In preparation for Sunday's lesson in GSM, I have been reading from Richard Wurmbrand's "Tortured for Christ." I was introduced to this book by a brother of mine, affectionately known as Jimbopolis, and I have to say it has opened my eyes quite a bit. Wurmbrand was a Romanian pastor who spent 14 years in Communist prisons, and went on to found the Voice of the Martyrs. In this book he recounts some of the atrocities he saw and heard during his time in prison. The Lord has used the stories in this book to awaken my faith and humble my heart in ways I never thought possible. I highly recommend you pick up a copy and read it.
As I think over the examples these brave Christians set, one phrase keeps coming to mind: these people believed. The message and love of Christ truly took root in their heart, and they were changed. They continued to believe even though they endured the most intense physical and emotional torture one can imagine. So often we turn from Him when we simply don't get the blessings we want (or possibly even think we deserve)--when we don't get the car or house we want; when teachers or bosses give us a lot of work to do; when our team loses a big game; or when we lose a boyfriend/girlfriend.
Like spoiled children running off to pout in the corner, we merely play at religion. Meanwhile, there are people all over the world who are fighting and enduring--enduring arrests, imprisonments, beatings, tortures, starvations, and death. And against all human wisdom, their faith does not dwindle, but grows, deepens, and thrives.
Some of you may think that these stories are merely indicative of a different time--that we are somehow more civilized now, and such things don't occur anymore. But the heart of man is deceitfully wicked, and that is a fact that still rings true today. The Devil still wages war on God and His people; and he is still attempting to thwart God's plan for the redemption of man. He is still using fear, torture and murder to try and stop God's people from being His witnesses in all parts of the world. But just as he failed with earlier Christians, he continues to fail now, for greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. By the power of the Holy Spirit, God's love continues to thrive despite the best efforts of the Devil.
As I thought about these Christians around the world who are suffering for their faith (in countries like North Korea, Iran, Pakistan, China, and Vietnam, where the life expectancy for missionaries can be a little as 3 months), I couldn't help but examine the faith of Americans in light of such sacrifice. Despite all the blessings we have received, and all the advantages we enjoy, we are not the leaders of the Christian faith in the world. We have all the knowledge we can get; and thinking that enough, our hearts remain untouched, and our love and faith lag desperately behind. There are poor farmers and ordinary citizens all over the world, some of whose bodies are broken by beatings and rotting in cells, who would shame us with their examples of faith and obedience.
We are haunted by the plague of prosperity and comfort--we join with Judas in trading the glory of our Lord for the comfort of 30 meager silver coins. I pray that God would deliver us from both of them--that we would be freed from our love of the things of the world so that we might follow Christ wholeheartedly.
That is not to say that nowhere in America is there faith equal to that of these Christian martyrs. I have encountered many people who have such faith. I just pray that we would use our blessings to further the Kingdom of God, and that we would join with our brethren in being "sold-out" for Christ. As a minister of the gospel of Christ, I pray the Lord would change my heart so that it would find its delight in Him above all else, and I pray He changes your heart as well.
"What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?" What does it profit us if we gain everything our hearts desire, but we lose Christ? What does it profit us? Nothing. If we don't have Christ, we have nothing. We can fill our lives with all kinds of pursuits, noble and not; but if Christ is not our life's pursuit, we have nothing. May we cling to Christ as I imagine the women caught in adultery clung to Him. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved." This is the anthem of Christians all over the world. May it be ours as well.
I leave you with the words of Watchman Nee, a Chinese Christian who died in a Communist prison, which he scribbled out on scratch paper before he died. May these words be the testimony of our lives:
"Christ is the Son of God Who died for the redemption of sinners and was resurrected after three days. This is the greatest truth in the universe. I die because of my belief in Christ."
Shalom aleichem.
Annecks.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
"He said Cosmo-polity School!" (Annecks)
It sure feels like spring around the 806, and the way I know is that love is most definitely in the air. Well, for 3/4ths of the group anyway. If you are curious, you should definitely ask Chauncey, Esteban and Shadyhan about their lives. Chauncey is off climbing a mountain on a tandem bike; Esteban is out on a table "gassing on it;" and James is most definitely "in a daze." It is enough to keep this guy very entertained, that's for sure.
I joke, but the Lord is really doing some good things in and through these three guys right now. It is a privilege to get to share in this community with them. Actually, more than a privilege, it is a gift of grace. "It is easily forgotten that the fellowship of Christian brethren is a gift of grace, a gift of the Kingdom of God that any day may be taken from us . . . It is grace, nothing but grace, that we are allowed to live in a community with Christian brethren" (D. Bonhoeffer). If you have such a community as this, I hope you will take time to thank God for it today.
Continue to pray for us; and know that many of you, if not all, are being prayed for by someone in the 806. "May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all."
Shalom aleichem.
Annecks.
I joke, but the Lord is really doing some good things in and through these three guys right now. It is a privilege to get to share in this community with them. Actually, more than a privilege, it is a gift of grace. "It is easily forgotten that the fellowship of Christian brethren is a gift of grace, a gift of the Kingdom of God that any day may be taken from us . . . It is grace, nothing but grace, that we are allowed to live in a community with Christian brethren" (D. Bonhoeffer). If you have such a community as this, I hope you will take time to thank God for it today.
Continue to pray for us; and know that many of you, if not all, are being prayed for by someone in the 806. "May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all."
Shalom aleichem.
Annecks.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Big Update in Short Detail (Chauncey)
Friends and Family,
I know it has been some time since I last blogged, however I hope that you will find this one well worth the wait.
Life has had ups and downs, thankfully the ups take me much higher to where the downs don't have that much effect. There is so much on my mind to say and it is hard to know where to start. The last time that I posted was on my birthday nearly 2 months ago. I will try to cover the high points since then and also cover current events in my life.
Well, nothing is really coming to mind when I try to think of high points over the past few months, I know that they are there and I could tell you about them, but as far as typing it out... not a chance.
Therefore leaving the elementary tellings of previous high points, let us press on to more current events.
I just took a trip. This past week was spring break for many college students and I was invited to attend a trip to south Texas. Edinburg to be specific. This was a misson trip, but unlike any other that I have ever been on.
I will start by saying this, that I have seen the Lord do some wild things, I have experienced divine appointment, Gods provision, His grace, and oddly coincidental happenings. But, God is still greater than what He has revealed Himself to be. I learned that this week. God is not and cannot be limited to my personal understanding of how He works. I also think that this is one of those things that you hear all of the time that "God is big" and yes we agree but it never really takes root until you experience His "biggness". I have heard it described as this, "Head knowledge is like a massive object hanging from a rope in our minds, and we recognize it to be good and we believe, but only when God cuts that rope and allows the weight of it all to land on our hearts is when it will change our lives." I have seen so many people who have the head knowledge and have heard the Gospel but because God has not powerfully moved in their experiences it has no effect on their lives. And all of this is based on God alone. It is not something that can be achieved or attained, it is only God who is able to reveal Himself in power.
The Gospel is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes.
Before I went on this trip I had been thinking "you know, it really has been a long time since I had seen anyone give their life to the Lord." And really it had been, I know that personally in my community and interactions with people it really isn't common for a person to decide to follow Christ. Yes, we do have good conversation, I try my best to point them to the Lord and ask them deep questions and probe and poke holes. But I don't know that I have ever led anyone to Christ by poking holes in their boat, there may have been seeds planted and God can totally use that and grow that. It seems to me that, yes, I do enjoy planting seeds and that we should be planting, but, I want to reap the harvest so much more. I want to see people saved. I want to see the kingdom of God expand and grow to take over families, communities, cities, people groups and nations for His names sake.
All of that to say, God moved in power while we were in Edinburg. And the numbers don't really matter, I understand that it is all worth it to even see one to come to know Him, however, I do think that numbers testify to His power, His heart for His people and His promises. The Lord revealed Himself daily to many who have never experienced Him, revealing His love and power for salvation. Adding to our number daily, the Lord revealed His faithfulness.
To sum it up plainly, our message and our preaching is not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that our faith should not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God. I experienced the truth of this, that the Gospel is the power of God for salvation. It was sent to mankind, from a loving creator who longs for communion with His children, to save men, therefore it would only make sense that men would understand it unto salvation for His glory. Christ is the power and wisdom of God. It is amazing to see that when we are obedient in preaching Christ and His salvation for His people that God does save.
I realized that often times I would rather circle the Gospel as I speak to people, trying to persuade with cleverness of speech rather than leading them straight to the cross where God saves us.
Salvation is the greatest demonstration of Gods love for mankind. There are other miracles and demonstrations of power that God likes to do, which are great, but salvation is the only one mentioned that excites all of heaven.
Needless to say, it was a great trip. The Lord also moved in other ways which I would love to share but for now won't go into detail, it can be summed up in these words, "God is big". Ask me about it.
Now on to a more sobering topic.
Today I went in to work after a nice break and ready to get back with my kids at the Boys and Girls Club. After I greeted my site director I was given some very sad news. She mentioned that we had lost a member, which happens, sometimes parents take their kids out or stop working and are able to be at home with thier kids after school. But upon further investigation it was much more serious.
We had a member who had been stuggling with cancer who, last Tuesday, went on to be with our heavenly Father. He was 10 years old. All of us learned something from him. His unwillingness to quit and desire to excel was very evident. Knowing his condition, his teachers never gave him work, despite this, with a hunger to learn, everyday he was doing school work. He had a grasp on the things that were important. He would walk away from unfruitful converstaions. He didn't put himself around trouble makers. He was marked with peace everywhere he went. There seemed to be a calm over the room while he was with us. He was loved and will be missed.
I leave you with this, God is big and moves in power, He has given us a great salvation to be shared with all. Life is fragile, don't miss the opportunities you have. Not only for lifes sake, but to be a positive influence on those around you, and greatest of all for the Gospel.
Grace and Peace be yours in abundance
I know it has been some time since I last blogged, however I hope that you will find this one well worth the wait.
Life has had ups and downs, thankfully the ups take me much higher to where the downs don't have that much effect. There is so much on my mind to say and it is hard to know where to start. The last time that I posted was on my birthday nearly 2 months ago. I will try to cover the high points since then and also cover current events in my life.
Well, nothing is really coming to mind when I try to think of high points over the past few months, I know that they are there and I could tell you about them, but as far as typing it out... not a chance.
Therefore leaving the elementary tellings of previous high points, let us press on to more current events.
I just took a trip. This past week was spring break for many college students and I was invited to attend a trip to south Texas. Edinburg to be specific. This was a misson trip, but unlike any other that I have ever been on.
I will start by saying this, that I have seen the Lord do some wild things, I have experienced divine appointment, Gods provision, His grace, and oddly coincidental happenings. But, God is still greater than what He has revealed Himself to be. I learned that this week. God is not and cannot be limited to my personal understanding of how He works. I also think that this is one of those things that you hear all of the time that "God is big" and yes we agree but it never really takes root until you experience His "biggness". I have heard it described as this, "Head knowledge is like a massive object hanging from a rope in our minds, and we recognize it to be good and we believe, but only when God cuts that rope and allows the weight of it all to land on our hearts is when it will change our lives." I have seen so many people who have the head knowledge and have heard the Gospel but because God has not powerfully moved in their experiences it has no effect on their lives. And all of this is based on God alone. It is not something that can be achieved or attained, it is only God who is able to reveal Himself in power.
The Gospel is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes.
Before I went on this trip I had been thinking "you know, it really has been a long time since I had seen anyone give their life to the Lord." And really it had been, I know that personally in my community and interactions with people it really isn't common for a person to decide to follow Christ. Yes, we do have good conversation, I try my best to point them to the Lord and ask them deep questions and probe and poke holes. But I don't know that I have ever led anyone to Christ by poking holes in their boat, there may have been seeds planted and God can totally use that and grow that. It seems to me that, yes, I do enjoy planting seeds and that we should be planting, but, I want to reap the harvest so much more. I want to see people saved. I want to see the kingdom of God expand and grow to take over families, communities, cities, people groups and nations for His names sake.
All of that to say, God moved in power while we were in Edinburg. And the numbers don't really matter, I understand that it is all worth it to even see one to come to know Him, however, I do think that numbers testify to His power, His heart for His people and His promises. The Lord revealed Himself daily to many who have never experienced Him, revealing His love and power for salvation. Adding to our number daily, the Lord revealed His faithfulness.
To sum it up plainly, our message and our preaching is not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that our faith should not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God. I experienced the truth of this, that the Gospel is the power of God for salvation. It was sent to mankind, from a loving creator who longs for communion with His children, to save men, therefore it would only make sense that men would understand it unto salvation for His glory. Christ is the power and wisdom of God. It is amazing to see that when we are obedient in preaching Christ and His salvation for His people that God does save.
I realized that often times I would rather circle the Gospel as I speak to people, trying to persuade with cleverness of speech rather than leading them straight to the cross where God saves us.
Salvation is the greatest demonstration of Gods love for mankind. There are other miracles and demonstrations of power that God likes to do, which are great, but salvation is the only one mentioned that excites all of heaven.
Needless to say, it was a great trip. The Lord also moved in other ways which I would love to share but for now won't go into detail, it can be summed up in these words, "God is big". Ask me about it.
Now on to a more sobering topic.
Today I went in to work after a nice break and ready to get back with my kids at the Boys and Girls Club. After I greeted my site director I was given some very sad news. She mentioned that we had lost a member, which happens, sometimes parents take their kids out or stop working and are able to be at home with thier kids after school. But upon further investigation it was much more serious.
We had a member who had been stuggling with cancer who, last Tuesday, went on to be with our heavenly Father. He was 10 years old. All of us learned something from him. His unwillingness to quit and desire to excel was very evident. Knowing his condition, his teachers never gave him work, despite this, with a hunger to learn, everyday he was doing school work. He had a grasp on the things that were important. He would walk away from unfruitful converstaions. He didn't put himself around trouble makers. He was marked with peace everywhere he went. There seemed to be a calm over the room while he was with us. He was loved and will be missed.
I leave you with this, God is big and moves in power, He has given us a great salvation to be shared with all. Life is fragile, don't miss the opportunities you have. Not only for lifes sake, but to be a positive influence on those around you, and greatest of all for the Gospel.
Grace and Peace be yours in abundance
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Romans 1 (Annecks)
v1 -- "Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ . . . "
Here we have Paul's greeting to the saints in Rome, and it is significant because this is a group of people he has never met (v11, 15); and yet one with whom he is well-acquainted because of the reports of their faith (v8). No doubt they also had heard of him, given his prominence in the early church, and the fact that he was writing them a letter; but he had never met them face-to-face.
Notice the word Paul uses to describe himself, the first word he uses: servant. The Greek word here is doulos, which can mean servant, but can also be translated as "slave." It's no small thing for Paul to introduce himself as a slave because the Romans were well-acquainted with slaves, as there were some 60 million slaves throughout the Roman Empire. They lived a very difficult existence, and were considered a piece of property and not a real person. They were the property of their owners, who could use them or rent them out however they saw fit, whenever they wanted, with no questions asked. They could even kill the with no fear of punishment (much of this information came from Warren Wiersbe's commentary on Romans called "Be Right").
It would have been a shock for such a prominent figure in the early church to identify himself as a slave. For him to downplay his significance or glory--a stark contrast to other prominent figures of Roman history--would have taken them by surprise. But he paints a great picture of what the Christian life is: service, slavery. Doesn't conjure up a lot of warm and fuzzy feelings inside of you, does it? But that is essentially what we are--slaves to God, slaves to righteousness (Paul will get there explicitly in Chapter 6). Is this not the picture Jesus himself gave when he bent low to wash the feet of His disciples? And yet, this is not a burdensome task for us because our Master is "gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love" (Psalm 145:8).
Do you ever view yourself in this light, as a slave to Christ? Probably not. It's easier for us to consider ourselves "Ambassadors for Christ" or "Soldiers of God." These carry a connotation of honor and importance. Even the term "Martyr" carries such a feeling with it--a feeling of significance and prestige. But to consider ourselves a slave would be to give up those feelings of significance and importance, and to give up our rights as well. But that is how God wants us, and how we are best used: broken and humble before the Lord. As the Lord himself says in Isaiah: "'This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit'" (66:2).
I challenge you to practice taking the mindset of a slave, remembering the description above of what it was like to be a slave: your life is the property of someone else; your decisions are made by someone else; you do not have rights and entitlements. Make a practice of daily submitting your rights to God. Live your life as if Jesus was physically present to be your Master. Take on this title, one in which Paul took great pride: a servant of Jesus Christ, a doulos of God. May we all be content with being nothing more than a servant of the Lord.
The Lord bless you and keep you.
Shalom aleichem.
Annecks
Here we have Paul's greeting to the saints in Rome, and it is significant because this is a group of people he has never met (v11, 15); and yet one with whom he is well-acquainted because of the reports of their faith (v8). No doubt they also had heard of him, given his prominence in the early church, and the fact that he was writing them a letter; but he had never met them face-to-face.
Notice the word Paul uses to describe himself, the first word he uses: servant. The Greek word here is doulos, which can mean servant, but can also be translated as "slave." It's no small thing for Paul to introduce himself as a slave because the Romans were well-acquainted with slaves, as there were some 60 million slaves throughout the Roman Empire. They lived a very difficult existence, and were considered a piece of property and not a real person. They were the property of their owners, who could use them or rent them out however they saw fit, whenever they wanted, with no questions asked. They could even kill the with no fear of punishment (much of this information came from Warren Wiersbe's commentary on Romans called "Be Right").
It would have been a shock for such a prominent figure in the early church to identify himself as a slave. For him to downplay his significance or glory--a stark contrast to other prominent figures of Roman history--would have taken them by surprise. But he paints a great picture of what the Christian life is: service, slavery. Doesn't conjure up a lot of warm and fuzzy feelings inside of you, does it? But that is essentially what we are--slaves to God, slaves to righteousness (Paul will get there explicitly in Chapter 6). Is this not the picture Jesus himself gave when he bent low to wash the feet of His disciples? And yet, this is not a burdensome task for us because our Master is "gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love" (Psalm 145:8).
Do you ever view yourself in this light, as a slave to Christ? Probably not. It's easier for us to consider ourselves "Ambassadors for Christ" or "Soldiers of God." These carry a connotation of honor and importance. Even the term "Martyr" carries such a feeling with it--a feeling of significance and prestige. But to consider ourselves a slave would be to give up those feelings of significance and importance, and to give up our rights as well. But that is how God wants us, and how we are best used: broken and humble before the Lord. As the Lord himself says in Isaiah: "'This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit'" (66:2).
I challenge you to practice taking the mindset of a slave, remembering the description above of what it was like to be a slave: your life is the property of someone else; your decisions are made by someone else; you do not have rights and entitlements. Make a practice of daily submitting your rights to God. Live your life as if Jesus was physically present to be your Master. Take on this title, one in which Paul took great pride: a servant of Jesus Christ, a doulos of God. May we all be content with being nothing more than a servant of the Lord.
The Lord bless you and keep you.
Shalom aleichem.
Annecks
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