We received this this morning from our friends overseas on the eve of one of the biggest weekends of the year.
Happy Easter!
Today might be Friday ….but Sunday is coming! Wherever believers are around the world this 3-day weekend holds a special and powerful reminder of what Christ did on the cross. Many of us will spend time with family, visiting friends, and gathering together with others who are in the body of Christ.
Yesterday we received news from the Islands that a husband & wife friends of ours were put into prison. The charge? They led a 28 year old man to the cross of Christ. The young man believed in the death & resurrection of Jesus and became part of the wider body of Christ. The young man’s father heard of this and became very angry and began to go around riling up other older men in their area of town. The police were brought onto the scene, and yesterday morning the police came to the home of our Island friends took them both and the young man to the police station. The police eventually released the mom to go home and care for her kids until this morning but the husband and the young man are still in prison.
So what if the police showed up at your front door a few days before Easter? What might they “charge” you with?
Just before they took the husband and wife to prison they allowed her to say a few words to their kids.
What would you say to your family if the police were waiting to take you to prison?
This is what they told their 3 kids….. “Don’t be afraid. Remember that God is with you. If I am beaten or even killed for my faith, that is not a bad thing. Hold strong in your beliefs and God will help you through.” We know that the Word is often spread through persecution. Please pray that they would have the strength and courage for what lies ahead.
We want to encourage you to watch this video as you prepare for Easter & consider the cost to be part of the wider body of Christ.
(be sure to turn up the volume on your computer)
Thoughts From Jim Bell 