READ: 1 Chronicles 10-12, Psalm 119, Mark 2, Hebrews 4 FAITHFUL AFFLICTION It is in tenderness that God afflicts us–or allows us to be afflicted. The severe mercies of the Lord come to us in many forms, and one of them is affliction. Psalm 119:75 states: “In faithfulness You have afflicted me.” God’s faithfulness is not only […]
Region: Arab World
Abiding in Jesus: April 28
READ: 1 Chronicles 7-9, Psalm 118, Mark 1, Hebrews 3 GATEKEEPERS In 1 Chronicles 9 we are told that gatekeeping was a trusted office. Faithful men lived all around the temple and were given the responsibility of preserving holy worship. Tasks varied–some cleaned, some sang, some cooked [“the trusted office of things that were baked […]
Abiding in Jesus: April 27
READ: 1 Chronicles 4-6, Psalm 117, Matthew 28, Hebrews 2 MISSION STATEMENT Jesus has all authority on heaven and earth. Because He is supreme it is fitting that He gives us orders. Every Christian then should live and die under these commands: GO. The Greek has the sense of “as you are going.” Implicit is movement and flexibility. The […]
Abiding in Jesus: April 26
READ: 1 Chronicles 1-3, Psalm 116, Matthew 27, Hebrews 1 LIFE BY PROXY Jim Elliot and friends had no idea how many would be called into missions as a result of their sacrificial death. Our deaths can have a profoundly positive effect on others. Our deaths even have resurrection power. When Jesus “yielded up His […]
Six Responses to News of Christian Persecution
by Mark Renfroe, Area Director for the Arabian Gulf, Middle East, and North Africa, Assemblies of God World Missions From time to time, my work brings me into contact with stories of Christian in the Arab world who face persecution for sharing their faith. This week, I heard the story again, but this time it […]
Abiding in Jesus: April 25
READ: 2 Kings 25, Psalm 115, Matthew 26, Philemon ACTIVE BETRAYAL We all betray Jesus–all the time. Matthew 26:25 puts the action of Judas in the present active sense: “Then Judas, who was betraying Him.” If something within you resists the claim that we all actively betray Jesus, you have something of Peter lurking. “Lord […]
Abiding in Jesus: April 24
READ: 2 Kings 22-24, Psalm 114, Matthew 25, Titus 3 INCONSEQUENT CONSEQUENCES Jesus carries the only opinion that matters. Omar Beiler puts it this way: “Don’t give other people free rent in your head.” We can spend inordinate energy worrying about what others think of us, rather than taking great pleasure in doing what God […]
Abiding in Jesus: April 23
READ: 2 Kings 19-21, Psalm 113, Matthew 24, Titus 2 TAKE ROOT DOWNWARD We too easily forget who builds the Church. Missionaries don’t build the Church. Money doesn’t build the Church. Programs don’t build the Church. Methods don’t build the Church. Indigenous leaders don’t build the Church. Miracles don’t build the Church. Witness does not build […]
Abiding in Jesus: April 22
Read: 2 Kings 16-18, Psalm 112, Matthew 23, Titus 1 ALL IN “The mighty God, the maker of heaven and earth, will not be one of many treasures, not even the chief of all treasures. He will be all in all or He will be nothing.” – A.W. Tozer Disobedience is linked to disbelief. When you stop […]
Abiding in Jesus: April 21
READ: 2 Kings 13-15, Psalm 111, Matthew 22, 2 Timothy 4 ENDING WELL We are conversant with Paul’s summary of his end: “I have fought the good fight, I have kept the faith, I have finished the race” (2 Tim. 4:6). Let’s not forget that his head was chopped off. Ending well has nothing to […]
