Extreme "Fear"

The unwritten code of the police was clear: If you catch the Khmu or other tribesmen converting to Christianity, arrest them. If you catch anyone evangelizing the tribesmen, kill him.

After “Lu” had been shackled at the hands and feet and shamefully marched through the village, the Communist police threw him in a pit. “We will let you go,” they said, “when one hundred Christians in your village renounce their conversion to Christianity.” But they were unable to find believers willing to turn their backs on Christ. Then tragedy struck the police. One officer’s son broke both legs in an accident. His other son became critically ill. The officer who had beaten and harassed new Christians suddenly died of a heart attack. Other officials fearfully pulled “Lu” from the pit and allowed him to return home. Government authorities were too frightened to take action against the Christians in the village after seeing what happened to their leader. Seeing God’s show of power, more Khmu became believers. Where there had been one hundred Christians, now there were seven hundred. They even sent Christians out to tell other villages about Jesus. While the Laotian authorities were controlled by their fear, the Christians in Southeast Asia overcame theirs.

The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? -- Psalm 27:1 Fear is one of the most basic human motivations. It drives stock markets and fuels wars. Its unruly energies can be used for great harm or channeled for great good. Professional boxers are often told fear is their friend. Fear can make them better fighters. It keeps them alert. It sensitizes their determination. In the same way, God can use our fears and make us better fighters for his cause. Whenever we are afraid, we have the potential to do the impossible. Why? That which is impossible in our own strength is made possible with God’s help. Fear makes us more likely to forsake our own resources and rely on God instead. In this way, extreme fear can lead to extreme faith.

Extreme Sacrifice

	Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. ~ Romans 12:1
					They huddled inside the room while hearing the screams of fellow Christians being butchered outside. Pastor Hendrick Pattiwael and his wife were helping to lead the Indonesian youth camp, and they felt responsible for the young people in their care.
					The camp had been a joyous time of spiritual growth and worship. Then they were attacked. When the radical Muslim mob surrounded the building where they hid, Pastor Pattiwael went outside. Distracting the bloodthirsty mob’s attention away from his wife and the young people, the pastor was attacked while the others escaped. “Jesus, help me.” They were his final words. His wife next saw him lying in a coffin. Ugly wounds crisscrossed his torso and arms. In shock and anger, Mrs. Pattiwael cried out to God. “How could you let this happen? Why didn’t you protect my husband?” But the Holy Spirit reminded her of her husband’s words only days before the attack. “If you love Jesus, but you love me or your family more, you are unworthy of Christ’s kingdom.” He told her that he was ready to die for Christ’s kingdom. Remembering those words, she refused to become bitter. She still works with her church in Indonesia. The advice that she would give Christians in free nations is simply this: “Seek God more earnestly, so that you can stand in the midst of more trouble.”
					We don’t have to go looking for trouble. It already has our address. Jesus often reminded his disciples that trials are part of daily living. Seeking God more earnestly does not mean seeking more trouble for our lives. No, the benefit of seeking a deeper relationship with God is to better prepare us for the inevitable. We don’t have a choice about what troubles come our way. However, we can choose to have a relationship with God that prepares us for trouble. Some trials may mean losing our lives for Christsake. Yet this is not the real sacrifice. The extreme sacrifice must come long before. We must sacrifice selfishness at every level in order to develop intimacy with God ahead of time. When we have sacrificed all to pursue a preeminent relationship with Christ, we will have already done the hardest part.

Jesus Freaks Around You Now

"Christianity has become dramatic with us," wrote Pastor Richard Wurmbrand, a leader of the underground church in Communist Romania. "When Christians in free countries win a soul for Christ, the new believer may become a member of a quietly living church. But when those in captive nations win someone, we know that he may have to go to prison and that his children may become orphans. The joy of having brought someone to Christ is always mixed with this feeling that there is a price that must be paid.

" When I was still living behind the Iron Curtain, I had met a Russian captain. He loved God, he longed after God, but he had never seen a Bible. He had never attended religious services. He had no religious education, but he loved God without the slightest knowledge of Him.

" I read to him the Sermon on the Mount and the parables of Jesus. After hearing them, he danced around the room in rapturous joy, proclaiming, ‘What a wonderful beauty! How could I live without knowing this Christ?’ It was the first time that I saw someone jubilating in Christ.

" Then I made a mistake. I read to him the passion and crucifixion of Christ, without having prepared him for this. He had not expected it. When he heard how Christ was beaten, how He was crucified, and that in the end He died, he fell in an armchair and began to weep bitterly. He had believed in a Savior and now his Savior was dead!

" I looked at him and was ashamed that I had called myself a Christian and a pastor, a teacher of others. I had never shared the sufferings of Christ as this Russian officer now shared them. Looking at him was, for me, like seeing Mary Magdalene weeping at the foot of the cross or at the empty tomb.

" Then I read to him the story of the resurrection. When he heard this wonderful news, that the Savior arose from the tomb, he slapped his knees, and shouted for joy: ‘He is alive! He is alive!’ Again he danced around the room, overwhelmed with happiness.

" I said to him, ‘Let us pray.’

" He fell on his knees together with me. He did not know our holy phrases. His words of prayer were, ‘O God, what a fine chap You are! If I were You and You were me, I would never have forgiven You Your sins. But You are really a very nice chap! I love You with all my heart.’

" I think that all the angels in heaven stopped what they were doing to listen to this sublime prayer from this Russian officer. When this man received Christ, he knew he would immediately lose his position as an officer, that prison and perhaps death in jail would almost surely follow. He gladly paid the price. He was ready to lose everything."

Make ’em Curious!

A Jesus Freak whose joy overflows is a puzzling thing to a watching world. But that’s not a bad thing. Let your light make ’em curious! Let people see your peace under pressure and wonder what your secret is. Maybe they’ll work up the courage to ask you about it. Joy in the midst of suffering always confounds those who don’t possess it.

One day, on the way to visit some friends, Englishman John Denley was stopped and searched by the authorities, who found his written confession of faith. Denley believed the church was built upon the apostles and prophets, with Christ as its head. He also believed that the present state of the church, the Church of England in the 1500s, was not part of this true Church. At that time, many of its teachings were contrary to the Bible.

For his beliefs he was turned over to a local government official, who turned him over to the bishop for questioning. Denley would not back down from his statement of faith, so he was condemned to die.

Within six weeks he was sent to the stake to be burned. When they lit the wood beneath him, Denley showed no fear. He cheerfully sang a psalm as the flames rose around him. One of his tormentors picked up a piece of wood and threw it at him, hitting him in the face. He hoped to anger or silence Denley, but Denley only responded, "Truly, you have spoiled a good old song." Then he spread his arms again and continued singing until he died.

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"Count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds."

Jesus Christ, Matthew 5:11-12 The Message

Another sixteenth-century Englishman also found a reason to rejoice through his hardships. And, like Denley, he was willing to give his life for the sake of the gospel.

John Bradford stood boldly before the Lord Chancellor. "I urge you," the young man said, "don’t condemn the innocent. If you believe I am guilty, you should pass sentence on me. If not, you should set me free."

Bradford, the well-loved pastor of St. Paul’s in London, was thrown into prison for his beliefs that differed from the state church during Queen Mary’s reign. While he was in prison, so many of his congregation came to visit him that he continued to preach twice a day. He also preached weekly to the other men in prison, the thieves and common criminals, exhorting them from the Word of God and often giving them money to buy food.

Bradford’s keepers trusted him so much that he was often allowed to leave the prison unescorted to visit sick members of his congregation. All he had to do was to promise that he would return by a certain hour. He was so careful about keeping his word that he was usually back well before his curfew.

After a year and a half, Bradford was offered a pardon if he would deny his beliefs, but he would not. Then after six more months in prison, the offer was repeated. Again he refused.

"John," his friends warned, "you need to do something to stall for more time. Ask to discuss your religious beliefs with Queen Mary’s learned men. That will take you out of immediate danger."

John replied, "If I did that, the people would think I have begun to doubt the doctrine I confess. I don’t doubt it at all."

"Then they will probably kill you very soon," his friends said sadly.

The very next day John was sentenced to death, and the keeper’s wife came to him with the news: "Tomorrow you will be burned."

Bradford looked to heaven and said, "I thank God for it. I have waited for this for a long time. Lord, make me worthy of this."

Hoping to keep the crowds from knowing what was going on, the guards transferred him to another prison in the middle of the night. But somehow the word got out, and a great multitude came to bid him farewell. Many wept openly as they prayed for him. Bradford, in return, gently said farewell and prayed for them and their future.

At 4 a.m. the next day, a large crowd had gathered at the place where Bradford was to be burned. Finally, at 9 a.m., an unusually large number of heavily armed men brought Bradford out to the stake. With him was John Leaf, a teenager, who also refused to deny his faith. Both men fell flat to the ground and prayed for an hour.

Bradford got up, kissed a piece of firewood, and then kissed the stake itself. In a loud voice he spoke to the crowd: "England, repent of your sins! Beware of idolatry. Beware of false teachers. See they don’t deceive you!" Then he forgave his persecutors and asked the crowd to pray with him.

Turning his head toward John Leaf, he said, "Be of good comfort, brother, for we shall have a merry supper with the Lord tonight!"

What is the difference between joy and happiness?

We are told in Nehemiah 8:10 that God’s joy is our strength. How can joy be strength when all around us is terror or sadness?

Rejoice Like a Jesus Freak

The queen stared out the window and despised what she saw—her husband, stripped of his kingly clothes, dancing bare-chested in the streets like a commoner. Like a drunk. Did he have no shame? She let the curtain fall back across the window and turned away.

King David led the procession as the Ark of the Covenant was returned to Jerusalem. This sacred box, which held the stone tablets Moses had brought down from Mount Sinai, was being carted to its rightful place at last. This was cause for joy. It was cause for celebration. It was cause for dancing!

Trumpets blared, the people shouted, and David danced before the Lord as the procession wound its way into the city. His heart was filled to bursting, overflowing in this outward expression of childlike joy. God saw him and was pleased. God saw Michal’s reaction and was displeased.

They brought the ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and David sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the Lord . . . When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, "How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, disrobing in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!"

David said to Michal, "It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord’s people Israel—I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor."

And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.
~ 2 Samuel 6:17,20-23 (NIV)~

God revels in the childlike joy of His people. Jesus Freaks aren’t ashamed to be fools for God. Like David, they’re more concerned with what God thinks than what other people think—even if it means they look silly in the process.

Have you ever been so happy you couldn’t contain your joy? Maybe it bubbled up in the form of spontaneous laughter. Maybe it spilled onto your features in a contagious smile. Maybe you hopped and danced. Or perhaps you felt so exhilarated you went for a run, taking the road in long strides rather than your usual mid-tempo jog. Somehow, you had to express that inner feeling of perfect happiness, you just had to get it out!

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Peter the Apostle Martyred in Rome, 65 A.D. 1 Peter 1:8-9 (NIV)

Supernatural Strength

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out something is very wrong with the idea of a good God overseeing a suffering world. If He exists, then why does He allow such horrible things to happen? It’s a question as old as humanity itself. The only answer is that this isn’t the way God intended things to be. We humans messed things up, and now we are paying the price for it.

But Jesus Freaks have a secret weapon against the horrors of this world: Jesus Himself! When He comes to make His "home" in your spirit, it truly is His home. And He will protect what is His. He doesn’t promise to make your life easier, but He changes the way you view that life and gives you supernatural strength to make it through the hard times. Suddenly your perspective is filtered through His eyes, His heart, His gentle Spirit, His joy.

A baby girl named Fanny, born in a small New York town in 1820, contracted a cold in her eyes when she was just six weeks old. A country doctor prescribed the wrong treatment, and the little girl was left blind for life. As she grew up, she determined to make the best of her disability, writing at age eight: "O what a happy soul I am! Although I cannot see, I am resolved that in this world contented I will be."

Fanny went on to a career as a teacher and writer-in-residence at New York’s Institute for the Blind. She recited her poems before Congress and made friends with powerful people, including presidents.

But something was missing from her life. In 1851, she found the missing piece: a relationship with Jesus Christ. Fourteen years later, she was introduced to the hymnist William Bradbury, who encouraged her to turn her poems into hymns. Bradbury gave Fanny the idea for a song he needed, and she sat down to write her very first hymn: We are going, we are going / To a home beyond the skies / Where the fields are robed in beauty / And the sunlight never dies.

It was the first of more than 8,000 hymns written by Fanny Crosby. Perhaps her most famous hymn, "To God Be the Glory," goes like this:
To God be the glory, great things He has done; So loved He the world that He gave us His Son, Who yielded His life an atonement for sin, And opened the life gate that all may go in.

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, Let the earth hear His voice! Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, Let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father, through Jesus the Son, And give Him the glory, great things He has done. Great things He has taught us, great things He has done, And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son; But purer, and higher, and greater will be Our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see.

Another of Fanny Crosby’s best-known hymns, "Blessed Assurance," contains the words: This is my story, this is my song / Praising my Savior, all the day long . . . / Perfect submission, all is at rest / I in my Savior am happy and blest / Watching and waiting, looking above / Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.

Though we might look at Fanny Crosby’s story and see a life filled with hardship and sadness, she found a reason to sing out for joy. It was the supernatural joy of a Jesus Freak!

Extreme "slave"

Leonard Dober wondered if Jesus had thought the cross too much; then he remembered Jesus' prayer in the garden ended, "Not my will, but yours, father." Leonard's task seemed impossible, but he was pursuing God's will and not his own.

Leonard Dober determined that God's call to him was to reach slaves in the Virgin Islands. He planned teach these men and women by selling himself as a slave and working alongside others each day while sharing Jeus' love with them. The thought of being a slave frightened and sickened him. He dreaded the treatment he would receive. "But Christ was willing to die on the cross for me," he thought. "No price is too high to serve him." It wasn't the slave masters who were Dober's hardest persecutors, but rather fellow Christians. They questioned his call to minister to slaves and ridiculed him as a fool for his plan. But Dober would not be dissuaded. He arrived in the Virgin Islands late in the 1730s.

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When he became a servant in the governor's house, he feared that this position was too far removed from the slaves to whom he had come to minister. So he left and moved from the governor's house to a mud hut where he could work one-on-one with slaves.In just three years, Dober's ministry included more than 13,000 new converts.

If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you.

~II Corinthians 5:13~

Jesus freaks. That's what the world calls those whose faith seems a bit radical. Odd. Extreme. Dober was an eighteenth century "Jesus freak"--a free man who chose to live as a slave in order to win them to Jesus. He was willing to do whatever it took to squeeze the last ounce of devotion from his heart in service to Christ. For Dober, that meant a specific plan that made sense to no one to him. Have you been written off because of your freakish refusal to go along with the majority rule? If God has called you to do something radical for him in your family, church, or community, you must obey. Let others call you crazy, but may Jesus find you committed.

Extreme Weakness

Okay, it has been a very looong time since I've done a Jesus Freak Friday post. (I just looked and the last one was Good Friday!!! Oops!) And, I know today is Thursday (it is, isn't it?), but I don't want to go another week without doing a Jesus Freak Friday!! :D So, whether or not you were waiting, here it is....


But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” ````````````````` 2 Corinthians 12:9


“If you will renounce your faith and trample the cross, you will go free,” the Bolshevik gang said. “If you do not, we will kill you.”

Reverend Mikhail had seen eighty thousand of his fellow Russian Orthodox leaders and lay people murdered by the Communists. Amidst all of that pain and suffering, he decided that God, if he did exist, would not have allowed such misery.“I don’t believe,” he thought as he faced the gang. “What does a cross mean to me? Let me save my life.”

But when he opened his mouth to go along with the gang’s orders, the words that came out shocked him. “I only believe in one God. I will not trample on the cross!” The gang put a sack around his shoulders as a royal garment and used his fur hat for Jesus’ crown of thorns. One of them, a former member of Mikhail’s church, knelt before him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews.” They took turns beating him and mocking his God. Silently, the reverend prayed. “If you exist, please save my life.” As he was beaten, he cried out again, “I believe in one God.”His show of faith made such an impression on the drunken gang that they released him. When he arrived in his house, he fell face down on the floor, weeping and repeating, “I believe.”

The Christian faith is full of paradoxes. Die to live. Lose to win. Be weak in order to be strong. In fact, unless we are willing to embrace our own failures, we cannot experience God’s strength. When we undergo hardship and trial or even witness the unjust suffering of others from afar, we may begin to doubt God’s goodness. That is a human, natural response. However, God does not reject our human weakness. He restores our weakness with his strength. Therefore, we can rejoice in our failures because they remind us that human strength is no substitute for godly power. We may fail, but our God remains strong. What are you learning about your own weakness? What does that teach you about God’s strength?

Good Friday!

Good Friday! What an absolutely perfect day to be a Jesus Freak!

How splendid the cross of Christ! It brings life, not death; light, not darkness; paradise, not its loss. It is the wood on which the Lord, like a great warrior,was wounded in hands and feet and side, but healed thereby our wounds. A tree had destroyed us; a tree now brought us life.

Theodore of Studios

They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. "Hail, king of the Jews!" they said. They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

The Crucifixion

As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. They came to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS. Two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, "You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!"
In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! He's the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, 'I am the Son of God.' " In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

The Death of Jesus

From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
When some of those standing there heard this, they said, "He's calling Elijah."
Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. The rest said, "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to save him."
And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, "Surely he was the Son of God!"



Matthew 27: 28-54

Extreme Security

I thought I would share part of my devotions from last night with you. It is taken from the extreme book, Extreme Devotion...

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Troublemakers. They are the children in class who cannot stop talking. They are the bullies in the school lunchroom who steal others' money. They are the gossips in the office maligning others and spreading rumors like disease. Christians are not called to be troublemakers. In fact, Jesus calls us to be peacemakers. This rule has one exception, however: We must be troublemakers to Satan and his schemes. We cannot afford to be overlooked by the devil as merely harmless for the kingdom. Prayer is our most affective weapon. How often do your prayers disrupt Satan's work? Get busy today by praying in Jesus' name against your adversary's plans.

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Put on the full armor of God so that you can

take your stand against the devil's schemes.

~

Ephesians 6:11

Extreme Sides

I was so happy when I found this. It is my favorite (or one of my favorite) story. Speaking of happy, I am SOOOOO HAPPY TODAY!!!!! I got a B- on my english essay! That might not seem like much, but it is quite a step up from my last paper! :) Since I got my paper, I have been singing "O Happy Day." Not necessarily the song, but the 'happy day' part. :D And the weather is beautiful today. It is wonderful, gorgeous, fantabulous. Did I mention that i was happy?! :D ;D :D Anyways, here is Extreme Sides...

Russia: Hypocrites


They were singing choruses when the two soldiers entered with rifles. The service came to a halt as the Russian soldiers stared at the believers with wild eyes.

“What are you doing here?” they shouted. “Worshiping your imaginary God?” The church members cowered in the pews, wondering if there were more soldiers and more guns outside.

“All those who are faithful to God, move to the right side of the church,” said one of the soldiers, his face a mask of hatred. “You will be shot for your faith. You who wish to go home and keep your life, stand on the left side. You must decide to live or die. Those who are faithful to this ‘God’ will die. Those who deny him can live freely.”

Ten minutes earlier, everyone had sung praises equally. Now it was a question of life or death. Some stood to the left, looking sadly or waving apologetically to those on the right. Some stood on the right, their eyes closed in last-minute prayers.

“You on the left are free to go,” one of the soldiers said moments later. Those people filed out, taking one last look at those who would soon be dead.When only those on the right remained, the soldiers put down their weapons. “We, too, are Christians,” they said, “but we wish to worship without hypocrites.”

Defining moments come to us when they are least expected, and we cannot prepare for them. We must experience them “as is” and learn from the consequences. A defining moment is any situation involving a question of character. It may be as complex as a church service interrupted by perpetrators who demand our allegiance to one faith or another. Or it may be as simple as deciding whether or not to walk out of an offensive movie. Our response to a defining moment will side us with that which is Christlike or that which is questionable. Ready or not, we meet our real character face-to-face the moment we decide to take sides.

He who is not with me is against me,

and he who does not gather with me scatters.

~
Matthew 12:30

Extreme Family

Okay, so I totally forgot about Jesus Freak Friday last week. But I was home on Spring Break; there, that's may excuse. :) Oh, by the way, I started a blog about our puppies-- same pictures that I post here, but worth a peek if you want to see how they have grown! :D Anyway, I got this story from the VOM website from the Extreme Devotion book. (Sorry for all the links! :)

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The woman was one month away from graduating from Bible school along with her daughter. It was the same Bible school where her son, Stenley, had gone before he went to another Indonesian island as a missionary. Stenley was killed for carrying the gospel, but his testimony had prompted many others to go to Bible school and to accept God’s call to share his love.

When they had completed their training, the woman and her daughter planned to go to the very village where Stenley had died. She hoped for a chance to show Christ’s love, even to the men who had beaten her son to death. A visitor to the Bible school, hearing of her plans, was surprised. “Are you not afraid to die?” he asked her.

The woman seemed confused by the question, as if it was not something she had thought of before. “Why should I be afraid to die?” she answered simply.

Her faith in God’s goodness was complete. If he chose to use her in the village where her son died, so be it. And if he permitted her to die there, she would accept that call as well. Her death would bring her into the presence of the Christ she loved. Death was not an obstacle or a punishment, merely a doorway into the eternal presence of God.

Facing death can remind us of children standing above the edge of a water hole. We hug our own shoulders tightly to our bodies, shivering with the anticipation of the unknown. Will it hurt? Will I make it? We don’t want to be the first to jump—not with all these uncertainties. Fortunately, we don’t have to. History is full of family members who have leaped across the boundary between life and death. They are saints who died in full assurance of their destination. Jesus Christ, in fact, has gone where no other person has gone before—to death and back again. Christ, the head of our Christian family, has taken the terror out of death and replaced it with assurance. Heed the call to come on in. The water’s fine.

Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?

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1 Corinthians 15:55

More Extreme Missionaries

I forgot about Jesus Freak Friday, today!! I'm so glad midterms are over. Actually, I didn' t have any tests this week (my one test got cancelled :). I only had one paper due!!! :) :D

More Extreme Missionaries

Romania: Pastor Richard Wurmbrand


The Russian soldiers, some of them no more than sixteen years old, laughed and whistled, especially at the attractive young women throwing things through the window. They grabbed at the tracts, wondering what was being thrown into an army train. When the political officer boarded the car, the soldiers quickly stuffed the tracts in their pockets. Soon enough they would read the strange booklet and find out more about this “King.”

Back on the train platform, the Christians gathered, laughing nervously. When police officers took one aside, he opened his coat willingly because there was nothing inside. All of the tracts he had brought to the Romanian train station were now on the train, headed to the heart of Communist Russia.

The train-car evangelism was just one of the methods that, Richard Wurmbrand taught the youth of his church to reach Russians for Christ. These “allies” were stealing all of his country’s wealth and murdering many of its people, yet Richard welcomed the soldiers. In each soldier he saw a mission field and sought a chance to harvest a soul.

A mission is not so much a place as it is an attitude—one’s approach toward life. A missionary is simply someone who embodies this determination and single focus and expresses it in everyday living. Richard Wurmbrand was a man on mission, and his fervor spread through the ranks of young people who recognized his purposefulness. In that sense, we are all missionaries—ambassadors for Christ—wherever we are serving. Being on mission means you are always on the alert for new opportunities to further God’s kingdom. At the watercoolers at work. At the grocery store. On the commuter train or bus. At school. The everyday world is your mission field when you are determined to further God’s kingdom.

Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season.

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2 Timothy 4:2

The Good Life

Another Jesus Freak Friday! The following excerpt was taken from "Live Like a Jesus Freak."

Everybody wants a good life. We even joke about living "the good life." But Jesus promised His followers not necessarily a good life, but an abundant life. Webster’s defines abundant as "more than enough; amply sufficient; bountiful." Translated into Jesus Freak terminology, that means God promises to give us not only everything we truly need but also an endless well of peace and joy to draw from. If you are a Jesus Freak, the life God has planned for you goes beyond even your wildest dreams. He wants to take you on a wild ride that centers on trusting Him, obeying Him, and following His lead. What will it cost you? Everything—your heart, your time, your willingness, your money, your reputation, maybe even your life. But remember: In exchange for "losing your life," you get a major upgrade. You gain His peace, His joy, His supernatural power, His perfect plan here and now, and a never-ending future with Him in heaven.

Jesus knew when the time had come for Him to die. During one of His last conversations on earth, He told His disciples:

"All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."

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John 14:25-27,15:9-13

Extreme Assassin

Extreme Assassin -- Part Two (sorry, I don't have part one!)
Bangladesh: Andrew


The Muslim leader was shocked to find Andrew, the Christian evangelist, sitting in his living room with his own family, sharing a meal together!

He was shocked because he had recently offered a large reward to have this Christian killed. Now Andrew was in his home telling his own family members about Jesus. “What’s going on here?” he screamed. “What’s this man, this infidel, this enemy of Allah doing in my home?” His daughter-in-law began, “I asked him here because he, his Jesus, has healed your son—my husband.” Her story continued in a rush of words.

“He has been sick for eighteen years, but today this Christian, Andrew came and prayed for him. He laid his hands on him, and now he is well! Jesus has healed him!”

The man saw his son’s excitement as he told how he had felt the sickness leave his body. This was the first time in months that his son had gotten out of bed. For the first time in eighteen years, he felt no pain.

The man’s anger was replaced with a sense of relief and happiness. He didn’t choose to accept Christ that day, but he has become an ally to the Christians in that area and has helped many avoid jail and persecution. The man who once put a contract on Andrew’s head now welcomes him with open arms.

Christianity is a “see-for-yourself” type of experience. When the Muslim father walked into his home, Andrew was not preaching a three-point sermon on the triune God. He was not berating the man’s wife and children for formerly believing in Allah. He was having a meal after praying with the Muslim family. They had an empty sickbed to prove God was real. Likewise, we must remember that God’s truths are self-evident. The pressure is not on us as the messengers, if we will say and do the right things. We do the right thing whenever we proclaim the gospel to others. Jesus will draw their hearts to him. We must let the evidence of Christ’s reality speak for itself.

This excerpt is from the Voice of the Martyr's book Extreme Devotion.

The Real Deal

I almost forgot that today is Jesus Freak Friday!!!
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The Real Deal

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Most people have had happy times in their lives. And many would describe themselves as basically happy individuals. But did you know there’s a big difference between happiness and joy? Happiness is a feel-good feeling. It ebbs and flows with the circumstances of our lives. We land that job we’ve been trying so hard for. But then . . . A close friend gets killed by a drunken driver. Often our happiness depends on how we’re treated by those around us. She loves me, she loves me not! He wants me, he wants me not! No wonder happiness is such an elusive thing. Just when we think we have it in our grasp, it slips through our fingers.

Joy, on the other hand, is a deep sense of peace and well-being that lives in our spirit. True joy—the kind that comes only from God—doesn’t come and go. It lodges within us and holds us steady on our course. It’s our "true north" as we navigate through life.

Happiness shows on a face, but joy emanates from the spirit. You can see it in a Jesus Freak’s eyes, since eyes are the window of the soul.

On the night of January 6, 1850, a blizzard hit England, causing a young man named Charles to duck into a tiny church close to his home rather than venture out to the church he usually attended. Inside, a handful of people stood around the stove, huddling close for warmth. A man read from Isaiah 45:22—"Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth"—and the words found their mark on at least one person that night. When the tiny gathering broke up, the young man headed for home, his heart blazing with a strange new fire.

Years later, the young man—now the great preacher Charles Spurgeon—wrote, "As the snow fell on my road home from the little house of prayer, I thought every snowflake talked with me and told of the pardon I had found." When he stepped through the door, his mother saw his countenance and said, "Something wonderful has happened to you!"

Jesus Freaks can’t keep their joy hidden.

You are the light of the world—like a city on a mountain, glowing in the night for all to see. Don’t hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

Matthew 5:14-16

Persecution is a reality

Another Jesus Freak Friday!!

This was posted on the Peresution Blog yesterday:

Persecution is a reality

I read a news article that warned the government in Burma (Myanmar) is trying to abolish Christianity. The article reported that an internal government document laid the foundation for abolishing Christianity and that anyone caught evangelizing would be arrested. The striking thing about this article was the spirit of Christians living under these stringent conditions. They are strong, on fire for God and they continue to spread the gospel.

Just like other restricted nations, Burma gives the impression of freedom of religion, but in practice, Christians are persecuted, churches are shut down and the government restricts the number of Bibles imported. The printing of Bibles and Christian literature is also restricted.

In the midst of the government crackdown, I was blessed to read about believers who are evangelizing, even though it is against the law, visiting Buddhist villages and sharing the love of Jesus. For these precious Christians, persecution is an unavoidable reality. A Christian quoted in the article said, “We will press on despite the risk of hostile crowds or government arrest, but God gives us strength deep inside and boldness to move forward.”
Burmese Christians are an example of the courageous believers who face persecution around the world. Pray God protects them and other believers in restricted nations, and ask Him to show us how we can pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters.

Jesus Freak Friday

I am going to start (and try to continue :) something I like to call "Jesus Freak Friday." On those days, I will post either a story or a quote from one of the Jesus Freaks books, Extreme Devotion, the VOM website, etc.

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Extreme Answers

Cuba: Tom White

We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.-- 1 Thessalonians 2:8

When the black hood was placed over Tom White’s head, he didn’t know if he would see the light again. “Where are you taking me?” he asked the Cuban guards. The guards said nothing.

Tom had been secretly delivering Christian literature to Cuba for seven years. He and others had dropped gospel tracts out of planes into the ocean around the Communist island. But he had never heard from a single Christian in Cuba that the materials had arrived.

“Please, God,” Tom had prayed, “give us some confirmation that our work is helping.”

Now, six weeks later, he was taken to meet a Cuban intelligence officer, Captain Santos. Their plane had crashed in Cuba, and Tom and the pilot,Mel Bailey, had been captured and charged with compromising the stability of the nation.

“Our people have found thousands of these on the beaches and in the fields!” Captain Santos shouted, holding one of the sea packages that had been dropped years before.

Tom tried not to smile. “Thank you, Lord,” he prayed, “for answering my prayer. Thank you that our work has not been in vain.”

The answer to Tom’s prayer was costly. He spent twenty-one months in Cuban prisons. But in Castro’s prison, he met many members of the church and learned that even under Castro, Christ’s body was prospering. God answered his prayer.

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Do believers know what it means to have a costly answer to prayer? If we want God to answer our prayers, we must be willing to receive his answers under any circumstances. A costly answer to prayer is one that involves us in the process. We offer our prayers to God, but do we offer our lives if necessary? We may often pray for those suffering under oppression. But what if we are called upon to help deliver food and relief through a mission opportunity at our church? If we ask God to help in times of need, we must also respond when he asks us to be part of the solution. Is there a problem you have prayed about and not yet received a clear answer?

Could it be that God is waiting on your willingness to be part of the solution?