Suffering is unpleasant. We do all we can to avoid it. And when we experience suffering, we often attempt to minimize the knowledge of how much it affects us to others. We are tempted to look at others who seem not to have much suffering as more greatly blessed by God. And we often wonder when suffering comes to our lives if it is evidence of God's displeasure.

Paul opens this letter to the Corinthian church with an honest word about suffering. From the passage, we can see three principles concerning suffering.

1. Suffering is real

2. Suffering prepares for ministry

3. Suffering binds us together

Many of the disciples were fishermen by trade before Jesus called them to follow him. After the dramatic events of the death and resurrection recorded in John 20, we find these men out on the water fishing again in chapter 21. They have returned what they knew before following Jesus. It almost seems like they are trying to return to normal. However, their routine was interrupted by the miraculous.

I think the real question the disciples were struggling with was what do we do now and how do we do it? Jesus had some lessons still to teach these fishermen. He wanted them and us to know by what power the purposes of God would be accomplished.

When someone goes to school to learn a trade, the ultimate goal is to become proficient in the skill well enough to employ it to earn a living. When students choose their degree program in college, the intended purpose is to prepare for a career in a specific field.

Training for a job or studying for a future career are worthy endeavors and have a sense of anticipation for what is to come after the training is complete. However, if your goal were only to train but never to employ your skill, it would become a purposeless endeavor.

A ministry is something that serves as an agency, instrument, or means. The church's ministry is to equip and mature the saints for faithful service to the Lord. Ephesians 4:11-16 points to the role that church leaders have in equipping the saints and the command on all the members of the church to mature and grow.

The book of 2 Timothy was written by Paul to Timothy as a letter of instruction as to how he was to pastor and lead the church. This passage (4:1-5), is often used when giving a charge to a newly ordained pastor – and rightly so.

Yet we should not see this passage as only speaking to or applying to pastors. The books of our New Testament were mostly letters written to encourage individuals and specific churches in their living out of the gospel. Being inspired by the Holy Spirit, the church recognized that these letters were instructive for the whole church and thus passed them around to others for their edification. Thus with a passage like this one, we can appreciate how it speaks to a particular group, but we must not lose sight that all of scripture is instructive and beneficial to the whole church.

2 Timothy 4:1-5 commands us to preach the word, minister the word both for God's glory and man's blessing.

Presently there is great confusion about the church’s ministry of worship. Today, many think of the worship ministry of the church as a product of consumption. Thus the main determining factor of attendance for many is founded on personal preferences of music style, preaching style, and formality or informality of the church’s liturgy. Attendance is not understood as an integral part of one’s spiritual life but rather an option equal to all other calendared events.

In this passage, Paul is writing to the church as to how they are to live and interact with other believers in the church. Verses 19 and 20, reference the public worship of the church and the whole passage is instructive for our understanding of worship.

Church discipline is a subject that makes many uncomfortable. This may be because the church has not been faithful or consistent, some have used the cover of church discipline to abuse, or so little is understood about it, that there is much misunderstanding. Regardless of how uncomfortable it may cause us to be, we must reckon with the fact that this is the teaching of Jesus. May our heart's desire be to faithfully obey the word of God - even the parts that make us uncomfortable.