More are They That are With Us

20 08 2021

taliban2a

Afghanistan has seized the attention of the whole world. Now more than ever we need to keep our focus on the Heavenly realm of spiritual reality. Last Monday I wrote about the evil nature of man without Jesus. I explained the background of our ministry name from the account of the prophet Elisha when surrounded by the Syrian army. His servant was terrified, but Elisha saw a truer reality than the flesh and blood troops on the ground. He saw that the Syrian army was outnumbered by a heavenly army of chariots of fire. This was my comment Monday: “More are they that are with us than they that are with them. Look into the spiritual realm and see the chariots of fire and the angels of Yehovah God surrounding and outnumbering our enemies. We have read the end of the Book, and we win!”

This applies to the Christians in Afghanistan today. Pray for them. Yes! But, pray with faith. Pray with your eyes on the heavenly reality. Yehovah God is still in total control. According to Joel Richardson of Sheep Among Wolves, the greatest evangelism on the planet is first in Iran, and second in Afghanistan. He says also that the greatest persecution of Christians is North Korea, followed by Afghanistan. You won’t see it on the news. We have to sharpen our spiritual eyes. I pray as Elisha did for his panicked servant, that God would open our eyes to see the chariots of fire and His holy angels.

So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, and said, “Yehovah, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then Yehovah opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 2 Kings 6:16-17

Afghani Christians are living in the final Book of Revelation. It is amazing, but true, that Jesus gives supernatural grace at the very time of greatest persecution. Throughout history there are stories of Christians who ask God to let them serve Him even to the death.

From Facebook 8-21-21: “We received news that the underground church in Kabul Afghanistan has been martyred. Our friends have been in contact and met together last night in deep prayer. The last words she spoke was “ we feel your prayers because this supernatural boldness came over us and we were singing in the spirit even the kids said mom we will not deny Jesus. As they were on the phone they heard screaming and gun shots. God is so powerful they went to be with the creator filled with joy. We will be fasting tommorow for the churches still fighting please join.”
 
KEEP PRAYING! Their reward is great. May the enemy encounter Jesus and His love that they repent.

“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”  Revelation 12:11-12

Pray that persecuted believers will find the supernatural authority Jesus declared, that allowed Him to have peace all the way to the cross. We need not fear man or the devil. Yehovah God has all power and authority.

Then Pilate said to Him, “Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?” Jesus answered, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.” John 19:10-11

Yes, pray for the Afghani believers, but pray with faith and hope and even joy of the eternal victories being won even now in this present day. I continue to hear loud and strong in the Holy Spirt:

More are They That are With Us Than They that are With Them!

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem and rain for Israel,

Les Lawrence, a voice of Christian Zionists                 (Read more)

 





Persecution and the Resurrection

31 03 2018

Dry Bones Jews of Europe

Jews have the right of return to their own country, but where do persecuted Christians find refuge? Christians rejoice in the resurrection of Jesus, but are the most persecuted. Christians are the world’s most-persecuted religion

You would think that America would be the place of refuge for Christians, but that has been a problem. In 2016, under the Obama administration, Muslim refugees were given priority over Christians. Yet, Christians are the most persecuted group world-wide. How ironic that we celebrate the resurrection this week while our brothers and sisters are killed. Why can’t Muslim countries take Muslim refugees?

Of the nearly 85,000 refugees admitted to the U.S. in fiscal 2016, 38,901 were Muslims, while 37,521 were Christians, according to a Pew Research Center report

According to that same report, about 99 percent of Syrian refugees admitted to the U.S. were Muslim, while less than 1 percent were Christian.

The good news is that President Trump is trying to correct the problem. Trump: Persecuted Christian refugees will get priority. 

We are so insulated in the U.S. that most Christians are oblivious to the oppression and death of Christians in other countries. 215 MILLION?

The Top 50 Countries Where It’s Most Dangerous to Follow Jesus Approximately 215 million Christians now experience high, very high, or extreme levels of persecution; that means 1 in 12 Christians live where Christianity is “illegal, forbidden, or punished,” according to Open Doors researchers.

We have always known as believers, that our only hope is in Yehovah God and His Son, Yeshua. We face death with the confident hope of eternal life, which is quite different from those who have no hope. However, as we pause to celebrate the supernatural resurrection and the defeat of death itself, remember the millions of fellow believers enduring persecution for the same faith. Pray for them. Don’t feel pity, because they testify of the honor of suffering for Him and they rejoice, just as Jesus predicted.

“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:11-12

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: 
“For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:31-39

Pray for persecuted Christians and pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Les Lawrence, Voice of Christian Zionists                 (Read more)





Middle East Christmas

21 12 2013

Dry Bones persecution(I especially appreciate Yaachov Kirchen, the Israeli Jewish cartoonist, who has been drawing Dry Bones since 1973. Thank you Mr. Kirchen for your sensitivity to the crisis facing Christians in the Middle East.)

Christians persecuted by Islamists, says Prince Charles

“For 20 years I have tried to build bridges between Islam and Christianity to dispel ignorance and misunderstanding,” he told the audience. The point though, surely, is that we have now reached a crisis where bridges are rapidly being deliberately destroyed by those with a vested interest in doing so. This is achieved through intimidation, false accusation and organised persecution including to the Christian communities in the Middle East at the present time.”

Prince Charles was very tolerant and embracing of Islam in the past, but I appreciate his new statement. Perhaps he is waking up to the threat. I pray that he will be blessed with “eyes to see and ears to hear.”

It is time for the Western world to recognize the terrible persecution of Christians. It is not that we are surprised. Jesus predicted it. Yet we must pray and sound the alarm. We need to resist the propaganda that says Islam is a peaceful religion. Christians are not second class citizens in one Muslim country, but virtually every Muslim country. It is in the DNA of the religion. It is in the sacred texts of Islam.

Of course, it is not only Islam, but Hollywood and many media outlets also denigrate Christians. This is a sign of the times. We must be willing to embrace persecution. We don’t need to provoke it unnecessarily, but accept it when it comes. That does not mean we hide or hold back our confession of faith, but just don’t be surprised when persecution comes.

Jesus said: Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you. Matthew 5:11-12, 43-44

Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. John 15:20

During this season of the Messiah’s birth, let us remember and pray for Christians suffering real tribulation even as we celebrate the great joy of our salvation: Immanuel, God with us!

Les Lawrence, Voice of Christian Zionists         (READ MORE)








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