Presbyterian devotions: 84 Million - Exodus 1:12-13

Exodus 1:12-13          But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites and worked them ruthlessly. 

Sometimes when people are oppressed because of their faith, they grow in numbers. Christianity in China is a good example of this. In 1949 when the Communists took control of China, there were only about 500,000 Christians in the nation. After persecuting the church for more than sixty years, how many Christians are there in China? 84 million.

It appears that when Christianity is backed into a corner and almost annihilated, it finds a new way out and grows. Perhaps at some future point in our decadent and deviant Western society, we will see a real re-emergence of the church because Christians will once again stand up for their beliefs, instead of embracing the culture which is causing a passive church to wither and decay.

Long ago, the Egyptians used a form of genocide in an attempt to wipe out the Jewish community in their midst. It didn’t work because God’s will could not be thwarted by mere politics, no matter how powerful the leader of the Egyptians appeared to be. Moses was predestined to be born and become a great leader of his people. God desired this, so human wickedness would not prevail.

In years to come, missionaries will be sent from Africa and Asia, India and China to Europe and the Americas in order to reclaim churches and Christians for Christ. God’s work will not be undone and Christ’s words will always endure. Our role in our churches today is to be faithful to God’s Word and serve Christ truly, even when it is unpopular. If we do that then a people yet unborn may be reclaimed for Christ and His Kingdom.

Questions for personal reflection

Has my faith grown in times of adversity? Have I personally shared my Christian beliefs with the upcoming generation?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, all over the world people are praising Your Name and believing in Your Words. New churches are springing up in hostile areas and Your mission is being accomplished across this planet. Help us to strengthen our faith, in the good times as well as the bad. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to make a comment or ask a question of today’s message, please send him an email to traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is another of John’s 2012 Advent drawings simply called “Advent.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8063/8192865892_9d85b325b4_b.jpg

Presbyterian Devotions: Li Ying - Mark 13 v 9

Mark 13:9 “You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them.”

We really lead a comfortable Christianity over here in the West. We complain about school textbooks, cold sanctuaries, and long sermons. We come and go to church as we please, and we pick and choose what we want to believe in and where we want to go. Everything is handed to us on a plate. No wonder then that the rest of the world calls our faith “Canteen Christianity.” We just stand in line at worship and wholly expect to be fed and nourished, with either a lifestyle latte or sweet dessert of a sermon to finish things off.

Meanwhile people like Li Ying, a pastor’s daughter from China, have been languishing in prison since April 2001. Her crime? Writing and distributing a monthly church newsletter. She has six more years of hard labor to complete, before her unjust sentence from the monstrous Chinese Communist regime is over. Talk about a real Christian! We really have no idea what Christianity is all about.

Instead of ourselves, let’s pray for Li Ying. Compared to what she is going through right now, we’re living like royalty.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, forgive us for being whiners and complainers instead of winners and champions for our faith. We remember Li Ying this day and ask that You protect throughout her time of unjust imprisonment. We pray that You will sustain her spirit and her family. We ask that she will remain faithful to You despite her sufferings and that when she is finally released, she may be welcomed and embraced by Your Church in China and throughout the world. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

If you would like to read more information on Li Ying and other Christian prisoners in China, please visit this link online: Li Ying

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Presbyterian devotions: Rebel Cry

How a religious rebel kept his faith in the midst of injustice and oppression.

Psalm 138:1 I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; before the "gods" I will sing your praise.

Podcast version here: http://media.libsyn.com/media/stushie/Rebel_Cry.mp3

This is a rebel psalm. It was perhaps written when the Jewish people were exiled in Babylon and found themselves surrounded by images and idols, statues and altars to the mighty gods of the Babylonian empire.

In such conditions, people usually become overwhelmed, but not the guy who wrote this psalm. When he bows down in front of the other ‘gods’, he doesn’t give his heart to them. When he sings praises, he doesn’t offer them to Bel or Nebo. And when he prays, he doesn’t ask foreign idols to intercede on his behalf.

On the outside, he may have looked like any other convert to paganism, but within himself he keeps his faith fully focused on the God of his fathers, the Jehovah of Jerusalem, the Lord God of hosts.

I love this psalm because it encourages God’s people to hold on to their faith in the midst of trying circumstances. This person would be silently praying in schools and public places. He would organize and attend underground churches in China. He would hold on to hope in the midst of a Nazi concentration camp. He would keep the faith no matter who or what tried to take it away from him. This psalm is a sacred poem of a religious rebel.

We may never experience anything like this in our lifetime, but the lesson that we learn from this psalm is the same as that of which Paul once wrote: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for the courage of some of God’s people whose faith never fails them, even in the midst of tyranny, oppression, and injustice. We pray especially for Christian groups in China that seek to worship You, even though they are constantly harassed, arrested, and imprisoned. Help us to be reminded of the true cost of faith and of the blessings that we freely experience. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.