HOW MUCH AND HOW MANY?

PRAY WITH ME FOR AFRICA: The Democratic Republic of Congo (Formerly Zaire) and not to be confused with The Republic of Congo on its western border is found at the very center of Africa. This massive country with a fast growing population of 80 million is in great need. Although it is rich in diamonds, minerals, agriculture and hydro-electric potential, the past governments of President Moboto and Kabila have plundered the nation for personal gain and civil strife has destroyed the economy and infrastructure. The conflicts in Congo have resulted in more deaths than any since WW2. Pray with me for stability in DR of Congo.

While reading an introduction to the book of Jeremiah I came across this sentence, "Josiah's reforms, reaching their apex in 622 BC, forced a repressing of the worst practices outwardly, but the deadly cancer of sin was deep and flourished quickly again after a shallow revival." Today, in our context, we do not even have the advantage of a shallow revival to repress the cancer of sin in our society, which begs the question how much more sin will God allow in this world before bringing His final judgement, and how many righteous believers are needed to hold back God's wrath a little bit longer?

 Of course I am referring to God's promise to Abraham in Genesis 15.16, "And they (the offspring of Abraham) shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete." The decay of the cancer of sin in the Amorites to the point of God pouring out His wrath would take 400+ years.
Then we have God's word to Abraham in Genesis 18.32, "For the sake of ten I will not destroy it." But obviously ten righteous people were not found for God did destroy Sodom.
Finally we have to add to the above the patience and mercy of God who withholds His wrath as long as possible so that as many as possible may come to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. "but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come..." And ,"this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." (2 Peter 3.9-10, Matthew 24.14)
The cancer of sin is growing in the world as is the number of born-again believers. In God's time and according to His righteousness and mercy these factors will lead to the final wrath of God and the new heaven and the new earth. How much sin, How many righteous. That is for God to decide.
 
Good articles I listened to this week:
Interview with John Lennox on Stephen Hawking
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=If4XisIJNA4
 

GOD IS SOVEREIGN

PRAY WITH ME FOR AFRICA: Djibouti is experiencing widespread famine, extreme unemployment,  and rising issues of human trafficking, prostitution and drug abuse. The Afar New Testament is published and a project is underway to record the NT and songs on tape for a largely illiterate population. The Jesus film is available in Afar and Somali and Arabic. Some innovative outreach takes place through the internet and mobile phones. Pray for God to use all of these resources by His Spirit to bring locals to Christ and to encourage persecuted believers.

Flag of Djibouti

I think Oswald Chambers says it best in this devotional from December 18th.
Test of Faithfulness by Oswald Chambers

We know that all things work together for good to those who love God…- Romans 8.28

GOD IS SOVEREIGN EVEN IN A BROKEN WORLD

It is only a faithful person who truly believes that God sovereignly controls his circumstances. We take our circumstances for granted, saying God is in control, but not really believing it. We act as if the things that happen were completely controlled by people. To be faithful in every circumstance means that we have only one loyalty, or object of our faith— the Lord Jesus Christ. God may cause our circumstances to suddenly fall apart, which may bring the realization of our unfaithfulness to Him for not recognizing that He had ordained the situation. We never saw what He was trying to accomplish, and that exact event will never be repeated in our life. This is where the test of our faithfulness comes. If we will just learn to worship God even during the difficult circumstances, He will change them for the better very quickly if He so chooses.

Being faithful to Jesus Christ is the most difficult thing we try to do today. We will be faithful to our work, to serving others, or to anything else; just don’t ask us to be faithful to Jesus Christ. Many Christians become very impatient when we talk about faithfulness to Jesus. Our Lord is dethroned more deliberately by Christian workers than by the world. We treat God as if He were a machine designed only to bless us, and we think of Jesus as just another one of the workers.
The goal of faithfulness is not that we will do work for God, but that He will be free to do His work through us. God calls us to His service and places tremendous responsibilities on us. He expects no complaining on our part and offers no explanation on His part. God wants to use us as He used His own Son.

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Good articles I read this week: 
http://www.arabworldmedia.org/2018/03/do-not-be-afraid-rejection/?utm_source=Media+Contacts&utm_campaign=fc492529cc-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_02_28&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_d0175b7468-fc492529cc-429139981

http://www.bpnews.net/27125/warden-saw-only-one-answer-for-troubled-la-prison-christ

“I Never Made a Sacrifice”: The Call and Question of David Livingstone

GOD CAN AND DOES

PRAY WITH ME FOR AFRICA: Djibouti is a dessert country with possibly the hottest average temperatures of any country on earth. Islam is the religion of the state. Religious freedom is allowed for foreigners but conversion brings risk of intense persecution for locals. Under 2% Christian mostly immigrant groups from other Muslim countries. Mission work is taking place but please pray as they work under intense physical and oppressive conditions.

On the horn of Africa

Isaiah 40.25-31

²⁵ To whom then will you compare me,
    that I should be like him? says the Holy One. (Only God is eternal. No one is like Him.)
²⁶ Lift up your eyes on high and see:
    who created these?
He who brings out their host by number,
    calling them all by name;
by the greatness of his might
    and because he is strong in power,
    not one is missing. (Estimates of the radius of the universe now stand at around 46 billion light-years, and no end is in sight. God created this.)

²⁷ Why do you say, O Jacob,
    and speak, O Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
    and my right is disregarded by my God”?
²⁸ Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
    his understanding is unsearchable.
²⁹ He gives power to the faint,
    and to him who has no might he increases strength.
³⁰ Even youths shall faint and be weary,
    and young men shall fall exhausted;
³¹ but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
    they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
    they shall walk and not faint. (This eternal, creator God is willing to consider the faint, the weak, the exhausted who wait upon Him, The Lord, and renew their strength so they may walk and not faint. What an offer from a God who can fulfill His offer. After the cross and the resurrection we are called to live in Christ.)

Isaiah 57.15
For thus says the One who is high and lifted up,
    who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:
“I dwell in the high and holy place,
    and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly,
    and to revive the heart of the contrite.

Good article I read this week: God works in wonderful ways.

NORTH KOREA: Introduced to God During Interrogation

Source: Mission Network News

Photo: Flickr / Roman Harak (cc)

"Kyung-ja" first heard of God while suffering in a North Korean prison. Prior to her incarceration, she had escaped North Korea in an attempt to earn money in China for her starving family back home. When Kyung-ja returned, however, she was arrested. According to Todd Nettleton of VOM USA, while being interrogated, she was repeatedly asked unexpected questions: "Did people in China talk to you about God? Did you meet with people who are followers of God? Did you read the book about God while you were in China?" For Kyung-ja, this topic was completely new, as she had never before heard of God.
After facing interrogation, Kyung-ja was transferred to a labour camp. Intrigued by the interrogator's questions, she asked a fellow prisoner about God. This prisoner affirmed that there was a God but was too afraid to talk about Him in the camp. Even so, a seed had been planted in Kyung-ja's heart.
If even the guards were afraid of God, Kyung-ja reasoned, then He must be powerful. And so, despite knowing nothing about God, she began to pray and ask for His help. To her surprise, Kyung-ja began to witness answers to her desperate prayers.
Eventually Kyung-ja was able to again escape North Korea and connect with her daughter who had earlier defected to South Korea. Her daughter could answer many questions about God, Jesus and the Bible. When Todd Nettleton personally met Kyung-ja in South Korea, she was able to read the Bible and understand what it means to follow Christ.
If you would like to post a prayer of praise or petition on behalf of our persecuted family around the globe, visit VOMC's prayer wall.

GRACE, GRACE AND MORE GRACE

PRAY WITH ME FOR AFRICA: Africa is a resource rich continent but corrupt and unstable governments, lack of infrastructure, the highest population growth rate in the world, military conflicts and civil wars causing displacement of people, poor soil management and drought, the high prevalence of AIDS and malaria, and lack of education add to the ongoing poverty of many African countries. Many Christian organizations are seeking to meet these real needs. Of the 33 lowest ranking nations on the UN Human Development Index (HDI), 32 are in Africa. There is hope for Africa in Jesus Christ. Let us pray.

 The absolute necessity of the Grace of God in our lives, and the abounding gift of the Grace of God to those who will humble themselves before God, have occupied my mind for the last couple of weeks. The change of heart that reflects a genuine saving faith, as mentioned last week, can only result from the work of the Grace of God. Living in daily circumstances, trials, duties, responsibilities and happiness, and the occasional unexplained tragedies that punch us in the face requires the gift of God's abounding Grace. When Paul faced his "thorn in the flesh" (2 Corinthians 12), God did not give Paul an explanation for the thorn but the promise of Grace to live with the thorn. I don't know what your day or your week will bring to you but here are a few things to remember. 1) God is Sovereign and nothing touches you that has not gone through His fingers first. There are no mistakes made by the Sovereignty of God. 2) If you truly belong to God, God has your good in mind in whatever is allowed to touch your life. So thank God even for the sucker punch which has so suddenly knocked you flat. God IS Good all the time. 3) God's Grace is sufficient. I have been savoring this verse from Psalm 119.132. Oh, how sweet and nourishing. "Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is your way with those who love your name." How wonderful is the taste of the Grace of God in this sinful world. I expect an eternal serving of God's rich Grace and look forward to the ability to savor Grace in greater measure. "So that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in his kindness toward us in Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2.7)

Good article I read this week:  North Korea (My Google Drive)