The sermon transcript discusses the topic of suffering and trials in the life of a believer. It emphasizes that suffering is a part of the Christian faith and should not be avoided. The speaker refers to various Bible verses, such as 1 Peter 1:6-7 and James 1:2, which highlight the importance of trials in developing faith and character. The purpose of suffering is not only for personal growth but also to equip believers to help others who are going through similar difficulties. The sermon concludes by emphasizing the need for believers to embrace suffering and find comfort in God's presence during trials.

From the word of God. The book of James chapter 1. Verse 2. My brethren count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing this, that the testing of your faith worketh patience. And then, of course, it tells us how patience will produce great fruit in our lives. There's a number of verses in God's word very similar to this verse. Showing clearly that as God's people we will be tested. We will have trials and suffering and difficulty. Look at Philippians chapter 1. Verse 29. Please read. Philippians chapter 1 verse 29. Sometimes we think that our Christian faith is just believing. It's just believing. But what does this verse say? Not only to believe, but to suffer. Suffering is not some periphery thing in our Christian faith, you know, off in the edge. It's the heart, the very heart of the Christian faith is suffering. Look at 2 Timothy. Chapter 3. Verse 12. Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. Very clear. If you live a godly life, you're going to suffer. Look at 1 Peter. So many verses on this subject in the word of God. How many verses on this subject in the word of God? How many Peter? At the end. In prio Jacob Peter. We don't like trials. We like the easy road. But what do these trials do for us? Look at verse 7. The trial of your faith being much more precious than a gold that perishes. There are many other verses that we could look at on this subject. And as you read your Bible, you will find again and again. Look quickly again at Corinthians. 2 Corinthians chapter 1. Verse 4. Another one of the purposes of trial and tribulation. Who comforteth us in all our tribulation that we may be able to comfort them who are in any trouble by the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted. 2 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 4. You see, brother Hebel has gone through some trials because of his background that I have never had. So, of course, God is going to give him a ministry of helping other people who are going through that same trial. Some of you have had rejection from your family because of the cause of Jesus Christ. That's a great trial. But through that trial, you will be able to help others who are going through that same difficulty. Now, I have had other trials. And therefore, that has been training to help people who are going through those trials. For the work, I have had to be away from my wife and family, sometimes one, two months. For some couples, being away even two days is a big crisis. So, I am unable to comfort those people. There is great purpose in suffering. That doesn't mean we go out just looking for suffering. Even Paul knew how to abase difficult times and he knew how to abound easy times. And our God is good and He gives good things. And He wants to bless us. He wants to use us. Why every believer in the church should have better training than what we are able to give in your church. We are one of God's rescue programs, one of God's special programs. Because so often the church has failed to give basic training in the word of God, in discipline and evangelism. But ideally, every church should have its own training program just like this and for everybody in the church. And because so often we see that the work that God has created for the people, the people are not able to do that work. And as a result, God has taken away other branches that God is using. And if the church were able to do that work, we wouldn't have such a big responsibility. We would be able to do the work of the church only with the help of the people who have been taught by the church. The author of this book, he is involved with a church that has their own OM in the church, attached to the church. And they have been going for over 10 years. And then every year some of their graduates get sent on OM. So there are local churches in many parts of the world that are doing the same work that God has put upon our hearts, or a similar work. And this is what we are working and praying toward all over the world. But I'm afraid there will be a lot of suffering and a lot of tears in the process of seeing this take place. And sometimes the greatest opposition will come from people who are within the church but are bound by legalism and by tradition and refuse anything that's new or anything that they have not thought of the idea. And sometimes the great suffering comes to believers from the hands of those who call themselves Christians. And it does seem that regardless of whatever we teach, that here on this planet the wheat is together with the tares. The wheat, the true believers are together with the weeds, the tares, those who bear the name Christian but are not true believers. So here someday we'll be separated. Even in churches where their practice is to have only true believers in the churches. And as you know, there are those two types of churches. And one type is certainly much purer, where there are only mainly believers in the church. And even there, there will be some of the similar problems, because one false brother who gets into that church can cause as much difficulty as a hundred people who may be nominal Christians within another church. So as someone who has believed very much in the purity of the church and that the church is for believers, that's my belief, I've learned to be a little more balanced, a little more open-minded than many different ways that God is working. So let us not be surprised when suffering and problems come. Even if they come on one of our teams, let us be very patient. Let us pray more, wait upon God, and believe Him for the solution to our problems. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for all that you're doing around the world. We thank you for so many that are coming to know you personally. So many lives are being changed. Oh God, we need your help as we do this work here in Bangladesh. Increase our love for one another. Help us to learn quickly some of the basic lessons. We ask in Jesus' name. Amen.