purposes and to make us what He desires us to be.

Suffering accomplishes another purpose as well. It often allows us to see some things from the perspective of Christ. If you have never suffered, it is difficult to see things from the perspective of those who do suffer. Jesus bore intense pain and only when I bear intense pain can I even begin to understand something of His thoughts and Love. Sometimes, I have prayed and told Christ that I couldn't stand much more. He spoke to my heart and said " I know how you feel, I've been there too." Then I realized that in my suffering I could identify with Jesus in a way I had never known before. Jesus and I are brothers in suffering and now I can see some things from His perspective.

Times of trial and suffering are never pleasant but God's purpose can & will be accomplished as we learn to respond correctly to the cup that the Father gives us to drink. We must never lose sight of Christ and Him Crucified. Our victory is through the Cross.

This was originally a partner letter that I wrote during a very difficult time in my life.
Angie and I had suffered betrayal at the hands of people that we cared alot about. It is our prayer that if you are in the midst of any kind of suffering today, that this message will encourage you. We love you.
Posted by Rev. Len Paxton at 3:37 PM 0 comments

Below you will find...

Below you will find 3 excerpts of our telecast. You can view them in their entirety, as well as many others at www.acts2618.com As you view them here , I believe you will want to watch the entire series.
I feel that these excerpts will be a blessing to your spiritual life. Please, when you have time, visit the www.acts2618.com site; as well as our You-Tube channel.
Thank you and God Bless.

"HAVE YOU SUFFERED LIKE THIS?"

“HAVE YOU SUFFERED LIKE THIS”
May 30, 2008 by angiepaxton


I always say that we need to be thankful for what we have in life. There is always others that are worse off than us. When you start feeling down, just look around, listen to the news, there are people going through some very tough things. This does not make light of what you are going through, but we need to stop looking at our self all the time. I heard a person say about a preacher once, “he teaches you how to help yourself.” I just thought that is one of our big problems today is “SELF”.

Have you suffered like JOB?

Job 1 & 2 talks about Job’s life. He had 7 sons, 3 daughters, 7000 sheep, 3000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys & a very great body of servants. He lost them all. All of his children were killed in one day. Then he was smote with boils from he soles of his feet to the top of his head. (BUT he did not sin with his lips) Have you suffered like this?

Have you suffered like PAUL?

2 Corn. 11:25-27 states: in laborers more abundant, in stripes above measure(beaten often), in prison more frequent(for preaching the gospel),in death oft, of the Jews 5 times received 40 stripes, save one. Thrice was he beaten with rods, once he was stoned, thrice he suffered shipwreck, a night and a day he was in the deep. in journeying often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by his own country man, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren, in weariness & painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger & thirst, in fastings often, in cold & in nakedness. Have you suffered like this?

Have you suffered like Jesus?

Matt 26:47-56 Betrayed with a kiss, spit on, slapped, put in prison. Stripped & a crown of thorns placed on His head, mocked, beaten, crucified. Isaiah 53:1-12 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.. Surely he hath borne OUR grief’s, and carried OUR sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for OUR transgressions, he was bruised for OUR iniquities; the chastisement of OUR peace was upon him; and with his stripes WE are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his OWN way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of US all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living; for the transgression of my (US) people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was nay deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear THEIR iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, an made intercession for the transgressors. Have you suffered like this?

There is always someone who is worse off. There are people who have had a life worse than you.

Have you suffered like those of Faith in Hebrews chapter 11?

Heb. 11:35-40 and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection: & others had trial of cruel mockings & scorings, yea, moreover of bonds & imprisonment: they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in the sheepskins & goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented, (of whom the world was not worthy) They wander in the he deserts, and in mountains, and in dens & caves of the earth and these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise. (Heb. 12:4 You have not yet struggled and fought agonizingly against sin, nor have you yet resisted and withstood to the point of pouring our you [own] blood) Have you suffered like this?

Have you suffered like those of today?

“Earthquake claims 10,000 in India”. “Thousands perish in Bangladesh’s flood.” Earthquake devastated China, over 62,000 killed and are without homes, food, etc…” “Tornadoes sweep the Midwest and kill many, leaving many homeless.” “ drunk driver kills a child.” “over 3 million homeless and an additional 5 million poor people that spend over half of their income on housing, leaving them on the verge of homelessness.” “people are dying of cancer, in a horrible way”

On April 15, Pastor Vic Vicera, his wife, Beth; and Pastor were shot at when an unknown assailant stormed Pastor Vicera’s home in Mindanao, Philippines, and started shooting. Pastor Vicera was killed in the attack. (for his faith in Jesus Christ)

There are so many more today that are hurting & suffering in so many ways. Too many to list. Have you suffered like these and many more?

As I searched the web for more hurting people I just wanted to cry, the hurting people are great. I am concerned that we are not a thankful people. The bible does say that in the last days people would be unthankful. Don’t let that be you. Take time to help others. Stop looking at yourself and what you are going through long enough to realize that you are not alone, you are better off than most people. Cry out to God. Pray for others. And if you are one who has suffered so much, then you have hope. When we place our Faith in what Jesus did for us at the cross we have hope. We are not like those without hope. Many commit suicide today because they have not hope. You are loved, you are blessed, you can make it through. Life is hard, BUT God is good. We can reach out to one another and lift those around us up. Don’t ever think that you can not do anything about those things around you. Maybe all someone needs today is your smile. Can you do that? Can you volunteer to help the homeless or the hungry? If we are reach out, the world would be a better place. When you get down just think Have I suffered like this?