Hidden with Christ in God

Philip and Robyn Serez have served with Multiply for more than two decades, during which time they have discipled, trained, and mobilized many young leaders into mission throughout the world. They have modeled what it means to be missional leaders. In November 2020, Philip was diagnosed with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), a rare neurological disease for which there is no known cure. The following is an excerpt from their presentation, which they continue to share freely and boldly with those who will hear. It is a glimpse into their faith-filled response to the diagnosis and into their enduring role as missional leaders.

Philip: We want to testify to how we have been experiencing joy in the middle of difficult times. Grief, pain, and sorrow are all real, but so is God, who generates a joy in the hearts of believers that transcends circumstances and sustains through hardship.

Since being diagnosed with ALS more than two years ago, I have lost my speaking voice and most of the strength in my hands, arms, and legs. Every month, there is something to mourn, the loss of an ability, a pastime, a dream. ALS is a degenerative disease that causes the brain to stop communicating with muscles. There is no cure. Eventually, the muscles that control my breathing will fail, unless God intervenes and heals me.

Robyn: Shortly after Philip was diagnosed, I was sitting at the piano and a little song formed in my heart: “I am hidden with Christ in God. You surround me all the days of my life.” It’s based on the words of Paul in Colossians 3, a passage that has become very precious to us through this time. It says, “your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory” (Colossians 3:3, NLT).

This isn’t just true for the Serez family, it is a gift for all believers, for everyone who follows Jesus. So this isn’t just our story, this is God’s story, it’s about who he is and how he loves his children through the highest highs and the lowest lows of our lives. 

Philip: Alongside the weighty grief of a life-ending disease, there are also these pulsing embers of joy, glowing deep within, getting stronger and stronger. Since the beginning of this crisis, we have been surprised by that joy. Sometimes we look at each other in amazement and we ask ourselves, Why do we have all this joy?

Because God is with us. He promises that we will not suffer alone. Instead of removing pain from life’s equation, God adds a variable, his presence, and his presence brings joy. This is a powerful reality for us in the story we are living. We carry deep sadness in this season, but we do not carry it alone. The grief of losing years with my family is gut wrenching, but his peace overrides it all. I may never reach the milestones in mission I had hoped for, but I do not despair, because I am hidden with Christ in God.

This disease has left me powerless. But I call it the terrifying delight of losing everything, because I’ve discovered that God’s companionship is so much more real when it’s all you have left. I can only collapse in the arms of my loving heavenly Father. I cannot perform for his attention. I cannot be strong for his approval. I have nothing left to bargain with. I have only him. I am left only with the love and acceptance of God—and that is untouchable. It is a fountain of hope filling our souls, overwhelming life’s cruelest circumstances. My heart is filled with trust and courage because I am hidden with Christ in God!

Robyn: Some days are hard. It’s easy to doubt and question God in situations like this. It’s easy to blame him rather than trust him. Every day, we live with all of our brokenness. Sometimes, I just put my head down and busy myself with managing our situation. In those times, it’s hard to hear his voice. But God has always proved himself faithful, and I’ve never lost my hope or trust, or sat too long without joy.

Philip: Why do we think we can avoid trouble and sorrow? Why are we shocked or angry when it comes to us? Suffering is everywhere! Before this disease, I was a part of a privileged elite, a club that knows little of suffering. I lived a charmed life. But I was blind to human suffering all around me. I was naïve to the depths of pain throughout the world and throughout history.

Jesus declares that hard times will be our reality: “For in this unbelieving world you will experience trouble and sorrows, but you must be courageous, for I have conquered the world” (John 16:33, NLT). If this is true, how do we have the audacity to put God on trial for every hurt, or threaten to disavow his very existence when a crisis comes? When we choose to blame God rather than trust him, it prevents joy from germinating in our hearts.

May we repent of a weak faith that is so quick to blame and so slow to trust. Jesus has overcome this world’s pain and he wants to share peace with us, and through us. I may be tempted to see myself as a victim, but I see how that mindset kills my joy. I am tempted to blame God and envy others—especially when they talk about their plans and future dreams. Early on in my diagnosis, I had to do business with God about these real temptations. With his gracious help, I rejected that victim mentality and declared that this disease did not define me. I would not subjugate myself to it in any way. I would declare, “I may have ALS, but ALS does not have me.”

Robyn: When we live with our identity rooted in Jesus, it is so powerful, and we develop huge spiritual muscles. It especially affects how we pray. We don’t pray as victims. We pray with confidence and expectation because we know who we are and to whom we belong. We pray with freedom to trust God’s plan, purpose, and timing, no matter what. We pray as Jesus taught us, “deliver us from the evil one.” We push back the darkness. We declare Christ’s authority over the enemy, over ALS, over Philip’s body, and even over modern medicine. Everything submits to him.

Philip: These days, I stand in the truth that I am redeemed by Jesus, adopted by the Father, and resuscitated by the Holy Spirit. This is the source of everything. We are learning on this journey where to discover real life. I’ve lost the muscles to embrace the present, and I’ve lost the time to dream about the future. Most of the things that excited me in the past can’t help me now. Leisure, sport, travel, personal ambition—these have all gone bankrupt. 

As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4, we carry the presence of God in common, weak, even cracked jars of clay: “We are like common clay jars that carry this glorious treasure within, so that this immeasurable power will be seen as God’s, not ours…. We continually share in the death of Jesus in our own bodies so that the resurrection life of Jesus will be revealed through our humanity” (2 Corinthians 4:7, 10, TPT). 

Now, I’ve always known that God overrides our weakness, but I never considered that it was his intention to shine through our brokenness. Could this be how God chooses to reveal himself to the world? Not through our success or health, but through our suffering, our struggle, even our decaying bodies. That would radically reclassify suffering for the believer. It would mean that our weakness does not, in fact, disqualify us, it qualifies us. Tragedy doesn’t prove there is no God, rather it becomes an opportunity for him to demonstrate his amazing grace for everyone to see. Persecution isn’t an unfortunate consequence of believing, but rather it is God’s venue for our witness.

Robyn: God is more than up to the task of carrying us all the way, no matter what the finish line looks like here on earth. He is the eternal Creator of all and yet he is fully present and intimate. At once, he is tender and terrifying. In that deep, deep place with Jesus, I can say it is well with my soul, with our souls. God has been faithful to us over the years. As we surrendered our lives to him, he has prepared us for today’s challenges.

That’s why we share. We want everyone in the whole world to know that God is real and true and that he is the joy-giver regardless of our circumstances. We want to encourage ourselves, and everyone else, to redirect our focus on the eternal story, the eternal truth that God has given us new life, new hope, and new joy through his Son, Jesus. And that he doesn’t just show up in the hard times, but he knows the way through them, and he promises to go with us and prove himself faithful. And there is joy—joy for the whole world.

To watch a 17-minute documentary that shares some of their family’s journey through this incredibly difficult season, and explores what it means to find hope, joy, and purpose in Jesus when everything else is stripped away, go to multiply.net/serezvideo