Have you been to the annual Exponential Conference? It’s held every April in Orlando, Fl. I’ve attended in 2009 and 2011 and am gearing up for going again this year. The theme of the 2012 conference is “Sifted” as it is used by the Lord in Luke 22:31-31:
“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”
The idea is that God allows sifting to take place in the lives of his ministry leaders. Some say he doesn’t just allow it, he intentionally sifts his leaders. Here’s a video from Francis Chan explaining the concept in more detail.
One quote in this video has got me thinking. It’s near the beginning. Chan says, “it really is over the years that God humbles you, he uh, sometimes even humiliates you. But it’s all for a good cause. It’s all about building you up.”
The idea that God humiliates his leaders (or anyone) is new to me. I associate that word with other words like: scorn, derision, bullying, disrespect, and especially shame. It’s not terribly comforting to think that God might humiliate me one day as a way of refining me or teaching me a lesson. Is it comforting to you?
At the conference a new book written by Wayne Cordeiro, Francis Chan, and Larry Osborne will release. It’s called Sifted: Pursuing Growth through Trials, Challenges, and Disappointments. I’ve been reading an early copy of the manuscript in preparation for its release. Here’s a quote from Wayne Cordeiro that gets at the heart of my discomfort with the idea that God humiliates his people:
“In Luke 22, Jesus tells his disciples that Satan has asked to sift them, as one would sift wheat on a threshing room floor to separate the good from the bad. Jesus encourages his disciples by telling them that he has prayed for them that their faith would not fail. But I don’t always find this very reassuring. What I’d like is for Jesus to pray that Satan would be thwarted, or even that God would dispatch angels to assist me. But that my faith would not fail? That doesn’t sound very reassuring! I picture myself dangling over a cliff, yelling for help, while my friend sits at a picnic table and tells me that he’s praying for me, hoping that I won’t lose faith. Jesus, by praying this way, seems to suggest that there’s a very good possibility that my faith might indeed fail. Gulp!“
He later adds:
“Sifting builds the muscle of our faith, giving us the caliber of strength we need for what lies just around the corner. Scripture tells us that the challenges we face in life happen for a reason, and the process of sifting refines us, revealing our weaknesses, exposing our self-dependence and inviting us to greater faith in God and greater dependence on his promises. Our prayer during this time is not that we will avoid being sifted, but that we will navigate the process well, and after we’ve survived, our faith will be ratified.”
I’m more encouraged after reading that second paragraph, but still uneasy. The message I’m hearing from Chan and Cordeiro is that ministry is hard, strenuous, and might break you – but that God is doing it all for his greater purposes and for your refinement.
Whether you think he allows sifting or does it intentionally, is it a tough pill for you to swallow just knowing that’s it’s coming? Have you been sifted and lived to tell about God’s refinement in your life?
I’d be interested to hear your stories.
Check out www.StoriesofSifted.com for more info about the Exponential Conference and Sifted. You can pre-order copies of the book now at Amazon; B&N; CBD; and a few others that can be found here.
