Teaching notes used at Life Transforming College international - 601, Spiritual Formation and Leadership (SFL)

1. You Were Created
To Become Like
Christ

2. Transformed
by Trouble

3. For our light and momentary troubles
are achieving for us an eternal glory that
far outweighs them all.
2 Cor 4:17
“It is the fire of suffering that brings forth
the gold of godliness”
Madame Guyon

4. 36 Purposes of God in Our Suffering
Joni Eareckson Tada: The following list of God’s purposes in our
suffering is from one of the appendices in a book she wrote.
Suffering is used to increase our awareness of the sustaining power
of God to whom we owe our sustenance (Ps 68:19).
God uses suffering to refine, perfect, strengthen, and keep us from
falling (Ps 66:8-9; Heb 2:10).
Suffering allows the life of Christ to be manifested in our mortal
flesh (2 Cor 4:7-11).
Suffering bankrupts us, making us dependent upon God (2 Cor
12:9).
Suffering teaches us humility (2 Cor 12:7).
Suffering imparts the mind of Christ (Phil 2:1-11).

5. Suffering teaches us that God is more concerned about character
than comfort (Rom 5:3-4; Heb 12:10-11).
Suffering teaches us that the greatest good of the Christian life is
not absence of pain, but Christlikeness (2 Cor 4:8-10; Rom
8:28-29).
Suffering can be a chastisement from God for sin and rebellion (Ps
107:17).
Obedience and self-control are from suffering (Heb 5:8; Ps 119:67;
Rom 5:1-5; James 1:2-8; Phil 3:10).
Voluntary suffering is one way to demonstrate the love of God (2
Cor 8:1-2, 9).
Suffering is part of the struggle against sin (Heb 12:4-13).
Suffering is part of the struggle against evil men (Ps 27:12;
37:14-15).

6. Suffering is part of the struggle for the kingdom of God (2 Thess
1:5).
Suffering is part of the struggle for the gospel (2 Tim 2:8-9).
Suffering is part of the struggle against injustice (1 Pet 2:19).
Suffering is part of the struggle for the name of Christ (Acts 5:41; 1
Pet 4:14).
Suffering indicates how the righteous become sharers in Christ’s
suffering (2 Cor 1:5; 1 Pet 4:12-13).
Endurance of suffering is given as a cause for reward (2 Cor 4:17; 2
Tim 2:12).
Suffering forces community and the administration of the gifts for
the common good (Phil 4:12-15).
Suffering binds Christians together into a common or joint purpose
(Rev 1:9).

7. Suffering produces discernment, knowledge, and teaches us God’s
statutes (Ps 119:66-67, 71).
Through suffering God is able to obtain our broken and contrite
spirit which He desires (Ps 51:16-17).
Suffering causes us to discipline our minds by making us focus our
hope on the grace to be revealed at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1
Pet 1:6, 13).
God uses suffering to humble us so He can exalt us at the proper
time (1 Pet 5:6-7).
Suffering teaches us to number our days so we can present to God
a heart of wisdom (Ps 90:7-12).
Suffering is sometimes necessary to win the lost (2 Tim 2:8-10;
4:5-6).

8. Suffering strengthens and allows us to comfort others who are weak
(2 Cor 1:3-11).
Suffering is small compared to the surpassing value of knowing
Christ (Phil 3:8).
God desires truth in our innermost being and one way He does it is
through suffering (Ps 51:6; 119:17).
The equity for suffering will be found in the next life (Ps 58:10-11).
Suffering is always coupled with a greater source of grace (2 Tim
1:7-8; 4:16-18).
Suffering teaches us to give thanks in times of sorrow (1 Thess
5:17; 2 Cor 1:11).
Suffering increases faith (Jer 29:11).
Suffering allows God to manifest His care (Ps 56:8).
Suffering stretches our hope (Job 13:14-15).

9. God has a purpose
behind every
problem

10. Rom 8:28-29
And we know that in all things God
works for the good of those who love
him, who have been called according
to his purpose. For those God
foreknew he also predestined to be
conformed to the likeness of his Son,
that he might be the firstborn among
many brothers.

11. God uses circumstances to
develop our character.
He depends more on
circumstances than on our Bible
reading - because you face
circumstances 24 hours a day.
John 16:33 - Jesus’ words
"I have told you these things, so
that in me you may have peace.
In this world you will have
trouble. But take heart! I have
overcome the world."

12. No one is immune to pain, insulated from suffering,
no one gets a problem free life. Not all problems
are big, but all are significant in God’s growth
process for you.
1 Peter 4:12
Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial
you are suffering, as though something strange
were happening to you.
Psalm 34:18 - God uses them to draw you to him
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves
those who are crushed in spirit.

13. Rick Warren suggests that in darkest days
we experience our deepest, most profound
and intimate times of worship. During
suffering we learn to pray our most
authentic, heartfelt, honest-to-God prayers
- when we are in pain we don’t have the
energy for superficial prayers.

14. “When life is rosy, we may slide
by knowing about Jesus, with
imitating him and quoting him
and speaking of him. But only in
suffering will we know Jesus”
Joni Eareckson Tada

15. Joseph - in jail, Daniel - in the
lions den, Jeremiah - in the well,
Paul - 3 shipwrecks
God could have stopped them all
- but he didn’t
All of them happened so the
people might draw closer to him
2 Cor 1:9 Indeed, in our hearts
we felt the sentence of death.
But this happened that we might
not rely on ourselves but on God,
who raises the dead.

16. None of your problems
happen without God’s
permission - he intends
it for good.
Every day of your life
was written on God’s
calendar before you
were born - ps 139:16 -
everything that happens
to you has a spiritual
significance

17. Understanding Romans 8:28-29
Rom 8:28-29
And we know that in all things God
works for the good of those who love
him, who have been called according to
his purpose. For those God foreknew he
also predestined to be conformed to the
likeness of his Son, that he might be the
firstborn among many brothers.

18. Understanding Romans 8:28-29
It does not say,
God causes everything to work out the way I
want it to,
God causes everything to have a happy
ending here on earth.
Only in heaven will we see everything perfect the
way God intended it to be - hence we pray,
“your will be done”

19. We know - not positive
thinking but a knowledge that
God is in control
That God causes - life is not
a random series of events -
God is behind it all planning
and purposing - God does
not make mistakes, even if we
do
Everything - all that happens,
mistakes, sins, hurts, illness,
debt, disasters etc.

20. To work together -
interwoven, not
separately - all parts of
your life are
interdependent - the
ingredients in a cake
might taste terrible on
their own but mixed and
cooked they are
delicious

22. For the good - not that
everything in life is good, but
God brings good out of it - 4
women in the genealogy of
Christ:
Tamar seduced her father in
law to get pregnant
Rahab was a prostitute
Ruth was not even Jeiwsh and
broke the law by marrying a
Jewish man
Bathsheba committed adultery
God brings good out of bad
things - his purpose is greater
than our pain, problems or sin

24. Of those who love God and
are called - only for the
children of God - if you are not
part of God’s family it will work
for bad
According to his purpose -
which is?
Become like his Son - the
supreme purpose of God in
your life

25. Building Christlike Character
God will use whatever tool is
appropriate to shape your life -
every problem is a chance for
him to work on your character
Not only so, but we also
rejoice in our sufferings,
because we know that
suffering produces
perseverance; perseverance,
character; and character,
hope.

26. These have come so that your
faith—of greater worth than
gold, which perishes even
though refined by fire—may be
proved genuine and may result
in praise, glory and honor
when Jesus Christ is revealed.
How does a silversmith know
when silver is pure? When he
can see his face reflected in it.
You know that under pressure,
your faith-life is forced into the
open and shows its true
colors.

27. “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver…”
Malachi 3:3
This verse puzzled a group in a Bible study and
they wondered what this statement meant about
the character and nature of God. One of them
offered to find out the process of refining silver and
get back to the group at their next Bible Study.
That week, the woman called a silversmith and
made an appointment to watch him at work. She
didn’t mention anything about the reason for her
interest beyond her curiosity about the process of
refining Silver.

28. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of
silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained
that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver
in the middle of the fire where the flames were
hottest as to burn away all the impurities.
The woman thought about God holding us in such
a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse
that says: ‘He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.’
She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had
to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the
silver was being refined.

29. The man answered that Yes, he not
only had to sit there holding the
silver, but he had to keep his eyes on
the silver the entire time it was in the
fire. If the silver was left a moment
too long in the flames, it would be
destroyed.
The woman was silent for a moment.
Then she asked the silversmith, ‘How
do you know when the silver is fully
refined?’
He smiled at her and answered, ‘Oh,
that’s easy — when I see my image
in it.’
Author Unknown

30. As God intends you to look like
Jesus it should be expected he
will take you through some of
the same experiences -
loneliness, temptation, criticism,
rejection etc.
Although he was a son, he
learned obedience from what
he suffered and, once made
perfect, he became the source
of eternal salvation for all who
obey him
Hebrew 5:8-9

31. And we know we are going
to get what's coming to us
—an unbelievable
inheritance! We go through
exactly what Christ goes
through. If we go through
the hard times with him,
then we're certainly going
to go through the good
times with him!
Romans 8:16-17 TM

32. Responding to problems as
Jesus would
How you respond to a
problem matters - a
problem doesn’t
automatically produce
what God intends.
Some people grow bitter
not better.
You have to respond as
Jesus would

33. Responding to problems as
Jesus would
How you respond to a
problem matters - a
problem doesn’t
automatically produce
what God intends.
Some people grow bitter
not better.
You have to respond as
Jesus would

34. Remember God’s plan is good
Jer 29:13
Gen 50:20
Hezekiah reflecting on his
illness, Isa 38:17
Surely it was for my benefit
that I suffered such
anguish. In your love you
kept me from the pit of
destruction; you have put
all my sins behind your
back.

35. Heb 12:10 Our fathers disciplined
us for a little while as they thought
best; but God disciplines us for our
good, that we may share in his
holiness.
Keep focussed on God’s plan not
the pain or problem - endurance
needs us to know that the pain or
problem is only temporary and our
reward eternal
For our light and momentary
troubles are achieving for us an
eternal glory that far outweighs
them all. 2 Cor 4:17

36. “If you look at the
world, you’ll be
distressed. If you
look within, you’ll
be depressed. But if
you look at Christ,
you’ll be at rest.”
Corrie ten Boom

37. Rejoice and give thanks
1 Thess. 5:18 give thanks in
all circumstances, for this is
God's will for you in Christ
Jesus.
Php. 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord
always. I will say it again:
Rejoice!
Remember God is intimately
involved with us - rejoice he is
with us in the pain

38. Refuse to give up
Jas 1:2-4 Consider it a
sheer gift, friends, when tests
and challenges come at you
from all sides. You know that
under pressure, your faith-life
is forced into the open and
shows its true colors. So
don't try to get out of
anything prematurely. Let it
do its work so you become
mature and well-developed,
not deficient in any way.

39. Character building is a slow
process - but if you try to avoid
difficulties we delay our growth and
end up in a form of denial.
Don’t pray , “God comfort me”
Do pray, “God conform me”
Don’t give up - grow up.
Heb 10:36 You need to persevere
so that when you have done the
will of God, you will receive what he
has promised.

40. Key Verse
Rom 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the
good of those who love him, who have been called
according to his purpose.

41. Key Question
What problem in my life has caused the greatest
growth in me?

42. Cheerio
...for
now