How should we connect with those who are being persecuted or in areas of the world where Christians are experiencing suffering and trying circumstances because of their faith in Christ? In the present situation, we are not able to go there and walk in their shoes and feel their pressure. We have been asking these soldiers of Jesus to give reports from the front lines.
Joel in Nigeria writes; “Greetings from Nigeria! Thank you for the email which is encouraging to hear from you knowing that people are praying for us over there. The prayer of God's people have been a major factor for the successes recorded this year. Thank God for the privilege to serve and for protection in all the trips we had this year for training and ministry. One great lesson I learned this year is to trust Him in any situation. At a point this year I thought it was over, the Lord proved to keep to His promises. Despite the difficulties, sicknesses and many other challenges the Lord has been with us. As we begin the new year, pray that God will direct my steps towards His will for my life and family. I do not want to do anything on my own. Also pray that He will use me to impact the lives of many who are in need. Also pray for journey mercies as we travel for training and outreaches in the north east as the insecurity of our roads and communities are becoming so much worse. Pray for protection over our families and God’s providence.” This should inspire each of us to pray diligently and often for those in Nigeria who carry the gospel of Jesus Christ across their nation and beyond. Physical harm and death may be in their path.
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It always touches my heart when we are given prayer requests from those we work with, like this:
“I want God to enable me to be firmly rooted in Jesus so as to draw nourishment from Him to accomplish greater things for God and weather every storm and challenge.” What a request! This reminds me of Paul’s words to Colosse: “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving” (Colossians 2:6–7). We can see from these verses that our brother’s prayer request is right in line with what God was teaching through Paul. Our WALK IN CHRIST should grow if our spiritual roots are drawing the nourishment we need. This comes from a daily commitment to feed on His Word. Maturity will result (“built up in Him”) as we take in the right kind of food. With this development, we become equipped to face the storms and challenges that God allows to come our way. It is a great comfort to me that Paul experienced and felt many of the same circumstances and feelings we go through in the twenty-first century. Writing from prison, he did not concern himself with the conditions of his cell or the political battles that were current, but with the spiritual state of believers in churches he planted.
“For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ” (Colossians 2:1–2). As I have shared with you the conditions and heart of some in Africa, we have this same yearning. We struggle in prayer because we are not able to be present with them. Zoom, FaceTime, WhatsApp and other communication methods are great, but they lack the personal touch that is gained by visiting in person. Discerning spiritual conditions is more difficult. I want to know more of Paul’s attitude of “great…struggle” for those who are suffering and need our encouragement. Notice the purpose of Paul’s struggle; that they “reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ.” Is this our desire for others in the body of Christ? It should be! There are times during the year we solicit feedback from our “leaders” on the front lines so we can hear their heart and put careful thought and prayer into their situation. I have selected dear brother Joel in Nigeria who is a key trainer. Remember that persecution is very real in Nigeria.
“Greetings from Nigeria! Thank you for the email which is encouraging to hear from you knowing that people are praying for us over there. The prayer of God's people has been a major factor for the successes this year. Thank God for the privilege to serve and for protection in all the trips we had this year for training and ministry. One great lesson I learned this year is to trust Him in any situation. At one point this year, I thought it is over, but the Lord proved to keep to His promises. Despite the difficulties, sicknesses and many other challenges, the Lord had been with us. As we begin the new year, I pray that God will direct my steps towards his will for my life and family. I do not want to do anything in my own way. I also pray that he will use me to impact the lives of many who are in need. Also pray for journey mercies as we travel for training and outreaches in the north east as the insecurity of our roads and communities are becoming so bad. Pray for protection over our families and providence. Thank you.” Our Father who sees us pray in secret here will reward our diligence (Matthew 6:6). As it has been in Africa, our main goal is to press into the areas and countries where the most unreached peoples live, especially into the 10/40 Window. This means in 2021, we will make greater movement into Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Niger and beyond. The main focus will be to continue training leaders in Nigeria, where the work is going way beyond all we have ever seen in Africa. Even in Randy’s complete absence due to COVID, key indigenous leaders have taken the gospel, GPHD and GPHC to far and difficult places in northern Nigeria. Let us keep praying for church planting movements through the hundreds they have trained in 2021! We also press on beyond these areas as God leads and opens the doors. Randy is currently working with a key leader in Burkina Faso via WhatsApp, going through God's Plan for His Disciples. Our plan is for him to take this throughout his country, while also working through GPHC with Randy. When he can travel Randy will go to work with him. And through him, we also by God's grace, will have access to Niger in 2021. We also want to pray for God to open doors in Chad, Sudan and Ethiopia. Like Paul, we can expect the Holy Spirit to lead beyond these places that we know to where He wants us to work (Acts 16:6-10). Our team is going through a Bible reading this year of the New Testament, Acts to Revelation in chronological order. That means James is the first letter, probably written in the early 50’s AD. Our section to read today was James 3:13-18 in which he contrasts two kinds of wisdom.
The first type of wisdom ““is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic” (James 3:15). It produces “bitter jealousy and selfish ambition…disorder and every evil practice;” always wanting something for ourselves and doing whatever it takes to get it. This obviously does not reflect the humble attitude of Christ (Philippians 2:5-8). The second type and only one we should desire, is from heaven and “is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere” (James 3:17). Paul joins James regarding this kind of wisdom and says that he wanted to proclaim the “mystery of Christ…that I may make it clear.” Then he follows this with “walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time” (Colossians 4:4-5). Wisdom from heaven thinks about how the gospel can best be presented so the hearers will receive and accept it and the right time to present it. This is not just words, but actions that reflect the gospel that came from heaven. Sometimes a real-life example helps to get a point across. So, I will reveal a part of my life that I rarely speak about – not that I ashamed of it, but because I’d rather not draw attention to myself.
I was born with a mild case of cerebral palsy (CP). Walking in a normal fashion has always been difficult for me and abnormal to the observer. As a kid in elementary school, I went through years of therapy to improve my walking skills. For most of my adult life, this condition never hindered me from keeping up with other people, hiking and doing many other activities we love. As I have gotten older, arthritis joins CP to make it increasingly difficult to walk or stand for any length of time without pain. At the same time, my determination drives me on to do my best, believing that God made me according to His perfect design and plan. This condition makes me think of the CRITICAL NECESSITY to walk spiritually so we “keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25). Physical walking comes naturally to almost all peoplesbut walking in the Spirit requires that we have on-going communion with Him (2 Corinthians 13:14) so we are taught how to walk in a “manner…worthy of the gospel of Christ” (Philippians 1:27). Are you intentional about your spiritual walk or do you let weakness and existing conditions hinder from a vital walk with the Spirit? Throughout the New Testament, most of the writers use the “walk” (peripateõ) meaning to live or behave as a customary way of life. It was not to be like a faucet that we turn on or off as we wish. Paul urged the Ephesians “to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called” (Ephesians 4:1). That calling was in the gospel.
John wrote to the “elder” this commendation: “I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father.” He goes on to remind them of an important commandment, “one we have had from the beginning —that we love one another. And this is love that we walk according to His commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it.” (2 John 4–6). Let us make sure that we are not allowing world or national events, the culture and current trends to ‘squeeze” us into the world’s mold. This causes us to walk after the things of the flesh and not the Spirit. These two things are contrary to each other (Galatians 5:16-18). If we ask Him, the Spirit will help us walk in love for the truth in His power. So often we find there are two sides to any issues. That was true for Paul in 2 Thessalonians 3:1–2. Last time we saw that his main concern and prayer request was that “the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored.” However this was going to take place, the spread of the gospel was at the top of his priority list and wanted others to join him in prayer for this.
He also knew there were persons in the path of the gospel who would do anything to hinder or even stop the gospel from spreading. That is why Paul adds the second part of his prayer request; “pray for us…that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith.” It was his experience through walking with the Lord that wicked and evil men sought to kill Paul because they hsted the gospel and what it stood for. Such persons had no faith. As you and I commit ourselves to telling others about Jesus this year, we will face severe opposition in ways and places we do not expect. We must not be afraid! Yet, we need persons to be in prayer that the Lord will deliver us from those with no faith who resist the gospel of grace. As we do in this ministry and through this blog, we often look at the Apostle Paul as an inspiring model servant. One characteristic of Paul was that he was not shy about asking for prayer.
“Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you, and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith” (2 Thessalonians 3:1–2). I will look at verse 2 tomorrow From 2 Corinthians 11, we know that Paul endured incredible hardships and was near death at times, yet he never asked that his wounds or health issues be healed. His focus was the gospel! As we see in this request, “the word of the Lord” was his major concern. He believed that the most important request he could make was to see a rapid expansion of the gospel. Let’s begin this year with the same request. There are still unreached people groups who have never heard the Good News. Perhaps this year they will be reached. LET’S PRAY! |
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