Extreme!

Below is the devotion from Extreme Devotion today.  This devotion book is filled with true stories collected by VOM (Voice of the Martyrs) and is available by email daily in addition to hard copy.  As the body of Christ we should choose to make ourselves aware of persecution.  No, it is not comfortable, no you might at first rather not know these things and how we must saddened the Father if that is as far as we go.  I promise you blessings in the form of greater intimacy with the Trinity!  The stories about children always ‘get’ me…I am humbled by their understanding & faith!  Perhaps that is one of the reasons Jesus said we MUST become as a little child, our kind of maturity gets in the way.  This past Sunday was IDOP (International Day of Prayer), I hope you make everyday a day of prayer for the persecuted church!

 

 

 

http://www.vomgroups.com/forum/images/vomgroups/VOMlogoMar07.gif

vom groups

http://www.vomgroups.com/forum/images/spacer.gif

extreme devotion

http://www.vomgroups.com/forum/images/spacer.gif

 

 

Seated on logs under the shade of a tree, the 230 Christian students were just beginning their English lesson when they heard the terrifying sounds overhead. A plane roared across the sky above the school yard. Within minutes, the Islamic army had dropped five bombs from a large Russian-made bomber.

    Terrified and screaming, the children immediately started running. Two of the bombs landed in dry trenches around the village, and another failed to detonate.
    Unfortunately, the other two nail-studded bombs landed squarely among the frightened students. The explosion was tremendous. The damage, unthinkable.
    By 9:15 A.M. the bomber was gone, and the horrible reality began to set in. Students wandered dazed around the school yard, crying and bleeding. Twelve of their classmates ranging in age from nine to sixteen had not survived the blast. Their beloved young teacher, Roda Ismail, also lay dead among the rubble.
    Another seven students lost their battle for survival in the days following the attack, and three had to have limbs amputated.
    The very next day, children showed up for school as usual. The exhausted and despondent schoolmaster told them to go home. “I cannot tell you when or if we will resume classes.”
    A ten-year-old boy approached him and said, “Please let us continue. We want to learn, and if it is God’s will, then today we won’t die.”


Life at the crossroads. We’ve all been there, wavering between giving up and going on. Like the schoolboy, the crowds who were following Jesus one day realized the path they were on was fraught with danger. Like the despondent schoolmaster, many in the crowd headed for home, not able to say if or when they would continue to follow Christ. Yet Peter and the other disciples remained. The schoolboy’s solemn request echoes Peter’s response, “Let us continue.” When we are tempted to give up, let us continue. When it seems like following Christ is too difficult, let us continue. Are you facing the crossroads of commitment? Ask God to give you the strength to go on instead of give up.

http://www.vomgroups.com/forum/images/spacer.gif

 

Reflections.......

Sometimes it is good to reflect on why we do the things we do.  Without doing so we lose passion and the very act becomes rote.  I believe this is a reason the Israelites were instructed to tell the children & to place stones as reminders of what Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, had done AND would continue to do for He is Faithful!  Even when we aren’t, He remains Faithful.  The same yesterday, today, & tomorrow….that’s our God!  He is passionate!! As vessels who contain the Living God we should be too!  There are challenges in front of us; as a nation, as a denomination, as a church, and as individuals.  What do we, will we, choose to look at?  The challenges or the God in those very challenges?  Jesus is passionate about people, even to die brutally for them…that’s the passion in us.  Below is exerts from a letter from Daniel Ketchum, may the Lord ignite that passion within us and may this foundation bring forth a mighty harvest!!  Hugs!

**answer this question to earn a reward:  What does MAC stand for?

 

Why We Sustain the World Evangelism Fund 

Without WEF, no other ministry provided by designated or Approved Mission Special giving will remain viable (including Alabaster, LINKS, Nazarene Compassionate Ministries, JESUS Film Harvest Partners, Work & Witness, partnerships, etc.).
 
WEF provides baseline infrastructure: leadership for 7 regions, 36 fields, and 426 districts and national ministries. For missionary families, WEF provides equipping, salary, housing, utilities, medical insurance, moving costs, and travel to and from the field. The World Evangelism Fund was created to allow all missionaries to work effectively and to encourage all churches to support outreach efficiently.  WEF is a key in global strategy to evangelize and disciple people with the love of Christ and the Gospel.
 
Only with WEF can we evangelize and disciple millions of people each year, equip thousands of leaders each year, and organize hundreds of churches each year. We cannot accomplish these purposes without WEF. Global WEF giving multiplies through collective sacrifice, international generosity, and accountable distribution.
 
The global mission of the Church of the Nazarene is a massive venture. To accomplish the Great Commission—spreading Christ, the Gospel, and holiness around the world—requires money.  WEF invests directly to accomplish the mission of the Church of the Nazarene: to make Christ like disciples in the nations. 
 
How WEF Works

Full-time missionaries (excluding volunteers) in the Church of the Nazarene receive monthly compensation based on a modest standard amount plus a cost-of-living adjustment according to the world area in which they serve.  The World Evangelism Fund comes from the generosity of Nazarenes around the world. We challenge each church globally to contribute 5.5 percent of its current income. Many churches see the effectiveness of global mission and give well beyond that minimum.
 
Benefits of WEF

Missionaries receive regular compensation, enabling them to concentrate on their calling and to help raise awareness for the entire mission. While missionaries correspond and offer home assignment/deputation services to inform people of their field of service, these activities do not demand a large portion of their time on the mission field.  Passion for giving is inspired by global mission, evangelism, and disciple-making. We raise WEF on the backs of missionaries, international leaders, and mission movements.  Each church, regardless of size, has an opportunity to participate in global mission. Just as individuals are blessed by God when they commit their resources for His kingdom, so churches are blessed when they give to help reach lost people around the world.
 
Daniel D. Ketchum, Ph.D.
Global NMI Director