When our LORD stands

Last weekend proved to be a challenge.On Sunday we heard on the persecuted church...that speaks for itself.

 Brother George, is a full time worker with Open Doors ministries ( founded by brother Andrew, author of the millions-selling book:God's smuggler ). He presented the sermon and some of what God is doing among the Body of Christ worldwide. 

He went through some chapters on the book of Acts (Acts 6,7,8,9). We read about Stephen and the early church. Stephen was a man full of faith, of the whole Ghost and power (Acts 6:5,8) .

 On Stephen he remarked that there we had the first martyr ( witness ) for the sake of Christ. The first of many that would die in HIS NAME, and FOR HIS GLORY.

That passage struck all of us : Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. 

We see our LORD standing. Please compare that to these verses:

I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left (1King 22:19)

And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. (Mat 14:62)

It amazed me to see that the LORD Jesus would stand.I never saw that passage in this way.

The Lord Jesus, the LORD of glory cared for His church, for that first martyr,  HE stands as one of His suffers and dies as a witness...

Brother George went on in the book of Acts; the next passage was when the LORD appeared to Saul.

And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 

And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. (Acts 9: 4,5)

" The Lord Jesus did not ask 'Why do you persecute my people?' or ' Why do you persecute my servants', or even ' my Church', HE says 'Why persecutest thou me?' Yes, the church is His body.

Saul was seeking to destroy Christ ( His body ). Do you see now how much our LORD cares?

We hear of many tragedies going on in the world these days, but the greatest of all tragedies is that Christ's own body's sufferings should not touch us, that millions literally suffer unimaginable, unspeakable persecutions only because they want to live and die, for the Christ we claim to love and adore.
(...)

After the service I (we) were torn apart, we saw the pastor in the church deeply moved by what we all heard there.The congregation's reaction wasn't different, many of us were just trying to hide the fact that we were all crying our sins of omissions, and carelessness; that our very selfish thoughts that morning condemned us.
How can we ignore those things? How can we have so very light a concern - if any - for such reality?


 I've been questioning the Lord on the real meaning of living for HIS glory and I could not imagine how much work is out there to be done, how much those believers need our prayers and action...How little do we think about our constant spiritual warfare...
 (...)

After the service ,we came to the table were brother George was. We were shy in our questions, we were with that " feeling " that we could do nothing...- only pray - and the LORD only knows how often do we fail on that. Ha that was the interesting part. We saw many resources that could aid us in " getting involved ', and I believe we must. These people are part of us as the body of Christ, their sufferings ARE our sufferings.
The ministry of Open Doors involves strengthening believers in those persecuted countries to witness to their own fellow man. They say wherever country the Lord Jesus Christ is -working- there we find  hope, yes even in places as difficult as Iraq or North Korea.

(...)

I finished reading Secret Believers, and I won't rest until all of you have read it too :) . 

The book narrates terrifying true stories of believers ( living in an unidentifiable strict Islamic country) who have chosen to follow Christ.
I can only say that it is an intense book. It describe suffering as we don't hear it mentioned...It awakes lukewarm believers to the preciousness and beauty of our LORD Jesus...It tells us of the inexplicable and unexpected ways in which the Lord brings his people to salvation...It calls non-secret believers in the West to awake to a life of Holiness and concern for God's glory...and finally it will make you cry ( I hope ) but will make you experience joy in the Lord to realise that the Lord Jesus is calling His people, from all places and among all people, yea, and that HE is also calling you and I to die with them...