Imprisoned

Paul wrapped up his description of the armor of God in Ephesians chapter 6 and encouraged the
readers to be in prayer for one another. Let's get a running start beginning in verse 17:
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints--
19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel,
20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

You may find yourself with a bit more time on your hands these days, and it certainly can be an opportunity for spiritual growth, including Bible study, fellowship with God, and prayer.  Paul talks about being "watchful," standing with the saints, and asking God to use Him to speak truth, even though He was in prison.  There are enormous spiritual priorities and responsibilities to which God has called us, and as functioning members of the body of Christ, He desires to use us in order to pray for His strength and glory to be manifested, even in hardship.

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We can be inspired by the stories of the early Church, members of which endured trials and hardships, yet experienced miraculous events and their faith was strengthened.  In Acts 12, we find
that Herod had placed Peter in prison; we read these verses:
5 Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.
6 And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison.
7 Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, "Arise quickly!" And his chains fell off his hands.

We read that the angel led this captive set free out of the prison and back to a gathering of church members.

While the attention of the world has been focused in on one particular, destructive virus, there are still a number of viruses, spiritual in nature, that afflict this world.  Because of the fallen nature of humanity, the virus of sin is still alive and well, and we have seen it manifested in the self-preservation that some are exhibiting, a by-product of the selfishness of the human heart.

The Coronavirus has led to fear and panic, and we have to be careful that we are not paralyzed by the fears of what may come on the earth or into our individual lives.  But, people without Christ are especially vulnerable to hopelessness - that's why we are in an especially ripe time period in which people can be introduced to our Savior.

The virus of religious hostility and persecution lives large in this world today, and one particular American ministry leader has been experiencing it firsthand.  According to The Christian Post, this past October, Tennessee pastor Bryan Kevin Nerren... "who leads the International House of Prayer Ministries in Shelbyville and operates a nonprofit organization called Asian Children’s Education Fellowship, which has been training Sunday School teachers in India and Nepal for 17 years, was targeted and arrested as he stepped off a flight in Bagdogra, India..."

Nerren was arrested for possessing $40,000 in what he says were ministry funds for two upcoming events and to support 13 ministers.  The article reports:

After about an hour of questioning, he was cleared to fly, but when he arrived in Bagdogra he was arrested for violating the Foreign Exchange Management Act because he didn’t complete a document to account for the funds. But the officials in New Delhi did not provide Nerren with the necessary forms.

Now, four members of Congress have submitted a letter on Nerren's behalf to the Indian Foreign Secretary last week: Senator Marsha Blackburn of the pastor's home state of Tennessee, Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma, as well as home-state Representative Scott DesJarlais, and Georgia Representative Jody Hice, who has also been a pastor.  The lawmakers wrote:

"...We are immediately concerned with the health of the Nerren family, including Mr. Nerren’s daughter with special needs, who has been hospitalized with pneumonia as Mr. Nerren remains in India without a clear point of return..."

The four also stated: “He submitted an application for compounding, filed an affidavit with the court indicating submission of the application, and compiled $7,000 to be transferred to Customs upon Customs’ finalization of the appropriate paperwork,” the letter explained. “He has completed all of these required actions. However, Customs is now requiring the submission of a waiver of forfeiture for the money lost, a request that was not included in the original conditions – and to our knowledge is not required by Indian law.”

The American Center for Law and Justice has established a petition, and the Post reports that almost 170,000 people had signed it.

There are several considerations for us today.  For one thing, while there is rightly a great deal of emphasis on the Coronavirus, by no means should that relieve us from staying sharp on other issues that are Biblically important.  The enemy is certainly not resting, and perhaps this is a good time to gather strength in the Lord, especially when our routines have been altered.

And, we can recognize the spreading virus of Christian persecution.  There is hostility toward the gospel today, and while there is certainly concern over China's transmission and handling of the Coronavirus, perhaps we can remember to pray for the Chinese government and those Christians there who are being persecuted.

We can also continue to acknowledge that Christ cures the plague of sin and comforts the persecuted.  In our prayers, we can always look to Jesus as our Great Physician, calling on Him to take away our physical infirmities, and perhaps allowing Him to go deeper in this time of struggle to unveil spiritual maladies that reside deep in our souls, so that His healing balm may be applied.

And, remember to diversify your news and information intake.  That's my philosophy for The Meeting House - I do want to continue to provide solid information relative to fighting this virus, but I also want to inspire and challenge you in your Christian walk, as I have attempted to do since launching the program over 15 years ago.  We should keep up with the latest on the virus, but we can also realize that the world has not come to a standstill, and we can be prepared and strengthened in the Lord to follow His direction.