| Author | Message | ||
| 8thday Registered user Username: 8thday Post Number: 1262 Registered: 11-2007  |
This doesn't have a great deal to do with being a former sda except for the point of what it's like to live in the Grace of God. Tonight I had one of the all-time joys and privileges of my entire life, so I have to share it with my family here too. A year ago June, we went to the Voice of the Martyrs national conference in Oklahoma. It began on Friday evening and went through worship Sunday morning. ANY VOM conference is mind-blowing, fire starting in your soul.. no doubt. I have never ever been more moved. But the man who preached the Sunday sermon was a Palestinian pastor in Israel. I don't remember much of the details of his enthusiastic sermon, but I remember his prayer as several hundred of us took communion together (let me tell you in that setting, communion means more than it has ever meant in my life.. no words) After all he had told of their persecution, and all the others we had heard, he prayed for US to be bold her in our country where it's okay to talk about anything but Jesus Christ. It struck me down to the quick.. not just the humbling experience of being prayed for by this "of whom the world is not worthy" believer, but that he is Palestinian as well. In our time in the Hebrew Roots Movement, after Adventism, we had idolized the Jewish people and the nation of Israel to the point that we had no love or compassion for the Palestinian people living there in the same country. We had become Zionists to the extreme and as living under the law turned our hearts colder, we saw it as black and white - Jewish people good - Palestinians bad. We did not see unbelieving Israel for what it is at the moment, nor did it EVER enter our minds that there were Palestinians that loved Christ and were putting their lives on the line for Him every day. We gave money to causes in Israel that did not even believe in Christ - thinking if they were Torah Observant, we served the same god.. and we did.. the Law of Moses. As I heard this pastor speak, I felt like those Peter preached to on Pentecost. Waves of grief and repentance (again) for even more ways that our deception had caused us to deny the Body.. We bought his book and as I read it.. the burning within me went deeper. I could not throw away the brochure from his ministry I'd picked up at the conference and carried it in my checkbook. I wish I could say we sacrificed needless stuff to give to help them.. but we did so very little.. just a couple donations.. but I wrote their names in my Bible and prayed for them when I remembered.. and even that I'm ashamed to say was not too impressive. I posted links on facebook and my blog, and loaned his book to others to read.. but did so much less that I could have done. You know.. we are busy.. we have debt.. etc.. etc.. I honestly never thought we would meet him again in this lifetime. Israel might as well be Mars as far as travel is concerned for us. But I got word that the Dallas VOM conference was coming this Sept. and this pastor was on the list! I was ecstatic! Then.. an email came that he was available to speak after the conference for a few days if anyone wanted to invite him. I didn't even dare to hope.. but began to pray. It's too long to tell how it transpired.. but at the last minute, when it didn't even look possible, a church the next town over from us agreed to host him and tonight he came there to speak. His message is to be like Shadrach Meshach and Abednego.. however they are spelled! ha.. and coming from one who IS of that faith.. it inspires this lukewarm sleepy American Christianity. My daughter came and was deeply moved.. (huge praise) He and the host pastor connected deeply (another huge praise!). There is a chance we may be able to assist him on future visits, Lord willing. I don't know if you can catch the weight of the privilege this was for us.. or simultaneously how undeserving we feel we were for this blessing. That's grace.. in one of the most extreme examples I have ever experienced it. And unlike living under the law... it motivates me to do SO MUCH MORE than I have done in the past.. to go above and beyond what I think is possible and ask God for great things on the behalf of those who need our help so much. And.. I have to thank the forum member here (again) who listed the VOM meeting list on her facebook or I may have missed it completely!!! (God is just really amazing how He works things out). Here is their website with a video. You will be blessed by their story. http://www.holylandmissions.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17&Itemid=30 Amazed by God's Grace, Sondra | ||
| River Registered user Username: River Post Number: 5576 Registered: 9-2006  |
Sondra, I thank God for you, for this mountain top experience he has given you. The truth is, there is no difference between a Christian from Palestine, China, India, Africa, or the USA. Its the Spirit of God that draws us to them who are walking in his Spirit. We too can have that Spirit if so be that we walk in that Spirit. God has prepared these men and women for us this day and time, and thank God for them. We need a time of 'revival' I guess you would call it here in America like no other time in American history. An awakening of the Christian so to speak. Not hotspots where people travel clear across the country to be in it, but in every town and hamlet, nook and cranny, to stand and proclaim the Gospel of Salvation to an unbelieving and dying world. We need to stir up the gifts that are within us as that man has done. May he stir the fire in you more each day. I fall woefully short of what God could do in my own life, to preach in spite of the danger. Here, we are mostly just in danger of a little ridicule, there his preaching may put his life in danger, would we be willing to risk that? I would hope we can fire one another here, even on this forum to speak in spite of adversity, instead of a milk sop compromising Gospel we call love. Men and women like him stand out, not because they put on their pants a different way, but because with them, the Gospel of salvation comes first, Jesus comes first and the Spirit of God dwells in men and women like that mightily. This is what attracts us like a moth to a flame. Over the door of my last church hung a sign on the way out "Our missions starts here" not on the way in the church door but at the exit of our church door. We have a great need right here, and God help us to be heard by Adventist churches across this land and to have the uncompromising Gospel living within us, living, breathing vessels of sacrifice, not go sit in their churches of compromise and in compromise and call it love, but to be separated and called out people of God who love God above and are willing to commit to God that our mission starts here, today, where we are. We go to our churches for what we can get, but the truth is that only when we go to give what we have of Jesus Spirit will we begin to understand what it is to walk in his Spirit. We divide among our selves instead of breaking the bread of life among ourselves and giving that bread out freely to those who hunger for it. If we are not willing to start with what God has given us today, we won't be able to go for him tomorrow. In the sermon on the loaves and fishes here is what Jesus told them in Matthew 14:16 But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat. Matthew 14:17 And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes. Jesus said, "You feed them." he didn't say, "Just a minute and I will feed them, the disciples were in the presence of God and they still didn't get it, we are in the presence of God and we still don't get it, we have a little loaf and a small fish and all we have to do is break it and hand out what we have. We come in the presence of someone like that man who gives out by faith and we are amazed, but faith says, "You feed them." Its not necessary they go away hungry.Men of faith like that says, "Such as I have give I unto thee." and they just keep breaking the bread and the fish until those around them are filled. We try to break the bread of lack and it don't go anywhere, but when we break the bread of life, it just keeps on multiplying. River | ||
| 8thday Registered user Username: 8thday Post Number: 1264 Registered: 11-2007 |
Permission to quote you??? So very true.. and the last part..
This is so much his message.. he says. "I am just like you!!!" He wants to inspire others to be bold and live it out - speak it out. He leaves us with no excuses. I also pray and yearn for revival in this country. We need an army of men and women of this faith. Sondra |
