"In the Lord I put my trust; how can you say to my soul, 'Flee as a bird to your mountain'?" (Psalm 11:1)
The prayer concern for today on the Open Doors prayer calendar concerns the nation of Turkmenistan. "The secret police raided a private flat where a group of five elderly women regularly met for worship. The police frightened them so much that they stopped their meetings." The Turkmenistan secret police said to these women, "Flee as a bird to your mountain". I pray it is only a temporary setback. I pray that they will come back and stand strong in Jesus Christ. Now some cynic may say, "Well, that's easy for you to say." At one time perhaps, but not after the revelation of nearly 45 years ago of the condition of the suffering Church in Eastern Europe. As the years went by, I realized more and more the day to day struggle against the forces of, "Flee as a bird to your mountain". The people whom I met did not. This I pray for the Church Universal.
In today's text it came to me that since the Lord Jesus Christ is my refuge, don't talk to me about fleeing. And you know as well as I that the world says this to Followers of Jesus constantly. Verse three of Psalm 11 says, "If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?" This is the attempt of what the Bible calls, "the enemies of the Cross of Christ." They want to destroy the foundation of the Church, "the faith of Jesus," indeed, the very Kingdom of God. If they can get you and me to, "Flee as a bird to your mountain", then they have won. Okay, evangelicals, maybe Peter was not the, "Rock," but God does build with and upon people (Ephesians 2:19-22). Jesus said, "Go and make disciples of all nations...." This command is to you and me, to human beings redeemed by the Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. If the early church had surrendered to, "Flee as a bird to your mountain", there would be no Church in, "all nations." This is what the Lord God ordained, to reach lost humanity by a redeemed-through-the-Blood-of- Jesus new humanity. Now never, "Flee as a bird to your mountain".
Father, in Jesus' Name, You know that there have been times when I have. May I never do that again. Amen.
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The prayer concern for today on the Open Doors prayer calendar concerns the nation of Turkmenistan. "The secret police raided a private flat where a group of five elderly women regularly met for worship. The police frightened them so much that they stopped their meetings." The Turkmenistan secret police said to these women, "Flee as a bird to your mountain". I pray it is only a temporary setback. I pray that they will come back and stand strong in Jesus Christ. Now some cynic may say, "Well, that's easy for you to say." At one time perhaps, but not after the revelation of nearly 45 years ago of the condition of the suffering Church in Eastern Europe. As the years went by, I realized more and more the day to day struggle against the forces of, "Flee as a bird to your mountain". The people whom I met did not. This I pray for the Church Universal.
In today's text it came to me that since the Lord Jesus Christ is my refuge, don't talk to me about fleeing. And you know as well as I that the world says this to Followers of Jesus constantly. Verse three of Psalm 11 says, "If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?" This is the attempt of what the Bible calls, "the enemies of the Cross of Christ." They want to destroy the foundation of the Church, "the faith of Jesus," indeed, the very Kingdom of God. If they can get you and me to, "Flee as a bird to your mountain", then they have won. Okay, evangelicals, maybe Peter was not the, "Rock," but God does build with and upon people (Ephesians 2:19-22). Jesus said, "Go and make disciples of all nations...." This command is to you and me, to human beings redeemed by the Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. If the early church had surrendered to, "Flee as a bird to your mountain", there would be no Church in, "all nations." This is what the Lord God ordained, to reach lost humanity by a redeemed-through-the-Blood-of- Jesus new humanity. Now never, "Flee as a bird to your mountain".
Father, in Jesus' Name, You know that there have been times when I have. May I never do that again. Amen.
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When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
