STORACLES OF FAITH – LESSON 9: Honour the Emperor

STORACLES OF FAITH –the STORies and the orACLES of the Persecuted Church

For many Christians in the West, persecution became a new trend and status symbol – no longer the shame that the early church endured.  It is truly time that we take the stories and the oracles (the STORACLES) of the Persecuted Church seriously – not just testimonies to enjoy or stories to share from the pulpit, but lessons to embrace and imitate.  This blog will share the storacles we encountered in more than 40 years of ministry.  I will try to emulate them, I hope you will to.

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STORACLES OF FAITH – LESSON 9: Honour the Emperor.

1 Peter 2:17  Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honour the emperor.

• Republican, honour Mr. Biden
• Democrat, honour Mr. Trump

Wow, that’s quite provocative.  If you find this difficult to swallow spare a thought for the church in Asia Minor receiving a letter from Peter, instructing them to “Fear God and honour the emperor”. 

Surely this was a mistake? Shouldn’t it read, “honour God and fear the emperor”?   

Not so.  Peter knew exactly what he was writing.  He was present when the Lord told the crowd whom they should fear: “Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.” were the words of Jesus. (Luke 12:5)

But to honour the emperor.  Ouch!  That must have hurt. 

The emperor Peter is referring to was most probably Nero.  Nero’s extreme punishment on the Christians was perhaps one of the most evil displays of cruelty in the history of the church[1]. He held parties in his gardens while the Christian’s punishment served as entertainment. “Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as a nightly illumination”. This public spectacle was on display in the Forum courtyard for all Romans to witness, while he paraded around in a chariot dressed in costume. 

“Honour him?  You must be joking!”   was probably the first response of every reader.  But the words Peter use for “show respect to everyone” and “honour the emperor” in 1 Peter 2:17, are both the same word and translated from the Greek word tim-ah’-o which literally means to “fix a valuation upon; by implication to revere: – honour, and value.”  A more literal translation of this text can read as follows: “Place a proper value on every soul you encounter, even the emperor”.

I find this profound.  Respect therefore refers to the value of a soul and not the evaluation of a character.  And if we want to place a value on every soul we encounter, we need to calibrate it according to the value system of the One we represent.   Scripture provides the answer in this regard:  In 1 Timothy 2:1  we are urged to petition, pray, intercede and give thanks for ALL people — for this is good, and pleases God our Savior,  who wants ALL people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

We show respect to EVERYONE, not because they deserve it but because they are valued by God.  The emperor was as much an object of the cross as we were.  Because God fixed a value on souls, to the extent that He sent His Son to redeem us, we understand that respect should be given to all people, without any strings attached.

So, show proper respect to everyone.  Yes, that includes the corrupt politician, the foul-mouth neighbour, the inconsiderate taxi driver… and we can add countless more.  We do so because redemption is our calling, we honour because Christ is our example.  It is as simple and as difficult as that.  Remember, your greatest enemy was one of the reasons Jesus was crucified.  He has value. 

There can be no other departure point in our pursuit to be ‘insalted’ than respect.  We cannot be kind if we do not respect.  We cannot be humble if we do not honour.  We cannot be grateful if we do not revere.  We cannot hate what God loves.  We cannot slander whom Jesus died for.  We cannot be unforgiving to whom God forgave.

This is worth contemplating and reading again.  I personally fail time and time again, looking at the humanity of my enemies and missing the divinity that God has created.  I so often see the Saul and miss the Paul.

So, we show respect to people even though we might not respect their actions because God wants all to be saved.  By our respect, we will either be a building block or a stumbling block for God to achieve His purposes when people recognise the redeeming Christ in us. 

This is quite serious.

A week after the bomb blasts at two churches in Egypt that killed nearly 50 people we had the privilege to meet Pastor Sameh, the head of one of the largest Evangelical Churches in the Middle East.  His words made us realise that the essence of the Gospel that we have lost in the west was still securely practised by the persecuted Church.  Pastor Sameh spoke about a new-found, non-negotiable love for their “enemies”:  “First the Lord had to teach us two lessons.” He said, referring to those who seek to destroy the Church,  “The first thing the Lord did: He gave us a heart of compassion for our enemy. He melted our hearts. Secondly, He taught us how to serve our enemies, how to love them by serving them.”

These words were echoed by Pastor Ramah, a leader from Homs in Syria who endured countless attacks and who survived thousands of mortars that hit their community:  “We worked day and night amongst the refugees and continually asked the Lord what we should do.  The answer was always the same:  LOVE THEM.”

[1] http://johnchristy.com/neros-persecution-of-christians/

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STORACLES OF FAITH – LESSON 8: The glory of God.

We talk about the glory of God so lightly, so easily, so frivolously as if it required the mere flip of a switch to obtain it.  I have often heard Christians declare that during worship they “bathed in the glory of God”.

Sadly, this understanding of the glory of God will ultimately determine our understanding of God.  And in this regard, the wisdom of demons often surpasses the foolishness of saints.  James rather ironically notes that demons believe and even tremble (see James 2:19) at the thought of God. If even demons acknowledge and are overawed by the glory of God, how is it that so many of us are so blasé about this?

A.W. Tozier said the following:

“The first objective in seeking revival is not to pray for revival but to pray for a restoration of a vision of the Most High God.  What this nation needs, what the Church needs, is the restoration of a vision of the most High God.   Revival will then follow.  The honour of God has been lost to men.  And the God of today’s Christianity is a weakling.  We have a stuffed god, now, in evangelical circles.  A god that can be appealed to by anybody at any time for any reason.  We’re a starved generation that’s never seen the glory of God.  We have men and women in their 20’s and 30’s who have never seen the glory of God.  They’re Christians, they’re in Bible schools, and they have never seen the glory of God.  They’ve never known what it is to be in a service where the presence of God is so awe-inspiring that you can’t speak aloud.  There was a day when men believed in the sovereignty of God.  The great God of the Bible is the God into whose presence you went with fear.  When Isaiah saw Him high and lifted up he could only cry out “O God, O God I’m an unclean man.  Daniel fell down like dead and so did John.”

In March 2007 I had the joy of training a group of young Arab Christians who were on their way to an outreach to various Muslim nations in North Africa.  Having a clear understanding of the cost of discipleship in a region where faith costs the most, the training focused primarily on the purpose of the outreach, namely to ultimately bring Glory to God.  It also covered a Biblical understanding of opposition, persecution, and hardship.  I used a number of inspirations from other closed countries as teaching and we spoke of the supremacy of God in worship and persecution

The students ended the week with a declaration as they stood up one by one and committed themselves to live to the Glory of God.  They declared to live a life to be forgotten so that Christ can be remembered.

In early April 2007, the outreach teams completed their training and were commissioned to various countries in North Africa.  One team was sent to a remote village in a mountainous region where the people were still unreached and untouched by the Gospel of Christ.  The teams travelled from village to village where they showed the Jesus film and, through word and deed,  witnessed about their relationship with Christ. 

Then, in a matter of seconds, all the teachings and theology the students learnt in the months before suddenly became a reality.   On the evening of April 26 as they were leaving a village they were ambushed by armed gunmen.  The driver drove away as quickly as possible, but a number of students on the truck were wounded in the shooting.  Four of them died.  

When I heard the news my heart broke.  I realised that I actually trained a group of believers for death.  The theology of martyrdom for the sake of Christ suddenly had names and faces.  My ministry would never be the same again.

The following year I returned to the school to train another group of young believers.  Some of them were on their way back to the town where the tragedy occurred a year previously.  The group committed themselves to go back to the region of the traumatic event, not despite the tragedy but because of the tragedy.  Two of the students who witnessed the death of their friends were now leaders in the school and as they shared their testimonies of the events a new dimension in my attitude towards worship unfolded.

They simply started by referring back to the moment when they committed their lives to the glory of God.

The then one young leader, mature beyond his years, shared his testimony with tears.  Yousuf shared that when he committed his life to the glory of God on that day a year ago it was more a theory than a reality.  He didn’t fully comprehend what he was seeking but he desired it more than anything else.  Then the tragedy happened. 

Sitting in the back of the truck, the events that unfolded were unthinkable.  Everything happened so quickly. 

“When the flashes of gunfire exploded it seemed like time stood still.  My best friend, Markos, was sitting next to me on the truck and as the bullet hit his chest he simply slumped into my arms.  We first drove franticly to the nearest town looking for a clinic to tend to the wounded and the dead. 

With no facilities or medicine available we then had to drive a further five hours to the nearest hospital for help.  The darkness and hopelessness turned the journey into an eternity.  The questions, the fear and yet the serenity of it all made it feel surreal.  When we finally reached the hospital, Markos died in my arms.  It was too late. 

But as he breathed his last words it reflected his commitment to his beloved Saviour:  “Tell my father I died for the glory of God” were his last words.

“At that moment” Yousuf testifies, “The theory of the glory of God became a reality in my life.  I felt it in its fullness.  Now I am satisfied with the glory of God.”

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STORACLES OF FAITH – LESSON 7: Finding Silver in a concentration camp.

There is a well-known story relating to Malachi 3:3 (He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness.)  This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study, so one of the ladies called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that when refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest, in order to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse describing God as a “refiner and purifier of silver”. She asked the silversmith if he had to sit there in front of the fire for the whole process. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, he also had to keep his eyes on the silver for the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman then asked the silversmith how he knew when the silver was fully refined. He smiled at her and answered, “Oh, that’s easy – when I see my image in it.”  

How’s that for a challenge?  To live, act, and respond in such a way that your reflection of God will be pure silver for all to see.  But not the polished silverware presented and cleaned for a celebratory and special tea party, but the purified silver, heated up and placed in the middle of the fire, where it is hottest.  Those moments of purification, pain, and doubt.  The times when life throws a curveball and you are left isolated and forgotten, hanging on a proverbial cross. 

Oh, how we love to polish the silver of our theologies instead of being purified and reflecting God.  And, just in case you are wondering, no, personally I don’t always act like pure silver.  But the Silversmith in heaven is busy with me, watching me, and seeking my purity as much as I am willing to be purified.

One of the most powerful prayers in the midst of suffering was uncovered from the horrors of Ravensbruck concentration camp. Ravensbruck was a concentration camp built in 1939 for women. Over 90,000 women and children perished in Ravensbruck, murdered by the Nazis. Corrie Ten Boom, who wrote The Hiding Place, was imprisoned there too.

The following prayer was found in the clothing of a dead child:

O Lord, remember not only the men and woman of goodwill, but also those of ill will. But do not remember all of the suffering they have inflicted upon us: Instead remember the fruits we have borne because of this suffering, our fellowship, our loyalty to one another, our humility, our courage, our generosity, the greatness of heart that has grown from this trouble. When our persecutors come to be judged by you, let all of these fruits that we have borne be their forgiveness.

That’s pure silver!

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STORACLES OF FAITH – LESSON 6: Imago Dei in a leper camp

Once we are rooted in the Biblical truth of Genesis 1:27 “That all of man is created in the image of God”, we will start seeking the divine in people and not the evil.  

If we truly believe this, as a unique Christian confession, that we are created Imago Dei – in the image of God – then it surely means that we were created to image God – to reflect Him and to carry with us something of His divine, forgiving, merciful, humble, serving and gracious character.  But not just reflecting God, but also recognizing Him in every human being we encounter. 

The sun had just made its appearance above the North African horizon and it seemed as if the heavens had burst into flames – a kingly welcome to a new day.  The vehicle reduced speed and with utter caution turned from the highway onto the desert road.

“How did you know where to turn from the main road” I enquired from Sister Helene. She simply shrugged her shoulders and laughed, “I come here twice a week, usually alone as many are too afraid that they will contract leprosy when touching the patients.  Even the state doctors who are supposed to have clinics here always have an excuse why they cannot attend to the patients”.

Sister Helene was a tiny 68-year old nun who, when she heard of the leper colony in the desert and the dire straits these lepers found themselves in, did not turn her face away but embraced the opportunity to serve them in whatever manner she could, even if it was only to comfort them in their sufferings. She had no financial means of her own on which to draw for relief material, in fact, she suffered from diabetes and understood what it was to live without the dainties of this life.

Since childhood, when reading in the Bible of those who suffered from leprosy (also called Hansen’s disease), my heart melted within me. I could not imagine what it would be like to be an outcast.  Being an untouchable meant being forced to live in caves; food would be thrown to you from a distance as if you were a dog and you’d be denied entry into the temple to worship God.  I vaguely remember visiting the Westford Lepers Institution in Pretoria, South Africa, during the 1970’s as we knew one of the residing doctors. There I had learned that leprosy is caused by a bacterial infection of the skin and nerves, resulting in tissue change and, in severe cases, loss of sensation. Limbs of patients whose septic infections did not heal were simply amputated in the early years of treatment and it was common to see patients without arms or legs. Sadly, until today it is believed that leprosy remains a contagious disease that is incurable as it is spread through bodily fluid.   However, once patients are on regular medication it is no longer contagious and they can live a normal life at home.

The car had been sliding through the golden desert sands for almost an hour when I noticed in the distance what seemed like prison walls with a patrol gate. As we drove closer I could make out the words “LEPERS CONCENTRATION CAMP” on a signage board above the entrance.  Sister Helene motioned at me to lie down on the back seat of the car in order not to be spotted by the guards as no foreigners were allowed to visit the leper colony. As she drove closer to the gate the guards recognized her and simply waved her through. 

Upon entering the men’s compound in the desert, I could already see a line of patients waiting at the clinic entrance.  Some were on crutches, others with blood-soaked bandages wrapped around limbs. The writing on the signage board above the entrance gate echoed in my heart, indeed a place of despair and suffering. As if sister Helene could read my mind she reminded me of the parcels we had prepared for the patients and once we arrived at the clinic we started unloading.  Every parcel contained a couple of bandages made of old bed sheets torn into long material strips which could be wrapped around injured and amputated limbs.  The parcels also contained fleecy winter vests as it got bitterly cold in the desert during the night, as well as a handful of candy, a pure luxury. These parcels represented far more than the contents – it brought comfort to those who received them.  The mere thought that someone remembered them.

Men and women were kept in different compounds which simply meant rows of rooms built in the desert, fenced in so no one could escape and no one could enter without permission. Walking from room to room the same situation presented itself; bare cement floors with two to four steel-framed hospital beds per room of which most did not even have linen on them – just a blanket.  Stuffing from the tattered straw mattresses popped through the holes like rabbits from their burrows.  On makeshift bedside tables, meagre earthly possessions were stored; mostly a mug, a plastic or tin plate and a container with water as the rooms had no running water, nor electricity.  The ablution blocks were quite some distance away.  A few lucky patients had kerosene stoves on which to cook their own food when they received provisions from family or friends from the outside. 

The rooms were stuffy and smelly, and I noted that the windows were small and very high; the only way to reach them was to stand on the beds and thus a minimum of sunlight shone through them.

“Why?” I asked.  “I would have thought that in such conditions it needed to be large windows for good ventilation and lots of sunshine.”  “This is the desert,” Sister Helene replied. “Here we have many snakes and other creatures who crawl into our rooms.  It is better this way”.

Later the morning after Sister Helene had attended to all the male patients, we moved on to the women’s compound. The same picture unfolded before me as in the men’s compound but there was an air of joy amongst these women despite scars and amputated limbs. As soon as they saw Sister Helene they came running towards her, at last hope arrived, at last someone who lovingly cared.  

The previous day well-meaning friends had warned me not to touch the lepers during this visit as they were afraid that I would contract the disease myself.  I was reminded of Jesus, when in Bethany; he sat at the table of Simon the Leper.  Would I heed to the advice of good meaning friends still looking upon these women as lepers; as untouchables?

It soon sounded like finches nesting on a spring day, chatting and laughter and yes, a grand tour of the chicken coop. Somehow these ladies got hold of two chickens, built a chicken coop from what they could find in the desert, and started their own little chicken farm, thus assured of at least eggs and, when possible, chickens to eat.

Sister Helene called me over to where she and a young girl was standing under the only forlorn tree in the compound. “There is someone I would like to introduce you to.  This is Jasmine”.  In my broken Arabic I greeted her, and she responded with a big smile. Even from under the headscarf I could see her scarred face, and I tried my best not to stare. 

“As a young girl Jasmine was diagnosed with leprosy and their village doctor sent her to the ‘concentration camp’. We were overjoyed at her recovery and when she was declared fit and healthy she was sent home.”  Sister Helene started the story.  “But why is she back?” I interrupted.   “Once you are labelled as a leper it is a life sentence, it carries shame not only for the person but for the entire family,” Sister Helene continued.  “They are branded as unclean for life.  Jasmine has two brothers and she is the youngest of the siblings.  When it was discovered that she had leprosy they had to remove her from the village, not only because of the disease but the shame she brought on the family. When we contacted her family with the good news that she was no longer contagious but healed from leprosy they seemed pleased to receive her back and arranged a village party to celebrate her return. They bought her a new outfit and her father slaughtered a goat for the occasion but then something happened that we never foresaw”. 

Sister Helene hesitated for a moment. “Go on,” I encouraged her.

“That evening while the villagers were celebrating, Jasmine’s mother threw a can of Kerosene over her and set her alight – she had to be killed for the honour of her two brothers.  Jasmine not only reminded them of the shame she brought on the family but they were afraid that the two sons would also contract leprosy and be cast out from the village.  It was an attempted honour- killing. Jasmine had to die so the sons could live and for this, no sacrifice would be too high.”

Jasmine survived the attack and was brought back to the compound, but the scars on her body will be a reminder of the shame she brought on the family, a sentence that would forever separate her from those she loved.

Richard Rohr asks this question:  “Can you see the image of Christ in the least of your brothers and sisters? This is Jesus’ only description of the final judgment (Matthew 25). But some say, “They smell. They’re a threat, They’re a nuisance. They’re on welfare. They are a drain on our tax money.” Can we see Christ in all people, even the so-called nobodies who can’t or won’t play our game (of religion)?

When we can see the image of God where we don’t want to see the image of God, then we see with eyes not our own.”

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STORACLES OF FAITH – LESSON 5 – Loving more than your church allows you to

Funny how we sometimes rewrite scripture without even knowing it.

A friend of mine recently commented on the article I wrote on Joe Biden and his Christian confession of “these abiding principles – loving God and loving others – are at the very foundation of my faith.” My friend justifiably felt “unsure if the fruits (of the Spirit) are visible (in the life of Biden)” and that “for him to swear an oath with his hand on presumably the Bible… Makes me shriek…”

My friend rightly quoted the scripture that “By their fruits you shall know them (Mat 7:16, Mat 7:20)” and felt that Biden did not display the fruit of the Spirit.  I assumed that he was referring to Biden’s policies on abortion, same-sex marriages, and other unbiblical practices.

This made me think – is that really the fruit that the Bible provides as the benchmark?  What fruit should we be looking for?  Have we replaced the fruit of the Spirit, as mentioned in Galatians 5:22, with alternatives?

If we are truly honest, we would recognise that we have placed a few extra fruits in our spiritual fruit baskets.

No, we do not recognise a follower of Christ by his position on abortion, same-sex marriages, Marxism, Black Lives Matter, or the LGBT community.  We might recognise his or her theology, but not their relationship with Christ.  I’m not condoning these practices nor do I agree with it from a Biblical position, but this is simply not the fruit that the Bible talks about.  The “fruit-list” of our inner convictions is actually provided in Scripture and doesn’t leave us guessing.  If we seek to recognize someone by their fruit, then here it is, irreplaceable, irreversible, and irrevocable:  love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness and self-control.

A President can have great policies but still not be recognisable as a follower of Christ if these fruits are absent.  Being anti-abortion but unkind, unloving, and ungentle is of very little value.

So what about having bad policies but having a more tolerant attitude, being more gentle in approach, and more kind in conduct?  Here is my answer:  By their fruit you will recognize them.  It’s as simple as that.  A good tree bears good fruit and a bad tree bears bad fruit.   A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.   Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

Sorry, I must confess, these are not my words.  These are the words of Christ Himself found in Matthew 7:16.  If you have a problem with this or disagree, please talk to Him directly.  I am simply quoting.

One of my colleagues, visiting Leningrad (St Petersburg) during this time attended a Russian Orthodox Church on a Sunday morning with a desire to celebrate communion with local brothers and sisters.  When the priest approached my friend, there was an immediate hesitation and the priest refused to offer the bread and wine to this suspicious looking stranger.  Deeply saddened my friend got up and left the Church, heartbroken that after many years of service in this nation he loved so much, he was unable to celebrate the bread and wine with people he loved and respected. 

After walking for a few blocks, he suddenly realized that he was being followed by the brother that sat next to him in Church.  The man ran after him with his cup and piece of bread in his hand and asked if he could serve my friend and offer him communion in the street.  My friend was overwhelmed by this gesture of solidarity.  He looked at the man and asked the obvious question,  “Why are you doing this when your priest refused to serve me?”  The answer was clear: “My brother, sometimes you need to love people more than your Church allows you to.”

These words, and this principle, have stuck with me for the past 30 years of ministry; to have a Glasnost love, an open love that passes all understanding, all borders and defies all reasoning.

To have an openness to love more than is allowed, to risk more than is required, to encourage more than is deserved, to sacrifice more than is expected, to be kinder than is anticipated, to trust more than is reasonable, to work harder than is demanded, to give more than is necessary and an openness to bless more than is anticipated. 

Sometimes we have to love more than our politics allow us to.  This is fruit, recognizable for all to see

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LESSON 4 – The ultimate purpose of an apple tree

Dr. Edmond Locard (13 December 1877 – 4 May 1966) was a French criminologist, the pioneer in forensic science who became known as the “Sherlock Holmes of France”. He formulated the basic principle of forensic science: “Every contact leaves a trace”. This became known as Locard’s exchange principle.

Paul L. Kirk summerised this principle as follows:

“Wherever he steps, whatever he touches, whatever he leaves, even unconsciously, will serve as a silent witness against him. Not only his fingerprints or his footprints, but his hair, the fibers from his clothes, the glass he breaks, the tool mark he leaves, the paint he scratches, the blood he deposits or collects. All of these and more, bear mute witness against him. This is evidence that does not forget. It is not absent because human witnesses are.”

All of our actions, regardless of our testimony or our theology, regardless of our race or our religion, whether we believe it or not, whether we know it or not, where ever we move and whoever we engage with, will ultimately bear mute witness against us.  Never was this more evident than during the COVID-19 pandemic

So, here’s the ultimate question.  What traces did you leave behind in 2020? – Fear, suspicion, and distrust – or faith, hope, and trust … or, even worse – nothing.

Arriving at a small house church in rural China, we found about 20 believers gathered in the small living room. The house church meeting started at 8:30 am with 90 minutes of sharing and Bible study. Around 10am, the ‘normal’ church service started. With the windows closed, we sang and clapped along with the music from a CD player. The songs were sung loudly from a self-made songbook as we worshipped. After singing, the visitors were asked to share. The temperature in the room had increased to tropical level. We were welcomed with warm applause when we explained that we came because we love China and thousands of people in our countries regularly pray for China.

Then the pastor introduced his sermon with a question:

“What is the ultimate purpose of an apple tree?”

Everybody echoed our own thoughts. “To bear fruit!”

“No,” the pastor answered,

“The ultimate goal of an apple tree is to reproduce more apple trees, not just fruit.  Yes, you are correct, this happens through the seed of the apple but if the tree only produced apples there would be no future for apple trees.  It would simply die after it produced a harvest of fruit.  To secure fruit for the future the focus is not productction but reproduction, not adding but multiplying.”  The Pastor then added the spiritual implications.  “So often we focus on adding members to the church instead of reproducing faith and teaching people to teach others, like Paul commanded the Church in 2 Timothy 2:2.  The sole purpose of a believer is not only to produce fruit but to reproduce the virtues of Christ in others so that others are equipped to reproduce in others as well.  Faith generates more faith, love inspires more love”

We all came to the critical conclusion that on the journey of faith, the ultimate goal of every believer is to deposit life, to reproduce in others fruit that will glorify God, and to leave behind traces of faith that will inspire others to do the same.

I need to remember this next time I respond to a post on social media.  How about you?

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LESSON 3 – “I kept on smiling”

Look at this picture and determine for yourself which child best represents your attitude when you look back at 2020

Then, have an honest look at 2021 with a clear understanding that your Christian witness is not reliant on COVID-19, lockdown, the vaccine, or the economy – it will be determined by your attitude.

One of the major challenges in a post-modern age is NOT that there is a lack of sufficient worship, but rather that there is a complete lack of abdication.  The point is this:  Worship does not define you as a disciple of Christ;  self-denial does.  (Matthew 16:24  Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.)  

Meeting Philemon in Bhutan was an encounter that will remain with me as long as I live.  Philemon shared that when he heard the name Jesus as a young Buddhist, he fell in love with Jesus.  He knew little about salvation, but he fell in love with the Saviour.  About 6 months after he had accepted Christ the persecution became very severe in the district where he lived.  If Christians were caught, they were beaten and given two options:  1) they could leave the country, or 2) renounce their faith.  If they chose to leave, they were to take even the bones of their deceased family members with them.

Philemon knew he could not deny Jesus and he did not want to leave Bhutan.  He understood there was a purpose for his life and he started visiting Christians in hiding, encouraging them to remain faithful.  His activities were soon discovered and he was arrested.  He was taken to a police station where his Bible was confiscated and he was beaten until he lost consciousness.  When he regained consciousness he was filled with so much joy – what a privilege to suffer for the Lord!  Authorities then took his police clearance and Bhutanese citizenship and let him go.  Of course he did not stop his Christian activities and he continued to serve and encourage the Christian community.

Soon Philemon became known in the community and a bounty was put on his head: anybody who saw him could arrest him.  It was therefore not long before he was arrested and faced the authorities once more.  They again demanded that he renounce his faith.  When he refused, he was beaten in public – hundreds of his fellow villagers watched the beatings.  The police would beat Philemon until he was unconscious and then take him away, only to face the beatings again the next day with the same consequences.  Philemon went through the process of public beatings for days without end. 

Regarding all his ordeals, Philemon had the following to say: “While they were beating me I only had one concern.  I knew that other believers were watching me and I didn’t want them to be filled with fear or to be discouraged, so I knew I had to keep on smiling while they were beating me.”

What a testimony of self-denial.  What a testimony of true worship.  What a selfless act to think about those who surround you, instead of your own pain.  What a wonderful Christ-like attitude!

May 2021 be a year where we reflect the attitude of Philemon, finding strength in Christ to keep on providing hope to those around us, regardless of life’s beatings and struggles.

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LESSON 2 – 1 January 2021: “I just want to serve Jesus”

2021 – Many would start the new year with great AMBITIONS, instead of starting it with great ASPIRATIONS.  The difference is simple.  AMBITION is what we hope to achieve.  ASPIRATION is what we hope to become. 

 

AMBITION says we have to lose more weight, get more exercise, find a new job, travel more, etc.  ASPIRATION says I want to be kinder, less self-centered, more generous, more serving, etc.

One of the greatest dangers in our walk with Christ is the implementation of secular ambitions to obtain spiritual aspirations.  Francis Frangipane wrote the following on ambition:  “Ambition seeks to put to death what stands between it and spiritual fulfillment.

On 15 December 1999, a mob of more than 400 people attacked the Doulos Bible School on the outskirts of Jakarta, Indonesia.  One of the main aims of this Bible school was to evangelise the 30 million-strong Sundanese, the largest unreached people group in the world, who live in West Java.

During the attack, seminary student Sariman died and 44 other students were wounded. Approximately 80% of the buildings were destroyed.

The attack started in the evening while most students were preparing for exams. There had also been a time of fellowship that evening, led by Sariman who was on his way to Central Java for a campus ministry.

Domingus, a young student who was studying at the Bible school, later shared his testimony with us:

“I was asleep in bed so I didn’t know what was happening. Suddenly a friend woke me and shouted that we were being attacked. The building was already burning and I did not know where to run. I knew if I ran to the main gate, I would be killed.

I ran to the back of the campus where my friend lived. I prayed, ‘Lord, if I die I know I will go to heaven.’  Suddenly the crowds arrived and they shouted to kill me. I thought about dying and going to heaven.

They grabbed me and blindfolded me. They carried me to a dark place and opened my eyes. There were about 30 people and I knew it would be impossible to defend myself. The Lord said to me: ‘Don’t be afraid, I will be with you.’

They started talking amongst themselves about how to kill me.  One suggested the burn me, another one to behead me.  One of the mob then picked up a big stick, hit me over the head, and I lost consciousness. I felt my spirit leave my body and I saw five people in bright clothes in front of me. My spirit said, ‘These must be angels that will take me home.’

Through a sequence of events, I was brought to a place where people were singing and worshipping God. I was then brought to a room, which I knew was the room of judgment. I saw a book on my right with names in.  I saw my name in the book.  Suddenly the room was lit by a very bright light.  I closed my eyes, and bowed down. The light disappeared and I hear a voice: ‘Domingus, your time has not come yet, it is time to go back!’  The voice came from a man on a white horse. The man and the horse suddenly became bright lights and disappeared.

When I suddenly regained consciousness it was dark and I was alone.  I tried to look at my watch but couldn’t move my neck.  I realised that they tried to behead me and my neck was very badly cut from one side to the other. I found a lot of fluid on my body and saw all the blood. I prayed that the Lord would send someone to take me to the hospital.  I thanked the Lord that I could be persecuted for the gospel and that through this I could meet Him.

(It was later discovered that, after beheading Domingus, the mob tried to burn him by setting his hair on fire but because of all the blood they were unsuccessful.)

After I had prayed, a man came to me to help me, but I could not speak. He thought I was dead and called the police.  When the police arrived they asked, ‘Where did you find this corpse?’  They picked me up and threw me in the back of a van.  When I fell, I groaned and they realised I was still alive and took me to hospital. This was already four hours after they had attacked me. I tried to open my eyes and I still saw the angels around me. When I arrived at hospital, the rector was there and he prayed for me as I was taken to ICU. I stayed there for three days. The doctors said I would be paralysed if I survive, but today I am alive, and as you can see, I am not paralysed.”

Upon the conclusion of his testimony, we ask Domingus about what was to happen next, considering his life could still be at risk. “What do you want to do with your life, Domingus?”

Domingus looked serenely at us and with great conviction answered: “I just want to serve Jesus, I just want to serve the Jesus.”

May this be my, and your, aspiration for 2021 – a year of serving Jesus.  Not just in theology, but to love more than is allowed, to risk more than is required, to encourage more than is deserved, to sacrifice more than is expected, to be kinder than is anticipated, to trust more than is reasonable, to work harder than is demanded, to give more than is necessary and an openness to bless more than is anticipated.

 

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LESSON 1 – Spread the wings of your spirit and fly to Jesus

25 December – a time of peace and joy for those who are fortunate enough to celebrate the birth of their Saviour in freedom. But for Marko and his two fellow believers, this was the 15th Christmas that they had to celebrate behind the bars of a prison cell in a Muslim country.

On the 26th of December, we knew we had no option. We had to visit Marko as an encouragement and confirm to him once again the love of a Saviour who is called Emmanuel.

From the outset, we understood the difficulties as we approached the grey building. Our Arab friend, Joshua, did everything in his power to assist us securely through the iron gates, but we knew that only a miracle from a loving Father would open doors to two Westerners into this closed area.

Joshua was wise enough to pack a suitcase full of food, supposedly for Marko but with a clear understanding that winning the favour of the prison guards with “gifts of persuasion” will be the only way we will obtain entry into the prison.  We were searched and most of the gifts were confiscated according to the needs and wants of the guards. We were then told to wait in a room that bore the marks of many tears and sorrows.  We waited patiently as Joshua approached the dirty counter. “We would like to visit Marko Abraham” he asked. The guard paged through a long list of names and unceremoniously answered, “There is no one by this name here.” Experience surfaced as Joshua tried again. “Sorry, I forgot, we would like to see prisoner number 9979”. The guard paged through the list again and answered abruptly, “Wait till you are called.”

Sadness filled our hearts. A human soul, a brother, and a loved one had been reduced to a number. We knew now even more than before that this was the right place and the right time for us to be there.

An even greater sense of sadness filled our hearts as we entered the visiting quarters. Even though we had often heard that a prison cell in the Middle East is the closest to hell that you could experience on earth, nothing prepared us for the sense of hopelessness in this room of despair.

As the prisoners entered, it was not difficult to recognise Marko and his two friends. Beaming eyes and smiling faces immediately assured us that they had not been separated from the love of God. Tears flowed freely as they shared how lonely they had been on Christmas Day and how joyful they were to know that they had not been forgotten.

“It was so difficult yesterday…” Marko said softly. “Apart from being a Christian prisoner in a Muslim prison, it was also the fast of Ramadan.  We were not allowed out of our cells and we were not allowed to talk to anyone. Fortunately, a week ago, the three of us got hold of a piece of cake and we hid it underneath our cushions especially for Christmas Day. Yesterday, when the fast was broken, we walked to one another, held the slices of cake together, and softly proclaimed  “Merry Christmas” – that was our Christmas.”

We felt so inadequate in the comfort that we tried to bring. We cried, we prayed, but most of all we rejoiced. We knew once again that nothing can separate us from the love of God.

The visiting hour flew by and soon it was time to say goodbye. Before he was marched off back to his prison cell, we asked Marko a final question: “What are you going to do now when you get to your cell and once again you are all alone?”

Marko smiled and, with a deep sense of hope and serenity, answered the following: “I simply spread the wings of my spirit and I fly to Jesus.”

May this Christmas, and every day that follows, be an opportunity for us to spread the wings of our Spirits and fly to Jesus – regardless of lockdowns, isolation, or restrictions.  Remember, nothing, yes NOTHING, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord –  neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation.  (Romans 8:38)