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A Theology of Groaning
Paul dedicated his inner being to people he was close to; he yearned for them. That yearning is a missing factor in ministry now. It is too painful to yearn any more. But it is yearning that produces urgency. He said "Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel." (1Corinthians 9:16) He was passionate for the gospel. That passion caused him to do whatever it took to share it with others. Today we're afraid of such urgency. So we don't yearn for people like Paul did.

When we open our lives to others we make ourselves vulnerable to pain. To love is to hurt often. Using the vivid imagery of a woman in labor, Paul expresses this in Galatians 4:19: "My dear children, for whom I am in the pains of childbirth until Christ be formed in you, how I wish I could be with you and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you." He identified so much with the Galatians that he hurt over their theological confusion.

The Christian life as a life of groaning, as we long for our full adoption and redemption of our bodies (Romans 8:23). Present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. After a huge catalogue of trials, Paul says, "We do not lose heart, for our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." (2Corinthians 4:16) So we have a theology of groaning. The groan of those who look forward to glory.

Handling Stress
Paul lived a stressful life because of his commitment to the flock. "Besides everything, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led to sin and I do not inwardly burn?" (2Corinthians 11:28) Today, stress is looked upon as something to avoid. But it is all part of opening our lives to
others. Paul wrote, "We love you so much that we delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God, but our lives as well." (1Thessalonians 2:8) That's a very beautiful verse.

Some stress is wrong stress. We don't know how to take our Sabbath rest. We are "driven" people, getting fulfilment out of success in a competitive society. Perhaps we suffer from a "Messiah complex," refusing to delegate, and we bear burdens which we should have shared with other people. Biblical stress comes out of love for others, not out of a lust for achievement. If we take on biblical stress, we must be strong by having the strength that comes from the joy of the Lord.

Finding Joy
For Paul, this was the one joy which always remained. "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice." (Philippians 4:4) That is something we must jealously guard. How do we guard it? He goes on: "Let your gentleness be evident to all." When the joy of the Lord is missing, gentleness goes, and if provoked, we can act in an ungentle way. So how do we get joy which will make us gentle? The answer is simple. "Don't be anxious about anything." (Philippians 4:6) We may have the stress of life, but we can't have the anxiety of unbelief.

This peace, like this joy, is essential to life. It guards us. It guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Here is the key to managing stress: grapple with God until joy and peace in believing returns. Only then can we go to the world and take on the stress we need to absorb, if we are to be his agents in a torn world.

There's a lovely example of this from the life of Hudson Taylor just after Maria, his first wife, had died. He first went to his room and spent time alone with God, then he came down to see to arrangements. When it was time to close the coffin, he took one last look at his beloved wife, and went again up to his room. Only after this did he come back to complete plans for the burial. It was a discipline he had cultivated. This joy is a treasure we must guard with the utmost diligence, and guarding it is a discipline.

John Stam of the China Inland Mission, who was shot along with his wife by the Communists - when they were 29 and 30 years old - once said "Take away everything I have, but do not take away the sweetness of walking and talking with the King of Glory." Take away everything I have - this I must have, the joy of the Lord. We must develop our own ways of restoring this joy.

God taught me this when I was having a hard time with my studies at a Buddhist university, and staying in a Buddhist home. I developed the discipline of walking, sometimes three or four miles, until I felt the joy of the Lord in my life, and regained a sense of his sovereignty. Only then would I turn back. Walking home, I began to intercede. But no intercession until the grappling with God is complete.

Missionaries For the Right Reasons
So what can we learn from this as missions? In inviting people to join you in your task, use biblical means, not promises of excitement and fun. "Come and see the world, meet wonderful people" and all of that. To produce missionaries who know how to suffer, use biblical truth that can sustain them when the going gets tough. By that I mean the glory of the gospel. When Jesus sent people out, he said "Christ will suffer and rise, and repentance and forgiveness will be preached." That was part of the Great Commission. The content of the gospel is a tremendous motivation to go and share the gospel.

James Denney once spoke at a missions conference and almost his whole talk was on propitiation. Those who invited him were wondering "What on earth is this man up to, talking on propitiation?" And just in his conclusion, he said, "If this is so, we must go and preach the gospel." Let people see what it is to be separated from God. And let them see the call of God to deny themselves, and take up the cross, and die. (Mark 8:34,35) The glory of the gospel; the lostness of the people; the call to die. We can find missionaries who come for the right reasons.

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