Christianity Today: Revival Begins with Suffering, Not Celebrity, by Luke Geraty (reviewing Craig Keener (Asbury Theological Seminary), Suffering: Its Meaning for the Spirit-Filled Life (2025)):
I remember the first time I heard Craig Keener speak. The world-renowned scholar had recently published Miracles, a two-volume work providing a philosophical, biblical, and experiential case for the supernatural work of God. Most of us assumed he’d aim his comments toward the charismatic crowd in the room and talk about documented healings and people being raised from the dead.
Keener did not disappoint. But he also broadened his work to include the role of suffering as a framework for how those of us who “earnestly desire the spiritual gifts” (1 Cor. 14:1, ESV) must also remember the formative experience of suffering. After all, Jesus said, “If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also” (John 15:20). Keener’s new book, Suffering: Its Meaning for the Spirit-Filled Life, likewise argues suffering is a primary way we experience the Holy Spirit.
While Suffering is not written only for those connected to a charismatic tradition, it is an important book for those of us who are part of movements emphasizing the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit. Why? Particularly in this tradition I share, there is a degree of misleading teaching concerning both the reality of suffering and the ways the Bible instructs us to respond to it. In fact, some Christian leaders, such as Joel Osteen, Kenneth Copeland, and others in the Word of Faith movement, suggest suffering isn’t something followers of Jesus should experience. When someone does suffer, they teach, that person must have disobeyed or displeased God.
But suffering is not always evidence that God is disappointed with us or we have done something wrong. As Keener notes, “Miracles display God’s power more directly, but God also provides testimony by sustaining us in hard times.” Those hard times are precisely what Keener aims to address.
Suffering begins by reminding us of two things: Jesus is worth everything, and there is a cost to following him. So the question for the reader becomes “How much is Jesus worth?” Keener navigates through the Gospels, reminding us Jesus is to be valued above job security (Matt. 4:18–22), residential security (Luke 9:57–58), financial security (Matt. 19:21), family ties (10:37; Luke 14:26), social obligations (Luke 9:60), and life itself (Matt. 10:38). When we experience everyday hardships, we have a chance to cherish Jesus above all else and base our hope not on circumstances but on the assurance that our names are written in the Book of Life (Rev. 3:5).
Jesus, too, speaks of the value of suffering. He tells his disciples, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33), but today we often leave this out of our gospel proclamations. Given the reality of suffering, what has sustained the church through tribulations, trials, and tremendous difficulties? Jesus gives us the answer: He comforts his disciples, saying, “But take heart! I have overcome the world.” For Keener, revival does not simply indicate God’s active presence with corresponding joy and renewal; it can also strengthen the faith of Jesus’ followers in preparation for testing and adversity. …
Suffering also engages practical concerns in a gold mine for pastors seeking to shepherd their flocks. Keener dismantles the prosperity gospel while noting how Scripture challenges us both to pray for God’s provision (which is relative) and to be generous. Keener shows us that financial difficulties are common for millions of Christians and that we must realize we are all vulnerable to financial hardships. This shared experience should “motivate us to greater compassion for those in need.” …
Followers of Jesus can, by the power of the Spirit, endure and conquer. The Spirit-filled life—what all Christians are called to pursue—is a journey not of worldly power but of intimacy with Christ. How are we to suffer? What resources can empower us to trust God? Why does suffering exist? Who is responsible for it? Keener provides thoughtful answers. We suffer for a variety of reasons, and we endure and overcome because we share in Christ’s suffering. Testing produces character and conforms us to Christ’s image, for in Scripture we discover that our present suffering cannot compare to our future hope.
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