God uses Fiery Ordeals to Purify us: live the Christian Life under God’s Government

As believers in Christ, we need to realize that God uses fiery ordeals to deal with us in the judgment of His governmental administration, which begins from His house, so we need to live the Christian life under the government of God, allowing the Lord to purify us and remove any dross from our being. Amen!

To many people in the world, God seems to be a distant, cold, ruthless God who rules over all things and allows so much suffering to happen on the earth.

And even to many believers today it may seem that God lets them pass through so many trials, sufferings, and persecutions, for they feel like Job, always under God’s tests and trials.

The human life is a life of suffering. Yes, the human life is a life of enjoyment and joy, but most of all, the human life is a life of suffering, for suffering is everywhere.

Many Christians naturally think that, now that they believe in God and Christ has come to save them, they will live a care-free life, a life free of suffering, and there will be no more tears and trials, for the Lord is their Shepherd and He will bring them into heaven.

To their surprise, however, they discover that the sufferings intensify, there are persecutions, and there are many trials and tribulations that come their way.

In our natural man, we may think that God wants to punish us, for we didn’t do anything wrong to deserve this, and we may argue with Him, even try to “take Him to court” because of the unrighteous things happening to us.

Others may mistreat us for being Christians, those around us may cause us to have a hard time, we may suffer with our health, and we may lack in the daily necessities. Oh, Lord Jesus!

At the same time, the enemy is right there, in our flesh and in our mind, accusing God and telling us all kinds of lies concerning God.

In our soul, we suffer very much; our flesh is not at rest, and the enemy accuses God. Oh, Lord!

We need to realize what is happening today with us and around us. We are children of God, born of God with His life and nature by faith in Jesus Christ (John 1:12-13).

Our God is holy, and He wants us to partake of His holiness. In ourselves, we are not holy; only our spirit is holy, so when we’re in our spirit, we are holy.

But most of our life is not spent in our mingled spirit, so God has to come in and judge things in us and related to us, for He wants us to partake of His holiness.

God’s judgment begins from His house, and we are judged first so that we may be purified and become holy and righteous even as He is.

The Christian Life and God’s Government go together: we live a Christian Life under the Government of God

Peter’s writings are so enlightening and encouraging for us as Christians, for in them the apostle puts together the Christian life and God’s government.

The preciousness of Peter’s writings is that he combines the Christian life and God’s government, revealing that the Christian life and the government of God go together as a pair (see 1 Pet. 1:17; 2:21, 24; 3:15; 4:17; 5:5-8).

Especially the first Epistle of Peter reveals this, namely, that the Christian life is under the government of God.

It is easy for us to pay attention to the Christian life but neglect or be unaware of the government of God.

Peter puts these two together and makes a balance, causing us to realize that we believers in Christ live the Christian life under the government of God.

On the side of the Christian life, praise the Lord, the Triune God has passed through a long process in Christ and has become the life-giving Spirit to indwell us (John 1:14; 14:17; 1 Cor. 15:45b; 6:17). Hallelujah!

Now God in Christ as the Spirit is joined to our spirit, and in spirit, we are joined to the Lord as one spirit.

There is a life-giving Spirit in our spirit, mingled with our spirit, and whenever we turn to our spirit, live in our spirit, and set our mind on our spirit, we enjoy life and peace. What a wonderful Christian life!

At the same time, however, the Triune God is still the Creator of the universe, and He is the One who governs over all things, being the Ruler over all (1 Pet. 4:19).

Even though we are believers in Christ who are born of God with His life and nature, partaking of His divine nature in spirit and learning to live one spirit with the Lord, we are still under the government of God.

Being a Christian doesn’t mean that we are no longer under God’s government and now we can do whatever we want, for we have liberty in spirit.

Rather, it means that we become aware of God’s government and live a Christian life under the government of God.

On the one hand, we are a new creation in spirit (2 Cor. 5:17), for Christ is our life (Col. 1:27) and He lives in us (Gal. 2:20).

We have a spiritual life, for we have been reborn to have the divine life in our spirit. How wonderful is that!

On the other hand, we are still in the old creation, and for this reason, we need God’s governmental dealings.

For us to grow in our Christian life, for the Christian life to grow, we need the discipline of God’s government.

And Peter puts these two matters together in a very precious way in his writings, showing us that the government of God goes together with the Christian life, and we need to have both.

Eccl. 12:1 says, Remember your Creator from the days of your youth.

Many believers in Christ, especially many young ones who grow up in the church life, know only of enjoying Christ, being happy in the Lord, and partaking of the riches of Christ.

It is true that we need to enjoy the Lord more and more, but at the same time we need to not forget our Creator but rather, we need to live the Christian life under the government of God.

We are not the Creator. We should not be presumptuous.

We may be smart and capable, but God is the Potter and we are the clay.

He is the Creator, He is sovereign, and He has utmost and absolute authority.

We may like to make plans and decide things for our life, but God is the Sovereign One. He decides the course of our path and He is in control.

We need to recognize God’s sovereignty and realize His absolute authority.

We cannot call things into being; only God can do that. We may be capable and smart, but no matter how much we think we are, we need to fear God.

There has to be a healthy and proper fear of God in our being, never forgetting our Creator, the One who created everything.

Although we have been born of God to have a spiritual life and to be a new creation, we are still in the old creation (John 1:12-13; 3:3, 5-6; 2 Cor. 5:17).

On our side, we have been reborn, regenerated, to become a new creation; however, we have not yet been transformed fully.

We are in the process of being transformed, so we still have the flesh and the old man, and the self is still present. For this reason, we need God’s governmental dealings (1 Pet. 1:17).

Our spirit has been regenerated and is indwelt by the Spirit of God; however, our flesh is where sin dwells and there are all kinds of passions and lusts in the flesh.

We need the dealings of our wise and faithful Father so that all these negative things would be torn down.

In order for the Christian life to grow, we need the discipline of God’s government (2:2; 4:17; 2 Pet. 1:5-7).

May we open to the Lord concerning this matter and give Him more ground in our being to advance in us and deal with anything that hinders Him in us.

Lord Jesus, cause us to see that our Christian life is a life under the government of God. Thank You, Lord, for regenerating us with Your divine life to make us children of God. Hallelujah, as believers in Christ, we have God’s life in us, and we are joined to the Lord as one spirit! Amen, Lord, may we realize that, even though we are a new creation in resurrection in our spirit, we are still in the old creation outwardly, and we need the governmental dealings of God’s government. May we just open to You so that we may experience the discipline of God’s government and our Christian life would grow. Amen, Lord, grow in us more today! We want to live our Christian life under the government of God. Transform us more today. Cause us to remain open to You as we experience Your governmental dealings. Oh Lord, You are the Lord, the Creator, and the Ruler! We remember You in our daily Christian life, for You are our Creator and You are our God!

God uses Fiery Ordeals to Purify us and Remove any Impurity in His Governmental Administration

In 1 Pet. 4:12-13 the apostle encourages the beloved believers in Christ not to think that the fiery ordeal among them as a trial is strange but that these are sufferings of Christ so that, at the revelation of His glory, they would also rejoice exultingly. Amen!

Today in the modern world there may seem to be not much persecution outwardly toward Christians, but there still is much persecution at our workplace, at home, among our relatives, and even in our neighbourhood.

We all undergo fiery ordeals, either through persecution or through sufferings brought about by trials; we should not consider these things as strange, as if it were a strange thing happening to us.

Rather, inasmuch as we share in the sufferings of Christ, we should rejoice, so that also at the revelation of His glory, we may rejoice exultingly. Amen!

The Greek word for “fiery ordeal” in v. 12 is “purosei” meaning “burning” and referring to the burning of a smelting furnace for the purifying of gold and silver (Prov. 27:21; Psa. 66:10).

Our sufferings brought about by persecution and trials are not something strange; rather, they are used by the Lord to be as a burning furnace to purify our life and remove any impurity.

Just as gold is precious but needs to be burned so that any dross and impurities can be removed, so we need to go through the furnace so that our faith may be proven and become more precious.

God uses the furnace of sufferings and trials to purify our life; this is God’s way of dealing with His believers in the judgment of His governmental administration, which begins from His own house (1 Pet. 4:17-19).

May we not think it is strange when sufferings, persecutions, and trials come to us but rather, may we realize that these are testing arranged and allowed by the Lord.

May we not be surprised or astonished by these things.

The Lord today is using persecutions and trials as a furnace to purify our life and remove any impurity from us, in His governmental administration.

Such things are not strange, alien, or foreign to us; it is our destiny to suffer in this age.

This age, the age of grace, is an age of enjoying the Lord in spirit, and at the same time, it is an age of suffering in our soul.

It’s our destiny to suffer in this age, but it is not our destiny to suffer in the next age; our eternal destiny is to enjoy the Lord forever without any suffering, but in this age, suffering is our portion daily.

As we go through persecutions and trials, we share and participate in the sufferings of Christ.

On our side, we don’t seek sufferings or trials; rather, we seek to live Christ, love the Lord, and bear His testimony, witnessing of Him in this age.

However, as we do this, the world rises up against us, and many unbelieving ones persecute us, for we witness to the Lord and believe into Him.

In God’s eyes, such persecutions and sufferings are regarded as sufferings of Christ.

Through such fiery ordeals, we are purified of the natural element and the fallen things, and we are being transformed and conformed to the Lord’s image.

A similar illustration is used in Jer. 48:11 regarding Moab, who has been at ease from his youth, being settled on his lees and not being emptied from vessel to vessel.

Many times we believers in Christ are like Moab: we have been a believer for many years, but our smell has remained, and others still see the natural man being expressed in us, for we have not been dealt with nor have we been poured from vessel to vessel.

Outwardly we may be able to do a lot more for the Lord, but we have not been emptied out; we still smell like “Moab”, still being in our natural man.

We need to be emptied out and not be settled on our lees. So God gives us a husband or a wife who will help us to be emptied out and not be settled.

Then, He gives us one or more children to continue to empty us out.

God may arrange a particularly harsh boss who is micromanaging us at the office, or He may arrange particular workmates who are difficult to work with.

All the things, persons, and matters around us are sovereignly arranged by God to empty us out, cause us to be transformed, and conform us to the image of Christ, while being saved from our self-likeness.

We may think that by changing our job we will get a better boss and better workmates, but it seems that we jump from the frying pan into the fire.

God doesn’t want our taste to remain the same. He doesn’t want us to merely have an increase in knowledge or spiritual gifts but to have an increase of His element in us.

May we not consider it strange that all these sufferings and trials are happening to us in our Christian life; rather, may we open to the Lord and seek to enjoy Him so that He may empty us of ourselves, fill us with Himself, and purify us to make us partakers of His holiness.

Lord Jesus, we love You and we open to You. Grow in us. May we decrease and may You increase. Amen, Lord, may we not think that the fiery ordeal among us, coming to us for a trial, is strange, as if it were a strange happening to us. May we realize that, inasmuch as we share in the sufferings of Christ, we rejoice, so that also at the revelation of His glory we may rejoice exultantly! Amen, Lord, may we not be surprised or astonished at the fiery ordeals but rather, may we allow You to remove any impurities from our being. Have Your way, Lord, to purify us and empty us out. We do not want to remain the same. We do not want to keep our scent and be like an unturned cake. Oh Lord, we believe into You, we love You, we want to live Christ, and we want to bear testimony of Christ to others. May we receive all things, matters, and situations around us as from God’s hand. May we realize that God sovereignly allows persecution, trials, and sufferings in our life so that He may purify is and remove anything of our natural element so that we may partake of His holiness and have Him as our righteousness!

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Inspiration for this article/sharing comes from the Word of God, the enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by brother James Lee in the message for this week, and portions from, Life-study of 1 Peter, msgs. 28 and 31, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Living a Christian Life and Church Life under the Government of God for the Economy of God (2024 Thanksgiving Blending Conference), week 2, Living a Christian Life under the Government of God.
• Similar articles on this topic:
  – Christian life and its sufferings (10) – purified through fiery ordeals, a portion from, Life-Study of 1 Peter, Chapter 28.
  – God’s Government and God’s Grace, via, Shepherding Words.
  – The government of God: the Triune God in His administration, article by Ron Kangas in, Affirmation and Critique.
  – Testimony of Travis Tatum, via, Living to Him.
  – The Christian life being the life in which the believers in Christ live Christ and magnify Him, a portion from, The Christian Life, Chapter 1, by Witness Lee.
  – 1 Peter (Program #22) -Christian Life and Its Sufferings (10), via, Bible study radio.
  – God’s government, a portion from, The Elders’ Management of the Church, Chapter 1, by Witness Lee.
  – The Key to True Inner Peace During Times of Distress, via, Bibles for America blog.
  – Christian Life Under the Government of God (made with Spreaker), message vie, Heavenly Foods.
  – Sufferings and Transformation for New Jerusalem (7), via, New Jerusalem blog.
  – The word of righteousness: the government of God and entrance into the kingdom, article via, Affirmation and Critique.
  – Outline for Conference of the Spanish-speaking saints in the Southwest – Living the Christian Life under the government of God to experience Christ and grow in life for God’s building, via, The Church in Miami.
• Hymns on this topic:
  – Burn, burn, O love, within my heart, / Burn fiercely night and day, / Till all the dross of earthly loves / Is burned, and burned away. / O Jesus, Lord, with me abide; / I rest in Thee, whate’er betide; / Thy gracious smile is my reward; / I love, I love Thee, Lord! (Hymns #208 stanza 4 and chorus)
  – Savior, I by faith am touching / Thee, the source of every good; / Virtue now, by faith am claiming, / Through the cleansing of Thy blood. / Touching Thee, new life is glowing / By Thy Spirit’s burning flame; / Cleansing, purging, Spirit filling, / Glory to Thy Holy Name! (Hymns #559 stanza 1 and chorus)
  – Oh, may Thy Cross within me / Deepen its work and burn / In me enlarge Thy measure, / And me to ashes turn. / Oh, may Thy Spirit fill me / Each day more than before, / And may Thy living water / On me and thru me pour. (Hymns #280 stanza 4)