Theology Deep Enough To Die For

I was just reading an article focusing on the experiences of an orthopedic surgeon from the Midwest who volunteered in Nigeria for VOMedical in our most recent edition of the Voice of the Martyrs newsletter.  I found his observations to be quite astute & wanted to share a piece of them with you:

"We live in a country that is very unique in the world today.  We read our Bibles, & we go to Sunday school class, & some of us are even involved in outreaches, & we give to missions, & we read stories about heroes of old.  When you are going home from work in Nigeria & you are a Christian, it is very possible that you might not come home at night.  But it is possible to come home at night even if you are caught, if you are willing to say, 'Allah is god & Mohammed is his prophet.'  Think about your family at home, & imagine that you are on your way home & you are stopped by a mob of vicious people saying, 'Repeat after me or die.'  Suddenly I realize our faith may be fairly broad theologically, but it is not all that deep sometimes.  These people, they don't know a lot of answers to Bible stories, & they probably can't give a good discussion on why Arminianism & Calvinism are right or wrong.  But I can tell you that when people step up to them with a gun or a knife, & they are asked, 'Will you repeat after me?' & they say, 'No, Jesus is Lord', their theology is very deep & we need that.  I need that."

We all need that, we need this perspective.  One day, persecution will come to us; we needn't think that we're immune to it, because God's Word promises this eventuality to all Christians.  I pray that our theology will be deep enough to die for when that time comes.  Our brothers & sisters all around the world who are experiencing this very trial even now need us.  They need our prayers, our support, our aid.  The body of Christ is one, so that when one part suffers, all suffer.  Even in our affluence & comfort - especially in our affluence & comfort - we must come alongside them in every way possible to show the love of Christ.  We need a theology that is deep, one that isn't purely head knowledge, one that doesn't just revel in debate or personal quiet times, but one that works itself out practically in love for our brethren & our enemies, one that is so deeply in love with & devoted to Christ alone that it is worth laying down our lives for.

Contemplating Christmas - Part 7

We've reached the end of our series on Christmas gift-giving ideas.  We've explored sponsoring precious children in impoverished nations, gifting animals in loved ones' honor, digging wells to bring clean water to those who have none, helping Katie Davis with her many projects of love in Uganda, & working with Drawn From Water to save condemned mingi children from death.  I hope that you consider one or all of these this Christmas.  Including our last one, which is also of utmost importance.

     -Help persecuted Christians. Voice of the Martyrs aids persecuted Christians in all sorts of ways all over the world. Their medical arm performs life-saving surgeries & lavishes care on Christians that have fallen victim to bombings, beatings, & attacks of all sorts. They provide books & Bibles to Christians in countries where Christian literature is illegal. They proclaim God's truth & Christ as Lord & Savior by way of secret radio stations in guerilla territories. They drop Christian material over Communist countries through balloons. They feature stories of unjustly imprisoned Christians in their monthly newsletter, which sometimes leads to their release because of international pressure. They aid widows whose husbands have been martyred. They release families from slavery & provide ways for them to make an income & support themselves through businesses. They realize that the body of Christ is so much larger than what is contained in our church buildings. They minister to our brothers & sisters all over the world in life-saving & faith-building ways. And through them, we have an opportunity to do the same.



I'm sure there are many more organizations of which we are unaware that deserve time, attention, & resources. If you know of any, please let us know.

Going without a new bottle of lotion from Bath & Body Works, or a new purse, or another necklace, or any of the other countless presents that just add to my already overflowing stash of possessions in order to help others is a trade-off that I am more than willing to make. It's not that these things aren't nice - or are even inherently wrong. But the joy that comes from knowing that God is using the resources that He has entrusted to us to change someone's life - both here & for eternity - is a joy that knows no bounds & easily trumps getting something for myself! We do none of this under our own strength or for ourselves, but we pray that we are being faithful stewards & that God is glorified through our celebration of His birth, our greatest gift.