Dear Partners and Friends,
One thing is certain – we live in uncertain times. All around us we hear reports of wars and rumors of wars, plagues, pestilence, disease, death, financial crises, and more. We have every opportunity to give in to fear and hopelessness. But what does the Bible say? It exhorts us “do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13) People are losing their hope in government and in the medical community because they don’t know the Lord or His kind intention toward us (Ephesians 1:9). God is for us, not against us.
The news of a powerful new virus has taken the news agencies by storm. There are reports of swarms of locusts across the earth. The stock market has been reacting wildly to all the turmoil around the globe. What should we do, as believers in the One, True, Living God? Should we embrace the fear and anxiety, and join the ranks of preppers, storing supplies and locking our doors, waiting for the apocalypse? Or should we allow God to increase our faith, and step out as a beacon of hope in our communities?
The men and women who partner with us in India face these questions every day. In addition to all these calamities, they also have radical extremists who threaten their lives for sharing the Gospel. Their government is actively trying to weaken their influence and has drastically increased the legal penalties for sharing the Christian faith in India. If they simply say that “God will forgive your sin” they could be charged with “promising divine pleasure” and sentenced to years in prison. But when the laws were changed, they met together and decided they would rather go to prison than for someone lost to go to hell because they didn’t hear the Gospel.
It reminds me of Acts 4, where the early believers were persecuted in a similar way. The disciples responded by calling a prayer meeting, where they concluded with the words “and now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence, while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.” (Acts 4:29-30)
Instead of running from calamity, let’s run toward it with the same zeal and confidence they had!
Blessings in the Wonderful Name of Jesus,
Thomas