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Dear brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus, part of the growing repentance remnant, cleansing as His Bride, getting ready for His soon return as our Bridegroom-----
In keeping with the martyrdom of Charlie Kirk, Dr Michael Brown wrote earlier a powerful book, The Jesus-method of Revolution, on how Jesus' Kingdom is advanced by martyrs. As we continue to honor Charlie Kirk, here's an excerpt:
For us to live is Christ and to die is gain. Death has lost its sting!
And there is a supernatural power released when we make the break with the pull of this world, when we become totally free to live or to die, able to consecrate ourselves to a principle at any cost or consequence. That is when the church always grows. The blood of martyrs is still the seed! Eberhard Arnold, the radical, German Christian leader (1883–1935), helps put this in perspective.
The early Christians were revolutionaries of the Spirit, heralds of the last judgment and the coming transformation; they had to be ready for martyrdom at any moment. Their witness meant they had to reckon with being sentenced to death by state and society.
Therefore, “martyrs” were those witnesses ready to die for their faith, those who bore this testimony before kings and judges with the steadfastness of soldiers of God. They were martyrs, that is “confessors,” even if they did not have to die. To give witness is the essence of martyrdom. Martyrs uphold the truth of their testimony as eye-witnesses of the Lord and his resurrection.
They see Christ and become his prophetic spirit-bearers. Through the Spirit, the blood-witness of the martyrs becomes part of the decisive battle waged by Jesus, the battle in which he himself died as champion and leader of the future. By dying, he finally judged and routed the hostile powers of the present age.
Put to death by the most devout Jewish people and the Roman state, Christ fettered and disarmed the demons and their darkness through his cross. Since then, each new martyrdom—each new dying with Christ—becomes a celebration of victory over the forces of Satan.
Some of the greatest leaders in the early church included men like Ignatius, who was fed to wild beasts, and Polycarp who was burned at the stake, and Justin Martyr, who was beheaded. Some of the greatest reformers of the late Middle Ages included men like John Huss, who was burned at the stake, and Girolamo Savonarola, who was tortured, strangled, and burned at the stake, and William Tyndale, who was also strangled and burned at the stake. (Never forget that the English Bible you hold in your hand today cost Tyndale his life!) More recently, missionary-martyrs like Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, and Peter Fleming (martyred in 1956), or twenty years before them, John and Betty Stam, left an eternal legacy in just a few short moments of obedience to death. Listen to their stories and you will understand.
John and Betty Stam were graduates of Moody Bible Institute, sailing for China as missionaries during a difficult time for missionaries. (They were actually married in China, Betty preceding John to the mission field by one year.) They knew the risks involved, as the China Inland Mission was specifically recruiting laborers to work in dangerous, Communist-infested areas. But both of them had been inspired by a poem written after Southern Presbyterian missionary Jack Vinson was martyred in 1931.
Vinson had shown no fear of death to his Chinese captors, telling them, “Kill me, if you wish. I will go straight to God.” The calmness he showed inspired his colleague E. H. Hamilton to write this poem.
Afraid? Of What?
To feel the spirit’s glad release?
To pass from pain to perfect peace
The strife and strain of life to cease?
Afraid—of that?
Afraid? Of What?
Afraid to see the Saviour’s face,
To hear His welcome, and to trace
The glory gleam from wounds of grace
Afraid—of that?
Afraid? Of What?
A flash, a crash, a pierced heart;
Darkness, light, O Heaven’s art!
A wound of His a counterpart!
Afraid—of that?
Afraid? Of What?
To do by death what life could not—
Baptize with blood a stony plot,
Till souls shall blossom from the spot?
Afraid—of that?
With courage and faith, John had challenged the graduating class at Moody in 1932.
Shall we beat a retreat, and turn back from our high calling in Christ Jesus; or dare we advance at God’s command in face of the impossible?
Let us remind ourselves that the Great Commission was never qualified by clauses calling for advance only if funds were plentiful and no hardship or self-denial involved. On the contrary, we are told to expect tribulation and even persecution, but with it victory in Christ.
The day of reckoning came for John and Betty Stam. (One recent book, obviously based on John Stam’s words to his class at Moody, calls it, “Victory Day for the Stams.” What a concept!) They were captured by Communists (their little baby, Priscilla, was miraculously spared), then painfully bound, stripped down to their underwear, and kept under guard for the night. The next morning, they were paraded down the street while being mocked and ridiculed, after which they were beheaded—baptizing with blood a stony plot, till souls have blossomed from that spot. They were not afraid of that!
As word got out about their martyrdom, the impact was dramatic, both in terms of new missionary volunteers, new student prayer meetings, and large monetary donations to the work in China. A missionary with the China Inland Mission wrote to Betty’s parents: “A life which had the longest span of years might not have been able to accomplish one-hundredth of the work for Christ which they have done in a day.” That is the power of martyrdom! “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus said, “unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds” (John 12:24). One short act of obedience to death gave many others eternal life!
May each of us today consecrate our lives afresh to the service of God, whatever the cost or consequence, whether by life or by death, as long as Jesus is glorified.
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National Day of Repentance donates 97% of funds received from you to support repentance-preaching (Mark 6:12,13) preachers in 9 different nations - DRC (Congo), Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Uganda, Zambia & Zimbabwe. Your donations assist them to provide spiritual and physical food to bring MANY into Jesus' Kingdom (Matthew 4:17,Luke 24:47, Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19).
But the message of Repentance preached through NDR has spread way beyond just these 9 countries already. In total, we have touched 50 nations already through our Global Days of Repentance. And thus we invite you to continue to join hands with us, and continue to sow into this ministry - so we can continue reaching more and more nations - as there are over 200 nations globally - and thus we've only scratched the surface - only touching 25% of the nations! There is still a lot of work to be done, and many places to be reached, before the 2nd coming of our Lord Jesus - and as you know by now - time is short - and Repentance has to be preached to everyone in every nation!!
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The Single GOAL of National Day of Repentance is to encourage God's GIFT of Repentance - Personally, Nationally and NOW GLOBALLY !
Please continue to sow into this mighty move of God - and do not get weary in doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not... (Gal 6:6-9).
Thank you for listening to the LORD and for your obedience. Please will you prayerfully consider sowing towards Repentance to continue to spread in Africa and beyond through reaching one community at a time - being the hands of Christ and showing our neighbors that God cares about them and wanting to meet their needs. Every donation, no matter the size, definitely does help in reaching more and more people for Christ in Africa and beyond, and making their lives just a little easier !
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May God Bless you in abundance as you sow towards this cause and into the expansion of God's Kingdom!
God bless you,
Pastor Jeff
Pastor Jeffrey Daly
National Day of Repentance
www.globalrepent.com
pastorjeff@repentday.com
Box 246 Middletown CA USA. 95461
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