If the church's goods are hidden under the contrary signs of the cross and suffering, then her growth and blessedness will likewise be hidden under those same contrary signs. What this means is that the church's value or her health cannot be judged by the signs which mark the health of our civil life; like the valuation of the stock market, profit and loss, income, cash flow, and others. Those "dash board" items of success all have their place in our civil life or what Lutherans call "the kingdom of the left." There they are legitimate and helpful. Not in the church. The church's success is always seen under what Martin Luther calls "contrary signs." She can only be recognized under the signs of suffering and the cross. And such signs are not the signs of worldly success.

As Christ hung dying, those who looked upon Him with the eyes of the world could not see in His face anything other than his failure. His mission was ended in tragedy. They could only see His hands fixed to the accursed tree. His work had come to a screeching halt. They could only see the feet that strode the highways of Palestine seeking the lost nailed down. He was leaving His disciples as orphans in the world; frightened and scattered. In terms of profit and loss; this was a total loss. This was a loser, cut off from His people, and apparently unable to save Himself. Those who stood below the cross taunted Him and mocked Him: "Save yourself, and come down from the cross" (Mk 15:30)! The organizational dashboard read "out of gas."

Sometimes the surest sign of the health of the church is that she is being attacked and persecuted. What would make us think that the church's fate should be somehow different from her Lord's? The church's suffering and weakness under the cross of the Suffering Servant is always her lot. Her suffering and lack of worldly success are the signs of her strength and confidence in God. When you cannot and are not depending on yourself, then you have no choice but to be dependent on God. You can stand under the cross and look upon life in the eyes of the One who suffered. You can see the nail-scarred hands reach out for you. You can hear the Word coming from those whom the church's chief bishop sends, because their feet are beautiful. You can gather His disciples around the sign of their life: the cross and the crucified victim upon it. The trouble that will come because you gather them there below the cross, is a sign not of failure but of life, success, hope, salvation, optimism, and glory. Just live under the cross.

Martin Luther

"When Paul says: 'If I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed' (Gal 5:11), he wants to show that it would be an absurdity and a disgrace if the offense of the cross were to end.

"He speaks the same way in 1 Corinthians 1: 'Christ sent me to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power' (1Co 1:17). It is as if he were saying: 'I would not be willing to remove the offense and the cross of Christ.' But someone might say: 'Christians must be quite insane if they needlessly expose themselves to dangers. For all they accomplish with their preaching is to gain for themselves the anger and hatred of the world and to create offenses. And that, as it is said, is laboring in vain and nothing but looking to cause trouble.' 'This fact,' says Paul, 'does not offend or disturb us. It only makes us high-spirited and optimistic about the success and growth of the church, which flourishes and grows under the cross.' For Christ, the Head and the Bridegroom of the church, must 'rule in the midst of His enemies' (Ps 110:2).

"On the other hand, when the cross has been abolished, the rage of tyrants and heretics, and the offenses have come to an end, and when the devil guards his palace and his goods are in peace (Lk 11:21), this is a sure sign that the pure teaching of the Word has been taken away."