Shepherding: Fiery Ordeal

 1P 4:12Beloved, do not think that the fiery ordeal among you, coming to you for a trial, is strange, as if it were a strange thing happening to you;

1P 4:13But inasmuch as you share in the sufferings of Christ, rejoice, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice exultingly.

1P 4:14If you are reproached in the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.

1P 4:15For let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler into others’ affairs;

1P 4:16But if as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this name.

Last Monday, I received an unexpected call from a sister who poured out all her sorrows and pains she has been going through, in a way of fellowship. She was so hurt by her own daughter who she felt had betrayed her. She has already been through an unimaginable turmoil in her life for the past few years and she has still been going through it with higher intensity. As a brother, I patiently listened to everything she had to say and let her pour out her heart. Meanwhile, as I listened I also prayed inwardly turning to Lord to comfort her and also to give me wisdom on how to render a special help in the situation she was in. The fellowship went on for about an hour. When she finally finished whatever she had to say, I fellowshipped with her what the Lord spoke to me the same day morning in the Life-study pursuit from 1 Peter.

I fellowshipped that if we suffer because of our sins or mistakes, we have to learn the spiritual lessons needed and not repeat the same sins or mistakes ever again, looking to the Lord. But if we indeed suffer because of our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, we should glorify God in it. For in such suffering, we are partaking of the sufferings of Christ. In this way of suffering, we will be dealt with in our natural man and be purified gradually through every suffering as gold is purified through fire.

The Greek, for fiery ordeal, purosei, means burning, signifying the burning of a smelting furnace for the purification of gold and silver (Prov. 27:21; Psa. 66:10), like the metaphor used in 1:7.

Pr 27:21The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, And a man is tried by the praise given him.

Ps 66:10For You have tried us, O God; You have refined us as silver is refined.

Through the fellowship from my enjoyment of the word of God, she was so nourished and she realized that many of the sufferings she went through were also linked to her mistakes in the past. She also realized that the Lord wanted to gain her fully for Himself so that He is allowing all that she has been going through to strip her of all impurities as gold is refined by fire. The firey ordeal may be difficult to bear now but it is definitely worth the burning for the sake of gaining Christ and be gradually conform to His image. 

She also confessed her mistake in trusting and caring for people other than God Himself. Now that she has been "betrayed" by the very person she loved, she realized that she should trust only the Lord Jesus Christ and no one else. Besides, through all these pains she has been going through she has also changed a lot. Her attitude towards the saints and the church and the Lord Himself, and her attitude toward persons, matters, and things have taken a new turn altogether. Praise the Lord for such a positive result that transpired through her sufferings.

At one point, as she was narrating her ordeals she spitted out the forbidden word "suicide," which she happened to think about. To this, I gave a strong word not to use the word ever again. Such a word is straight from the devil. Satan's tactic is to bring people to despair and eat them up. God's way is to save them and give them new life altogether. 

When I finished fellowshipping what the Lord burdened me with, I prayed for her and she also prayed. But as she prayed, she could not continue further as she started to weep. Then, I encouraged her to take rest and ended the call.

Later in the evening, I was requested to visit a family where this very experience I just had with a sister became a testimony of sharing the need for fellowship and shepherding one another. It became the fresh bread that I enjoyed and shared with another family, while all names and identification of the persons were kept secret.

May the Lord continue to shepherd the saints including me, even if we may go through fiery trials, if He so allows, to be purified and be conformed to His image!