1. OUR MISSION: To guide those far from God into the new start found in Jesus Christ.

3. #6 No Gain Without Pain James 1:2-4 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” “Life wasn’t meant to be easy.” - Malcolm Fraser - Alfred Deakin lecture speech (20 July 1971) “Into each life some rain must fall.” - The Rainy Day - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

4. #6 No Gain Without Pain Mark 10:29-30 So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life.” The best life there is The paradox: lose to save

5. #6 No Gain Without Pain 1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. The world, the flesh and the devil “many dangers, toils and snares” Acts 14:22 “...through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God”

6. #6 No Gain Without Pain 4 Principles that help us think clearly about our trials Bad things happen to all of us We have no control over many things that happen to us We do have complete control over how we respond Our response to our trials largely determines our spiritual growth The Flip-side Struggle in the Christian life is inevitable We encounter God’s grace through our trials It takes a mature Christian to understand this principle

7. #6 No Gain Without Pain Be a Student, Not a Victim Thought Number One The Command vs.2 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds” “face” Greek word – peripiptō [περιπίπτω] Falling into or stumbling over

8. #6 No Gain Without Pain Be a Student, Not a Victim Thought Number One The Command Working definition of joy = Joy is deep satisfaction The key to joy is knowing that God is in control 1. Remind yourself of the promises of God 2. Give thanks for what you can give thanks for 3. Refuse to give in to bitterness and despair 4. Choose to believe in God 5. Make up your mind to go on with life

9. #6 No Gain Without Pain Be a Student, Not a Victim Thought Number Two The Reason vs.3 “Because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance” Job 23:10 “He knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” The word “testing” refers to the process by which gold ore is purified

10. #6 No Gain Without Pain Be a Student, Not a Victim Thought Number Two The Reason 1. God wants to purify us 2. God uses suffering to test our faith 3. God uses times of difficulty to humble us 4. God uses hard-times to prepare us to minister to others 5. God uses hard times to prepare us for new understandings of His character

11. #6 No Gain Without Pain Be a Student, Not a Victim Thought Number Two The Reason God’s great design is to produce “perseverance” Greek = hupomonē [υ ̔ πομονή] endurance steadfastness patience

12. #6 No Gain Without Pain Be a Student, Not a Victim Thought Number Three The Promise vs.4 “Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” 1. We can’t always know why things happen the way they do 2. When hard times come, we can know that God is at work in our trials for our benefit and for His glory

13. #6 No Gain Without Pain Be a Student, Not a Victim Thought Number Three The Promise Stay and Pray The choice is ours Our perspective makes all the difference

15. OUR MISSION: To guide those far from God into the new start found in Jesus Christ.