It was what the Dutch Jesuit scholar and mystic Henri Nouwen once told a gathering of Baptist ministers: "Ministry is the least important thing. You cannot not minister if you are in communion with God and live in community. A lot of people are always concerned about: 'How can I help people? Or help the youth to come to Christ? Or preach well?' But these are all basically non-issues. If you are burning with the love of Jesus, don't worry: everyone will know. They will say, 'I want to get close to this person who is so full of God.'"
It is possible and the Suffering Church, by example, proves to us that it its indeed possible to lose everything...to suffer everything...to endure everything...yet maintain a joyful spirit and heart of love for the Lord.
So often our major shortcoming is simply to doubt that we could go through those experiences and come out of them as refined and triumphant. Jesus never promised that our life would be easy - just fulfilling. He never promised that things would be fair - only that He would be just.
“It is more difficult to be a Christian in the USA than in Iran. There you are either a Christian or not!” - Iranian Christian leader Luke Yagnazar “We have physical persecution but you have materialism. Your lot is harder because we know what we are spiritually fighting. Many times you don’t.” - Pastor Samuel Lamb in southern China.However, in my work with SAT-7 Canada, we see the Church in many middle eastern countries and in North Africa as evidence the persecution does not guarantee church unity, growth or revival. Then also we see the Church in South Korea at the other end of the spectrum for they are an example of a free country where the church is experiencing significant growth and revival.
Our first semester passed quickly. Penina gave birth to our son, Dawaudi Babumba. In the fall I returned to my studies. It was then, in my second year, that I noticed the change that had come into my life. In Uganda, Penina and I read the Bible for hope and life. We read to hear God’s promises, to hear His commands and obey them. There had been no time for argument and no time for religious discrepancies or doubts.
Now, in the security of a new life and with the reality of death fading from mind, I found myself reading Scripture to analyze texts and speculate about meaning. I came to enjoy abstract theological discussions with my fellow students and, while these discussions were intellectually refreshing, it wasn’t long before our fellowship revolved around ideas rather than the work of God in our lives. It was not the blood of Jesus Christ that gave us unity, but our agreement on doctrinal issues. We came together not for confession and forgiveness but for debate.
The biggest change came to my prayer life. In Uganda I had prayed with a deep sense of urgency. I refused to leave my knees until I was certain I had been in the presence of the resurrected Christ. It was not just the gift I needed. I needed to see the Giver. I needed to know that the God of orphans and widows, the God of the helpless, heard my prayers. Now, after a year in Philadelphia, the urgency was gone. When I prayed publicly I was more concerned to be theologically correct than to be in God’s presence. Even in private my prayers were no longer the helpless cries of a child. They were spiritual tranquilizers, thoughts that made no contact with anything outside themselves. More and more I found myself coming to God with vague requests for gifts I did not expect. - Uganda pastor, Kefa Sempangi
“It is not persecution itself but the lessons learned under persecution that make and keep the church and an individual believer strong in the Lord…what makes the difference is how we respond to persecution and how we respond to freedom.” Pastor Paul NegrutMay we be willing to learn and act accordingly and be prepared.
http://youtu.be/-X-9zI9PFN8
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