Most of us won’t die as martyrs in the face of savage persecution. Most of us will go through our lives trying to stay faithful through bouts of disappointment, suffering, or day to day discouragement. Testimonies like this remind us it’s possible to not only endure, but to find and reflect His triumphant glory in this life. This person endured more suffering than most of us will ever even have to imagine, and came out brighter than most of us will ever shine.
Jesus, our Great Shepherd, clearly wants His disciples to discern the season of His return. And He surely does not want us to be led astray from what He is teaching. We are responsible before the Lord for how we steward this crucial subject. But how are we to do so if no one knows the day or hour except the Father?
To engage in this age, to obey our Commander’s assignment, we must soberly reckon with this age. We must soberly reckon with the Man and Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth. And we must soberly reckon with the cost. Only cowards take their hands off the plow and turn around. We cannot be cowards. We must count the cost without cowardice.
Here’s a quick breakdown of what the Lord is doing in places where public expressions of Christianity result in persecution, excommunication, and death: Jesus is saving people. Many of those people are part of a disciple making group. Each person in a group is leading another group. Each of those people are being discipled and are obediently reproducing other groups of disciples that do likewise. And most of those people are women.
We’re here to bear one another’s burdens. To help shoulder the messy, weighty responsibility of restoring the person who sinned and coming alongside any other persons affected or involved. If the exposure of another person’s sin makes us feel superior because it’s not something we struggle with, we’re in deception, and we’re being of no use to the brother or sister in sin. We’re just playing into the slanderous symphony composed by the Accuser of the Brethren.
The intensity of the dynamics present on the earth leading up to the return of Jesus can often result in people feeling exhausted and overwhelmed. The magnitude of the disruption coming to planet earth is only going to increase in the years to come. We want to respond to Jesus with wholeheartedness to what He is saying and doing, but what do we do when we feel weak and disqualify ourselves from wholehearted pursuit?
Do you know that God numbers your tears? He is touched by what touches us. May we be touched by what touches His heart. Let us implore Him to come to us. Let us cry day and night. May our tears be as incense rising to the throne. Cry out your tears in this fallen world, and let them have great intercessory meaning. When you are past words, intercede with your tears.
John the baptizer's life was remarkable even from before he was conceived in the womb. Prophesied by Gabriel, and cousin to Jesus, this man had remarkable clarity on the purposes of God. Jesus Himself called John's life "great"—but he still died alone in a prison, ending with his head cut off. How do we square this up, and remain unoffended?
The Lord invites us in and washes us clean. All too quickly our pride tells us we know better and we set out on our own. But He is relentless in His love, pursuit, and commitment to us, even when we have forgotten our commitment to Him. “Grace Abounding” is a beautiful exploration through these truths. Read this stunning poem by Andrew Cowart, first published in our PILGRIM VOL. III 2020 Field Journal.
In our carnal nature, we see the gardener’s efforts as less powerful or impactful than the efforts of a soldier. But then we look at our Jesus, sleeping in the boat on a sea full of storms, perfectly at peace. His peace might even offend those of us who’ve been spinning our wheels. His own people did not recognize Him as Messiah, because they wanted Him to come as a warrior, but He came as a servant. The strongest human to ever walk the planet waged war in very different ways than we expected Him to.
In an era of “love growing cold,” it is easy to feel discouraged, isolated, and fatigued. But consider that in the heavens there is not only a great cloud of witnesses but Jesus Himself watching and cheering on His bride as she lives out her earthly journey. We are not alone, and we will be victorious—if we don’t give up.
Many of us know what it’s like to be placed under some type of authority we don’t agree with. Be it a president, boss, director, any kind of superior— there’s no sugarcoating how difficult it is to sit under bad leadership. As followers of Jesus, we can have a different approach to this issue than that of the world; because we have hope in a King far more powerful than earthly leaders. Scripture has some fairly surprising instruction—and examples— for us when we’re in these situations.
Written by Dalton Thomas in the months leading up to the birth of FAI in Dec. 2011, UNTO DEATH explores the implications of the resurrection, the imperatives of costly discipleship, and invites those who love and confess Jesus to invest their limited life in this age for an abundant life in the next—driven by the apostolic "blessed hope" befitting those who worship a crucified King & slain Lamb.
“One thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” By the time he wrote these words, Paul was several years along the narrow road, with several more yet ahead of him. He knew what it was to lose family, prestige, career, relationships, health, and friendships to obedience—and it doesn’t seem he ever entertained regret. You “become what you behold,” and Paul locked his gaze on Jesus and persevered down the path of costly discipleship.
Wilderness is uncharted territory, lack of direction—and lack in general. Whatever it is, you have the amazing opportunity to meet with Him there, and this mysterious opportunity only exists for a short window of time. The desert season is not just a time to endure scorching, it’s a time to look to the skies and watch manna fall. If you don’t see anything, go again in the morning and check the ground. And again, and again, every day until you’ve found what He wants to give you.
In this personal reflection, Nicole Hope shares the story of entering the field as a single woman, meeting her husband, and building a family—while continuing to serve on the field. She and Nathan give operational leadership to FAI RELIEF in northern Iraq, serving the Kurdish people as their neighbors have become friends and family through the glories and grief of life on the field.
There is no merit in just plain suffering. In the Kingdom to come it is said that "God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there will be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying; and there shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Thankfully, the coming fullness of the kingdom of God has no suffering in it. We have, however, much that can be gained by our willingness to suffer as we minister to the pains of mankind, in general, and specifically Israel, in this age.
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