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From: Bayo Afolaranmi
Dear Beloved, WHATEVER HAPPENS "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28, NIV). The writer of the book of the Acts of the Apostles recorded many events that happened in the history of the early church. Most of these events were to the advancement of the gospel, and they brought glory to the name of God. Some of them are what we can regard to as tragedy, while some ended on joyous note. I received a text message in my mobile phone early one morning. The message reads thus: "Whatever you are doing, please pray for Pastor Ferdie Flores, [a] missionary in East Timor. He is going to be executed today by beating. Please forward to all Christians." As I read the message, the story of Stephen in Acts chapters 6 and 7 came to my mind. I immediately based my prayer on that story that even if that missionary is been executed that day, God should used it, as He did that of Stephen, to advance the gospel in the area. However, when my wife was leading us some minutes later in our family morning devotion, she used another story in the same book of Acts to pray for the missionary. In her own case, she prayed that God should rescue the missionary as He rescued Peter from the prison in Acts 12. Many other people sent the same text message to me that day, which meant that many Christians received the message and prayed for the missionary, but I do not know what eventually happened to him that day. However, whatever happened, I know that God would be glorified in the event. I can say like Paul that, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28, NIV). Just as God was glorified in the death of Stephen and made the gospel to spread to other places, so also, He will be glorify in the seeming death of this missionary and make the gospel to spread in East Timor and other places in Asia. Likewise, just God glorified Himself in rescuing Peter from prison on the eve of his anticipated execution, and made the Christians to be stronger in their witnessing of the gospel, God will glorify Himself in rescuing His own from troubles and persecutions and make them stronger in their Christian faith. So, whatever happens, let your aspiration be like that of Paul, "I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death" (Philippians 1:20, NIV). In His service, Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor). Prayer Requests: 1. Pray that God will be glorified in whatever happens in your life. 2. Pray for all those that are facing persecutions because of the gospel especially in East Timor and other Asian countries. NB I will write a do study on this message based on Philippians 1:17-30. If you have interest in having a copy of the study, write me directly at <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. God bless you! ======================================================== From: sunanto choa
Turning
Adversity Into Opportunity
by Dr. Luder Whitlock 'In attempting to use
his time to honor the Lord rather than languish idly in his cell, he
accomplished more than he might have dreamed. As a result he helped shape the
history of the world.'
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bedford,
England, like many other English towns and villages is a charming place, teeming
with history. Strolling along the bank of the River Ouse on a spring afternoon
amid spectacular, well-tended flower gardens while sculling crews smoothly skim
back and forth is about as pleasant an experience as you could desire. No wonder
Glen Miller, based there in World War II, liked Bedford.
But
Bedford's real appeal to me was John Bunyan, the author of Pilgrim's Progress.
The Bunyan Museum and his church next door are vivid reminders of how God so
powerfully used an itinerant tinker.
The story
begins in 1668 when Bunyan and several other citizens were imprisoned for
refusing to work at the parish church as directed by Parliament. His
imprisonment lasted more than twelve years. It could easily have embittered him
and robbed him of his greatest contribution to Christianity. Yet, it had the
opposite effect. Why?
The
prisoners, in faithfulness to the Lord, worshipped Christ together every Sunday
and rotated the responsibility of leading in worship. Preparing for that task
one day, Bunyan began thumbing through the Bible, looking for a suitable text
for their meditation. He happened upon a description of the Heavenly City and
was captivated by it. He became so motivated by this fresh encounter with the
new Jerusalem that he used his time in prison to study the Scriptures and write
about it, producing one of the great Christian books of all time, Pilgrim 's
Progress.
Not only
does Bunyan remind us that life is a spiritual pilgrimage and help chart the
path to glory, giving us encouragement and guidance in our pilgrimage, he also
provides a lasting example of how adversity can become opportunity. Not only was
Bunyan a powerful witness to fellow prisoners, he had a huge influence on the
jailer. He demonstrates the power of a godly life in difficult circumstances. In
attempting to use his time to honor the Lord rather than languish idly in his
cell, he accomplished more than he might have dreamed. As a result he helped
shape the history of the world.
God could
use you that way, too. Just as the Apostle Paul saw the furtherance of the
gospel through his suffering, so may you. That has been our experience, for RTS
was born in the heat of opposition and persecution, yet God has blessed us
immensely. Now as we face various new challenges we want to trust the Lord to
bring us through and, in addition, do a mighty work. We pray that He will make
RTS a great spiritual force to shape the 21st century.
- Dr. Luder G. Whitlock,
Jr.
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