Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Obeying God when obeying isn’t easy”
Our Bible verse for today: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” 1 Peter 3:15 (NIV)
Our thought for today: “We must take advantage of our opportunities to speak-up for Jesus.”
In his book “The Insanity of Obedience” Nik Ripken writes about the stark differences between the boldness to speak-up for Christ which Christians in areas of intense persecution often demonstrate, and the unwillingness to speak-up which is demonstrated by Christians in places like the USA. Nik writes:
“It is humbling to know that the vast majority of movements toward Christ today are in countries among people groups where persecution abounds. There is less kingdom growth in the Western, democratic, and so-called “Christian” countries today. The horrible fact is, in almost every Western environment Christianity is in decline.”
What Nik writes is true and it has been confirmed in study after study. In the places where Christians suffer the most persecution for witnessing for Jesus, there is boldness and great growth of the church. In the places where there is the most freedom and the least persecution (and therefore the least risk), Christians are largely apathetic and silent.
It is true that there are many cases where Satan brings so much pain and suffering to bear upon Christians in areas of great persecution that he is able to silence them. But it’s equally true – perhaps even more so – that Satan works hard to create a sense of apathy and laziness in believers in un-persecuted settings which renders them silent as well. Nik goes on:
“It was a startling thought to realize that the persecutor’s use of violence to inhibit the faith and the believer’s refusal to speak openly of Jesus yield the same result. In both cases, people are denied access to Jesus. How tragic that the silence of believers could yield the same result as the violence of the persecutors!”
We here in the USA live in a time and place where we can openly and freely speak for Jesus with few or no repercussions. So why don’t we? Peter exhorted his readers to always be ready and to speak openly and passionately for Jesus. I encourage you to do that today.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 