Planting with hope

From greedy Czars to power-hungry Communists, rulers of Russia have often treated the people with abandon. We're over 90 years from the Russian Revolution, which was to free the people and instead plunged into them into hopelessness.

I'm praying over Europe with Campus Crusade for 40 days. If you haven't heard about it, check out this link.

Since 1990, when socialism fell and religious freedom was written into their new constitution, American Christians were hopeful that we could bring new faith and hope to them.

Even though Russia is the largest country in the world, spanning 11 time zones and inhabiting more than 160 million people, Christians have been busy explaining the gospel throughout the country. Campus Crusade reports that "there is not a region, republic, city or village where seeds of the gospel have not been planted."

Yet the fruit has been slow in coming.

Cuba still sleeps under a socialist dictator, which little religious freedom. Yet there is a flourishing Christian community there.

A Cuban Christian explained why: "Americans came to our country 150 years ago. Missionaries came to teach us about Jesus. Today, we are your fruit."

A foreign missions movement in the 1800's left spiritual seeds that have blossomed today.

In the first century, Paul faced a similar problem where the message was not always well received. His viewpoint is valuable. " I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow." (1 Cor 3:6-7)

Without God, many lose hope. Let us not join them but continue on planting and watering. God will bring growth.


 

 

A free Kindle!

The previous post is a true story that I've recounted in part for a contest to publicize Mary DeMuth's new book, Thin Places. You can enter the contest as well. Please follow this link to find the rules. The winner will receive a Kindle Reader.

Tomorrow, I'll post information about Mary's book which deals with the journey from hurt to healing. Mary's love of Jesus shines through her work. Return tomorrow for a peak into her latest work.

Two stories

Gary didn't come to this country to be treated for brain cancer. He came to teach his people here about the love of Jesus but now he's battling cancer. He's walked with Jesus his entire life, leaving grandchildren in his home country to work in the Lord's kingdom here. He and his wife put up with the oddities of our culture for the sake of the lost.

Mike was born in this country but just lost his job and jobs are scarce right now. He's sat at home for two months now, waiting for something to open up. He's depressed and now has refused to join his wife at church. "I'll go back when God gets me a job," he told his wife.

In crisis, we choose our rock.

Gary's had a life of inconveniences but he's clinging to God in this ultimate challenge. Gary's facing death by cancer and he's praying for the nurses who care for him.

Mike blames God for the loss of a job and clings to his own solutions. Somebody will bail him out. If not God, then a boss or a co-worker or maybe a government official.

I want to be angry with Mike and demand that he step up. But Gary has made an impression in my life.

Gary would share the love of Jesus with Mike, would listen to his complaints, would check on him frequently.

I'm going to try to do the same. Because in crisis, we choose our Rock.

What Peter learned

The idea of Peter wanting to walk on water bugs me. Was he faithful for asking to join Jesus or was he proud in thinking he deserved divine intervention? Or did he just lack common sense?

In Matthew's account of Jesus walking on the sea to the disciples' boat, we get the idea of Jesus being master over the elements. He could stop a storm and stroll on top of water.

But there's another component to this story as well. in the Bible, the sea also represents chaos, danger, and death. Jesus, in walking on top of that, was revealing that he could master those elements as well. He was not bound chaos and death.

A boat was a life-saving device, protecting those inside from the sea. Peter asked Jesus for permission to leave that protection to come to the Lord.

When Peter became afraid, Jesus saved him but also rebuked him: "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" (Matt 14:31)

I take Jesus' rebuke seriously. Would Peter have been better off staying in the boat?

Was Peter trying to get closer to the Lord or was he trying to align himself with a person of power? Was his attempt to one-up his fellow disciples or to leave safety for a walk over chaos and death?

Jesus' rebuke makes me think his intentions were mixed.

Peter had a lot to learn before he could go change the world for Jesus. Faith was at the core of that. The next time Peter leaped from a boat, he met a resurrected Jesus who invited him into ministry. (John 21) Broken and humiliated by his denial of Jesus, Peter found Jesus ready to care for him, asking him to care for others.

We never hear of Peter walking on water again, but we definitely hear of him giving everything he had to obey Jesus' command.

Peter had failures but through them he learned this:

Set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed. Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in ignorance.1 Peter 1:13-14