[Ohio-Communities-of-Faith] FW: [CWWC] HOPE IN THE FACE OF BAD NEWS

[Michael Moore]

From: committed-walk-with-Christ at groups.io
[mailto:committed-walk-with-Christ at groups.io] On Behalf Of Mr. Ed via
groups.io
Sent: Friday, June 4, 2021 9:39 AM
To: Mr. Ed
Subject: EXT: [CWWC] HOPE IN THE FACE OF BAD NEWS

 


HOPE IN THE FACE OF BAD NEWS


"As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your
ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."
<https://link.biblegateway.com/click/24051745.4052/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmlibGVnY
XRld2F5LmNvbS9wYXNzYWdlLz9zZWFyY2g9SXNhLjU1Ljk/5ef562bd10222374f46b6174B2078
80f1> Isaiah 55:9

Our Open Doors colleague, Ron Boyd-MacMillan, shares the following insight
from his teaching, "Why I Need to Encounter the Persecuted Church." Wouldn't
it be wonderful to have an idea of what God is really up to in this world?
One thing we can be very sure of-that the story of the world as we find it
in history books and newspapers, is not to be confused with the real story
of what God is doing underneath. But what is God's story as opposed to
history? What's he really up to? Must the daily diet of wars, murder and
mayhem in my newspaper always get me down. Can I ever be sure something is
going on underneath? Well, we can't know perfectly as "his ways are so much
higher than our ways" (
<https://link.biblegateway.com/click/24051745.4052/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmlibGVnY
XRld2F5LmNvbS9wYXNzYWdlLz9zZWFyY2g9SXNhLjU1Ljk/5ef562bd10222374f46b6174C2078
80f1> Isaiah 55:9). But we are afforded glimpses. This glimpsing really
excited the early Christians. You can hear the delight in Paul when he
writes, "God's secret plan has now been revealed to us..." (
<https://link.biblegateway.com/click/24051745.4052/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmlibGVnY
XRld2F5LmNvbS9wYXNzYWdlLz9zZWFyY2g9RXBoLjEuOQ/5ef562bd10222374f46b6174D9ee1a
343> Ephesians 1:9). The persecuted seem to get more glimpses than most.

I think of China. The headlines said in June of 1989 a terrible massacre
took place. Five thousand young people were mown down by the Chinese army.
The headlines all mourned the death of the pro-democracy movement. It was
terrible, but what was God up to underneath? Out of that massacre came a
remarkable turning to Christ among China's students for the first time in
history! The headlines never saw it. It's not part of history. But "His
story" went on.

I think of Afghanistan. When the Soviet Union invaded that country in 1980
the world was outraged. The headlines were all full of fierce denunciations
of the action, and rightly so. But I remember meeting a missionary from
Kabul who said, "Yes, what the Russians did was wrong, but the fact is it is
now much easier under the Russians for Christians to evangelize than it was
before under the Islamic regime." Again, another more significant story, of
God building his kingdom, was going on undetected by the world at large.

I think of Sudan. The headlines in the 1980's were full of a dreadful civil
war which isolated the Danka people from the outside world. It was terrible.
There was untold suffering on vast scale. But underneath, God was bringing
the 2 million Dinks to himself. By 1993, 80% of them were Christians and
this among a tribe that was historically very resistant to the gospel.

Notice that these are all stories from the persecuted. They seem to be
better placed to notice the real story. And so I need to keep in touch with
them because this glimpse delivers me from despair. In 1989 in China, there
was not just a massacre, but a revival. In 1980 in Afghanistan, there was
not just an occupation, but new missionary opportunities. In Sudan, there
was not just a brutal war that killed millions, but a new kingdom of
believers among an unreached people.

So every day when I open my newspaper, I remind myself of two things, thanks
to the persecuted: the story I see is not to be confused with the kingdom
story; and underneath even the saddest news, God is surely up to something
good. There is hope because God is always at work.

RESPONSE: Today when I read or hear the news, I will thank God that He is at
work behind the scenes.

PRAYER: Thank You Lord, for Your promise to bring good out of the terrible
events of this world.

Provided by bible Gateway:

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