A Moment With Pastor Fred

August 22, 2021

O dear friends let us pray for the church in Afghanistan. Our brothers and sisters face terrible uncertainty at this time. Some have already faced martyrdom. It is hard to comprehend. Pray for physical protection. We need to ask our sovereign God to restrain evil and confuse the plans of evildoers. Physical provision is also a concern. Food shortages and the inability to take money out of banks is a real problem. We need to pray for spiritual provision—for their faith to be strong in the face of tremendous pressure to renounce Christ. Fellowship at a time like this is vital. One Afghan pastor requested prayer for revival. Here is a man whose life is in danger asking us, who enjoy so many privileges and freedoms, to pray that God would open the eyes of the spiritually blind and give life to dead hearts.

The question we ask ourselves, “Are we willing to make such a commitment to Jesus Christ?”  He does not ask all of us to lay down our actual lives, but he does call us to total surrender.  

Once again it seems as if the church is on the losing side. And yet we must trust God in days of dark providence. Jesus has promised his church will prevail.  Samuel Stone’s great hymn written in turbulent times, “The church will never perish—her dear Lord to defend, to guide, sustain and cherish, is with her to the end” (The Church’s One Foundation). God’s power guarantees his plan. His kingdom come, his will be done. As one early church father wrote,  “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.”  Heavenly Father, have mercy.