Brothers in Two Ways

These are urgent times, and there are signs around us that the Lord will come soon to take His Church from this earth. That urgency can be reflected in our willingness to be faithful to do the work of the Lord. 2nd Peter chapter 3 says:
9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.
11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,
12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?

If we believe that and are correctly reading the signs, then we know that our existence here tomorrow is not guaranteed - either through Jesus coming to remove His Church or through our own death.  You can also say that our lives, as James teaches, are like a vapor, so while we are here today, we may be facing our final day on earth.  So, we have to make sure we are ready when God calls us home - and when He calls, we can be challenged to be faithful to do the work of the Lord, exhibiting and declaring His good news of salvation.

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I believe that God is opening doors in various parts of the world, moving upon hearts and mobilizing believers to share their faith. Colossians 4 states:
2 Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving;
3 meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains,
4 that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.

We continue to celebrate the sovereign work of God in the Middle East, bringing people to faith in Christ despite oppressive circumstances and the threat of punishment for receiving Him.

The Christian Aid Mission website published the story of two brothers who came to faith in Christ separately.  Here's what happened, according to a ministry leader in the region:

In a country undisclosed for security reasons, a 22-year-old Muslim recently passed by the local ministry’s church site and picked up a New Testament from the stack outside available for the taking, the leader said.

“He took it home, secretly read from it and hid it, because he feared what his family might do to him,” the leader said. “He thought for sure that if they saw him reading a Bible, they would get so angry.”

Meantime, his 24-year-old brother was watching the same ministry’s gospel messages online. He saw a video on basic Christian doctrines on social media and secretly put his faith in Christ.

Not long thereafter, the younger brother shared with his older brother that he had become a Christian. The older brother told him he had been reading the New Testament, and offered to show it to him when they arrived home. The following day, they went to the church location and talked with the leader there. He related: “Then they declared themselves to believe in the gospel message in front of our church,” adding, “They are attending our Bible studies and hope to be baptized in the near future. It’s the first time we’ve heard of two in the same family coming to Christ at the same time.”

The article also included the story of a young Muslim man in another city who was watching the online messages from the same ministry, but was mocking what he had seen. He visited the church location to argue with the leadership. The afore-mentioned leader of the ministry said: “Our brothers respectfully listened to his complaints and answered him with verses from the Bible...He was so touched by their peaceful responses that he fell on his knees and repented of his sins.” The story relates that, "The man received Christ, was baptized and now his social media messages lift up the name of Christ as he spreads the gospel, the leader said."

Social media has become an even greater tool for sharing the gospel in that region during the coronavirus pandemic.  This Christian Aid story stated:

The pandemic has reduced the number of new people visiting the ministry’s church services, but local missionaries have deepened ways of welcoming those who discreetly show up during the week, giving them tours, answering their questions and giving them New Testaments.

The leader believes, as he said, "God has started a great awakening.”

God is moving in a powerful way throughout the world, and believers should be prepared to be used of the Holy Spirit in His work of evangelism.  We are called to and equipped to share our faith, and we have been given a testimony of what Christ has done for us - it's incredible news, and we can be motivated to share it.

In a time period riddled by pessimism and despair, we have to make sure that we remain hopeful and focused on not only how God is at work, but also how He desires to use us.  This story reminds us that even in the most hostile parts of the world to Christianity, our faithful God is using a variety of means to lead people to Him.  That reminds us of the loving Savior whom we serve.