Stand in Prayer, Further the Kingdom

In the midst of the darkness of this world, we can continue to hold on to the light of Christ in our lives. 1st Peter 4 says this:
12 Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you;
13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.

Yes, we can have gladness, even when we are encountering trials.  In fact, that joy in the Lord can be a great source of strength and sustenance as we navigate the difficulties we may encounter.  There are challenging and even inexplicable events that may affect us directly or indirectly, and in those times, we can cling to the hope of something greater, more specifically, Someone greater, who walks with us in our adversity, through the fiery trials that may come our way.

+++++

The apostle Paul was at the center of a struggle - between a heavy-handed government and the old religious order, and the newfound faith of the gospel of Christ.   And, he was someone who was persecuted, yet was emboldened by His walk with the Lord.  Consider these words of 2nd
Corinthians chapter 6:
4 But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses,
5 in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings;
6 by purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love,
7 by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left...

I want to continue to process the events that occurred on Friday in Paris.  While there are law enforcement and military operations that have been launched, perhaps the greatest counter-measure to the threat of Islamic State is spiritual in nature.  Yesterday, I highlighted the power of prayer, and I wanted to continue to go down that road with Ed Stetzer of LifeWay Research, who writes on the Christianity Today website to pray - and to love the hurting...

Though most of us are not in Paris tonight, we know that Christians are there, along with others, loving those who have lost so many. And, even from where we sit, we can love the French and "weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15). It was the French newspaper LeMonde that said in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, "We are all Americans now." Well, today, we are all Parisians.

He also says that we should love our enemies.  He writes, "Sometimes it’s not enough to just give lip service to what we should be doing. We also have to commit to what we should be resisting. And on a night like this, there are at least three things we should NOT do as Christians."

Those three things are: 1) we should not hate, 2) we should not take out anger on refugees, and 3) we should not call for a war on Islam.  About the latter, he writes:

I've written extensively that I do not think that interfaith cooperation is helpful, but multi-faith understanding can be. I do not believe that Muslims and Christians pray to the same God and, as such, I believe that ALL people need Jesus, including Muslims, Hindus, and atheists. That's part of what makes us evangelicals.

I want to see Muslims come to Christ (as, yes, they want to win me to Islam). And, we can't do that by going to war with a billion people.

But, I would say that radical Islam has declared war on us - on our nation, as well as on Christianity. So, like it or not, we are in a war.

The Presidential Prayer Team reports:

CIA Director John Brennan said the attacks were just the latest signs of a "maturing external operations agenda" that Islamic State is "now implementing with lethal effect." He warned a standing-room-only crowd at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, "I certainly would not consider it a one-off event," and anticipated that ISIS has "more in the pipeline." House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (Texas) said there are active investigations concerning ISIS ongoing in all 50 states. Last month, FBI Director James Comey said there were 900 active investigations of ISIS operatives in the U.S.

So, prayer is encouraged in these areas:

• For Gods’ protection over America, and freedom from fear of imminent ISIS actions in the United States.
• For law enforcement and intelligence agencies in the U.S to apprehend ISIS operatives on American soil.
• That Americans would take the ISIS threat seriously.
• About bringing Syrian refugees into the U.S., and the vetting process.

I do not think we can ignore the spiritual dynamics of this war in which we are currently engaged.  It is not a war that we as Americans have pursued, but one that has been brought to us and to the world, because there is a group, driven by an extremist ideology, that wants to rule the world.

Mike Evans, the director of Evangile 21, the French branch of The Gospel Coalition, wrote, in a blog devoted to a number of prayer points in the aftermath of the attacks:

History is replete with reminders that the enemy’s unrestrained rage is the stepping stone for gospel advance. Recently, I read the moving account of countless Muslim conversions in David Garrison’s book A Wind in the House of Islam. Many Muslims cannot identify with the outrageous acts committed in the name of Islam, and this has been God’s sovereign means of drawing hundreds of thousands of them to faith in Jesus Christ.

Evans continues:

Death is suddenly real. Questions about evil abound in the face of unimaginable and indiscriminate violence. Now is the time to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ as never before.

So today, we can rejoice that God is doing an incredible work among the Muslim people.  And, as Evans points out, perhaps viewing the horrendous acts of those who claim the name of Islam is a way that those who reject such activities are being drawn into a relationship with Christ.   I would dare say there is a battle going on for the hearts and minds of people across our world today - there are many who are embracing the agenda of hate and world conquest that is almost inexplicably appealing to them.   But, there is a strong movement driven by Christ's agenda of love for the world that is in the world today.  We can be challenged to pray that God will continue to bring Muslims to Himself.

And, I cannot emphasize enough that there is a spiritual war in the earth.   With these headlines, as with so many others, it's important that we view these events through spiritual eyes.  There are those who adhere to the worship of a false god, one who is demanding and rewards hateful actions.  One who is a stranger to the compassion of our Savior.  The battle lines are becoming clear - while we declare what side we are on, we now have the challenge to act in accordance with what we say we believe, to serve wholeheartedly the One in Whom we say we believe.