[Ohio-Communities-of-Faith] FW: [CWWC] FROM OBSTACLE TO INSTRUMENT
Michael Moore
mmoore11 at kent.edu
Sun Dec 19 23:21:46 UTC 2021
From: committed-walk-with-Christ at groups.io
[mailto:committed-walk-with-Christ at groups.io] On Behalf Of Mr. Ed via
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Sent: Sunday, December 19, 2021 9:28 AM
To: Mr. Ed
Subject: EXT: [CWWC] FROM OBSTACLE TO INSTRUMENT
FROM OBSTACLE TO INSTRUMENT
What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who
can be against us?
<https://link.biblegateway.com/click/26098447.329/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmlibGVnYX
Rld2F5LmNvbS9wYXNzYWdlLz9zZWFyY2g9Um9tLjguMzE/5ef562bd10222374f46b6174B79862
603> Romans 8:31
Our Open Doors colleague, Ron Boyd-MacMillan, shares the following insight
from his teaching, "Why I Need to Encounter the Persecuted Church."
The persecuted church teaches us that everyone is either an agent of God's
will, or an instrument of God's will. Everyone in this world has only two
choices: they can choose to do God's will by co-operating with God, or they
can choose to defy God and do his will unknowingly.
"Remember, our God is so great even the persecutors serve him," said a
Chinese pastor wryly. He was referring to arch-persecutor of the Chinese
church, Mao Tse Tung, who launched the fiercest anti-Christian campaign of
the 20th century in the 1960's. Called the "Cultural Revolution," he swept
away all churches, burned all Bibles, and imprisoned all the pastors.
Yet all he succeeded in doing was pushing the church deep underground, where
it became embedded in the family structure and Chinese culture in a way 300
years of evangelism had failed to accomplish. From this fire emerged the
world's largest revival - where the church grew from 1 million in 1950 to
over 80 million today.
"We say," smiled the pastor, "that thanks to Mao - who thought he was
annihilating the church - we have the greatest revival. He thought he was
killing the church, but all the while he was doing pre-evangelism. God had
the last laugh. Glory be to God - He always gets his will done."
This truth is also showing up in India. Since 1997 violence against
Christians has increased greatly as a result of the election of Hindu
extremists. Yet the effect of the extremism has been to drive thousands of
low caste Hindus into the church. The more Hindu extremists persecute
Christians, the more moderate Hindus are drawn into the church.
It is a glorious truth the persecuted awaken us to. Everyone ends up
furthering the will of God! Even those who put obstacles in the way of the
church serve God, because God just turns the obstacle into an instrument.
This means that we must not despair when we think conditions for the
flourishing of our Christian lives or our churches are less than perfect.
Take your worst enemy or the one feature of your life, society or church
that causes you most despair, then put your mind into gear and think - how
would God work his will through this obstacle?
Are you childless? Maybe God is using that to give you a greater ministry,
impossible with the responsibility of family? Are you powerless? Maybe God
wants to show his glory and make you marvel? We may not get an answer, but
it is a thrill to try, because we know everyone is either a willing agent or
an unwitting instrument of the will of God.
He's too great, and he loves the world too much, for it to be any other way!
God takes the obstacle, and makes it the instrument!
RESPONSE: Today I will be an agent to accomplish God's will realizing He can
make me an instrument.
PRAYER: Lord, make me an instrument of Your will and work as I choose to
cooperate with You.
Provided by Bible Gateway:
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