cry | Walking By Faith in Europe

Oh, poor little me!

The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah, (Acts 5:41-42, emphasis mine).

This passage always blows my mind, how the apostles rejoiced because they were persecuted. This was in today’s reading in my “read through the New Testament in 1 year” reading on Bible Gateway.

The first time I wrote about this passage was 2 years ago during my Faith Trip (recounted day-by-day in my book Look, Listen, Love). At the time I had been waiting for over a week in a nice apartment by the beach in Abruzzo—oh poor little me, right? Well, it was a struggle for me because I was anxious to go join Jesus is the Answer in Romania. I had stayed overnight with JITA in Tuscany a few weeks previously in one of their containers. They travel throughout Europe (and other parts of the world) in tricked-out containers, sharing Jesus under a big circus tent through street entertainment or compassion work (depending on the area). In Tuscany it was largely entertainment evangelism, but in Romania it would be compassion work. I wanted to get out and share the Gospel, which I had thought was important for the Faith Trip. But God wanted to do some interior work on me, which was the true objective of the Faith Trip. Since the Faith Trip had been His idea, and since He’s, well, God!, obviously, He got his way. But meanwhile I cried and whined like a big baby. It’s embarrassing!

Home Sweet Container!

So God used this passage from Acts to give me some true perspective. I thought I was suffering for my faith. No, darling, here’s what true suffering looks like, and here’s how a saint endures suffering: rejoicing!

Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets, (Luke 6:22-23, emphasis mine).

Since that time I’ve gained more understanding about persecution. Last year I read Tortured for Christ by Richard Wurmbrand—right before visiting southern Hungary. I heard Pastor H. Koraćs Gėza speak in a church while I was there. Pastor Gėza had been a pastor under Communism, and having just read Tortured for Christ, I felt moved to apologize for the fact that my country had done nothing to help the situation of Christians under Communism. Pastor Gėza responded that Christianity had actually flourished under Communism. He said that the Church faces a far more dangerous enemy today: complacency. I realized that he’s right.

I’ve heard of missionaries who told an underground Chinese house church that they’re praying for democracy. The Chinese told them: “Please stop! The church is growing under persecution.”

In fact, throughout church history, Christianity has always thrived under persecution. It wasn’t until Christianity was legalized in the 3^rd century under Emperor Constantine that the gifts of the Holy Spirit began to decline.

Even before that, all throughout the book of Judges, you can see that when they enjoyed prosperity, Israel forgot about the Lord. Then God allowed trouble to come, the people repented and sought the Lord, and the Lord blessed them. And the cycle started all over again.

So today’s Bible reading was a reminder that when the going gets tough, Christianity thrives, even if Christians are experiencing temporary difficulties, trouble, or persecution. If we take a moment to consider, everything that happens in this life is temporary.

This morning I got a message from a dear friend who is right in the middle of persecution by people around her and attacks from the enemy, as well. Here’s what I wrote to her (hope it helps you, too!):

There are 2 times when the devil attacks believers:

When he sees that God has blessed you and used you mightily; and

When he sees that God is about to bless you and use you mightily.

The first comes after the blessing, and the other comes before the blessing. So when the enemy attacks you, start to praise God for those blessings that have been or are coming. Nothing makes him back away from you like praise. And praise salted with tears is precious to the Lord. He will bless you even more for praise that comes from your brokenness. Why? Because praising God in your brokenness takes faith! Without faith it is impossible to please God.

And remember, it’s all temporary! Oh, yes, and God is good!

A Facebook Friend, A Powerful Testimony, A New Brother in Christ

Recently, I have suffered some very hard blows. These attacks really hit me where I live, and were difficult to take because they came from dear, trusted friends. And they caused one of my closest friends to suffer, which is even harder to take than my own suffering. Initially, I saw only the people involved. I reacted as I usually do, with my Texas-style bluntness—speaking the truth without tact. But after prayer, I began to discern the enemy who had used these friends against my friend and me. Can those relationships be restored?

That was my question to God Tuesday morning. Immediately, I got several encouraging messages through e-mail and on Facebook. These friends and their messages so encouraged me that I began to believe that these relationships can, indeed, be restored.

One person who encouraged me greatly is Angelica, a missionary who lives very close to Milan. I was so moved by her kind words that I felt an immediate and deep desire to meet her in person. She was very enthusiastic about the prospect of meeting me, too. So I started making plans to go visit Angelica immediately.

No sooner did I make that decision, than I heard from another friend, Casey, who lives in a small city in Tuscany. Casey invited me to come hear Tony Anthony speak at a church in Modena that evening. Since Angelica’s town is halfway to Modena, and since Casey told me that we had accommodations for the night, I said yes.

Tony’s testimony is powerful and very moving, and I encourage you to follow that link to his website. On the train to Modena, Casey met an African man from Ivory Coast. She talked to him about Jesus, and invited him to come hear Tony speak, too. And he did. He asked Jesus into his heart! That’s what it’s all about: sharing the Gospel!

Between trains, I’d only had a moment to hug and greet Angelica on Tuesday, but Casey and I returned to Angelica’s home for a proper visit yesterday. We had that immediate intimacy—a meeting of the hearts—that only comes from sisterhood in Christ. We laughed, we cried, we prayed, we praised God. We had a marvelous visit. Now that I know how close she is, I can go visit her whenever I’m home in Milan.

Anyway, God used all of these things to encourage me after the difficulties and disappointments of recent events. But more than encourage me, God has strengthened me to believe that the relationships can and will be restored—if I can let Him speak more tactfully through me. Please pray for me to speak the truth in love, but also with delicacy and tact that can mend bruised relationships. God is good!