Is Jesus enough?

Last weekend we had the privilege of attending the Voice of the Martyrs conference in Oklahoma. It was very encouraging, challenging, and sobering to hear from Christians who have lived under the persecution that we have only heard of. But more encouraging than just hearing their personal stories was hearing their excitement for the church and the way that God was growing the church in their country.

I particularly remember one couple from the Middle East. She was wearing the full garb of their country to hide everything but her eyes. Her husband also had his face completely covered. Due to security reasons, their names were changed. They both faced persecution on a daily basis. They told stories of believers in their country who were in great danger because of their faith. But he did not focus on this as much as the growth of the church. His excitement over the church was amazing! They were not focused on the constant danger and persecution, but on how God was building His church!

Lately I have been thinking about if in my own life, if God is really enough. I want to be at the point where things don't matter, my life and safety don't even matter, and God is brining me to this point. It was very encouraging for me to see believers who really know this. They know that their lives and safety are nothing compared to knowing and serving God. One Palestinian Christian told of how they kept water buckets in the front of the church so that they could put the fire bombs out and then continue the worship service. These believers really know that Jesus is enough! They continually put their lives at risk to worship God and to spread His name! I am thankful for the opportunity that we had to listen to these Christians who have a deep conviction that Jesus is enough.

Voice of the Martyrs

Tomorrow we leave for the first trip of the summer. We will begin by going to a Voice of the Martyrs conference in Oklahoma (on our way to Iowa). We are really looking forward to the weekend and being challenged and encouraged by those who are giving everything for the Lord. We recently met with some friends who are missionaries in the Middle East, and they reminded us that Jesus is all we need. I think we (myself included) often forget that in the society we live in. I look forward to being reminded of that this weekend by people who have given up all for Jesus.

Be still and . . . (what's the rest of the verse)

If you're like me a few years back and most of my other classmates in seminary at chapel that day our speaker asked us the same question, you would say "and know that I am God" is it. Look again.

"Be still and know that I am God
I will be exalted among the nations
I will be exalted in the earth."

Psalm 46 does provide personal comfort in the face of challenging situations. But a major part of what brings comfort is knowing that God will be praised among all nations. A focus on longing for God to be praised in all nations is a forgotten but essential aspect of worship in the Old Testament (see Ps 57:9, 67, 86:8-10, 117).

I've often had a wrong understanding that missions began with the church. Granted missions is done differently in the church, but even in the Old Testament, God's plan was to bless Israel in such a way that all nations would be drawn to worship him (Deut 4:5-8).

The past 4 weeks, I've been teaching a class on "Being a globally minded Christian" at Plano Bible Chapel and the topic of "other nations" in the Old Testament was where we began. Preparing to teach that first class reminded me how important it has always been that God be praised throughout the world.