Release Date: January 28th, 2026Hope and Praise in Suffering for Christ
- by Paul Mo
This sharing reflects on Jesus’ warning in Luke 21:34, where He urges believers to remain watchful and to guard their hearts against being weighed down by indulgence or the anxieties of daily life. The Lord reminds us that the day of His coming will arrive suddenly and unexpectedly. Therefore, even amid hardship and uncertainty, Christians are called to maintain spiritual alertness and refuse to be distracted by worldly concerns.
I am Paul Mo, pastor of Markham Chinese Mennonite Church, and share a personal testimony from early November 2025, when I returned to Hong Kong to visit my mother and siblings. Shortly before my departure, I unexpectedly received an invitation to preach at a church and to follow up with a Christian sister who was completely blind. Despite the immense challenges she faced in traveling, she made a special effort to meet me. This encounter deeply moved me and led me to reflect more profoundly on the nature of the church and its calling in the midst of suffering.
A church building testifies that there is a people who belong to God and who share a unique relationship with Him. Spiritually, however, the church is far richer than any structure.
From this experience, I invite the congregation to reconsider the purpose of the church and the meaning of its suffering. God does not need church buildings, for He is omnipresent and does not dwell in temples made by human hands. Yet the physical presence of a church serves as a visible sign of God’s presence in the community. A church building testifies that there is a people who belong to God and who share a unique relationship with Him. Spiritually, however, the church is far richer than any structure. It was established by the precious blood of Christ, dearly loved as His bride, and continually nurtured and cared for by Him. Christ’s ongoing work in the world today is to distribute spiritual gifts to believers for the building up of His church.
Jesus did not die for buildings but for sinners. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended and baptized believers into one body—the church—and now dwells both within the church collectively and in each believer individually. Through the Spirit, Christians are empowered to bear witness to Christ in their own communities. The church’s decades-long history of service, perseverance, and suffering stands as a powerful testimony to God’s faithfulness.
Forgiveness, faithfulness, and obedience come at a cost, and such participation in suffering is a mark of loyalty to Christ.
This sharing centers on the theme “Hope and Praise in Suffering.” Paul’s words in Colossians about “filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions” do not diminish the completeness of Christ’s redemptive work. Christ’s suffering for salvation was once for all and uniquely His alone. Yet believers are called to participate in the sufferings necessary to bring forth and build up His body, the church. Forgiveness, faithfulness, and obedience come at a cost, and such participation in suffering is a mark of loyalty to Christ. The apostle Paul stands as a model of faithful endurance for the sake of the church.
This sharing concludes with an encouragement to coworkers and believers: when weariness and burnout set in, remember how God first moved our hearts and called us, and how we once responded with gratitude and joy. Today, we continue this calling by preparing hearts for the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though the task is not easy, it is deeply meaningful and eternally worthwhile.
- Paul Mo is pastor at Markham Chinese Mennonite Church