Sermon nuggets, Monday May 5, 2008
Theme- Conflict
Verses John 7:1-5 After this, Jesus went around in Galilee, purposely staying away from Judea because the Jews there were waiting to take his life.
2 But when the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near, Jesus' brothers said to him, "You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world."
5 For even his own brothers did not believe in him. (NIV)
Handling a Hostile Crowd
One of the most inspiring missions books I have read is from the church library, Bruncho. The story is of Bruce Olson who resided in Minnesota and sensed a call from God to go to Columbia. He worked in Columbia for Wycliffe Bible Translators. He was held in captivity for nine months. His prayer was not," God, liberate me", but," Lord, make me effective wherever you place me."
The Communists captured Olson and accused him of being a CIA agent. During the time of his captivity he consistently won the trust of his captors teaching them to read, studying the Bible with them, and introducing them to Christ. He shared that about 60% of 200 men he had Bible studies with came into a definite understanding of Jesus Christ and a Christian commitment. " Olson experienced a mock execution.
Soon after that he was set free. It was because of intestinal disorders that caused bleeding and the need for blood transfusions, that ultimately brought about his release. A national leader of the communist guerrillas told Bruce Olson "We will never forget you are the first person in our camp that we have captured that has been a friend and understood us. We esteem you."
We praise God for the outcome of the release of Bruce Olson. He was in the midst of handling a hostile crowd, because of his faith. He was not intimidated by death or captivity. The Love of God shown through his life and ministered to his very captors.
Many believers face a hostile crowd and are killed. Ultimately Jesus was. It is important to accept Christ's message about conflict: We don't have to be afraid; we can stand for what we believe, that standing, that struggle, is redemptive.
I am afraid as days go by Christians all over the world and in the United States will experience increased persecution. How should we react? The passage this week allows us to see conflict through the experience of Jesus Christ. It can be summed up in the verse "I will never leave you nor forsake you, henceforth we can confidently say, the Lord is my helper, I need not fear for what can man do to me?"
Pastor Dale.
