As In a Mirror

Every day, thousands of Christians die violent deaths. They are being harassed, driven from their homes, rejected by their families and society, arrested, beaten in the streets and even their churches and homes, tortured, and killed.

Something worth noting: most of these believers are not persecuted because they believe in Jesus. No, that is not a crime worthy of death. Their crime is that they share. Dear friends, what is holding you and I back from sharing with the same tenacity that our brethren are in third world countries? Why do we wait till there is a high price to pay before we even consider sharing the Gospel? How do we know that we will share it in the hard times if we don’t take advantage of the good times? I know, we get so caught up in our own lives, I know we do. But maybe in our daily Scripture reading, we should be like the writers of the epistles. Have you noticed how everything is told in light of the Gospel, and ultimately brought back to that point? Maybe we should be daily reminding ourselves of the wonder of the Gospel.

Maybe, instead of constantly trying to improve ourselves and make ourselves “better Christians,” we should take heed to Christ’s warning to the Ephesian church, and remember our first love. Did you notice that in Hebrews 6, after it says “moving on from the foundation,” it goes on into a deeper exposition of the Gospel? Maybe we’re never supposed to get past the Gospel, but deeper into it. Maybe that’s what the Ephesian church missed, and possibly us, too.

I heard Todd Friel say something not too long ago, and would like to share it, because there’s a lot of wisdom in it: “The Gospel isn’t the thing that just gets us saved, it’s the thing that grows us in sanctification. And the more we dwell on that, and the more we ponder that, and the more we think about that, the more it is going to cause us to have joy, and then it is gonna be demonstrated on the outside, with things like confession of sin, being and encourager, and forgiving others even when they have sinned against us even in the worst way imaginable.” That’s profound, isn’t it? And you know what? It’s true!

So why do I read about the sufferings of the church around the world? I tell you, sometimes they are really, really hard to read, and they often seem like the same things over and over, but they are so real to those experiencing them! But why should I read them, as someone on the other side of the world? For one thing, to obey Hebrews 13:3 and remember my brethren and lift them up in prayer. For another thing, it brings me back to something…

When I read their stories, I am struck that in the midst of our greatest sufferings, God is still sovereign. He has supreme and independent power; nothing can stop Him, and nothing is too difficult for Him. Knowing that He is with His children when they suffer makes me think of each individual’s suffering in light of this fact. All heirs of Christ are appointed to afflictions (1 Thessalonians 3:3, Romans 8:17), but surely, just as we partake of His sufferings, we will partake of His resurrection (Philippians 3:9-11). God’s ways are so far above ours, that it is difficult at first for us to comprehend how He can be glorified in our weaknesses and sufferings. But a relatively new lesson for me is that when a wretch such as I has assurance that Christ’s completed work has made me righteous before God, and this standing before God does not go away in suffering, I become a greater display of God’s grace. This glorifies God in the presence of believers and unbelievers, and of angels and demons; they see that nothing separates me from God, that God works His will through the worst of my circumstances, and that Christ’s sacrifice does not cease to be sufficient for me. “For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:15) As I read these stories of precious brothers and sisters, I see that not only have they learned to trust God in a fuller sense through their sufferings, but that each of their trials was something that God trusted them with. They are counted worthy, of whom the world is not worthy, to share in the sufferings of Christ (Hebrews 11 and Philippians 1:29).

God is sovereign through the suffering of His children. He works not merely in spite of evil, but through it. He does not orchestrate the evils that cause us suffering, but He planned that He would be glorified through things we never imagined a holy, loving God could be glorified through. The more I observe His character, the more I see that He will display His glory, in any way He wills. Just when Satan thinks he has hindered God’s will, God reveals a greater plan that no man could have ever thought of. It is cases like these that replicate, in small ways, Christ’s ultimate victory.

Unlike any other worldview in the world, I can look at suffering and see the hand of a Good and Mighty God. How ironic is that? How phenomenal it is!

Only the Lord knows how many souls are impacted by His work in all of these believers, but we do know that their lives are never out of His hand. When God said in Isaiah 41:10, “I will uphold you with My righteous right hand,” He really meant it. Even if we are confused and downcast at first when the storms of life come, we soon see, along with our brothers and sisters on the other side of the world, that God is never helpless. He is with us, even when we suffer, and He is always working all things in our lives out for His glory. One thing is for sure: when He opens a door, no one can shut it, and when He shuts a door, no one can open it (Revelation 3:7). I pray that in everything, even the inevitable sufferings and persecutions for every child of God, we would come to know more and more the truth of this Scripture:

“Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to Him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21, NLT)

Filed under : Discipleship, Gospel, Missions

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Asia Bibi has been in prison since June 2009, and we’re still praying and people are still working to get her death penalty repealed and her release and safety secured. My friend Miss Szymanski gives steady updates of her case and condition at Christian Witness Under Fire, you’ll want to check it out and stay informed! Latest on her blog is a video where her husband and daughters ask for your prayers for Asia. You can sign a petition to the President of Pakistan at CallforMercy.com, hosted by The Voice of the Martyrs. Please remember her and others in prison!

Filed under : Missions

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Questions. We all have them. And inevitably, once one is answered, a handful of others rise up in its place. We often state, regarding many situations, “Once this vital question is answered, then I’ll give it some consideration.” Truth is, we won’t ever be completely satisfied if what we have is an intellectual fire-stop. But that doesn’t mean the questions aren’t legitimate, or aren’t worth addressing.

Spiritual seekers ask a lot of questions, as do people who wouldn’t consider themselves very spiritual. Two questions in particular are asked frequently by both parties. I would like to systematically address these; so read carefully or else you may learn something.

Question #1: “If there is a God, and if He is loving and all-powerful, why is there so much evil in the world? Why is there suffering?”

Anyone who has ever answered a question knows that it is important to understand the perspective behind the question. Sometimes, even, the best answer is a question. So what is the perspective behind this question? Why is it that we only ask it when things go wrong? Why, on the simple, beautiful days, do we not stop, walk outside, look into the sky and the trees, breath deeply, and ask the nearest person, “If there is a God, and if He is so good and powerful, why is there so much love in the world? Why does He let me have these good things?”

How quick we are to believe that we worked for these good things, things that have been handed to us on a silver platter! We have never worked for the sunshine, the birds’ songs, the simple peace and happiness in life.

Now that we have established some perspective, we are ready to address the question. So, why doesn’t God deal with all the evil in the world, if He is good (and, of course, if He exists)? Let’s consider that for a minute. Now, if God were to destroy any and all evil from the face of the earth… what would happen to you? Would you still be here, or would you have to go with “all the evil?”

If you think you’ll survive it because you’re really not evil, look at what God considers to be evil:
“But there shall by no means enter it (the New Jerusalem) anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” (Revelation 21:27)
“But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.” (Revelation 22:15)
God judges men by their works, yes, and we have all done things we know we should not have, but God looks even to our thoughts, considering hate to be murder, lust to be adultery; even if we covet, we have sinned. Maybe you’re “pretty good,” but you are not perfect, and God requires perfection.

Folks, I have news. We see tragedy and disaster all around us a lot, and at some times more than others. And in the midst of them, we feel overwhelmed. But there is coming a day when we will see disaster such as has never been seen before in all of history. Am I saying natural disasters are God’s judgment on the earth? No. I am saying, because of the evil that man has continually allowed into the world, we experience pain and suffering. The first man, having the place of progenitor, committed sin thus bringing natural disasters into the scene. But if you are clothed with the righteousness of Christ Jesus, you have hope for the world which is to come, with no more evil, and therefore no more sorrow or suffering.

So the question for you should change its focus, from “Why is there evil in the world?” to “Where will I be when all evil is obliterated from the earth?” Because there will come a day when God will judge the world in righteousness; there is coming a day when He will punish all evil. But you need to know where you’re going.

And if you realize that you indeed are evil and need to change, you also need to realize that merely cleaning up your life and “getting back on track” won’t clean up your record before a perfect God. And you’ll soon find out that you will keep messing up and tripping up and falling back to the things you never wanted to. Even if you do good for a little while, granted, you will fall back. Unless:

Unless you are born again! When you get to a place where deep within, you not only regret your sin but come broken over your sin–not your self-pity–to God and repent of your ways and decide to trust in the grace of God through Jesus to grant you salvation. His Holy Spirit will fill you and exchange your hardened heart for a heart that desires Him and His ways, and from thence forth you will grow, til you meet Him in heaven.

Which brings us to Question #2:

Question #2, Part 1: “Okay, so do only a few select people make it to this place in the sky called heaven?”

Answer: What exactly is the assumption behind this question? Does it assume that good people make it to heaven? Well, we’ve established that nobody is good. Does it assume that only those who put their faith and trust in Jesus go to heaven? That only those with the correct doctrine go to heaven? Answer:

There is a process, a beginning that needs to be understood firsthand.
1.) All have sin and are bound for hell.
2.) Jesus lived a sinless life in the flesh, then died and went to hell on behalf of the sins of the entire world, then He rose again to give us the power to live in righteousness.
3.) Therefore, if only those with a perfect record can make it to heaven, only those who have Jesus’ record can make it to heaven.

The solution, faith in Jesus Christ, is so simple! Any person, in any culture, in any circumstance, in any time, can put their faith in Jesus Christ, and thus have salvation. For more information on this subject, read this article here).

Now, we make it to Question #2, Part 2: “Do people in the jungles die and go to hell because they never believed in Jesus?”

So, what about all those people in the middle of nowhere who have never heard the name of Jesus? This seems to bring up a lot of heat, even to the point where some say, “No, you do not absolutely positively have to trust in Jesus Christ for salvation to go to heaven.” To a lot of folks, it may seem that the only other alternative to this solution is that all those aborigines are bound for hell.

Answer:
“Let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole… Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:10, 12)

So then, is the aborigine bound for hell? Ray Comfort addressed the question very poignantly: “People don’t go to hell because ‘they didn’t believe in Jesus,’ they go to hell because they’ve sinned!” That is what must be established firsthand.

One other point: God has put it in the heart of every man to know Him. He searches to and fro over the earth for hearts that long for Him, rather than for pleasure. God created the earth, the trees, the heavens, and He whispers to us gently of His existence and His interest in our well-being through these small things. He gives us hearts that yearn for love– is this not proof of His existence? Then when the heart, even the heart of the aborigine, recognizes these whispers and these expressions of love from the Creator, and if that heart searches to connect with this Creator and to please Him, honestly, without trying to earn His favor by sacrament or ritual or goodness, God will reveal Himself to that person. I have heard many times of people who first heard the name Jesus from Jesus Himself, who appeared to them while they were crying out for the Creator. God is a God of justice, and also of mercy. And justice and mercy have met at the cross, folks! His mercy extends beyond the reach of man.

This brings me to two points I want to make to believers:
1) We need to pray. Instances like what I just described are miraculous, and surely happen when we pray. Sometimes in the middle of the day, or the night, we will start to feel a deep burden in our spirit and when we say, “God, what is this?” we usually realize it is a burden for someone in need, sometimes for protection over believers but sometimes for lost souls. Sometimes we recognize a little bit of who or what we are praying for, and sometimes we know next to nothing and all that comes out is, “God, break through; God sow Yourself mighty; God, take care of it.” Let’s learn to be sensitive to this and remember to pray for the lost, even those whose names we do not know.

2) We need to preach the gospel! We need to give it to the people around us and we also need to remember to help those who are preaching it to the far corners of the earth! “Why,” you might ask, “when God is so mighty that He can preach it Himself?” I have two answers (yet again) A) because God told us to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. B) because not every heart recognizes the whispers and call of God in their lives; they choose to ignore it because they’d rather have pleasure or they don’t understand. Thus, when the gospel is preached, in light of the law followed by the grace of God, hearts are convicted and then they understand. Most of the time, the first time a person hears the name of Jesus is from another person. In this way, it seems, when we see a human life transformed, then we know it is real. And it has almost always been people who help and minister to those who were first introduced to Jesus by Himself!

In closing, if anyone wants to check out more about salvation, faith, and grace, discussed briefly above, please read this article. Also read the book of Romans, Luke, and John. When you get a hold of these, read James, Ephesians, and Timothy, and yeah, go ahead and read the whole New Testament! (Don’t be distraught, start one at a time, with the suggestions above. It’s worth an eternity!)

I would like to invite anyone out there, who has an outlet like a blog or anything that reaches more people than this one, or who wants to further this message, to please copy and paste this article and post it on your website, or link to it with a word or thought from you; this is a message people need to hear! Time is short, and the harvest is white! Please do not hesitate; leave a comment and link to where you have helped out!

Filed under : Discipleship, Missions, Word for Wednesday

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Whew! I made it for this week’s Inspiring Story, hosted by Miss Szymanski at In Defense of the Christian Faith! This week it is a video about a World War II soldier, who through unbelievable circumstances turned around and became a missionary to the nation whose government oppressed him. But there’s more! Check it out, be challenged and encouraged!

While this story is incredible, it is not exactly applicable and practical to us ordinary folk; that is, we are not soldiers in a big world war, missionaries overseas who see our persecutors come to Jesus. BUT, all of us with the Spirit of God in us can love. Scripture says that love is more important than faith, hope, speaking in tongues, prophesying, and knowledge. And all of us can do it! If the Spirit of God is in us, we do love, but we must increase in it, so that it does not grow cold and our light be removed from us. (see Revelation 2:1-7)

Pray for the strength and the grace to love, pray that you will love the brethren, pray that you will love people in need of it, pray that you will love people even if you are not loved back, pray that you will love the lost, the downtrodden. Pray God will open your eyes as to where your love needs to increase. It will be worth it! Whether or not you see the fruits of your labor, it will be worth it because love is of God, and love lasts forever. So look at this story and be equipped and encouraged!

Filed under : Inspiring Story, Missions

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I just finished reading “One Heartbeat Away” by Mark Cahill. It is incredible! It’s the kind of book you can give to anybody who is interested in their eternity. And if they’re not, they can’t be for long if they read the book!
I’ve heard that Muslims, Catholics, atheists, etc. have been born again after reading the book, and after reading it, I am wowed! Mark covers so many topics so straightforwardly, and yet in so few pages! I find it really great that he focuses most of all on the gospel. The arguments of man have their place, but the Gospel is more important, and it is the LAW of God that converts the soul. But Mark doesn’t leave the reader after the Gospel presentation; he goes on to give new believers an intro into their Christian life.

This is a book you will definitely want to pass on! Mark’s website, full of other resources, is here.

I’d also like to share a great video describing how to combat views like relativism, from Living Waters.

While we’re at it, here’s an allegorical video on “clocking out.”

Be strong!

Filed under : Discipleship, Missions

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