Praying For The Persecuted-Part I of II

You will all notice that I have a new web link under "LINKS TO LIVE BY" which is 'VOM' or Voice of the Martyrs.



Please visit this site often, and remember to pray for the persecuted saints the globe over.



Being isolated as we are here in America, we Christians aren't fully aware most of the time, of how our brethren across the globe are suffering terribly at the hands of their persecutors.



What we must appreciate is that MOST of the church, in MOST of the nations of the world, during MOST of the history of the church has suffered terrible persecution!

From the Sanhedrin during the days of the apostles, using Saul of Tarsus (Paul the apostle before his conversion [when the LORD was ascended into heaven]), to the time of the ten Caesars that cruelly afflicted the saints, most especially under Nero, to the various Inquisitions and Persecutions by various Popes who utilized the Jesuits to rein in the wayward who left the Roman Catholic church by the scores, to the days in which Communist regimes, and Islamic states caused and still causing untold suffering and persecution to the body of Christ.



Persecution is rampant in today's world, and yet how many of us (myself included) are aware of what's happening to our brethren in other nations, and the cities that are under assault there?



Look at this article posted by The Berean Call (from Frontpagemag):

http://www.frontpagemag.com/readArticle.aspx?ARTID=35941



Being informed of such conditions that the church is suffering elsewhere is the first step in providing much needed aid to these saints; I am referring to intercessory prayer.



Prayer that they will stand fast in the faith for Christ Jesus; that the LORD God will provide grace for them in their suffering. That the LORD would make a way to deliver them from such, in His time.



The LORD may even motivate some of us to write letters petitioning various governments to show leniency and mercy towards our family in Christ.



Persecution has never been an enemy of the church, whereas materialism and affluence usually has. Prosperity breeds complacency, and as these enters our lives, we become introspective and self-interested. We tend to lose our sharp focus on seeking "first the kingdom of God and His righteousness."



Persecution has a way of separating the tares from the wheat, the sheep from the goats, or as its said often in the world, "the men from the boys". It has a purifying effect on the church as we suddenly lose interest in worldly matters; and Christ Jesus, the Head of the church, gains our undivided attention.



By God's grace and His Spirit the persecuted find themselves endowed with Holy boldness to proclaim even to the threat of death, the life giving power of the Gospel.



Did you know that the greek word from which we get the word 'martyr' from is 'martos'? What does 'martos' mean? It means "witness"! Think about this: in the days of the early church, to be a faithful witness, to become a Christian and a genuine follower of Christ meant pain, suffering, isolation, imprisonment, blood, and often death.



There were no saw dust trails where people came forward at a revival meeting; there were no calls for "every eye closed and every head bowed" while those who were beckoned to come to Christ could do so without too much notice.



In those days, as well as the present days of (Communist) Russia, Communist China, and North Korea, and most Muslim nations today, those who are Christian are imperiled as much as the early church was.



I have an album called Hymns Triumphant, and one such hymn has grave lyrics that are very powerful; one line goes something like this:

"By the light of burning martyrs, Christ, Thy bleeding feet we track."



Christian, the question I ask of you, is one that I ask myself: are we prepared to offer up our entire lives in total surrender to the will of God? Even if it means hardships? Pain? Suffering? Ridicule, mockery and abuse?



You might say, "But we live here in America! What chance is there that we will experience such things here?"



Given the present climate of our nation, and the direction of the trends that are observable to those who are watching, such experiences and events may be sooner than we would care to admit.



In the meanwhile, may I encourage you all to visit the Voice of the Martyrs web site, to subscribe to their magazine, even make a financial contribution if the LORD lays it on your heart, which will go towards the ministering of our hurting, suffering brothers and sisters in CHRIST the world over. MOST of all, let us remember to pray for them!

MORE on this issue of persecution in part two of this article.

Matt 5:11
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Matt 5:44
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

John 15:20
Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept My saying, they will keep yours also.

A Different Sermon On Another 'Mount'

This is an article very much in the spirit of exhortation of a previous one entitled Faith Over Fear; I hope and pray that this will exhort and encourage you as it has me.

[UPDATE (June 18, '12): Please be sure to listen to this inspirational, encouraging rendition of "He'll Raise Me Up" by an astounding Lithuanian 14 yr old boy; I can guarantee you have never heard it sung like this before! Link to this song can be found at the bottom of this article; you can also watch this under "LINKS to LIVE By" Side bar column: look for "He'll Raise Me Up"]

We all know the Sermon on the Mount; we've heard teachings on it ever since we became Christians and even before then.

Here we have a different sermon on the 'mount' and very few words were actually spoken by our LORD in this particular teaching. Am I referring to some 'lost gospel' of Jesus, and of writings only recently discovered by biblical archaeologists?

Rest assured, I am not. We have all read this account before, and as you can guess by the picture I chose for this article, we will be looking at the crossings of the Sea of Galilee.

First of all, let's get a reading of this incredible event:

CAN I GET A N O T H E R WITNESS? Part Two

There are some, I'm sure who would think that going on and on about one's life is a bit narcissistic, and while this may be true in certain cases, my goal here is not to exalt myself, or build myself up in any way.

THE LORD has done marvelous things in all our lives, and we would all do well to encourage one another by reminding each other of all the glorious things God has achieved in and through us.

So, in effect, my desire is to exalt and glorify the LORD for all He has done, and is doing, in our lives.

Since God is no respecter of persons, He can do as He wills, and what He is willing to do with any one of us, He is willing to do (in His time and in His own way) with any that comprise His body, the church.

The LORD, as a Master Artist, is working in each of us a work of art; it says as much in Ephesians

EPHESIANS 2:10
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

That word 'workmanship' is from the Greek word "poema" and as you can readily guess, its the word from which we get 'poem'. What's comprised in any good poem is a sense of balance, rhyme, rhythm, metre, etc.

The LORD is elegantly, and skillfully crafting all of these elements into the lives of every saint, willing to yield to the Master's touch, and be shaped and molded as the Potter does the clay.

CAN I GET A N O T H E R WITNESS? Part One

For those of you who have not read my testimony, go to the search engine called
"Scoping Out This MIND" and type in "witness", then look at the top of the page; there you should see "Can I Get A Witness". In order to keep all of this in context, it would be good to read that first before you proceed to read this, a sequel of sorts to that first entry.

To reiterate one point, when I recall having understood that Jesus, the pure and holy Son of God, the WORD of God (God Himself) made flesh took upon Himself the sins of the entire human race, all several billions of us, including mine, I was so taken aback by this revelation, so nearly shocked and offended, that I had to ask: Why would You do such a thing?