December 8, 2009

Since I first started preaching, I have probably closed in excess of 600 Church Services with what I have classed as "one of the greatest benedictions in the Bible"!

"Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant.  Make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ; to Whom be glory forever and ever. Amen" (HEBREWS 13: 20, 21)

Amidst all the great theological truths embodied in that prayer, one stood out to me particularly early this morning: "…working in you that which is well-pleasing in His sight…" I pondered the implications of what that means in my daily life! And II CORINTHIANS says, “…we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ…” (2:15)

And I marveled anew that God, indeed, is at work in us, seeking to fashion in us “the likeness of His Son” in order that we might glorify Him!!

What a treasure we have in Christ!!!

I took a journey today--I covered thousands of miles--all from my desk--all on my knees.  I was there--in Egypt--in Turkey--in Sudan--in Pakistan--in Somalia--in Kenya--in Chad--in Kashmir--in Bangladesh--in Malaysia--in Syria--in the Philippines.  And throughout my "trip" through these Muslim lands, the same sounds and images assaulted my senses: cardboard "houses", burning churches, refugees, children crying, hunger, water-borne diseases, false accusations of blasphemy, a congregation deprived of its pastor, nights filled with fear, uncertainty, foreboding, pain, sorrow, danger, hopelessness, depression, and the cry of prisoners echoing from filthy jails.

And I suffered with them.  These are God's people.  These are children of the Heavenly King.  And the words of Scripture haunted me, "…when one member (of the body) suffers, all the members suffer with it…"

November 22, 2009

How often my heart is captured by the encompassing scope and lofty grandeur of Scripture.  Just this morning I was captivated by the superlative thoughts of Nehemiah;  

 "Thou, even thou, art Lord alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee."(9:6)

 Just ponder all that is embodied in that one verse!!

The God who gave the vision for Smyrna Ministries International is the God Who gave us Nehemiah 9:6!!  As we are obedient to the "heavenly vision" our Lord will use Smyrna in greater and greater ways to minister to the Church that finds itself under the oppressive heel of Islam!

Will you join us in this compelling, defining Ministry? Contact us!

October 26, 2009

I opened the morning paper and looked at the appalling cacophony of atrocities exploding in places like Somalia, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, and more—the list seemed endless.

Then in my Study I meditated on the words of II Peter, that out of the morass of wickedness, corruption and deceit—and out of the broken, shattered lives that spread across the earth today, Peter talks about another day—The Day of the Lord, when “the heavens will pass away with a roar, the heavenly bodies will be removed by being burned up, and the earth with all of its works will melt away.”

In that day:
•    The Persecuted will be persecuted no more
•    The sorrowing will sorrow no more
•    Wrongs will be made right
•    Purity will replace the moral turpitude of the day
•    Absolute justice will reign
•    Christ will be forever seated on His Throne
•    The Redeemed will worship and serve the Saviour through endless Age after Age after Age…………

Be encouraged, embattled saint, “your redemption is drawing near.”

Thessalonians calls it “the blessed hope”—it’s also called the Second Coming of Christ—it’s called eschatology—the end times—the Rapture—the final consummation of the Age—the gathering together of the saints.  No matter what terminology one uses to describe these coming Biblical events—it is AWESOME!
 
 
When Paul wrote to the Church in the city of Ephesus he prayed that “the eyes of their heart would be enlightened so that they might know what the hope is to which He called them, how gloriously rich God’s portion is in His people, and how surpassingly great is His power for us who believe, measured by His tremendously mighty power when He raised Christ from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand in heaven, far above every other government, authority, power, and dominion, yes, far above every other title that can be conferred..”  (selected paraphrase from the Williams translation)
 
As Christians we have resources absolutely beyond measurement, don’t we?  Throughout the rest of Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus we find superlative after superlative pointing to who and what we are—because of Christ!!
 
And the unifying theme of it all is the Cross!!
 
Makes me want to know Him even better!
Makes me want to serve Him more and more!
 
How about you?

FEASTING ON THE WORD

Just like a good steak dinner, I feasted for a few moments on some great spiritual food this morning!  It was in Romans, chapter 5.  The Holy Spirit is telling us we have been given right standing with God through His Son!

That was really wonderful -- but then I read, "...let us continue exulting in our sufferings, for we know that suffering produces endurance, and endurance, tested character, and tested character, hope, and hope never disappoints us, for through the Holy Spirit that has been given us, God's love has flooded our hearts." (Selected from Williams translation)

We have a great God, don’t we?

THE FIRST MARTYR OF THE CHURCH

What a scene!  The angry, lawless crowd, grinding their teeth, infuriated that Stephen had the audacity -- the temerity -- to recount the dark history of their defiance of the Living God, and then declare, "You have betrayed and murdered the Righteous One."

With life ebbing and deadly rocks flying through the air Stephen looks right into heaven and sees the glory of God -- and Jesus at his right hand.  With a glow on his face, and eternal victory in his sights, Stephen shouts, "Lord, I see heaven open, and the Son of Man standing at God's right hand."

The blood of the first martyr -- the seed of the Church -- Jesus standing in recognition of this awesome moment!

Today, the legacy lives on!!!

DECEPTION LEADS TO INJUSTICE

This morning I was reading about Stephen in Acts 6 & 7.  There are many similarities between the persecution of Christians across the Islamic world, and what Stephen faced in the natal days of the Church.

The Book of Acts tells us that the people found false witnesses who conjured up claims that Stephen spoke abusive words against God.

Such clear distortions of truth led to Stephen's stoning.  Today, such distortions in the Islamic world lead to injustice of every kind against the people of God -- even including martyrdom.

Faithful Christians in the Islamic world deserve our fervent intercession.  They stand as a bulwark against the assault of Islam that faces the Church of Jesus Christ.

The Ongoing Saga of Islamic Tyranny

We just received word from a close American associate about two situations where Muslim radicals are once more trying to suffocate Christians before they have the chance to grow.  Muslims destroyed the housing facility at a Christian school in Indonesia.  This forces students to live in four different locations.  One group lives in tents, with no protection from the oncoming rainy season.  In Turkey, Muslims successfully had a church evicted and a Bible-distribution center shut down.  And the people of God continue to suffer persecution!

The Suffering of Christians Continues!

I make this Founder's Note entry with a broken heart today -- a heart that aches for 8-year-old Vera.

You see, her father is a Pastor in Uzbekistan.  Two years ago he was thrown into prison by the Islamic authorities because he was telling people about God -- about how they could have life never-ending through His Son's historic sacrifice on a rough wooden cross.  And for that he languishes in a prison cell!  And Vera waits for his release.  Please, please never let up in your prayers for the persecuted.  It means so much to them!!!