Critical Ministry Memories #4: Perspective of Sacrifice.

Thursday, March 10, 2011
Critical Ministry Memories #4: Perspective of Sacrifice. She is 8 years old and on her own. The last time she saw her family they were being taken away by the police. She was told she would never see them ever again. They were Christians, and in the land in which she lives simply owning a Bible or telling someone that Jesus loves them is punishable by the severest extent of the law. She knows sacrifice.
He’s an American, but God called him to the mission field of a very anti-Christian segment of Africa. He and another Christian missionary are working together to establish a church in this small village, and their efforts have been uphill thus far. They were meeting for prayer before going out into the village one day and a gang of Muslim men came into the church and beat them within an inch of their lives. When the gang left, they got back on their faces at the altar, and continued praying as if nothing had ever happened. I remember hearing this great man of God share his story at the church I serve at several years ago. I remember sitting there thinking, “He knows sacrifice.”
Their church meets in a backroom of a warehouse in the middle of the night under the cover of darkness. In the “People’s Republic of China” if your church isn’t registered with the government, thus giving them final say in what you can and cannot preach/teach, you aren’t legal. They know if they are ever caught it will result in at least prison time, and possibly torture or death. Yet they meet, week after week, to grow in their walk with Christ because fellowship with other believers is that important. They know sacrifice.
The phone rings at 1AM and a minister has to roll over out of his warm covers in his comfortable bed to answer it. It’s a church member, and they are headed to the hospital with a loved one and need him there. He gets up and has to change out of his cozy pajamas and get out into the cold night air to drive to the hospital. He has an early morning meeting, so it doesn’t look like he’ll be getting much sleep tonight. But his life isn’t at stake, and he won’t be serving any prison time for identifying himself as a minister once he arrives. Sacrifice?
She’s balancing her checkbook and gets down to the choice of whether or not to write out her tithe check this week. She knows it’s important, and God holds her accountable for her finances. She knows tithing is one way she can show God that He really has lordship over her life, even her money. But there’s a new pair of jeans she really wants at the mall. Oh well, she “takes one for the team” and writes out the tithe check anyway. Sacrifice?
The truth is that in comparison with our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world at this very moment, we don’t have a clue what sacrifice is. I’m sure we all face hardships, and no doubt we do at times have to make some difficult decisions in our walk with Christ and in our ministry life. But those of us who live in the United States of America have so much freedom we don’t even realize it anymore. Sacrifice? We’ve got it made folks. So when you begin to think you’ve got it rough, just remember: there are members of our Christian family sitting in dark, damp prisons for worshiping in hiding and we can do it in public. Just recall the fact that there are Christians who meet in spite of the fatal consequences should they be caught, meanwhile we have to make “difficult” decisions about whether or not we’ll sleep in or go to church on Sunday.
Live thankful today.



That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
blake

This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
If you’d like to receive “A Thought From Blake” in your email inbox every day, send an email to the address below to be signed up!
Feel free to write blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com