The Brightest Light Attracts the Biggest Bugs

Every year at the church we hold a Men's Conference/Retreat. We were blessed this year to have Dr. Art Azurdia be our guest to exhort us from the Word of God. Dr. Azurdia is a professor at Western Seminary here in Portland, Oregon. He is a gifted preacher and a friend. If you have not had an opportunity to be blessed by Art's preaching I would encourage you to visit his website and take a listen. You can find the link in "recommended sites." His site is "Spirit Empowered Preaching." The three messages that he delivered were phenomenal and will be available at www.monergism.com to listen to within a couple of days. Check them out, you will be blessed.

In one of the messages that was given, Art was talking about churches experiencing difficulty and persecution for the proclamation of the gospel and the clear exposition of the Word of God. The phrase he used that continues to resonate in my head is, as the post indicates, the brightest light attracts the biggest bugs. So I write this as an encouragement to those who are preaching their hearts out and by God's grace leading the church according to the Scriptures, and experiencing persecution, internal resistance, and external insults.

All people have an aversion to pain. I think we can all face the reality that none of us like being hurt, whether physically or emotionally. But, the reality of the matter is life involves pain. As Christians, our lives may involve more pain than the ordinary Joe on the street who lives his life according to his own wants and likes without a care for any one else. It seems though that much time and energy is spent either trying to avoid pain, either physical or emotional, or if one does experience pain much time is spent trying to anesthetize that pain. When pain comes into our lives, our knee-jerk response is something is wrong. I have done something wrong. This is, in my opinion, most true with emotional pain; the kind of heavy pressure that one feels in the midst of persecution, specifically.

I would put forth this premise: Sometimes the pain that is experienced, the pressure that is felt, in gospel ministry is because we are doing something right. When we feel pain, the first thing we want to do is alleviate it, so we may be tempted to stop plowing ahead in authentic gospel ministry as to stop the pain. However, I would point us to the words of the apostle Peter:

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. (1 Peter 3:12-14, ESV)

Or the apostle Paul:

For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. Fro we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely no on ourselves bu ton God who raises the dead. (2 Cor. 1:8-9, ESV).

Friends, as Peter says, we should not be surprised at any fiery trial that comes upon us. The brightest light will always attract the biggest bugs. Those who stand for righteousness will be persecuted for righteousness sake. Those who stand for the gospel, the true gospel, will be persecuted for the gospel's sake. Those who stand for Christ will be persecuted for Christ's sake.

The apostle Paul writes to young Timothy: "Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and imposters will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from who you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus" (2 Tim. 3:12-15, ESV).

Friends, despite the difficulty and our own sinful inclination to bow to internal or external pressure, we must heed the words of the apostle Paul to Timothy. "But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed." Those big bugs will be attracted to the light. And, sometimes, they are really a nuisance. Understand, that the Lord blesses true gospel ministry and it is the true gospel ministry that has the greatest impact in the advancement of the Kingdom. That same bright light God will use to draw His people and by God's grace they will be saved and come to faith in Christ Jesus.

Let us continue to be faithful stewards who will not bow the knee except to the Lordship of Christ alone.