HeartLine  -  September 2011

 
Because You Give - Gripping Conviction and Connection - Terrorists couldn’t keep him from throwing his Bible down, and it cost him his life.

By Daniel Ketchum.
 
Recently, another courageous Nazarene pastor was threatened with death by terrorists who hate Christians. They told him to throw his Bible in the dirt and deface it or “we will kill you.”
 
Reflecting momentarily, he embraced his Bible and replied quietly, confidently, “Then kill me.” The thugs bound him to a nearby tree, gathered sticks, and started a fire at his feet.
 
Racked by searing pain, he cried out in mercy for his persecutors, “Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they are doing.”
 
Nearby villagers heard his cries, saw the smoke, and ran as close as his torturers would allow. Unable to intervene, someone asked his name and where his family lived. “We will run and tell your family what is happening.”
 
When they brought his wife and daughter to the scene, they found only the smoldering ashes of his body. In deep anguish, his wife sobbed, “He laid down his life for the Lord, the Word, and the Church he loved.”
 
Among many others, this Nazarene pastor was counted worthy to suffer for Jesus Christ. Persecuted believers like him on front lines experience what it means to share in the sufferings of Christ (2 Corinthians 1:5). Suddenly, my life is wrenched into reality.
 
I am so grateful to learn amazing grace from our brothers and sisters, to hear their stories of humiliation and torture, and to realize their commitment to the Lord, the Word, and the Church. Their faith challenges mine with gripping conviction and connection.
 
Each of us remembers. Every offering we give for the World Evangelism Fund sustains persons like this pastor (in life and in death), his widow and daughter, his church, and his flourishing district and field. Brave believers like him and his people cherish and rely on our caring support and faithful prayers!
  
  

Printable Versions of HeartLine 

   8.5 x 11                  A4
   8.5 x 11                  A4
 
Downloadable Resouces
  July 2011 Funding the Mission Report
  Districts Giving 100%
  JFHP 2011 Christmas Outreach Offer 
  Churches Sending 2010 CCKs and SPPs
  Churches Sending 200+ CCKs and SPPs in 2010
  The Country with the Most _____