It’s Time to Shine for Jesus

Pakistan, the sixth most populous country in the world, is facing multiple challenges: an unstable political system, a weak economic position, global debts escalating over $100 billion US, widespread corruption, and recently the lurking fear of an Indo-Pakistani war. 

Religious discrimination is also a serious issue in modern-day Pakistan. The religious minorities are victims of violence, persecution, and terrorism. Women who belong to religious minorities have been known to be victims of kidnapping and forced conversion to Islam.

If Pakistan’s many challenges have caused the morale and confidence of people comprising the majority community to fall, where can one place the religious minorities in this gloomy picture? They are weak and the battle is gigantic; the forces against them are crude, diverse, and destructive. A handful of Christians can’t combat these forces of darkness with their human efforts. The situation seems hopeless.

But when we turn to the Word of God, we see that the state of the first church in the Book of Acts was no better than the situation Pakistani believers face today. God has a special purpose for those of us born in this country. He wants His light to shine in the darkness through us. 

As the days get darker, it is vital that our lights shine brighter. Unfortunately, many churches, pastors, and everyday believers are wandering around with empty lamps. Do you know what an empty lamp will do for a lost and dying world? Nothing. Without oil, there is no light. Without light, there is no revelation of sin and the need for a Savior. Without that revelation, there is no direction to repentance. Without repentance, there is no hope.

The lamps can only burn with the pure and simple gospel. Children and youth today are media-obsessed, wealth hungry, and open to learning practices of other religions without knowing their dire consequences. Unless these young people are reached, they cannot be rescued. We must speak the truth about eternity—that only followers of Christ will be in heaven, and everyone else will be in hell. We must proclaim the need for repentance from sin and an acknowledgment of the holiness of God. This is how lamps can be filled and people can be prepared for eternity in the precious time that is left.

If the church is losing our new generation, it is not the world’s fault; it’s ours. They are in the darkness; we know better. We need to stop waiting for someone else to take action to turn our community back to Christ. As followers of Christ, we need to get together and act today.

We can use these five instructions from 2 Timothy to help fill our lamps with the oil needed to light our paths to reach the lost for God’s kingdom.

1. Prayer and Bible study must be the center of our lives, our families, and our ministries. (See 2 Timothy 1:13.)

2. Our teaching and preaching must be based on the pure and life-changing gospel of the Lord Jesus. (See 2 Timothy 2:15–17.)

3. We should not tolerate and compromise with darkness. (See 2 Timothy 2:19.)

4. We must be bold to call evil out and have no connection with it. (See 2 Timothy 3:1–5.)

5. We must live and share the truth of God’s Word. (See 2 Timothy 3:16–17.)

As followers of Christ, we are called to be the light. It’s time to shine for Jesus, the One who gave us the chance to live and serve Him before His return. He needs our lamps full and burning in Pakistan because time is running out.

Prayer Requests

· Pray for the eyes of the children and youth to be opened to the dire consequences of other religions. 

· Pray for the estimated thousand girls and women who are kidnapped and become victims of forced conversion each year.

· Pray that the light of the church in Pakistan would shine brightly in the darkness.