Year: 2020

The following story is from GCI Australia member, Janiece Harper, after her traumatic experience with the bushfires earlier this year.

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As my amnesia-dulled mind stumbled back to awareness, the calm voice of my son was repeating as if in a mantra, It’s alright, Mum. You’re in Nambour hospital. I’m with you. You’ve had a shock. There’s been a bad bush fire and …… and… then he named two of my very dear friends who did not survive.

Now here’s the amazing part. Straight away my whole being seemed filled with the rousing hymn, “The Lord is my Light.” This piece by Frances Allitsen, based on Psalm 27, proclaims, “The Lord is my light, my light and my salvation. Whom, then, shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life….” Was there ever a time I needed strength in every aspect of my being? (Another contributor to my condition was that I was awaiting major surgery.) That hymn, which completely overtook me, my mind and body alike, imbued me with peace and positivity that carried me throughout the trying weeks ahead. Could that be attributed to intervention from our loving triune God? I’m sure of it. Could it be that I was prepared for this traumatic time years before when I was given that song to learn for special music? Most assuredly.

My eldest daughter, Kathryn, afflicted by multiple sclerosis, spent several years unable to see much at all, unable to sit without support, unable to hold her head or her hands steady, unable to sing or to speak clearly or to eat safely. Kathryn, all praise to our Father, is a Christian, as is her loving husband, Glenn. She has told me that her Bible study for all that time was accomplished by her concentrating on the words of hymns she’d learned and special music songs she’d heard me practice. Kathryn had an exceptionally good memory before her debility. Had God prepared for her spiritual sustenance years before, in her youth? Most definitely.

You may have known dear ones who, while suffering dementia, have responded to and even joined in singing hymns familiar to them, hymns they had sung often. I have. It seems that music is one of the last areas of the brain to be lost as the body deteriorates.

So what does the written Word tell us about all this? Is it only those who ‘can sing’ who are so blessed? Let’s read from Colossians 3:15-16.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

Could it be that by singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs every day around the house, we are God’s instruments in doing his work of caring not only for ourselves in our current oh-so-mortal bodies, but also for those who share our homes with us?

You might say, “But I can’t sing. No one wants to hear me sing.” Well, let’s go to the book of songs. Look at Psalms 89:1, 95:1-2, 98:4-6, 100:1-2 for starters. Yes, I know it says, “shout for joy,” but it says that in connection with the singing of songs. Now I put it to you, would you prefer to shout joyfully around the house each day, or rather “make a joyful noise,” as we used to interpret it, as you sing to the Lord?

The music educator and conductor, the late Richard Gill, used to say that when you sing (as everyone should) to your baby, the tune or noise you make becomes the true version of that song for your child. Do not be embarrassed or ashamed. Sing that song your way and make it joyful and from the heart. He said that anyone who can speak, does so with vocal intonations. These intonations can be classed as the beginnings of song. Think of Gregorian chants, for example. Different cultures have very different appreciations of what is music. You don’t need to sound like singers we hear on international media. By singing, you are inoculating the minds of those in your household with words – without preaching to them. You can just be singing quietly from the heart. There’s no need for always shouting for joy.

Don’t forget that many of the psalms begin with cries from the heart for the Lord’s intervention. It’s ok to sing to the Lord with a broken heart. It leads to the merciful comfort we need, knowing that there is one who loves us, hears us and provides for us in every situation.

You may not be good at remembering all the words of a hymn. I’m not. Does that matter? I don’t think God will mind if you mess up the words, hum or la-la-la a bit. You’ll remember the lines that are important to you in your communication with him. You might even like to change the words of some favourite song or even a hymn to match your thoughts and feelings as you sing from your heart. There’s no copyright on what you sing to yourself or to your family.

Why not give it a try!

Author: Janiece Harper, Member, GCI Australia

Note: Janiece Harper is a retired teacher with expertise in special needs, and a dedicated long-time member who leads small groups and visits with and encourages members in the Northern New South Wales district of Australia.

Covid-19 has affected us all in some very drastic ways. One of the biggest challenges is the increased risk to our lives. For months to come, we may face the double risk of getting the disease and the risk of infecting others. This means we may have to live with difficult restrictions on our freedom for quite some time. Here are a few thoughts from the apostle Paul that are helpful as we struggle with a sense of loss of personal freedom.

Paul reminds us that in Christ we are called to be free and goes on to describe what that freedom is like. It is not primarily a freedom to simply pursue our own comfort or happiness. It is a freedom to humbly and lovingly serve others.

Gal. 5:13–14 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.

Paul makes it clear that love for the neighbor often means we give up cherished rights. He explains that God’s love helps us properly limit the exercise of our right to certain freedoms by asking ourselves, Will the exercise of my rights be beneficial to my neighbor?

“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.

Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God….. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved. (1 Cor. 10:23-24, 32-33)

The pandemic is giving us many opportunities to apply these principles. Take the wearing of masks as an example. Health authorities tell us that while we get some personal protection from wearing them, the primary beneficiaries are other people. The masks cut down on how many droplets we spread abroad when we speak, cough, or sneeze. So, according to health experts, wearing masks is more about our neighbor than ourselves. Wearing a mask even when we might prefer not to is the kind of situation the apostle Paul was referring to when he wrote: “No one should seek their own good, but the good of others” (v. 24).

We can apply these principles to other areas – honoring social distancing guidelines; dealing with the temptation to hoard food – to name a couple. Paul reminds us that we Christians have one overriding debt – the debt to share the love of God that has been spread abroad in our hearts.

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. The commandments…are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. (Rom. 13:8-10)

By doing this we can bring glory to God. And people to God. The sociologist Rodney Stark’s research led him to conclude that one of the main reasons Christianity spread so rapidly in the Roman Empire during the first few centuries was the fact that Christians excelled in putting the needs of their fellow citizens ahead of some of their own needs during the epidemics that ravaged parts of the empire from time to time. It’s now our turn to heed these inspiring words of the Apostle Peter:

My divinely loved friends, since you are resident aliens and foreigners in this world, I appeal to you to divorce yourselves from the evil desires that wage war within you. Live honorable lives as you mix with unbelievers, even though they accuse you of being evildoers. for they will see your beautiful works and have a reason to glorify God in the day he visits us. (1 Peter 2:11-12, Passion Translation)

 

 

By Charles Fleming
GCI Board Member

About 10 years ago, during the upheaval of the “Arab Spring,” I received a baptism request via our UK website. We get a number of inquiries from abroad. Some of these are scams designed to extract money from us. We are therefore cautious in our response. We explain about our church and its teachings. We tell them that we are not a source of regular funding.

At that time a number of tyrannical regimes in the Middle East and North Africa had given way to emerging democracies. Although it was all done in the name of freedom, it did not necessarily mean more tolerance for Christianity and minority religions. In some countries it led to renewed persecution. Christian families and churches were attacked by angry mobs.

We have a wonderful message of grace to share with people of all faiths and of no faith. The message is staggering in its simplicity. It says that everyone has been included in God’s grace. Everyone is forgiven for all the bad things they have done. Jesus died on the cross for all, and through his sacrifice, all people are drawn to God. Everyone. Buddhist, Taoist, Christian, New Ager, Muslim, Hindu, Jew, pagan and atheist. Whether we like it or not, each one of us has been forgiven in Christ. The call is to respond to God’s grace.

Against the background of these events in the Arab world we received this visit request from one of the nations involved. One of the most exciting things in pastoral ministry is to meet someone for the first time. So you can imagine my joy over this group of people in a country where we had no members.

I was twice delayed in going to see them. Once due to a personal accident, and on another occasion a bomb went off near the airport into which I was due to fly.

When I did go, it took about two hours to get from the airport to an industrial town in the middle of the country. The plan was that the group of eight would meet me the next day. They had to travel three hours from the mountains in order to get there. It had been decided that it was not safe for me to go to where they live. To meet there would have attracted the suspicions of neighbors and perhaps of the Islamic authorities. A few months before the government had expelled a Christian pastor for speaking openly about Christ. Throughout the land there is great antipathy towards evangelical Christians. We had to be as discrete as possible.

Only two people made it to see me. One was a young man in his late twenties and the other an older man, probably in his fifties. I asked them how their interest in Christ began. “We went to a book fair in a coastal town, and found, tucked away in a corner of a stall, some copies of the New Testament in Arabic. When we got home, we read the New Testament from cover to cover. We were convicted that Christ is Lord.” One of them had access to the Internet and looked for a church to join. After much searching, they wrote to us.

I was transfixed by their story. There is something about the first love, isn’t there? Would I have been so diligent? Their zeal left me wanting, and I knew it, and yet here was I to minister to them. By visiting me they were risking their families and their livelihoods.

After prayerful discussion I baptized the younger man in the hotel bathtub, which was too small for the job. The older man decided to wait for another time. Since then another five people have been baptized on subsequent visits.

Life is difficult for them right now, with the combined events of the Coronavirus lockdown and Ramadan, which began April 23 and just ended on May 23. Typically, during Ramadan, the UK and Swiss churches have provided funds for them to go away together and thus not be involved in the Islamic festivities. With the lockdown, travel is not allowed, and yet our members want to get away from the ritual fasting and associated events. The group is small enough to be allowed to gather, and so they have decided, again with outside financial help, to meet near the hotel where I first met them. During Ramadan they will have discussions based on Arabic translations of the UK’s Day by Day Bible Studies and of articles from our French church’s website, and they hope to tune into the UK’s live streaming of sermons and studies while their facilitator translates.

But, now that Ramadan is over, what happens to them and to other Christians in Islamic countries and communities, where following Jesus is often not tolerated?

The book of Daniel tells us about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They were believers caught up in a system that was against them and their faith. Being cast into a furnace as a means of execution was not a new thing. It was practiced widely. Nebuchadnezzar roasted two wayward prophets, Zedekiah and Ahab, in the fire (Jeremiah 29:22). Archaeologists have discovered huge kilns that were used for such purposes. Some are shaped like a railway tunnel, with the one end sealed up and the other end open. People could watch as the victims burned.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to respond to the daily call for prayer to a false god. Today many Christians are pressured by peers, family, and society to kowtow to the local or state religion. Every morning at my hotel I heard the haunting song of the muezzin reminding everyone everywhere to pray to Allah. Not to participate is viewed with suspicion. To preach a message of grace, as wonderful as it is, is dangerous stuff. The possibility of persecution is real.

We read in the news of isolated events where Christians are attacked for their belief in Christ. But it’s more prevalent than we realize. In many places in our turbulent world Christians face persecution on a regular basis. I know some of us also face daily victimization from family or acquaintances because we stand up for Jesus Christ. Just as Jesus suffered, so all of us share in his suffering. For many Christians, every day seems like a walk in the fiery furnace.

When Nebuchadnezzar looked into the furnace to watch the three men burn, he was amazed to see a fourth person. “Look!” he said, “I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods” (Daniel 3:25 NIV UK). Jesus, the incarnate Son of God, is with us whatever happens to us. The Spirit of Christ comforts us and gives us hope, and he continues to do so in this time of Covid-19.

Please pray for our contacts, and for persecuted Christians everywhere, both at home and abroad.

James Henderson
Superintendent of Europe

Greetings,

I wanted to give you a brief update on my prostate cancer situation.

Thank you, one and all, and the family and church members you represent. Our Dad hears your prayers and I can attest that I (and my family) have been carried along by his answers to your requests and praises on my/our behalf.

From the night of the surgery, May 8, I was able to walk without assistance three laps around the hospital ward. Saturday evening I came home (in time for Karen to wait on me on Mother’s Day) and have been walking at least a ¼ mile a day except for one night when I walked an additional 1 mile.

With today’s procedure out of the way and with a continued good diet and appropriate exercise, I hope to make good steady progress to a new level of healthy. June 10 is the next time we have contact with the surgeon at which time we hope to hear the good news of negative cancer findings in the resected lymph glands.

We are overwhelmed by the love and support, and most of all the grace of our merciful King, Savior and friend, Jesus.

The fervent, effectual prayer of the righteous avails much.

 

Together with Jesus,
James and family

Mark McCulley, our pastor in Denver North, and his wife Joanne are sad to announce the death of Joanne’s father, Stuart Powell, at the age of 86 after several heart attacks. Stuart had a long and varied career, including serving in the Royal Air Force in Africa, graduating from Ambassador College Bricket Wood, serving as an elder and pastor in England and Scandinavia, and owning several businesses before and after his ministerial service. His wife Joyce passed away in 2011, and he had been cared for by Joanne, who flew from America several times a year.

Stuart was a bibliophile and lifelong learner, often studying deeply into topics of interest, giving talks on angels and the RAF for various charities, as well as hundreds of sermons. He was well known for his love for his Savior and his personal warmth and sense of humor. He had been attending and serving in Skipton Baptist Church (SBC) the last ten years as his health made it impossible to attend the nearest GCI congregation in England, and he was much loved there, but his love for the people he had known and served for so long never died. SBC is honoring Stuart by assisting us with arrangements for an online funeral for Stuart on Saturday, May 23.

 

During this time confined to our homes, we have found different ways to celebrate Christ. In my own case, I have been growing in intimacy with Jesus. I have been praying more and spending more time in his word. I have found new ways to do ministry as I’ve become more aware of the needs of others. My priorities have changed. I have been much more careful in the way I relate to my family. Under the unusual stress of us all being home, we have found ways to focus on the centrality of Christ in our lives.

At the beginning of this pandemic, it was said that countries like mine, Colombia, were going to suffer many deaths because, among other things, we did not have the social discipline, nor it was possible to keep the social distance to avoid getting infected. So authorities implemented drastic and strong measures to control the situation. Men were allowed to go out for shopping and other basic things only on even days and odd days women had their turn. So far, we have under 500 deaths reported by the coronavirus. Nevertheless, the economy has suffered a great loss. Many are experiencing difficult situations of unemployment. How to help in the name and the power of Jesus? All of us church members are in touch with each other through WhatsApp, Zoom, and Skype, and we are aware of the needs of each other. We send food or money to those who are in need. We pray together, study the Scriptures in many small groups, and motivate each other to good deeds toward our families and those close to us who are in need. And we do that in the name of Jesus. We understand that he is with us also in this stressful time. We understand that the present crisis is for our good. And we worship Jesus and rest on him.

This pandemic has shaken the church for the better. Members are more given to pray and participate in small groups to study the Bible and are more into giving, helping, and sharing with others in need. That is good! Members are allowing more of Jesus in their lives. Members are more grateful for their blessings. It is as if Jesus were making us more aware of the blessings we have. Even though we are experiencing this pandemic, much of the prayers I hear from church members are of thanksgiving for the blessings they have. That is remarkable because I know some of the members are going through difficult situations. That is possible because their hope is centered on Jesus.

I think the church has been edified and nurtured in this time of crisis because we got closer to the head of the church, Jesus.

Blessings,

Hector Barrero
Pastor
Bogota, Colombia