I have nothing to add ... Suffice to say I trust the integrity of the source. I only publish these to give you the opportunity to "see" what God is doing around the world to draw people to Himself ... you may disagree with them, or you may have another plausible explanation - that is fine. What matters is what God is doing in someone's life due to the external circumstances as much as the external circumstances themselves .... He is at work to bring forth eternal life!
I am often troubled by a verse in the book of Jonah in the Old Testament which says “Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs." As it demonstrates how strongly we can cling to things, practices etc which we hope will bring us peace, grace, mercy and love etc. and insodoing refuse to receive what is being offered so freely, Salvation in Christ, the receiving of which gives us the very things we are trying so hard to achieve ourselves.
This in from a friend in Cambodia, a story that shows how taking a step to reach out and accept the grace that is being freely offered in Christ, can completely change our lives, even if the circumstances around us remain the same.
"After more than 3 hours’ drive, almost on the Vietnam border, I drove into one of the most frightening place I have ever been to: Kompong Cham CC3 prison ... A missionary had invited me to preach at the Easter Gospel Outreach.
As we walked into the prison compound and sat on nice seats under big trees, hundreds and hundreds of prisoners came out and rushed to the barbed wire fence that separated us from them: it looked like a scene from a World War 2 concentration camp. Poor, thin, broken men. But excitement was growing among them...They had been waiting for so long for this event.
After a number of songs, a long speech from the Head of the Detention Centre which was hard to follow with the microphone not working properly and the millions of insects buzzing, I went up to speak and stood in front of the fence. The noisy insects stopped, not one of them was heard; and the mike worked perfectly. There was such an anointing. I have rarely felt so much freedom in preaching the Gospel.
Many prisoners were not allowed to come down and sit in front of the fence. They were at the back listening from the cells. I could only see their hands waving at me. Some were holding up Christian signs in English that I could read from where I was standing. I was told there are 100 prisoners per cell ! No room for all of them at night to sleep at the same time. Hell on earth.
At the end I gave an invitation to turn to Christ, hundreds responded. Boxes and boxes of food were then distributed to all 1449 prisoners.
And then one of the most moving scenes I have ever witnessed happened: As we were about to leave, the prisoners down at the fence, sweating from the scorching afternoon sun, started to sing - beautiful voices. Then those in their cells sang songs of praise and worship. I could still not see their faces but I could clearly hear their voices and see their hands waving as they sang. I was trying hard to hold my tears.
After a long drive home that night, I sat alone in my living room picturing those broken men singing. I cried."
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
I am often troubled by a verse in the book of Jonah in the Old Testament which says “Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs." As it demonstrates how strongly we can cling to things, practices etc which we hope will bring us peace, grace, mercy and love etc. and insodoing refuse to receive what is being offered so freely, Salvation in Christ, the receiving of which gives us the very things we are trying so hard to achieve ourselves.
This in from a friend in Cambodia, a story that shows how taking a step to reach out and accept the grace that is being freely offered in Christ, can completely change our lives, even if the circumstances around us remain the same.
"After more than 3 hours’ drive, almost on the Vietnam border, I drove into one of the most frightening place I have ever been to: Kompong Cham CC3 prison ... A missionary had invited me to preach at the Easter Gospel Outreach.
As we walked into the prison compound and sat on nice seats under big trees, hundreds and hundreds of prisoners came out and rushed to the barbed wire fence that separated us from them: it looked like a scene from a World War 2 concentration camp. Poor, thin, broken men. But excitement was growing among them...They had been waiting for so long for this event.
After a number of songs, a long speech from the Head of the Detention Centre which was hard to follow with the microphone not working properly and the millions of insects buzzing, I went up to speak and stood in front of the fence. The noisy insects stopped, not one of them was heard; and the mike worked perfectly. There was such an anointing. I have rarely felt so much freedom in preaching the Gospel.
Many prisoners were not allowed to come down and sit in front of the fence. They were at the back listening from the cells. I could only see their hands waving at me. Some were holding up Christian signs in English that I could read from where I was standing. I was told there are 100 prisoners per cell ! No room for all of them at night to sleep at the same time. Hell on earth.
At the end I gave an invitation to turn to Christ, hundreds responded. Boxes and boxes of food were then distributed to all 1449 prisoners.
And then one of the most moving scenes I have ever witnessed happened: As we were about to leave, the prisoners down at the fence, sweating from the scorching afternoon sun, started to sing - beautiful voices. Then those in their cells sang songs of praise and worship. I could still not see their faces but I could clearly hear their voices and see their hands waving as they sang. I was trying hard to hold my tears.
After a long drive home that night, I sat alone in my living room picturing those broken men singing. I cried."
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
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