Tuesday December 6, 2011

Tuesday December 6, 2011 Read Acts 4
Richard Wurmbrand watched the prison guards kill many of his fellow prisoners and, especially, many of his brothers in the Lord. The Communist leaders had no qualms in eradicating Christians and the prison guards followed suit - shooting, beating to death, starving and torturing believers. Even so, at every opportunity Richard would share the love of Christ with the guards that beat him, tortured him and sought to kill him.
The Apostles Peter and John found themselves in a similar situation. Jesus had been crucified by the Sanhedrin and now the Apostles were standing before them trying to explain the miracle of the beggar healed at the gate called Beautiful. This group masterminded the death of Jesus and they could easily exterminate His associates. But as Peter spoke, he was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke with courage, not fear. In vs 13 we see that the Jewish leaders saw the courage of Peterand John. Peter was able to declare the work of Christ, His death and resurrection He was able to declare that salvation was found in no one else for no other name was given to mankind to be saved.
You and I have no reason to fear mankind. We have a God that is incredibly bigger and stronger and more powerful than any person on this planet. God is sovereign over every single situation and not even a sparrow or leaf falls to the ground apart from His will. This was beautifully illustrated in India recently. A gunman burst into the church and demanded that the pastor be silent and stop speaking of Jesus. The gun was pointed at his head. The pastor courageously kept preaching. The gunman pulled the trigger. The gun backfired and the gunman was killed instantly. The other terrorists quickly fled. Who knows what would have happened had the preacher given into fear and fell silent.
You have nothing to fear because you are on God‟s side and God is watching over you. BE brave. BE strong. BE courageous. BE all that God wants you to be.
Prayer: Kazakhstan
 All of their activities; including meeting in house churches, church
events, Sunday school, training, social work and evangelism, are banned without recognition under the new laws. It is expected that the number of raids, detentions, interrogations, threats, and physical violence against them will increase.
 Some Christians in Kazakhstan are deciding not to register out of principle. They know what is coming their way and are already facing oppression from the authorities. Unfortunately, there will also be a big new group of Christians who fail to meet the new registration requirements. They will need to prepare themselves for difficult times ahead.