Victorious Faith
What enables a Christian to have the kind of victorious faith that 17-year prisoner of Soviet Union had? How can we live so victoriously? The speaker at the seminar gave several common denominators of such Christians.
1. They know Jesus. He said he could tell in 15 minutes whether the person he was interviewing truly knew Jesus or not.
2. They know how to pray and fast. The speaker told many stories of prayer among the persecuted. In some countries, the safest way to interview someone is to act the tourist and walk the city streets with the one being interviewed as they talk. Several times he would be walking along with such a person and the other would be talking and he’d turn to them and ask, “What did you say?” “Oh, I wasn’t talking to you. I was talking to God.” Victorious Christians are never out of touch with God.
3. Large portions of the Bible can be recreated by memory. Far too many of us haven’t even read it cover to cover once but what do we do when someone wants to know what we believe and why? Even if we have our Bible nearby and reach for it, it takes time to find what we’re looking for. I know. I’ve been there. We need to become so familiar with God’s Word that we can share what’s in it even when we don’t have it with us. We need this for our own encouragement as well as for sharing with others.
4. Large amounts of indigenous Christian music has been committed to memory. In North America, churches squabble over what kind of music to use, not realizing that every generation needs and deserves its own heart music. This is serious. If you take away a generation’s music, you strip them.
In his interviews, the speaker asks, “What’s your verse? What’s your song? What bubbles up when things are hard?” How would you answer those questions?
5. The persecuted know they are prayed for. In a gathering of 150 pastors in China, the speaker was asked, “Has Jesus come to any other countries?” And so he told them about all the rest of us. They asked if others are persecuted like them and so he told them about the two most restricted countries in the world. They were completely silent and he didn’t know why.
The next morning, 150 pastors were shrieking at his door. When he stepped out, he found them on their faces. “What are they saying?” he asked his interpreter. “Just listen,” he was told. As he walked among them, he heard the names of the two persecuted countries he had talked about. They were so moved for places where the persecution was worse than they knew that they, as a group, had determined to get up an hour early every day to pray for these two countries. A year later he asked the Christians in one of these countries what had happened the year before. They said, “You wouldn’t believe it! We’ve had a complete outbreak of the gospel!” They are so grateful to China for praying for them.
6. The Local Believing Community cares for their families. One woman, whose husband was in prison, had food thrust upon her so much in the marketplace that she sewed a large cape with huge pockets on the inside. People would surreptitiously give her food as she walked through the market place and she’d hide it away. When the coat was full, she’d go home until in need again. Another woman found what she needed on her doorstep—food, bicycle, whatever.
7. Victorious Christians know that their suffering is for Jesus’ sake. One sending agency, when two of their young women missionaries were thrown in jail, wanted to send a press release apologizing for the witnessing the girls had done. The speaker, brought in to give advice, told them to rip it up. The girls were being accused of loving Jesus and helping the poor. When this is true, say, “I’m guilty!” When those we love are sent to jail or worse, tell them “I’m so proud of you! You’re here for Jesus’ sake!”
8. Victorious Christians know their persecution is normal. The number one cause of people being persecuted is people coming to Jesus. The number one result of people being persecuted is people coming to Jesus.
9. Victorious Christians have claimed their freedom. In the West, our laws say we have the right to be happy and laws are put in place to help govern this, telling us what we can’t do. In the 10-40 window, the laws tell a person what they can do. If there’s no law, they can’t do it. So in some persecuted countries, the Christians there are waiting for the government to give them permission to gather as churches or to evangelize, etc.
What gives us our freedom? Israel had just spent 400 years as slaves in Egypt. A slave has no rights and no freedoms. She works 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. She has no days off and no choices. When they reached Mount Sinai and heard Moses read the Ten Commandments for the first time, when he got to the one that reads, “Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy,” they would have heard, “My people are free!” and they would have cried because only free people can take a day off. Our freedom comes from God, not from governments or any other source.
10. Victorious Christians have lost their fear. The Chinese church knows their possessions belong to Jesus. Whatever the government threatens to take away, they cry, “Take! Then I’ll be free to….”
Fear of persecution is more debilitating that persecution itself. Fear makes us irrational. We have the freedom to choose joy and Satan can’t take that away from us. This is a truth I need to spend much time pondering for myself. Ask someone, “What are you afraid of?” When they tell you, ask, “Who’s had that happen to them in the last 20 years?” No one. “So then, why are you afraid?
Who or what are YOU afraid of when it comes to living your faith?
11. Victorious Christians have a genealogy of faith. There was much persecution in the Ukraine during the time of the Soviet Union. The speaker asked one man, “Where did you learn to live and die like this?” “In my father’s lap.”
When the man was a boy, his father sat him on his lap with the family gathered around and said, “Tomorrow I will be arrested. Everyone in this area who refuses to deny their faith will be hanged. So, when I hear in prison that my wife and children were hanged, I’ll be the happiest man because I’ll know you kept the faith.”
Time after time the speaker has asked, “Where did you learn victorious living?” and he’s been told, “From my father, my mother, grandmother, uncle, aunt.” But Christians coming out of Islam don’t have this, nor do other new believers, so what can we do? We can create for them a genealogy of faith—showing them the history of faith from the Bible and since and also being an example and standing in the gap for those who don’t have their own genealogy of faith.
What if you are a new believer and you don’t have family to model for you? You can begin to create your own by finding godly men and women who can be examples of faith for you. You can also begin finding and reading the stories of victorious Christians who have held on to their faith despite all odds. You will be encouraged.
1. They know Jesus. He said he could tell in 15 minutes whether the person he was interviewing truly knew Jesus or not.
2. They know how to pray and fast. The speaker told many stories of prayer among the persecuted. In some countries, the safest way to interview someone is to act the tourist and walk the city streets with the one being interviewed as they talk. Several times he would be walking along with such a person and the other would be talking and he’d turn to them and ask, “What did you say?” “Oh, I wasn’t talking to you. I was talking to God.” Victorious Christians are never out of touch with God.
3. Large portions of the Bible can be recreated by memory. Far too many of us haven’t even read it cover to cover once but what do we do when someone wants to know what we believe and why? Even if we have our Bible nearby and reach for it, it takes time to find what we’re looking for. I know. I’ve been there. We need to become so familiar with God’s Word that we can share what’s in it even when we don’t have it with us. We need this for our own encouragement as well as for sharing with others.
4. Large amounts of indigenous Christian music has been committed to memory. In North America, churches squabble over what kind of music to use, not realizing that every generation needs and deserves its own heart music. This is serious. If you take away a generation’s music, you strip them.
In his interviews, the speaker asks, “What’s your verse? What’s your song? What bubbles up when things are hard?” How would you answer those questions?
5. The persecuted know they are prayed for. In a gathering of 150 pastors in China, the speaker was asked, “Has Jesus come to any other countries?” And so he told them about all the rest of us. They asked if others are persecuted like them and so he told them about the two most restricted countries in the world. They were completely silent and he didn’t know why.
The next morning, 150 pastors were shrieking at his door. When he stepped out, he found them on their faces. “What are they saying?” he asked his interpreter. “Just listen,” he was told. As he walked among them, he heard the names of the two persecuted countries he had talked about. They were so moved for places where the persecution was worse than they knew that they, as a group, had determined to get up an hour early every day to pray for these two countries. A year later he asked the Christians in one of these countries what had happened the year before. They said, “You wouldn’t believe it! We’ve had a complete outbreak of the gospel!” They are so grateful to China for praying for them.
6. The Local Believing Community cares for their families. One woman, whose husband was in prison, had food thrust upon her so much in the marketplace that she sewed a large cape with huge pockets on the inside. People would surreptitiously give her food as she walked through the market place and she’d hide it away. When the coat was full, she’d go home until in need again. Another woman found what she needed on her doorstep—food, bicycle, whatever.
7. Victorious Christians know that their suffering is for Jesus’ sake. One sending agency, when two of their young women missionaries were thrown in jail, wanted to send a press release apologizing for the witnessing the girls had done. The speaker, brought in to give advice, told them to rip it up. The girls were being accused of loving Jesus and helping the poor. When this is true, say, “I’m guilty!” When those we love are sent to jail or worse, tell them “I’m so proud of you! You’re here for Jesus’ sake!”
8. Victorious Christians know their persecution is normal. The number one cause of people being persecuted is people coming to Jesus. The number one result of people being persecuted is people coming to Jesus.
9. Victorious Christians have claimed their freedom. In the West, our laws say we have the right to be happy and laws are put in place to help govern this, telling us what we can’t do. In the 10-40 window, the laws tell a person what they can do. If there’s no law, they can’t do it. So in some persecuted countries, the Christians there are waiting for the government to give them permission to gather as churches or to evangelize, etc.
What gives us our freedom? Israel had just spent 400 years as slaves in Egypt. A slave has no rights and no freedoms. She works 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. She has no days off and no choices. When they reached Mount Sinai and heard Moses read the Ten Commandments for the first time, when he got to the one that reads, “Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy,” they would have heard, “My people are free!” and they would have cried because only free people can take a day off. Our freedom comes from God, not from governments or any other source.
10. Victorious Christians have lost their fear. The Chinese church knows their possessions belong to Jesus. Whatever the government threatens to take away, they cry, “Take! Then I’ll be free to….”
Fear of persecution is more debilitating that persecution itself. Fear makes us irrational. We have the freedom to choose joy and Satan can’t take that away from us. This is a truth I need to spend much time pondering for myself. Ask someone, “What are you afraid of?” When they tell you, ask, “Who’s had that happen to them in the last 20 years?” No one. “So then, why are you afraid?
Who or what are YOU afraid of when it comes to living your faith?
11. Victorious Christians have a genealogy of faith. There was much persecution in the Ukraine during the time of the Soviet Union. The speaker asked one man, “Where did you learn to live and die like this?” “In my father’s lap.”
When the man was a boy, his father sat him on his lap with the family gathered around and said, “Tomorrow I will be arrested. Everyone in this area who refuses to deny their faith will be hanged. So, when I hear in prison that my wife and children were hanged, I’ll be the happiest man because I’ll know you kept the faith.”
Time after time the speaker has asked, “Where did you learn victorious living?” and he’s been told, “From my father, my mother, grandmother, uncle, aunt.” But Christians coming out of Islam don’t have this, nor do other new believers, so what can we do? We can create for them a genealogy of faith—showing them the history of faith from the Bible and since and also being an example and standing in the gap for those who don’t have their own genealogy of faith.
What if you are a new believer and you don’t have family to model for you? You can begin to create your own by finding godly men and women who can be examples of faith for you. You can also begin finding and reading the stories of victorious Christians who have held on to their faith despite all odds. You will be encouraged.
posted by Magdaleine at 12:00 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home