Intolerance, the Dali Lama, and the Bible

No one is more known for peace and tolerance than the Dali Lama.  At least that’s what the world at large thinks of him.  A Tibetan Buddhist, he crusades for world peace and harmony.

Sunday at our church, one of the leaders of an Indian church planting organization (directed and funded by Indians primarily, he did not ask for or even tell us how to give money) told a fascinating story about the Dali Lama.

A 17 year old girl from Australia felt that God had laid it on her heart to give a Bible to the Dali Lama.  Not to witness to him or anything dramatic, but just to place a Bible in his hands.  She came to India and visited this mission and went on a short term trip with them near where the Lama lives.  She found a way to stay in that region longer than the others she was with and found a 15 minute audience with the Dali Lama.

She gave the Bible to him, encouraging him to read it as it will help him rule his people better and make wise decisions.  The Dali Lama examined the book for a while and when he noticed it was a Bible he became furious.  He said he would never allow that book into his kingdom.  He felt it was responsible for many of the world’s problems.  He then tossed it into one of the incense burning bins near his elaborate seat (almost like a throne).

But he did more than just insult the Holy Bible and the Christian God.  He had this Australian girl thrown in prison without notifying the Australian embassy.  Members of the Indian Christian mission mentioned above, regularly visited the prisons in that area seeking to provide help to any who needed it.  They found the girl and heard this story as her explanation for why she was in prision.  It was almost like a dungeon cell, and she was in poor physical shape, too.

They contacted the Embassy for her and she was soon released.  Although she never can return to India and see the Lama again, her testimony has had an impact.  The Indian leader said they have had more Tibetans come to know Christ Jesus in the past 2 years then ever before in their 30 years of ministry.

Praise God for those who follow His leading and hold forth His word.

“…in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life….”  (Phil. 2:15b-16a)

~~posted by Bob

250 Million Persecuted in 2007?!?!

Yes, this is quite shocking.

It is estimated that nearly 250 Million Christians were persecuted throughout the world in 2007. Many were martyred, imprisoned, beat, and ridiculed for their faith in Jesus Christ.

This startling statement comes from an article by the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission [HT: Kevin Stilley].

Their article goes on to detail a year’s summary of the worst persecution in various locations around the world.

One incident stood out as I read through this list:

Eritrean authorities tortured a woman to death on September 5 for refusing to recant her Christian faith, the fourth such killing in less than a year. Nigisti Haile, 33, died at the Wi’a Military Training Center; she was one of 10 single Christian women arrested at a church gathering in Keren. On February 15, Magos Solomon Semere also died under torture, at the Adi-Nefase Military Confinement facility outside Assab. Eritrea has officially recognized only Islam and the Orthodox, Catholic and Lutheran Christian churches….According to Amnesty International, more than 2,000 Eritrean Christians are imprisoned in Eritrea. All have been denied legal counsel or trial, with no written charges filed against them….

As we contemplate the suffering of fellow believers, we should remember this Biblical injunction:

Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. (Heb. 13:3, see also Heb. 10:33-34)

We should pray for our suffering brothers. But we may take heart that Jesus uses the blood of his suffering saints to cause His church to grow.

In closing, let me highlight two recent incidents in Central Asia.

1) A Pakistani pastor was shot dead on 1/17.

2) A Christian aid worker was kidnapped in Kandahar, Afghanistan on 1/27.

These two incidents promise to be just two of thousands for 2008. Let such news stories drive you to pray fervently for the spread of Christ’s Kingdom around the world.

~~posted by Bob

Global Conquest: Missions, Ambitions, and New Year Resolutions

Set your sights higher. Instead of diets and disciplines, why not resolve to conquer the world this year? Say no to Atkins and yes to armies.

Alexander the Great. Genghis Khan. Napoleon. You.

Why not? You don’t have to be some sick megalomaniac like Nero or Hitler to pursue global conquest. After all, despite much fanciful propaganda to the contrary, Genghis Khan himself—who conquered twice as much of the world than any other individual in human history—proved to be quite modest and benevolent, as far as world dictators go.

Shortly before his death and subsequent burial into an unmarked grave (by his request), the quiet, pensive Great Khan openly revealed his lifeblood motivation: a burning desire to “unite the whole world in one empire.”¹ Genghis Khan’s harsh and brutal upbringing in a world of warring tribal clans and marauding, murderous thugs did much to whet his raging appetite for justice, equality, diplomacy, and world peace.

Stretching from Korea to the Crimea, from Beijing to Baghdad, from Siberia to Sri Lanka, the Mongol Empire of the 13th Century erupted from a passionate aspiration, that “by the power of the eternal God the whole world from the rising of the sun to the going down thereof shall be at one in joy and peace.”² History affirms the overall authenticity of their aim.

Which begs the question: Should wanting to dominate and unite the whole world be looked upon as an evil thing? Must the thirst for conquest be anathematized? Is it sinister or intrinsic? Wrong or noble?

Ancient Mongolian history might be interesting, but it’s not authoritative. What does Scripture teach? Isn’t uniting the world a bad thing only attempted by bad people? Are Jesus’ followers in the Colonial business?

Jesus answered Pilate: “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world…” (John 18:37). Whatever else this Holiday season means, Jesus’ only mention of His birth underscores His absolute Kingship and utter, universal authority.

Chief, czar, duke. Khan, king, prince. And over every other title that is given in heaven and earth—past, present, future—Jesus reigns eternally supreme as the only “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” (Revelation 19:16)!

But King Jesus also has a Kingdom.³ And His Kingdom is destined to advance triumphantly throughout all of history⁴ and eternity itself.⁵

Though not “of this world”⁶, there remains a global Christian conspiracy after all!⁷ Captain Jesus calls His followers to call all nations to surrender. The stakes are high. The battle is fierce. But victory is sure.⁸

The global mission of Christ is to establish, first beachheads, and eventually whole civilizations of Spirit-filled imitators in every land who obey His commands, living as one-world-Body for the praise of His glory. These subjects of the Great King come from all races and walks of life, but labor together with a Blood-anchored, all-encompassing oneness.⁹

So, it is noble to conquer and unite the world, if we “conquer” the Gospel way. In other words, as long we fight not by killing, but by being killed.¹⁰ We fight not with swords and guns, but with holy truth and tender love.

At the end of the day all evil rulers pitifully foreshadow, while the more noble warriors of history more clearly prefigure, the global conquest of Jesus Christ. History really is His Story of winning the worship of a numberless mass of multiplied millions won from every tribe and tongue.

The only problem with pursuing world peace and dominance is that, apart from Jesus and His Gospel way, it just doesn’t go deep enough. The most chivalrous of the earth’s conquerors stop so stunningly short of true success because their honor is so empty and so fleeting. Their wisdom too limited. Their power too shallow. Their agendas too earthly.

The Eternal Son of God is the only glory durable enough and dazzling enough to do the job. His Gospel is the only message true enough and glad enough and strong enough to unite the masses forever. And His Spirit is the only force great enough, deep enough, and wild enough to genuinely convert whole peoples and cultures, let alone individual rebels.

So as 2008 dawns, why not set your sights higher? You only live once.

The ordinary Joes and Julius’s of this world are inspired to radical ventures of global conquest for far lesser motives! They risk life and limb, family and fortune with wide-eyed wonder. What about you?

You’ve failed in the past? Think you’re too bad or too weak to be a world warrior for God? Quit looking at you! Like middle-aged sinful Samson, it doesn’t matter how you start—it’s how you finish that counts (Hebrews 11:32). So, like him, cry out to the Lord, take a fresh, firm grasp on the two pillars (the Cross), and burn out your last chapter in wild abandon to the cause of God (Judges 16:28-31). Remember: He selects the foolish and unlikely people of the world to do His work (1 Corinthians 1:26-31).

Where’s your wanderlust for the Kingdom?! Why not dream a really big dream this New Year? Not Yoga, but Yemen. Not the South Beach diet, but the south beaches of the Aral, the Caspian, and the Mediterranean. Not exercise but evangelism. Not saving money but serving the Mission.

Up then! From the sofa to the saddle! Seize the unreached peoples for the Name of Jesus! Lay your life down! Get greedy about God’s domain!

Be a Genghis Khan for Jesus in 2008! A mission-minded Mongol!

Go conquer the globe.

—————————————

Footnotes:

1. From a letter written by Genghis Khan to a Taoist monk in China c. 1226. Weatherford, Jack. Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. THREE RIVERS PRESS, New York, 2004, p. 130.

2. From a letter written by Mongke Khan to France’s Louis IX in 1254. Ibid., p. 175.

3. Colossians 1:13-14, “For He has rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.”

4. 1 Corinthians 15:25, “For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.” Mark 13:10, “The gospel must first be preached to all the nations.” Romans 15:20-21, “And thus I aspired to preach the gospel, not where Christ was already named, so that I would not build on another man’s foundation; but as it is written, ‘They who had not news of Him shall see, and they who have not heard shall understand.’” Acts 12:24, “But the word of the LORD continued to grow and to be multiplied.” Revelation 5:9-10, “And they sang a new song saying, ‘Worthy are You to take the scroll and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom ad priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.’”

5. Isaiah 9:7, “There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace…”

6. John 18:36, “Jesus answered, ‘My Kingdom is not of this world. If My Kingdom were of this world, then my servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm’” Ephesians 6:12, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness…”

7. Matthew 28:18-20, “…All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

8. 1 Corinthians 15:24-25, “Then comes the end when He [Jesus] hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.” Matthew 24:14, “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.” Revelation 11:15, “…The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever!”

9. Acts 2:44, “And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common;” Romans 12:5, “So we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:14, “For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall.” Philippians 2:2, “Make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.” John 17:23, “I in them and You in me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that you sent me, and loved them, even as You have loved me.” John 15:17, “This I command you, that you love one another.”

10. Romans 8:36-37, “Just as it is written, ‘FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE ARE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.’ But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.”

Pictures borrowed from the following Wikipedia articles: Genghis Khan, Mongol Empire.

~~posted by Jack

Pray for the Persecuted

I came across an interesting article highlighting the European Union’s recent resolution against the persecution of Christians [HT: Kevin Thompson]. It is good that free governments like the EU and the US push against regimes that persecute Christians.

Yet such should not be our only response to persecution. We should seek to apply these verses and remember our brothers and sisters in prayer and in a willingness to suffer with them and help them.

Heb. 10:34

For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.

Heb. 13:3

Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.

But even more than that, we should be thankful for their suffering, even as Christ’s church is spread through suffering. Take time to read Zioneer’s old post on “The Blood of the Martyrs”, and contemplate his contention that it really martyrdom the “seed of the church”.

Consider laying your life down to reach those who are ignorantly persecuting our fellow-believers. And consider sacrificing and supporting organizations like Voice of the Martyrs, which remind us of the suffering the world wide church is experiencing.

I leave you with these verses to contemplate:

Rom. 8:16-18

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

~~posted by Bob

Meditations for Our Mission 1: Spurgeon on Ease

“Shall your brothers go to the war while you sit here?”- Num. 32:6

Family brings its obligations. The people of Reuben and the people of Gad would have been unbrotherly if they had claimed the land that had been conquered, and had left the rest of the people to fight for their portions alone. We have received great benefits as a result of the efforts and sufferings of the saints in years gone by, and if we do not make some return to the Church of Christ by giving her our best energies, we are unworthy to be enrolled in her ranks. Others are bravely combating the errors of the age or excavating the dying from amid the ruins of the Fall, and if we fold our hands in idleness we put ourselves in danger. The Master of the vineyard inquires, “Why do ye stand here all day doing nothing?” What is the lazy man’s excuse? Serving Jesus becomes the duty of all because it is cheerfully and generously rendered by some. The toils of devoted missionaries and fervent ministers shame us if we continue to sit in laziness. It is the residents of “easy street” who are tempted to run from trials: They would like to escape the cross but still wear the crown; to them the question for this evening’s meditation is very relevant. If the most precious are tested in the fire, are we to escape the crucible? If the diamond must be cut and fashioned on the wheel, are we to be made perfect without suffering? Who has commanded the wind to stop blowing because our ship is on the ocean? Why should we be treated better than our Lord? The firstborn endured suffering, so why not His younger brothers? It is a cowardly pride that would choose a soft pillow and a silk couch for a soldier of the cross. Far wiser is the one who first resigns himself to God’s will and then as he grows in grace learns to delight in it. So he picks berries on the path of duty, gathers lilies at the foot of the cross, and like Samson discovers honey in the lion.

From Charles Spurgeon’s Morning & Evening (revised and updated by Alistair Begg), the August 5th, Evening selection.

~~posted by Zioneer

Testimony of an Iranian Martyr

The following paragraphs were excerpted from the testimony of Mehdi Dibaj. He was an Iranian convert to Christianity who endured 9 years in prison for the charge of being an apostate. He ended up dying for his faith.

In jail, Mehdi Dibaj endured 2 solid years of solitary confinement, suffered repeated beatings and mock executions. His wife even divorced him and renounced the Christian faith upon being threatened with stoning. Yet in the face of such hardship, while still in prison he wrote these words.

I have always envied those Christians who were martyred for Christ Jesus our Lord. What a privilege to live for our Lord and to die for Him as well. I am filled to overflowing with joy; I am not only satisfied to be in prison…but am ready to give my life for the sake of Jesus Christ.

In December of 1993, he wrote a defense submitted to the court of justice. The following is that entire testimony.

With all humility I express my gratitude to the Judge of all heaven and earth for this precious opportunity, and with brokenness I wait upon the Lord to deliver me from this court trial according to His promises. I also beg the honored members of the court who are present to listen with patience to my defense and with respect for the Name of the Lord.

I am a Christian. As a sinner I believe Jesus has died for my sins on the cross and by His resurrection and victory over death, has made me righteous in the presence of the Holy God. The true God speaks about this fact in His Holy Word, the Gospel (Injil). Jesus means Savior “because He will save His people from their sins.” Jesus paid the penalty of our sins by His own blood and gave us a new life so that we can live for the glory of God by the help of the Holy Spirit and be like a dam against corruption, be a channel of blessing and healing, and be protected by the love of God.

In response to this kindness, He has asked me to deny myself and be His fully surrendered follower, and not to fear people even if they kill my body, but rather rely on the creator of life who has crowned me with the crown of mercy and compassion. He is the great protector of His beloved ones as well as their great reward.

I have been charged with “apostasy!” The invisible God who knows our hearts has given assurance to us, as Christians, that we are not among the apostates who will perish but among the believers who will have eternal life. In Islamic Law (Sharia’), an apostate is one who does not believe in God, the prophets or the resurrection of the dead, We Christians believe in all three!

They say “You were a Muslim and you have become a Christian.” This is not so. For many years I had no religion. After searching and studying I accepted God’s call and believed in the Lord Jesus Christ in order to receive eternal life. People choose their religion but a Christian is chosen by Christ. He says, “You have not chosen me but I have chosen you.” Since when did He choose me? He chose me before the foundation of the world. People say, “You were a Muslim from your birth.” God says, “You were a Christian from the beginning.” He states that He chose us thousands of years ago, even before the creation of the universe, so that through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ we may be His. A Christian means one who belongs to Jesus Christ.

The eternal God who sees the end from the beginning and who has chosen me to belong to Him, knew from the beginning those whose heart would be drawn to Him and also those who would be willing to sell their faith and eternity for a pot of porridge. I would rather have the whole world against me, but know that the Almighty God is with me. I would rather be called an apostate, but know that I have the approval of the God of glory, because man looks at the outward appearance but God looks at the heart. For Him who is God for all eternity nothing is impossible. All power in heaven and on earth is in His hands.

The Almighty God will raise up anyone He chooses and bring down others, accept some and reject others, send some to heaven and other to hell. Now because God does whatever He desires, who can separate us from the love of God? Or who can destroy the relationship between the creator and the creature or defeat a life that is faithful to his Lord? The faithful will be safe and secure under the shadow of the Almighty! Our refuge is the mercy seat of God who is exalted from the beginning. I know in whom I have believed, and He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him to the end until I reach the Kingdom of God, the place where the righteous shine like the sun, but where the evil doers will receive their punishment in the fire of hell.

They tell me, “Return!” But to whom can I return from the arms of my God? Is it right to accept what people are saying instead of obeying the Word of God? It is now 45 years that I am walking with the God of miracles, and His kindness upon me is like a shadow and I owe Him much for His fatherly love and concern.

The love of Jesus has filled all my being and I feel the warmth of His love in every part of my body. God, who is my glory and honor and protector, has put his seal of approval upon me through His unsparing blessings and miracles.

This test of faith is a clear example. The good and kind God reproves and punishes all those whom He loves. He tests them in preparation for heaven. The God of Daniel, who protected his friends in the fiery furnace, has protected me for nine years in prison. And all the bad happenings have turned out for our good and gain, so much so that I am filled to overflowing with joy and thankfulness.

The God of Job has tested my faith and commitment in order to increase my patience and faithfulness. During these nine years he has freed me from all my responsibilities so that under the protection of His blessed Name, I would spend my time in prayer and study of His Word, with a searching heart and with brokenness, and grow in the knowledge of my Lord. I praise the lord for this unique opportunity. God gave me space in my confinement, brought healing in my difficult hardships and His kindness revived me. Oh what great blessings God has in store for those who fear Him!

They object to my evangelizing. But if one finds a blind person who is about to fall in a well and keeps silent then one has sinned. It is our religious duty, as long as the door of God’s mercy is open, to convince evil doers to turn from their sinful ways and find refuge in Him in order to be saved from the wrath of the Righteous God and from the coming dreadful punishment.

Jesus Christ says “I am the door. Whoever enters through me will be saved.” “I am the way, the truth and the life. No-one comes to the father except through me.” “Salvation is found in no-one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” Among the prophets of God, only Jesus Christ rose from the dead, and He is our living intercessor for ever.

He is our Savior and He is the (spiritual) Son of God. To know Him means to know eternal life. I, a useless sinner, have believed in this beloved person and all His words and miracles recorded in the Gospel, and I have committed my life into His hands. Life for me is an opportunity to serve Him, and death is a better opportunity to be with Christ. Therefore I am not only satisfied to be in prison for the honor of His Holy Name, but am ready to give my life for the sake of Jesus, my Lord, and enter His kingdom sooner, the place where the elect of God enter everlasting life. But the wicked enter into eternal damnation.

May the shadow of God’s kindness and His hand of blessing and healing be and remain upon you for ever. Amen. With Respect,
Your Christian prisoner,

Mehdi Dibaj

He was released Jan. 16, 1994, due to the efforts of Armenian Christian Bishop Haik Hovsepian-Mehr, who himself was killed that same month. Mehdi Dibaj was abducted and killed for his faith just six months later in June of 1994.

Don’t hesitate to read his full testimony, along with other facts about the suffering of believers in Iran and elsewhere, by going to this page. Amazingly, Dibaj was just one of 156,000 Christians martyred for their faith in 1994 according to David Barrett, professor of missiometrics at Regent University (from a Campus Journal article referenced in the article linked to above).

Have you counted the cost? Are you willing to die? Will you pray for suffering saints, and for the victory of God’s Kingdom in all lands for all peoples?

~~posted by Jack

Thinking about Tragedies

Living in the Minneapolis area, today’s tragedy hits close to home. 20 are missing with 4 confirmed dead, and over 60 treated for injuries after a major bridge collapsed last night. We are thankful that we were not on the bridge, and mindful of God’s blessings every time we cross a bridge that doesn’t collapse.

Whenever tragedies hit the news, and often they are in far away places like Pakistan or Sri Lanka, we are given an opportunity to think Biblically. How can we help others in the crisis, and how can we not blame God for it? The latter question is one the world has no answer for. But we do.

Rather than give the answer, I want to point you to some thoughts along these lines that my pastor John Piper wrote last night. I hope they will challenge you to think Biblically about tragedies, and may these thoughts spill over into the way we view missions.

photo is from the AP / Star Tribune and found here at foxnews.com

~~posted by Bob

Helen Roseveare: Her Suffering & Her Challenge

In her book Faithful Women and Their Extraordinary God Noel Piper presents a biographical sketch of the life of Helen Roseveare, missionary to the Congo for over 20 years. The above video clip is a 4 minute condensed version of Helen’s life presented by Noel (HT: Desiring God’s Blog). Helen is now 82, and still travels around speaking about the great need for missions. She will be speaking at the 2007 Desiring God National Conference: “Stand: A Call for the Endurance of the Saints”.

Helen Roseveare’s Suffering

On the heels of Zioneer’s post The Blood of the Martyrs, it is perhaps fitting that we pause and reflect on one of the many modern day missionaries who faced severe suffering for the sake of Christ and His Kingdom. Helen upon graduating from medical school, took her promising future and went to serve in one of the poorest and most remote places in Africa. She stayed there for 20 plus years.

Her time in Africa was one of constant work, treating 200 or more patient’s a day, struggling to build a hospital practically by herself, training numerous medical students, and suffering from constant tropical sicknesses. I would encourage you to read Noel’s account of Helen’s life, it is available to read online here, and is only 20 or so pages long. It reveals how sensitive Helen was to the things of the Lord, and how she grew through so many and varied trials.

The most trying time of her life, and the great suffering that she endured for Christ came during the Simba rebellion of 1964. Her house was ransacked and she was brutally beaten, and even raped. Then she was in captivity for several months, during which time she again suffered rape and brutal treatment. Through this dark time in her life, Christ Jesus was faithful to meet her with special peace and grace. You can read the account of her suffering starting on this page.

After that time of suffering, Helen still stayed on for several more years of service in the Congo. Oh for more missionaries like Helen Roseveare who embrace suffering for the sake of the Kingdom.

Helen Roseveare’s Challenge

As I read the section on Helen’s life, I couldn’t help but notice her current passion. She has a strong desire for the youth of today’s Church to join the cause of missions, specifically for the sake of the thousands of unreached people groups in the world today. Listen to Helen’s challenge in her own words:

Since 1973, I have been living in the United Kingdom, and seeking to present the desperate need of the three thousand million people, alive today, who have never yet heard of our Lord Jesus Christ and of the redemption He wrought for them at Calvary. These are the “hidden peoples” in more than ten thousand ethnic groups around our world. As I try to present their needs, I pray earnestly that the Holy Spirit will stir hearts to make a response. It seems so obvious to me that Christian young people…should rise up and go….

Why is the response so poor?…

Is it that we Christians today have an inadequate understanding of God’s holiness and therefore of his wrath against sin and of the awfulness of a Christless eternity? If we were gripped by the two facts—of the necessity for judgment of sin because God is holy; and of the necessity of holiness in the Christian that he may represent such a God to others—would we not “hunger and thirst after righteousness” whatever the cost, and would not others then see Christ in us, and be drawn to Him?

In other words, if we [understood] the Scriptural teaching on the need of Holiness in the life of every believer, we should not need to plead for missionaries. (From Helen Roseveare’s book Living Holiness, pg. 32; cited by Noel Piper, Faithful Women And Their Extraordinary God pg. 168)

~~posted by Bob

The Blood of the Martyrs (part 2)

…continued from yesterday’s post.

We are graced with the ministry of a necessary, bloody witness to the nations, so that all of God’s children, from every people, tribe, tongue, and nation, might be gathered together to God. By God’s design, the blood of his Son is the only source of life for the Church; but the blood of the martyrs is the seed by which the Church grows. It is the blood of the martyrs that gives an undeniably powerful testimony of the truth of Christ’s life, joy, and peace, operative no matter how adverse the circumstances. It is the willing, joyful self-sacrifice of the martyrs that God uses as the primary means of evangelizing the lost and dying regions of a world opposed to him. By their suffering, which is a following in the footsteps of Christ’s suffering, God has chosen to apply what Christ accomplished. The blood of the martyrs truly is the seed of the Church.

Practical Applications

If this is indeed the case, it must have a tremendous impact on our attitude towards the means by which we hope to spread the gospel to the nations. If one were to search the annals of the history of missions, he would find that rarely, if ever, has the gospel spread to an unreached people group when it had not first been planted and watered by the blood of the saints. God is intensely committed to making much of the work of Christ’s sacrifice of himself on the cross. One way in which he does that is to re-tell in picture form the story of what happened on Calvary. There, Christ willingly died an unjust death at the hands of the wicked. When his servants willingly die an unjust death, then the power of their word is joined to the power of their example, and the result is a living faith which turns the world upside down, and facilitates the mighty spread of the kingdom of God. In this century, it is more vital than ever that we be committed just as much to the bloody portrayal of the gospel as we are to the verbal proclamation of the gospel. Christ left us with a great commission which has thus far been two thousand years in fulfilling. The great delay must not harden our hearts, but rather spur us on to the final completion of our task. In such broad expanses of time, it is easy to lose sight of the truth that world history is moving definitely toward a goal which cannot be stopped: the goal that the Lamb will have the worshippers he deserves from every people group under heaven. The entire story of man is moving towards a certain conclusion. That conclusion of all of history, indeed, the goal for which the world was created in the first place, is the Christ-exalting joy of a great band of worshippers eternally pouring out their hearts before him in wonder and praise. Let us never lose sight of this certain end! Let us be laboring now as never before! The Church is poised and ready to fulfill by her blood the task left for us by Christ. Let us take heart and know that victory is certain! I leave us with two final admonitions.

Let us be ready to embrace suffering and death for the sake of the kingdom.

It is an unfortunate reality that the modern perspective on missions would encourage us only to labor where it is “safe”. The gospel never spread to unreached areas by people committed to safety. It never will. Let us be eager and willing to lay down our lives for the sake of the One who gave up his own precious life for us. Let us be ready to give up our possessions, our safety, our families, and our lives to see the gospel spread and the Kingdom increased until the great commission is finally accomplished, and Christ comes in all his glory to reward us eternally for our light and momentary affliction!

Let us be earnest in partnering with the persecuted church across the world.

God never intended for every Christian to be martyred. It is no shame to live a life of radical commitment to the gospel which never ends in extreme persecution or martyrdom. We are a body, and have different functions and callings. But whether we are called to lay down our lives in martyrdom or to lay them down in a long, wearisome service that sees no bloody end, let us strive to be vitally connected to the worldwide Church. God has raised up a mighty band of believers in China, South Korea, Africa, and other places who are persecuted intensely and who desire intensely to be used of God to spread the gospel throughout the unreached regions of the world, no matter the cost. We may never face persecution of this sort in America: but let us be earnestly praying for our brothers who are chosen to spread the gospel through their martyrdom! Let us be partnering with them financially! Let us be learning of their needs and sacrificially contributing in any way that we can! Let us, as the worldwide church, embrace God’s call to suffering and spend our lives in the passionate pursuit of spreading the gospel throughout the world, for the sake of him who is worthy of all!

~~posted by Zioneer

The Blood of the Martyrs (part 1)

The famous observation of Tertullian that, “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church,” has a depth of insight which is all too often lost on believers today. We have no trouble thinking of persecution and martyrdom as a great obstacle to the spread of the gospel which will not, however, be successful in hindering Church growth. We would have no problem affirming that the blood of the martyrs is a hurdle which, by God’s grace, can be overcome. But to say that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church is an altogether different concept. If martyrdom is a surmountable obstacle to the growth of the Church, then the Church might advance just as well, even better, without it. But if the blood of the martyrs truly is the seed of the Church, then without it, the Church does not grow. Without martyrdom, the Church would never have taken root in the world of Tertullian. Without martyrdom, the Church would not have spread to the Waodani (“Auca”) Indians in South America, or to China or Burma or the islands of the South Seas. The blood of the martyrs is a necessary means for the worldwide application of Christ’s great redemptive accomplishment. This is the full force of Tertullian’s insight; and understanding the full extent of his meaning must leave us confronted with two great questions: is this understanding scriptural? And if so, what practical effects ought this scriptural truth to have upon the actions, goals, and designs of the Church as she approaches her task of global evangelism in the twenty-first century? By God’s grace, we will address those two questions in these two posts.

New Life Brought out of Death was God’s Plan for the Accomplishment of Redemption

The very heart of the Christian gospel is that, by Christ’s bloody death, the blessings of a new and incorruptible life were purchased for all who believe in him. “Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission [of sins]” (Hebrews 9:22). And without the remission of sins, there is no life. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23); and it is only when this requirement of death is fulfilled that eternal life can be freely given to God’s elect. Christ came to earth for no other purpose than to give his life for the sins of his people (Isaiah 53:10); and while he lived on this earth, he was ever mindful of the fact that it was only through his sacrificial death that he would win life for those whom the Father had given him. This is the intent of the parable that Christ spoke to his disciples, only days before he was to offer himself up for them all: “Truly, truly, I say unto you, Except a grain of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone: but if it die, it brings forth much fruit” (John 12:24). Just as a grain of wheat can only produce life in abundance if it first dies and is buried in the earth, so Christ could only accomplish the fruit of new life for his followers if he first died and was buried in the earth. By God’s design, new life was brought forth in great abundance by the willing death of the spotless, sacrificial Lamb of God. It is beyond controversy, then, that willing death was the necessary means for the accomplishment of the redemption which leads to life.

New Life Brought out of Death is God’s Plan for the Application of Redemption

It is incontrovertible that Christ had to suffer and die to accomplish redemption and life. But it is equally clear that, throughout the New Testament, Christians are commanded to follow in the example of Christ – particularly in the realm of willing suffering. In his first epistle, Peter admonishes us, “For even unto this were you called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judges righteously: Who his own self bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes you were healed” (I Peter 2:21-24). And a little later on, he exhorts us, “Inasmuch then as Christ has suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin; That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God (I Peter 4:1-2). These and other similar passages ought to assure us that, just as Christ’s suffering and death very really accomplished our life and righteousness; so through our own suffering at the hands of the wicked, God has designed for this Christ-bought life to be worked out practically in our own souls. Christ alone effectually accomplished this incorruptible life-out-of-death; but the application of it in the lives of his followers is produced by an analogous suffering which is effective to work in us the death-conquering life of Christ. Just as the apostle Paul exhorted the early Christians: “we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22).

A suffering that is analogous to the suffering of Christ is necessary, therefore, to work out in each soul the life which Christ has won for his disciples – but what of evangelism? Is the suffering of Christ necessary for the spread of the gospel throughout the world of unbelievers? In his epistle to the Colossians, Paul made a very remarkable statement: “And you, that were formerly alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now has he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: If you continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which you have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; of which I Paul am made a minister; Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church” (Colossians 1:21-24). This astounding assertion is nothing other than that, what the sufferings of Christ were lacking for the goal of bringing life to the nations, the analogous sufferings of the saints, as they proclaim the gospel, are sufficient to fulfill. What could Paul have meant? It is not as though the sacrificial death of Christ was insufficient to accomplish new life, and that the ministers of the gospel have to add their own sacrificial deaths to the purchasing power of Christ’s redemptive work. It would be blasphemous even to consider such a possibility. But Paul’s statement must mean something: it would appear that the only option we have which would both do justice to this text and not devalue the infinite work of Christ is to understand that in this statement Paul is teaching us that, just as Christ’s death was necessary and sufficient to accomplish redemption; so the suffering and martyrdom of his witnesses is necessary and sufficient to carry out to the nations the application of that substitutionary, life-giving accomplishment of Christ. In other words, Christ had to suffer in order to purchase our eternal life; and now we as his witnesses have to suffer in order to spread the effects of that fully-accomplished redemption. Without suffering and martyrdom, the great effects of Christ’s great success will never be fully realized.

To be continued in tomorrow’s post.

~~posted by Zioneer