40acts: The Lent Generosity ChallengeSample

If the church is a family, we have a lot of brothers and sisters living in desperate need of our help. Persecution is real, and the stories are alarming.  

When we read Acts, it can be difficult to fully comprehend how the disciples continued spreading the gospel despite being so viciously persecuted. Having complete trust in who Jesus was guarded them through the most difficult periods of persecution. In Acts 4, however, we see that even though they were determined to spread this message they still had to pray for courage. 

As Christians, we sometimes struggle to grasp and feel the joy that we intellectually know we are promised by our Lord Jesus Christ in the Gospel of John chapter 16 verse 32: ‘your joy no one will take from you’. This is especially the case for many of us when we focus our attention on the struggles of our brothers and sisters in the Middle East and beyond, who often pay the ultimate price for their faith in the same Lord who promises us unchallenged joy. Suffering, however, is certainly not the end of the story, and the joy promised by our God is not mutually exclusive with the reality of struggle. 

In looking at the birth, life, death and resurrection of our Lord, we see that challenges and struggles were ever present throughout, and yet formed only part of the journey. The pain of the cross was ultimately a vehicle to the joy of the glorious resurrection, and a promise to us all of life after death.

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We might not be able to give physical support to those who are facing persecution, but we can offer prayers for courage to stand firm and for peace to come. Whilst we are able, let’s lift our hands in worship on their behalf, and pray for their strength.  

 Find more about today’s 40acts challenge on our blog:  https://40acts.org.uk/act-17-mission-accomplished/