walk in victory through Christ, and to communicate that message of true freedom:
14 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.
15 For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.
16a To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life.
What an incredible life God promises that we can have! But, it's conditional on our surrendering our life to Christ, rendering ourselves dead to sin and alive to Christ. Through the cross, by which Jesus took our sins and their punishment, we can experience the liberation that He wants to give us. The surrendered life is also a victorious life, because He has purchased for us the victory over what would ensnare us and has set us free to walk in the love of God and the power of the Spirit.
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By the power of the cross, we can experience liberation - the freedom to live in triumph over the
power of sin. Colossians 2 reminds us:
13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,
14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.
There are reports out of Iraq of the campaign to retake the city of Mosul from Islamic State, or ISIS, and there is anticipation of Christians being able to re-inhabit cities in that general area.
For instance, an article on the Christian Today website says that there are reports that the city of Qaraqosh, which was once home to Iraq's largest Christian community, has now been liberated as part of the offensive to retake Mosul; others say Iraqi troops are still battling a small number of militants left in the town. The article reports that, "Security sources have confirmed that around 50 villages and towns around Mosul have been liberated."
The story quotes 12-year-old Myriam, who told SAT-7 KIDS on October 21: "Surely I am happy and joyful to return home and see my friends who didn't leave." She added, "I'll get to see them again," and said, "I'll see my home and my country again, the place that I love."
Myriam had first been interviewed by SAT-7 in October 2014. Then, she had said she would ask God to forgive those who had threatened her family. A video of the exchange was watched by more than 200,000 people within 42 hours of appearing on the SAT-7 ARABIC Facebook page. She said, "God loves everybody," adding, "I'm not angry with God because we left Qaraqosh, I thank him because he provided [for] us. Even if we're suffering here, he provides for us."
In the village of Karamles, according to a piece on the Christian Headlines website from World Watch Monitor, a cross, the size of a man, covered with flowers, was erected on a hill by Father Thabet next to his village. He had lived with his congregation in Erbil, said: "I am so happy I can do this. I’m smiling from cheek to cheek and I weep tears of joy at the same time. This is the trip I have been praying for, for two years now..."
In Qaraqosh, Father Ammar reinstated the Cross on his church, assisted by Christian soldiers who had been guarding the village after it had been liberated. He said, "I praise God for this wonderful day," adding, "Yes, they destroyed and burned some houses and churches, but we can rebuild them. What counts is that we have prayed here and have put up the Cross."
He also is quoted as saying, "After being away for exactly 811 days, after being attacked by the forces of darkness and evil, we have come back to worship in freedom."
It has been a difficult season for Christians throughout Iraq, forced to flee from their homes by Islamic State, and no doubt people are hoping that the ordeal is close to being over. Mosul has not been taken back - yet - but there is anticipation that it could be a matter of time.
Want proof that there is evil in this world? Look at the brutality of ISIS, especially the way they have treated Christians in these areas. And, yet, the victims - those that lived - are hopeful and are ready to return home and rebuild their lives...and their churches.
It is touching to think about these members of the clergy who are intent of erecting crosses - in a sense to reclaim their property, their "holy ground." You know, for each of us the cross is a powerful symbol of liberation - not only for the residents of the Nineveh Plain, but for each of us.
We were bound by the power of sin and death; without Jesus, we are in a state of hopelessness, facing the prospect of eternal separation from God. But, Jesus intervened in human history, gave His life on a cross, and made it possible for each of us to find a home with God. Now, in our liberated state, we rely on the power of the cross to enable us to put to death the deeds of the flesh and to resist the lures of the world, so that we might experience true life and peace.
We are liberated, we are free - not to do whatever we want; actually, that is a description of our life before Christ. The end result of self-gratification is contrary to what God wants for us. We have submitted our will to His and surrendered our desires so that we would want to do what is right, what pleases Him. In our surrender, we experience true freedom from the bondage of sin so that we might have a life that reflects the presence of our Savior.
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