Prayer for the persecuted church

Our Father in Heaven;

You have said in your word that all who live Godly in Christ will suffer persecution.
Forgive us Lord for the many times we have avoided persecution by our lack of words and actions.
We bring before your throne of mercy and grace those who daily suffer for your kingdoms sake.
Thank you father for the many promises in your word to these brothers and sisters. Therefore we pray that they may be kept by your power to continue strongly in the faith. May each one hold fast to the hope of their calling.
Graciously grant them the ability to return blessing for the evil inflicted on them.
In doing this, may those who inflict suffering, turn from their wicked ways, to the salvation that is found only through Jesus.
Father hold near to your heart, faithful followers who have lost family and friends by taking a stand for Jesus Christ. Comfort the many separated from their families by death, imprisonment, and displacement, for you are the God of all comfort.
May you work in the hearts of national leaders to grant asylum to those who flee persecution at home by torture or even death. Father may you provide a way of escape.
We commit them into your hands, asking that you may give the increase to the fruits of their suffering. Through their testimony may many be brought to your salvation for the praise of your glory!
In Jesus name we pray,
Amen

by Pat H.

Persecuted for our faith.

Paul wrote to his young son in the faith, “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” 2 Timothy 3:12. Do we in the western church really understand what it means to be persecuted for our faith?

Sometimes we think that having to live in a sinful world is the persecution we have to bear but throughout history many Christians were persecuted by the religious leaders of their day. Most westerners are not aware that Christianity is the most persecuted religion on the planet. It is illegal or severely restricted in 51 different countries. Fundamentalist Muslim nations, fanatical Hindu countries and hard-line Communist regimes are not shy about their hatred for Christianity.
Consider the following facts:

* It has been estimated that more Christians were martyred in the 20th Century than in the previous 1,900 years combined.

* There were more than 26 million documented cases of martyrdom in the 20th century alone.

* More than 200 million Christians in over 60 nations face persecution each day, and it is estimated that over half of these are children.

* It is estimated that between 150,000 and 165,000 Christians are martyred each year.

So what can we do? Take time to read about the persecuted church and then pray for them. Take time to pray Pat’s prayer for the persecuted church.

Hugo's Story

The following is an excerpt from a letter that I received from a former student of mine. I have tried to copy his letter the way that he wrote it to me. The wording is awkward as English is not his first language.

He wrote…

Before I came to Canada I was an eye-witness of the genocide of my wife Maria Teresa, two siblings, cousins, relatives and I was saved only by the divining miracle. It was during the apocalyptic civil war without ending and the scapegoat people were the persons who were weak.

It was on Saturday December 8, 1991 about 6:00 pm in my country time. Every night we gathered in our sitting room to pray together. Our door was closed. Someone knocked on our door. I went to ask who were there and one of them answered we are people of God who need help. I opened the door. There were two people who had in their hands the modern and automatic weapons. Both opened without mercy their guns to fire all and to kill all. They tried to kill me but they supposed to have no bullets in their guns. I cried and asked them to kill me. When they went out of my home they tried and they had the last bullets.

Immediately the members of the International Red Cross and the Doctors without Frontiers came to help me for digging only one place to bury all of them. They told me to leave the building and to go with them to save myself.

Furthermore they gave me clothing and the meals of support and sent the fax through their satellite phone. They recommended the Kenya Red Cross to give the humanitarian assistance. The day after I arrived via helicopter to Kisimayo-samalia to leave by way of sea to Mombasa, Kenya.

There was a lady French doctor who was previously a Catholic nun. She gave me the next night that God was trying my faith. In this delicate moment in was necessary to put my soul in His hands to be saved.

During that sad night we two were asking and praying together until the morning. We recited the Holy Rosary and its litany. We also did the Holy Spiritual prayer. It was amazing and what happened that we found the reading of the Sacred Scriptures the comfortable words that seemed to our God was speaking to me. First, the finding of Ecclesiastes 3 that there is something that can happen any time; a time to be born and to die. In our second reading we found the patient prophet Job in Job 1 and he said that he was born naked and he will return to it. Why do we not thank God in the bad situation? The last reading was from the Holy Gospel according to Saint John 11 about the death and resurrection of Lazarus.

That is the story he wrote to me in October 2005. Christians are being persecuted today. What are we doing about it?

Abel, Enoch and Noah

What do these three men teach us about living by faith?

Abel teaches us that to live by faith is to worship God. True worship is not a proper offering but a sincere heart.

Enoch teaches us to live by faith is day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute. We don't have an area where we live by faith and another area where we don't. Enoch walked with God.

Noah teaches us that to live by faith is to work by faith. Noah did not see the outcome of his work until the Lord revealed it to him. He was faithful even when it did not make sense.

There is no part of our lives where we do not live by faith.

Hebrews 11:6

Hebrews 11:6 is one of the profound verses of Scripture which we need to consider prayerfully. It says, "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."

Now most of us want to please God but do we? In order to please God we must live by faith and respond in faith. The author uses three examples to show this, Abel, Enoch and Noah. We will return to these.

The second profound thought is that we must believe that God exists. To do that we must affirm Him as Creator. Now if He is the creator then we are the creature, the created. We know that what we believe about God defines us and if we believe that He created us then we are His creatures. Everything that is created belongs to the Creator and He created all.

There are two lies that plague our society. The first is that we are autonomous and the second is that we are self-sufficient. As created beings we are neither.

To believe that God exists is also to believe that He is sovereign. The doctrine of the sovereignty of God is not to help us make sense of life but to live our lives when it doesn't make sense. God sovereignty doesn't mean that He is a far away God but that He is a God near by.

Finally to believe that God exists we must believe in the resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

I mentioned Abel, Enoch and Noah. Let me leave those for another post.

Is Faith the Victory?

There is an old hymn that goes;

Faith is the victory,
Faith is the victory,
Faith is the victory
That overcomes the world.

Is this true? It could be argued that in one way it is true but it is also misleading. Our faith is never the victory, even our faith in Jesus Christ is not the victory but rather it is Jesus and Jesus alone that is the victory.

Now scripture says in 1 John 5:4 "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." When you read this in its context you know that it is faith in Jesus Christ and you must believe that He is the Son of God.

Overcoming the world is different than signs and wonders. Overcoming the world is overcoming the world's influence on our lives and having a new world view, one that is shaped by the Gospel.

Mabel's Legacy

My mother was a woman of faith. She raised eight children without ever raising her voice. Her children all honour her. Her legacy consists of five of the eight children who have been long term or short term missionaries. She has 26 grandchildren of which ten serve as missionaries, pastors or in other ministry. Our family was poor but we were taught well by our parents. Having material possessions were not important but following God was and that was passed on to us, their children. She has been gone for almost twenty years but her legacy lives on.

Living by Faith 2

So what does it mean to live by faith? It is not following rules, the Law, the sermon on the mount. It is not doing. Living by faith is living in light of the Gospel. Remember the Gospel is good news and news is about something that has happened not something that is expected of us. The Gospel is first what Jesus Christ has done. But the Gospel is also about a new relationship, we are adopted as sons and daughters into the family of God. So it is more than a doctrine (what has happened) but it is also a relationship. Even more it is a reversal of values. The way up is down, humility instead of pride, weakness instead of power. Everything that this world values is turned upside down.
However, the rules, the Law, the sermon on the mount are important but they are secondary to the Gospel. The Gospel is really an entirely new worldview.

Mary's Poem

My friend Mary who has suffered many loses in her life, two sons and her husband of 46 years, is a remarkable woman of faith. Here is the poem she wrote after her husband died last week.

Mourning With Father

Went to a funeral this week of my love.
Emotions running wild-- this is just not real.
Is this really happening, my world fallen down.
Why, I don’t even know how I feel.

I run into the throne-room, Father, Father, where are you?
Searching for the help I’ve had many times before.
Before I can even utter another word,
Father has come and met me at the door.

I’ve been expecting you child, What took so long,
He holds me oh so tight.
Can you trust me now to see you through
I promise, things will be all right.

Now, come sit down and tell me all,
that’s on your heart and mind.
So I told him about the cancer and
how God’s people were so kind.

It seemed I talked forever with all that was on my heart.
I let the tears run freely as I did.
Then I leaned against him exhausted as he held me in his arms
Comforting me as a Father would his kid.

Mary, you’ll never have to walk alone,
This is my promise to you.
I’ll always be right by your side
In everything you do.

Continue on your journey, your love is here with me.
Let not your heart be troubled or dismayed.
My throne room is always open to come and tell me all
Come any time—be it night or day.

I left feeling better, Bob was safe with him
I knew my walk down here is not in vain
So, I’ll lift my head up high, put a smile upon my face.
Until I see my family up in heaven once again.

Mary
March 18/2010

Helen's Prayer

I asked my friend Helen to write a prayer for the lesson on faith. Little did any of us know that this prayer would become so important to her. Shortly after she wrote this she found out that her cancer had returned. She has gone back to this prayer again and again so show her how much she needs to rely upon her God. Here is her prayer.

A Prayer of Faith.

O God !
Have mercy, I pray !
Deliver me from the onslaught of these fears -
These dark imaginings,
These dreadful possibilities that are only that -
Possibilities - NOT facts.
They roll over me like the waves of the sea,
And fill me with despair.
Help me to realize that the voice that whispers them in my
mind
Is neither mine - nor yours.
Help me instead to turn my thoughts to You -
To remember Your precious promises
Given so often and so clearly in Your Word -
To comfort and sustain,
To defend and protect,
To fight for those who put their trust in You.
Help me to go over them, Lord,
The ones You have given me,
Word by word,
Promise by promise,
Step by faltering step,
Until I reach Your peace -
Until I am enfolded by the Comforter -
Until I am safe in the light of Your love -
And I can truly speak the prayer
That never fails –
"Thy will be done."
Thank you, O Lord, my God,
For Your sustaining love and grace.
Amen.

by Helen G.

Living by Faith

Faith is big today. How often you have heard someone described as a “person of faith” or you have heard someone say that their faith would get them through. But what do they mean by that? What is faith?
The writer of Hebrews gives us a working definition of faith. In Hebrews 11:1 he says, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Many people today would say that this is a paradox; the certainty of what we are hoping for and the evidence of what is unseen.
As you read through the role call of faith in Hebrews 11 you begin to understand what it means to live by faith and remember that the writer reminds us that without faith it is impossible to please God.
Peter says, "Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:" 1 Peter 1:1
There are a few things that we should notice about this faith. It is not a feeling but it is confidence in the truth claims of God and he calls this faith precious. This faith is not something we conjure up in ourselves but it is given to us by God Himself.
The first three people mentioned are those that lived before the flood. Abel worshipped by faith, Enoch walked by faith and Noah worked by faith. As you study each example that is given to us you soon see that faith permeated every aspect of their lives. They worshipped, walked or worked by faith because they had a trust in the promises of God.
So how do we live by faith? First we must believe that God exists and that He has communicated to us through His Word and through His Son. We must believe in the promises of God. There are many who want explanations about what happens in this world but we don’t live by explanations but by promises. Finally we must live with eternity in view. We see that at the end of the chapter. Take time to read the end of the chapter and notice the fact that these continued to live by faith even though they did not receive the promises.
There are those who would have us believe that if we had more faith we would see more miracles, signs and wonders. The problem with that is that once again it becomes very man centered rather than God centered. These heroes of faith did not generate more faith like the “little engine that could” but rather they had a view of God that was evident in their day by day lives.
Remember, faith isn’t positive thinking. Faith is knowing a person and that person is Jesus Christ.

No other plea

One of my favourite hymns about faith is the following:

My faith has found a resting-place,
Not in device or creed;
I trust the Ever-living One;
His wounds for me shall plead.

Refrain:
I need no other argument,
I need no other plea;
It is enough that Jesus died,
And that He died for me.

Enough for me that Jesus saves,
This ends my fear and doubt;
A sinful soul I come to Him,
He'll never cast me out.

My heart is leaning on the Word,
The written Word of God,
Salvation by my Saviour's name,
Salvation thro' His blood.

My great Physician heals the sick,
The lost He came to save;
For me His precious blood He shed,
For me His life He gave.

Poor Faith

If bad faith is that we believe because we are afraid not to then what is poor faith? Poor faith is that Christians believe "because it works" (pragmatism), because they "feel it is true in their experience" (subjectivism), because they sincerely believe it is "true for them" (relativism).
Why do we believe? We believe because what God has revealed to us is true. Belief in something doesn't make it true; it is true therefore we believe.
So once again, Christian faith is not true because it works; it works because it is true. It is not true because we experience it; we experience it because it is true. It is not simply "true for us"; it is true for any who seek in order to find because truth is true even if nobody believes it.
Hebrews says, "anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." Hebrews 1:6b

Bad Faith?

Hebrews 1:6b, "anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."
One of the accusations against the faith of Christians is that it is bad faith. "Christians believe, critics say, not because of good reasons but because they are afraid not to believe. Without faith, they would be naked to the alternatives, such as the terror of meaninglessness or the nameless dread of unspecified guilt. Faith is therefore a handy shield to ward off the fear, a comforting tune to whistle in the darkness; it is, however, fundamentally untrue, irrational, and illegitimate - and therefore 'inauthentic' and 'bad faith.'" Os Guinness

Who Is The Hero Here?

Sometimes Hebrews 11 is called the "Role call of faith" other times it is called the "Heroes of the Faith". But as you read the chapter you realize that these people were not the heroes, God is. Though some did extraordinary things it was only through God's power that they were able to.

Commit then Trust

I was reading in Psalm 37 this morning and verse 5 says, "Commit your way to the Lord, trust in him and he will do this."
I was struck by the thought that if we are to live by faith we must commit ourselves and our ways to Him. Living by faith is trust Him to do what He has promised. Before we can trust Him we have to commit to Him.
I went back and re-read verse 4 which says, "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart." How many have said that by faith we claim the desires of our heart but when you examine the heart it is delighting in things rather than in God Himself. When we delight in Him then our desires will be what He desires. It is not faith to "name it and claim it"; that is covetousness. Let us look at faith through the eyes of faith.

And now ... faith!

We have completed the doctrinal section of the book of Hebrews. We have a great High Priest, we have a new covenant and we have accepted it by faith. The author reminds his readers that they have faced suffering without losing faith so now they need to persevere. We now need to keep the faith. As we live in faith we will be saved. You say we are saved already. Yes we are but our salvation is not complete until we are with our Saviour for eternity. Let us not shrink back but live by faith in the Son of God. This is a transition from the doctrinal and the warning into what it means to live by faith. Just one more thought before we talk about faith. Remember faith is not about what but about Who. Faith is not just about doctrine but it is a person. Our faith is in Jesus Christ, what He did and what He is doing.

To have and to hold

We were studying in Hebrews 10 this morning and we were looking at the five "let us" statements. I mentioned that the first two have to do with our relationship with God while the next three have to do with our relationship one to another. As our discussion continued we mentioned that marriage is a picture of our relationship with God. Someone then pointed out that in the first of the "let us" statements we have the verb "to have" while in the second we have the verb "to hold". This once again confirms that the marriage relationship is a picture of our relationship with God.

With fear and trembling

As I approach the teaching of the warning in Hebrews 10 I must say I do so with much fear and trembling. These warnings are writ en to believers as is evident by the use of the word "we". We cannot write them off as hypothetical or just losing one's reward. It is easy for us to rest upon the promise that we are secure as a believer but that security comes with a warning. It is God who keeps us secure but we have to live in that security by faith. It is by no accident that the author moves from this warning into the great chapter on faith.
One book that has helped me a great deal in this study is by Thomas Schreiner and Ardel Caneday called The Race Set Before us.

What do you love most?

Sometimes we wonder why we keep on sinning and disobeying the Lord when we feel like Paul in Romans 7? The reason is that we love our sins more than we love the Lord. If we truly loved God then not sinning would not be a problem.
When the writer of Hebrews says, "If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God." I am sure that he is referring to something more than just yielding again to a temptation but deliberately denying the Lord's saving grace.

Dare to Draw Near

The author of Hebrews exhorts us to draw near to God. The then gives the conditions for drawing near.
1. With a true heart
2. In full assurance of faith.
3. With our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience
4. Our bodies washed with pure water.
There are many books written on prayer and some give us ways to pray. However, when you study the prayers in Scripture you find that there is no set way to pray. You can intercede like Abraham, cry out like a child as Hannah did, or be lofty in your prayer as Daniel. The best book to study on prayer is the Bible itself and take time to study the prayers of the saints of old.

Not so great moments in Christian marketing.

Let Us.

"Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." Hebrews 10:22 - 25
In this passage the words "Let us" occur 5 times. The first two exhort us in our relationship with God while the last three exhort us in our relationship with each other. Growing out of our relationship with God we have responsibility to other believers.

Conditions

The fourth warning in Hebrews begins with two conditions. First, we have the confidence to enter the most Holy place by the blood of Jesus and second, because we have a great high priest. These conditions introduce us to our privileges. Notice that the conditions are met by God Himself and have nothing to do with us. It is His blood that opened the curtain and it is His High Priestly ministry. Once again we are reminded that it is all about Him and not about us.

Where was the Golden Altar of Incense?

In the book of Exodus we are told that the Altar of Incense was in the Holy place but in Hebrews 9:4 it is placed with the ark of the covenant in the Holy of Holies. Of course the author of Hebrews says that he doesn't have time to discuss it at that time. Did he make a mistake? Should he have said that it was outside the curtain? I don't believe it was an error but I believe he is showing the importance of the altar in coming to the presence of God. He does not want you to think that you can have the altar of incense and not the presence of God.

A better Ministry

Read Hebrews 9:11 - 14 and notice the following:
verse 11 - A better Priest
verse 11 - A better sanctuary
verse 12 - a better sacrifice
verse 12 - a better method
verse 12 - a better blessing
verses 13, 14 - a better guarantee
verse 14 - a better result
Compare Christ to anything and He is better.

Once

One of the key words in Hebrews 9 is "once". It occurs in verses 12, 26, 27 and 28 as well as in 10:2. In verse 27 we are told that it is man's destiny to die once and then the judgment but in verse 28 tells us that Christ died once to take away the sins of the people and therefore there is no more condemnation.
If all we had was the Old Testament we would know that we are guilty before a holy God but Hebrews tells us that that guilt has been taken away.

Repent from

"How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!" Hebrews 9:14
Our consciences can both affirm or condemn us. The writer of Hebrews says that we need our consciences cleansed from deeds that lead to death. Often we are told that these are evil deeds that we do but more likely they are the good deeds that we do in the flesh. Many times we trust in our good deeds rather than in the blood of Christ. Our consciences often condemn us because we are not doing enough good deeds but we need to remember that there is never enough and that is why we need to have our consciences cleansed.
Have we repented of our good deeds?

Shadows 2

I wrote a few days ago about shadows and growing up in rural Saskatchewan. Sometimes when I was young I could see my mother's shadow near the door to my bedroom. Her shadow brought me comfort because I knew she was near. However, if she came into the room the shadow no longer brought comfort but rather my mother herself did. This is the way it is with the Law. The Law can bring comfort because it shows that the Saviour is coming but once the Saviour has come the shadow is not a comfort.

Turning the sermon on its head

So much of today's preaching is about us and our activity rather than about God and what He has done. Yesterday's sermon could have been like that but the Pastor turned the sermon on its head. As we were singing he had a number of people come out to witness to what God had done for them. They carried a simple cardboard sign which told their story. It was very effective. What could have been another sermon about doing became a sermon about what God has done. Thanks pastor.