Hello, and welcome back to our series on Spiritual Warfare and Missions (SWAM). If you missed the first couple of posts you really should click here to read them first. And be reminded that this series is based on the book by Jerry Rankin and Ed Stetzer called Spiritual Warfare and Missions.
Last week we talked about Satan’s strategy to keep people groups hidden. When we focus on geopolitical nations (Canada, Cameroon, Colombia, Cambodia) we miss the fact that there are many distinct ethnolinguistic people groups that probably won’t be reached by an evangelistic crusade. Keeping these people groups hidden is a strategy used by Satan to prevent God from receiving the glory He is due. This week we will see that Satan also uses persecution of believers and the church to diminish the glory God receives. The chapter begins with the telling of a movement among South Asian Muslims. Reports indicated that some five hundred thousand Muslim background believers had been baptized. A research project was begun to try to verify the numbers. They found that entire villages and extended clans had become Christ-followers. They met with house church leaders and found these multiplying groups were functioning as authentic New Testament churches in gathering for worship, practising the ordinances, and witnessing and ministering in their communities. They traced the reproduction of these simple gatherings of believers and the process of discipling new converts. As the research was compiled, the data reflected about four hundred thousand Muslims who had actually expressed their commitment to follow Christ through baptism. But the numbers were continuing to grow as their witness was spreading through three people groups. A distinguishing mark of this movement, though, was the persecution against these believers and their steadfast refusal to recant. Many of the leaders of this movement have been martyred, yet the movement continues to grow. When someone’s religious worldview is empty ritual and following the cultural traditions of society, the hope of salvation provided by the God of love is irresistible. A life transformed by Jesus is a powerful testimony that cannot be restrained. But when people see that the Christian faith is not just a religious choice worth living for, but a conviction worth dying for, suffering and death become a powerful witness of the truth. It is apparent that Satan doesn’t understand the power of suffering as a testimony that powerfully authenticates a Christian witness. It goes back to his being deluded by the cross. Conspiring to influence Judas to betray Christ and working through the envious hearts of Jewish religious leaders to have Him crucified, Satan thought he had won. Instead, the suffering and death of Jesus empowered the kingdom and assured Satan’s ultimate defeat. The Bible makes it clear that persecution will accompany proclamation of the gospel in a world hostile to a Christian witness and will be used by God to advance His kingdom.
“Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life,” (Mark 10:29-30). Jesus prepared His disciples and followers for this certain response to their witness because their witness stood in stark contrast to the sinful ways of the world. “If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name because they do not know him who sent me,” (John 15:19-21).
Just as the suffering of Jesus resulted in God being glorified through redemption being provided for a lost world, God is glorified through the faithfulness of those who suffer persecution for their faith. But also His divine providence uses it as a powerful testimony to advance His kingdom. Paul saw the reality of this paradox in his ministry in Ephesus. Receptivity to the gospel and an open harvest will inevitably be accompanied by adversaries and opposition (1 Corinthians 16:9). Jesus told us that we should not be surprised by opposition and the fact that they would be rejected, reviled, hated, and persecuted for standing up in identification with Him. Peter reminds us that we cannot hope to stand firm in our faith as a follower of Christ without it involving suffering. “Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking. . .so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God,” (1 Peter 4:1-2). Peter had just put this in perspective earlier. “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps,” (1 Peter 2:21). Believers who are persecuted have a choice - to live for their own safety, comfort, and protection in denying the faith, which would be sin, or to deny themselves for the sake of Christ with the consequence of suffering. We need to debunk the prominent myth that the safest place to be is in the centre of God’s will. Certainly, obedience to God’s will is the only place for a Christian, but that does not assure us of physical comfort, safety, and security. God has not guaranteed the believer exemption from suffering and opposition. He does promise to bless us, empower us, and protect us, but His primary concern is not our safety and avoidance of suffering and inconvenience but His glory in and through our lives. The Bible clearly teaches us that God is glorified through our faithfulness and obedience even in times of suffering for our faith. Christian history is full of examples of Christian martyrs, those who died violently and prematurely because of their faithful witness. Many of these are notably recorded by John Foxe in his book Foxe’s Book of Martyrs. Some include in their identification of martyrs the massive numbers of Christians who have been killed in communal or ethnic violence. They died because they were Christians, but far fewer have been killed because of persistence in an open witness for the faith that could have been avoided. The Bible identifies them as having been worthy of participating in the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings. Susan Bergman, in her book Martyrs, makes the distinction: “Martyrdom occurs when a person is required to deny Christ and live, or confess Him and die. Under such duress, the martyr freely chooses death over life - a death that seals a life’s belief - in order to act as a witness to the truth of Christ’s claims and to his or her own faith.” So Satan approaches it in two ways. Not only does he perpetrate persecution on believers but he convinces Christians that their highest priority is to avoid suffering and danger. Our safety and security is more important than the world knowing Jesus, so we avoid going to dangerous places where we might get arrested or even killed, and God is again deprived of His praise and glory among people who do not have the opportunity to know Him. Remember, God’s primary purpose is to be glorified in our lives and exalted among the nations. Risking danger and suffering is sometimes necessary for that to happen. Certainly, it will not happen without a willingness to suffer for the sake of God’s glory among the nations. We forfeit God’s blessing as well as an opportunity to glorify Him when we try to avoid opposition or offending anyone by our witness in a way that would bring repercussions. In the Beatitudes, Jesus reminded us, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” (Matthew 5:10). That persecution and martyrdom are predicted and necessary evils that are allowed in God’s plan to establish His church and inaugurate His kingdom on earth is certain. God is using the persecution perpetrated by Satan and his minions to serve His sovereign purpose to expand, purify, strengthen, and multiply His kingdom. “For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore, let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured,” Hebrews 13:11-13. So let’s go!
16 Comments
Leal Judie
12/12/2022 03:48:19 am
Leal Jodie is my new, this is my testimony, i just want to let the world know that illuminati is real, this was how i become a millionaire but there are so many fake illuminati out there, i was a victim of scam and i believe that there is no real illuminati, but i did not give up that was what helped me, in life you must not give up, because if you give up life too will give up on you, you just try all level best to make sure you are a winner not a loser, all i want the world to know today is i am a member of illuminati, do not let the fake illuminati deceive you, it is totally free to join the illuminati you do not need to pay any money to join, the illuminati will provide all the materials you needed for you to join the illuminati, the illuminati is rich so there can never ask you to pay any money to join, my advice for who want to join is to follow the instructions giving to you, when i was totally initiated to the illuminati brotherhood, in my induction day i was given instant amount of $2,000,000.00 to start a new life, every month $50,000.00 ring of protection to protect yourself and your generations and so any other benefits giving to me as a new member of illuminati brotherhood, anyone who is interested to join the illuminati i will have to link you up with the Phone, WhatsApp Number +1(661)666-4507 or email: illuminatichurchofinitiation@gmail.com Anyone interested to join can contact to join now it is totally free to join the illuminati, don’t be afraid to apply to join, you are welcome to a new life for wealth and prosperity.
Reply
Awel yesuf
2/9/2023 07:36:17 am
Iwant to join
Reply
Lewis Hall
1/24/2023 08:48:52 pm
To hire a competent hacker to help get target's social media and e-mail passwords, website hacking, phone hacking, credit score upgrade, grades changing and also hacking of bank accounts and retrieve lost BTC. This is my way of showing appreciation for a job well done by pro wizard Gilbert Recovery Please contact them with the email below for any of these kind of job you need and thank me later.
Reply
alice
3/3/2023 06:30:15 pm
Hello Everyone I want to quickly use this medium to share a testimony on how i was directed to a Legit and real illuminati member who have transformed my life from grass to grace, from being poor to a rich woman who can now boast of a healthy and wealthy life without stress or financial difficulties. After so many months of trying to to be a member of the illuminati and was scammed the sum of $3,000 i became so desperate in being a member online who will not add to my pains, then i decided to contact a friend of mine who recently became a member, we discussed about the issue and to our conclusion she told me about a man called Paul mark who is the grand master in the illuminati. So i applied to become a member of illuminati easily without stress and all the preparations were made concerning how to become a member in two(2) days i became a member and the sum of 5 million dollars was deposited into my bank account so i want to advice any one who wants to become a member should call him +2349130700648 or WhatsApp him +2349130700648 or email (illuminatiworldoffamous@gmail.com) he does not know am doing this i pray that lucifer will bless him for the good things he has done in my life
Reply
Kylie Harvey
3/6/2023 05:37:25 pm
GET RICH WITH BLANK ATM CARD, Whatsapp: +18033921735
Reply
Andrew Ronald
4/2/2023 03:22:52 am
CONTACT Mr Justin Scott call (+2347031524375 or WhatsApp him through this number +2347031524375 or email: illuminatiworldofsociety1@gmail.com Hello everyone My name is Andrew Ronald Am from USA I am here to give a testimony on how I joined the illuminati brotherhood, I was trying to join this organization for so many years now,I was scammed by fake agent in south Africa and Nigeria,I was down,I could not feed my self and my family anymore and I tried to make money by all miss but all invail, I was afraid
Reply
Tom Hulio
6/8/2023 06:07:53 am
I have always thought it would be impossible to recover stolen cryptocurrency funds until I came across SpyWall recovery team, this cryptocurrency recovery team was able to successfully recover my stolen Bitcoin and Ethereum funds.
Reply
Rita Mills
6/12/2023 10:34:25 pm
I know what it is like when you ever think your partner is cheating on you – even when they weren’t – you’re not alone. It can be a very stressful situation to find yourself in. And while it may seem like trust issues are what’s leading you to constantly worrying your partner is cheating, experts and research say sometimes it could point to something deeper than that. It’s a very slippery slope, but the good thing is you can overcome it. I found myself in those shoes and could not get myself enough peace until I sought out a professional-hands on, I contacted REFUND POLICY Hackers to help me access my spouse device so I can get proof. Well it turned out it wasn’t just thoughts, I was being cheated on. I got complete access to my spouse device from mine, messages calls chats everything.
I am putting the hackers information here in case anyone finds themselves in this kind of situation. It saves you from wasting more years of your life with people who do not deserve you.
Reply
Michael Lee
6/14/2023 06:20:52 pm
Greetings, from The illuminati world elite empire,
Reply
Mary Provijua
6/23/2023 05:33:43 am
I want to use this opportunity to thank and appreciate the team of hackers at ‘REFUND POLICY’ they were of great help after I lost 182 thousand USd in a bitcoin investment scam. I was devastated by the outcome of my investment journey and I mentioned it to my younger sister who then introduced me to a hacker named ‘REFUND POLICY’ she had known in her college days. It took only a week to track down the funds I sent to the sc^mmers since they already moved the funds from one bitcoin wallet to another to avoid traces; but I am glad that we finally recovered my lost funds.
Reply
Cody Luis
6/25/2023 07:11:09 pm
A woman reached out to me on social media asking me to trade cryptocurrencies with her business,persistently persuading me to keep raising my deposits for various justifications. In the end, I lost roughly $70,000, and I have never been so inconsolable in my life, having given her my utmost trust only to be duped in this manner. One of those unscrupulous businesses with nothing to offer. If I had read some forum remarks sooner, I wouldn't have had to deal with them. Delighted I located a dependable professional from Coder Cyber Services in several forums who assisted me in recovering all I had lost. I want to recommend the recovery specialists at Coder Cyber Services if you are also a victim of these people or lost money to organizations with similar goals. They'll make sure you recover whatever you lost. Coder Cyber Services can be accessible by using:
Reply
7/16/2023 04:57:06 pm
In order to keep my money safe and have access to it anytime I want without having to go to the bank, I choose to invest in bitcoin. While surfing the internet, I unknowingly signed with a dubious investment company and gave them a sizable 157,000 USD of my funds. Several weeks passed while I waited, but nothing transpired. All I noticed was the value of my bitcoin rising daily without my having any control over it. My friend offered me Spyware Cyber after I mentioned it to her. I got in touch with them and explained the deception I had encountered. Spyware Cyber was able to repay all of my lost money after I informed them that I had invested with the wrong company, doing so anonymously and without the scam artists' knowledge. I wish to appreciate Spyware Cyber for their wonderful service once more. This is undoubtedly a top-notch service, and I'll let everyone know about it. This is the best online support I've ever experienced. I'm ecstatic. they can be reached through websites. (https :// cybegal.net) & spyware(@)cybergal.com.
Reply
7/18/2023 06:57:17 am
I lost about $585,000.00 USD to a fake cryptocurrency trading platform a few weeks back after I got lured into the trading platform with the intent of earning a 15% profit daily trading on the platform. It was a hell of a time for me as I could hardly pay my bills and got me ruined financially. I had to confide in a close friend of mine who then introduced me to this crypto recovery team with the best recovery Albert Gonzalez Wizard i contacted them and they were able to completely recover my stolen digital assets with ease. Their service was superb, and my problems were solved in swift action, It only took them 48 hours to investigate and track down those scammers and my funds were returned to me. I strongly recommend this team to anyone going through a similar situation with their investment or fund theft to look up this team for the best appropriate solution to avoid losing huge funds to these scammers. Send complaint to Email: info@albertgonzalezwizard.com or albertgonzalezwizard@gmail.com / albertgonzalezwizard1@gmail.com WhatsApp: +31616251474 Telegram: +31685248506
Reply
Colleen Dawn
7/18/2023 10:24:20 am
If you don't have good capabilities, you should understand how challenging recovering bitcoin can be. I attempted several different hackers as soon as I lost mine, but none were efficient. I pondered about getting it back at the time. But when I tried Pro Wizard Gilbert Recovery, they were productive, therefore I want to personally applaud them for their outstanding job. You can get your misplaced bitcoin back by contacting Pro Wizard Gilbert Recovery.
Reply
7/19/2023 10:29:17 am
Through Wizard web recovery, Bitcoin scam victims are able to retrieve their money. I have to recommend Wizard Web Recovery to anyone who has fallen victim to a scam and has been looking for methods and techniques to recover their lost cryptocurrency wallets. Wizard Web Recovery is a reliable cryptocurrency recovery firm that assists victims in recovering their stolen cryptocurrency and offers secure solutions to protect your wallets from online scammers. I must admit that I was in a deep melancholy and had given up on life until these experts were able to restore the 1.5 BTC back to my wallet. If you've lost your cryptocurrency and are embarrassed about it, contact Wizard Web Recovery to get your money back. Reach Wizard Web Recovery at:wizardwebrecovery(@)programmer(.)net for more details. Take a look at their page site wizardwebrecovery.net
Reply
Andrew Ronald
9/22/2023 04:56:30 pm
CONTACT Mr Justin Scott call (+2347031524375 or WhatsApp him through this number +2347031524375 or email: illuminatiworldofsociety1@gmail.com Hello everyone My name is Andrew Ronald Am from Liberia I am here to give a testimony on how I joined the illuminati brotherhood, I was trying to join this organization for so many years now,I was scammed by fake agent in south Africa and Nigeria,I was down,I could not feed my self and my family anymore and I tried to make money by all miss but all invail, I was afraid
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
December 2022
Categories
All
|