conviction assurance trust confidence reliance

In Bangkok I walked into a room of 200 people and saw David Bekham or was it Alex Ferguson or maybe Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, Barack Obama no! no! it was Jesus but he didn't look like the Jesus I've seen in paintings and Fresco's and statues and he didn't speak a word of English!

He stood out........he glowed...........his demeanour was counter to what his cultural expression was, which would be to hide away in the back ground. He wasn't shouting or being in any way extrovert, in fact he was just talking to the man sat next to him................................but he stood out like someone was shining a spot light on him.

I'd never seen the man before. I didn't know his name ...............hey I can't even spell it!!........but there was something special about this man and I had to find out what it was.

My pride wouldn't let me go up to him so I asked a friend. He told me this man had been jailed by the authorities for 30 yrs

How can I look into the eyes of a man, locked away in jail for 30 yrs for saying that Jesus is more important to him than a political regime and not feel humbled...and not think my faith is minuscule and not be impacted by standing next to him?



In Belfast I walked into Church and saw 2 men from the same Continent and heard them tell their own stories of Governmental oppression and stories of how some Pastors have had to choose between renouncing their love of Jesus or resigning their children to being orphans for as long as they are jailed for.



It would be so easy to conclude that we in the west need to be put under pressure for our faith (Some people think that the eroding of Christian values in our country puts them in that persecuted category.. I don't think it's the same tho.) Or that somehow we are not oppressed enough and that's because we are not as radical or as on the edge as we should be.



I want to take inspiration from these people.



As a teenager I prayed for the suffering Church and I can see now how God has answered prayer.



Thank You God!!



Talking to the visitors from Asia they said they didn't know how they would cope with all the temptation of materialism and consumerism they see here in the rich West



It all becomes relative.



God has me where He has me and has you where He has you.



We are called to exercise our faith in the circumstances He places us in.

We are called to pray for our brothers and sisters who put their lives and the lives of their family on the line every time they pray or worship or open up a Bible.

We are called to GO and show Gods love and favour to the suffering church as well as pray for those who persecute them.



My faith may look so small next to someone who has had to hang on to God in circumstances I can only have nightmares about ( and would probably want prayer for!!)
But I need to exercise my faith in every circumstance and not duck the opportunities that God affords me to trust Him more. I need to take that risk that might cost me money, or worse my pride(!!!) and to say with Paul "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain" (Philippians 1 vs 21) or in The Message "Alive, I'm Christ's messenger; dead, I'm his bounty. Life versus even more life! I can't lose."............We all need other believers to look upto, to be inspired by!