Be a Blessing, Reach the World for ChristSample

Persecution as an incentive to be a blessing

Yesterday we read about the command Jesus gave to His disciples. In Acts 1, we see this repeated. However, the first church was not very active outside Jerusalem yet! From chapter 1 to chapter 7, we only read about Jesus' followers in Jerusalem. The first believers loved their city very much. They were in Jerusalem and stayed in Jerusalem. There the church grew, but outside Jerusalem the message of Jesus was not heard. That is, until God himself started intervening. He allowed persecution to come to Jerusalem and the church was scattered. Only then do we see the congregation really engage in outreach. It took persecution for them to take action.

In the story of Jonah, we see that the prophet is called to be a blessing to his enemies. But he does not want that. He flees. God uses a storm and a fish to get Jonah to Nineveh. Then, when his preaching is a blessing to the people there, he becomes furious with God. Because being a blessing to his enemies - that is not what he wants at all!

Even in the history of Abraham and the people of Israel, we see that they were often not a blessing either to those around them. Frequently they put convenience and their own families first.

This is a warning to us. Evangelism does not happen by itself. God sometimes uses a storm or persecution to make His children a blessing. What would God need to do to us before we are willing to let go of our comfortable lives and take His message to places where people have not yet heard about Him? Why is it that there are so few people of foreign descent in our churches? Could it be because we too prefer to stay in our own Jerusalem?

Pray for the Bhar caste in India. This is a community of about 2 million people who make their living through agriculture. They have been at war with Muslims among others for almost two hundred years and have lost that battle. Unfortunately, many child marriages occur within this community.

No complete Bible is available for this language group. Nor do we know of any Christians among these people. They are Hindu and worship gods like Deeh Baba and Burhao Baba. Who would pray for them? And who would be willing to go and tell them about Jesus?