We find these words strange. “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions” (Col 1:24). There is a sense in which Christ continues to suffer through His body, the church. The ascended Lord said to Paul, “Why are you persecuting me?” If I can feel His pain when I suffer, and know He feels mine, it sanctifies my pain for my growth in grace.
(You are reading from the book “The Disciples And The Teacher”, by H. Lamar Smith, available on Amazon.)
