Gospel in times of war
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▲Amidst war and violence, the mission of delivering love and the gospel remains unchanged.
On March 12, 2022, the Universal Abundant Life Center and the American Association of Evangelical Witnesses co-organized an online discussion on "The Gospel in War", inviting many missionaries from South Africa, Israel, Cambodia, the Middle East, the United States and other places to share How to show love in war-torn areas, the symposium was hosted by Pastor Li Daohong.
Love your neighbor in an unkind environment
First, it was shared by Pastor Wu Yuanguo, who has been missionary in South Africa since 2004.
There are 300,000 Chinese in South Africa. There have been constant wars between black and white races for a long time, and public security is poor, which has affected Chinese residents.
Apartheid was implemented in South Africa in 1948, and the ban was not lifted until 1994 when black people came to power. In turn, to implement the Black Economic Empowerment policy, companies and institutions must recruit employees according to racial population proportions. Popular departments in schools, such as medicine and finance, also recruit students according to racial proportions.
Chinese property owners are often labeled as racist. A Chinese woman once opened a shop, and black customers asked for price reductions. The goods were already cheap enough, but the shopkeeper did not want to reduce the price any more, so he reached out to the customer to ask for money, saying "money, money", but the customer was so angry that he dropped the goods and left. An hour later, the police arrested the shop owner, jailed him for three days, and took him to court. It turned out that the customer thought she was calling "monkey, monkey" and accused her of racial discrimination. Theft incidents were common. Once a Bible full of annotations was stolen from a car, which made Pastor Wu heartbroken.
▲There is no lasting peace in the holy city of Jerusalem. As children of peace, how can we, as children of peace, entertain each other with the gift of love?
South Africa has a high AIDS rate, accounting for one-third of the population. Pastor Wu and his wife have taught their children not to fight with others since they were young. When a classmate is injured, he should immediately report it to the teacher and not help himself to avoid blood infection. They also teach their children to be good helpers to teachers at school, to be good role models for classmates, to be close to good people and to stay away from bad situations. Learn to protect yourself first, not to argue with others, not to retaliate, and to accept all ethnic groups.
My son wanted to study dentistry, but was unable to get admitted due to racial quotas. He was very angry and felt it was unfair. After that, learn to surrender, whether you are admitted or not, it all depends on God’s good will. He was finally admitted to the Department of Dentistry at Cape Town University. The wife was deeply moved when she saw her son carrying a heavy Bible in his luggage.
Even in an unfriendly environment, Pastor Wu and his wife still stick to their missionary posts. It is in places like this that the gospel of the Lord Jesus is even more needed. When they serve faithfully and let their "neighbors" see true heart and true love, they will also be willing to know the source of love.
Using the gift of love in danger
Sister Sherry Tao, who lives in Jerusalem and worked as a tour guide, shared that Israel is a small country and conflicts with neighboring countries must be resolved quickly. Although Israel is a gunpowder storehouse in the Middle East, due to its careful arrangements for war and its rescue system, which is very good, daily life is not easy. Not affected.
Living between Israelis and Palestinians, do you have to choose sides? The Israelites believe in the God in the Bible and should support them. The Bible also says that "God so loved the world", so we cannot choose sides or be biased. In 2014, she experienced war for the first time, and the city she lived in was bombed. She originally did not want to join the group, but church groups in Chengdu came to her again and again. 1 Peter chapter 4 verses 7-10 reminds:"The end of all things is at hand. Therefore, be sober-minded, watch and pray. Above all, have deep love for one another... Each of you is to serve one another according to the gifts you have been given, being good stewards of the manifold gifts of God."
She thought about her gift and that she should serve others with all her heart, so she agreed to lead the group. The situation was very tense in those days, and the troops had to be protected on the Temple Mount. As soon as the tour group got off the mountain, they heard that the commander who protected them had been killed. The group was about to leave in two or three days. The leader, who did not believe in the Lord, said she wanted to believe in Jesus because she saw that Christians had love and prayed for their enemies.
Sister Tao said with emotion and gratitude: "No matter in wartime or in peacetime, you must look to God and don't rely on your own wisdom. God will naturally work. It is really not easy to love each other in the face of real dangers. However, with God Do what you have to do with the gifts you are given, and leave the results to God, and He will do more than you ask or think.”
Living the love from God in the midst of violence
Lu Jiexiang, who came to Cambodia as a missionary from Canada in 1999, mentioned that it was still the era of the Khmer Rouge, and there were no controls on guns. Brutal scenes of fighting with guns drawn could be seen everywhere. Shortly after she arrived, three coffins were placed in front of a home across the street. It turned out that a neighbor's dog entered the house. The deceased came out and cursed and drove the dog away. The owner of the dog was unhappy and took a gun to kill the three people including his wife and child.
During the Khmer Rouge, one-third of the country's population was killed or starved to death. After visiting the Khmer Rouge Crime Museum, she couldn't sleep for three days and three nights. She was deeply shocked when a thief was caught and beaten to death with bricks and burned with gasoline. She has also been robbed twice, and the wound on her forehead still hurts.
Once she asked a dozen Chinese middle school students: "Why are people alive?" They replied: "People are alive because they are not dead yet." They don't know the true meaning of life, have no hope for life, and have no trust and love between people. Know how to enjoy yourself in time.
Cambodia was originally a cursed country. Only God can give faith, hope and love. In the past 20 years, we have spread the gospel bit by bit through running schools, churches and youth ministries. There is now one Chinese-speaking church, two local churches, and the International Mission Institute, jointly established with the Canadian Chinese Theological Seminary, trains missionaries on the ground in Cambodia.
We love because God first loved us. If we don’t know the self-sacrificing love of Jesus, how can people live out the true meaning of life in the midst of violence? When God's workers continue to show love, the curse will be broken and a life of love will grow.
Welcome those who are far from home with love
Emma, who works with Syrian refugees, said that the refugee groups she comes into contact with have great shadows and fears. Witnessing the deaths of family members, I feel confused about the future, and often lament that I am tired, full of worries, homeless, and insecure. I originally enjoyed very good welfare in my own country, but due to the war, I had to give up everything and live in a foreign country as a refugee. They suffer rejection, discrimination, no dignity and no jobs. Since the refugees do not have legal documents, they can only stay in a small home and sleep all day or smoke to relieve their worries. They cannot go outside to relax. Some people say that they can't survive here and they want to go back to Syria but can't. It's a real dilemma.
What can Christians do in times of tension and conflict? Emma emphasized that we must pray; pray for all kinds of difficulties, refugees, and countries where we live. Then care for, visit, respect the refugees, preach the gospel to them, and provide job opportunities. Missionaries themselves need to open themselves up and have broad backing. They must get close to God every day and draw enough strength.
Brother Caleb shared his experience in caring for Afghan refugees. It is very difficult to share the love of Christ in war-torn areas. We must balance love and justice. Try to avoid giving freely. Let them receive a reasonable salary from work or barter.
The target groups may be different, but the needs for food, clothing, safety, and care are the same for every ethnic group, especially those who are forced to stay away from their homes. We hope that more people will provide resources so that refugees can receive real help and feel real love at the same time.
▲Give displaced refugees substantial help and let them feel real love.
As life goes, so does strength, as strength goes, so does love
Sister Chen Yiping, who has served in the Christian Messengers Association for many years, shared that in 2013 and 2014, she and her husband Pastor Huang Qisheng came into contact with Syrian refugees in the United States. Since last year, there have been Afghan refugees, and I believe there will also be Ukrainian refugees in the future. She reminds Christians who are not in a war-torn place that the harvest field is at their doorstep. How can they hide their faces and be indifferent to it?
Refugees come to the United States with only their carry-on luggage and start from scratch. After visiting the refugee family, Mrs. Huang contacted relatives and friends, who delivered daily necessities and taught the family how to use the library's English teaching and job search services. She suggested that when you see where there is a need, you should immediately find co-workers to help, and then cooperate with the church to provide effective and timely help. Having the opportunity to directly contact refugee families is God opening the door to the gospel.
Pastor Huang Qisheng encourages, Deuteronomy 33:25"As your days are, so shall your strength be.", if it were reversed and "as the strength is, so shall the days be", what would happen?
I believe that no matter there is war or peace, no matter what the day is like, God will give us enough strength to continue to spread the love from Him.
To learn more, please go online and watch the video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yP9QWDZHOV0&list=PLCdSDkczBSr_7UB4SBSJtI_xBOOZ7hs5s.
Victory by the Lord’s grace
Pastor Su Wenlong
After reading the above article, I felt quite touched because my son and daughter-in-law went to Poland to serve Ukrainian refugees in March, and in April they entered Changxuan in Northern Iraq to serve Syrian refugees. I tried to encourage them to stay in the United States and Canada and serve the refugees who came here. But they thought God had called them there. The following is a summary of their responses to this article from my phone conversations with them.
For Christians in war-torn areas, they must have faith based on God’s words; only in such an environment can the authenticity of their faith be seen. In the unstable situation of war, only God’s word is stable in heaven and does not change.
I have students who are oppressed by the military government in Myanmar, and students who are persecuted by China’s new religious laws, but they are still determined to serve God in a smart way. In the past, David faced fierce battles with Saul and Absalom. He said in Psalm 27:13-14:“If I had not believed that I would see the favor of the Lord in the land of the living, I would have lost heart.”Then he spoke to his heart, encouraging himself and others,“Wait on the LORD; take courage and strengthen your heart! I willexplain, wait for the Lord! "Seize God’s promises and pray earnestly to God.
My daughter-in-law told me that when she held hands with three girls in Ukraine and prayed, she could tell that they received warmth and encouragement. As Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, the journey of faith is from what is seen to what is not seen; from the outer body to the inner life; from the briefest and lightest pain to the most severe. Incomparable honor.
For Christians in non-war-torn areas, they should respond to the love from God with a loving heart, not out of emotional reaction or sympathy. Instead, there must be concrete manifestations, such as participating in donations, providing medical supplies, providing accommodation, etc., so that these people who are forced to leave their homes can feel warm. Exodus 35:21 says this:“Everyone who is willing and willing takes the gift of the Lord.”
Christians in non-war-torn areas will pray for people in war-torn areas, some out of sincerity, and some to comfort their consciences. But you must know that this is a spiritual war; Satan will bring killing, destruction, and hatred. On the surface, the battle is a battle between armies, but there are Satanic forces behind it. Therefore, we must use spiritual weapons—prayer—to resist. When Christians around the world pray together, as James 4:7 says:"Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
Whether in war-torn areas or non-war-torn areas, may God bless and overcome by the grace of the Lord.