Bind Yourself to Them

There is probably nothing that a pastor enjoys more than sharing the grace of God. To tell hurting people that they can be forgiven and to see them respond to this message is extremely meaningful. To tell others of God’s great compassion and love and see them light up with hope is very satisfying.

But the good news does not end with that content. It begins there. The good news is much more expansive than receiving God’s forgiveness and love. It expands into the area of a person’s attitude, character, morals and family life. The good news received personally challenges a person to extend the realm of Christ. This is done by sharing verbally what Christ has done personally for the person, a personal testimony. The realm of Christ is then extended through actions – that is, application of the good news. Displaying God’s love, compassion and forgiveness in daily life creates a powerful witness to others.

When such actions are put on display in the midst of serious opposition, such actions become all the more remarkable. When a follower of Christ continues displaying God’s love, compassion and forgiveness in the face of persecution, the realm of Christ is genuinely glorified.

All of the above is mentioned to encourage you to attend a conference at The Chapel in Marlboro. Open to the entire public and at no cost the Ohio-Western Pennsylvania Regional Conference for Voice of the Martyrs is to be held on Saturday, October 16, 2010. Events begin at 9:00 a.m. and continue until 5:00 p.m., with a lunch break from Noon – 1:30 p.m. Speakers include Gracia Burnham, Steven Khoury, Gatenah Getanah, Brad Konneman, Robert Brock and Mujahid El Masih.

Let me tell you a little about one of the lesser-known speakers: Mujahid El Masih. From Pakistan, in 1997 some Christians were falsely accused of tearing out pages from the Quran. Thousands of Pakistani Muslims were incited to riot against the Christians living in two villages in that area. The villages were burned and the believers tortured and persecuted. Mujahid El Masih was one of the leading Christian pastors in the area. His life was spared – and he doesn’t really know why, except that God showed him mercy. Advised by trusted friends to leave Pakistan, God opened a door for him and his family to come to The United States. Pastor Masih is very studied in Islam as well as Christianity. He presently ministers to all – but especially Muslims, sharing that the real and living God is one of mercy, compassion, forgiveness and love. And that through Jesus Christ this God may be known. His web site is www.fortheloveofmuslims.org.

When James Calvert went out as a Christian missionary to the cannibals of the Fiji Islands, the ship captain tried to dissuade him, saying, “You will lose your life and the lives of those with you if you go among such savages.” To that, Calvert replied, “We died before we came here.”

This conference will inspire and motivate you to understand and intelligently pray for those who genuinely suffer for their faith. Hebrews 13:3 states, “Remember those that are in bonds, as bound with them…”
Think about those who are persecuted for their faithfulness to Christ. Pray for those who are expanding the realm of Christ through their suffering. Learn of their courage and faith.

Bind yourself to them.