Recently, in some of the areas we have been we have listened to testimonies to the goodness and care of the Lord. Others have spoken of His love & protection and still others of grace under fire. These testimonies are important for our encouragement as we see how the Lord is leading and guiding His people. But, really, how important is a testimony?

The word “Testimony” in Hebrew is “eduth. It also means “precept or warning.” It is derived from a word meaning ‚Äúwitness,‚Äù as in, “one who gives evidence”. That”s what a witness is supposed to do ‚Äì to tell the truth. That word has a primitive root (Ayin-Vav-Daleth) meaning ‚Äúto return, to repeat, to do again.‚Äù If we look at this meaning it can show us that our experience of which we testify can influence others to imitate or copy us or even to be warned from doing a particular thing because of how it affected us.

Testimony of the Scriptures
In the Old Testament we see much reference to testimony when talking about the Scriptures and, of course, this precious book given by God to us is to be our guide, our roadmap, our instructions and our warnings where needed, but also our encouragement and to lead us in all truth. Testimony or “eduth is always associated with God witnessing to the Truth. His Word is Truth and of we live by it, we can stake our lives upon it.

According to concordances and some Bible encyclopedias, in the first five books of the Bible, the word “testimony” is most often used in reference to the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle contained the Law of God to Moses, it was symbolic of God”s Covenant with His People and to them it meant that God”s Presence was with them. It was a sacred place of deep Holiness and indeed a testimony to God”s People. The generations following would know from seeing the Tabernacle and hearing the stories connected with it.

The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. Psalm 19:7. No matter what our needs are, His Word, restores our souls, reassures us of His promises and makes us wise unto Salvation. In this book, written down in human language for us, He has told us He cares, shown us He cares and sent Jesus to die to save us. It should be a privilege for us follow its guidance and to be willing to testify of Him.

Testimony of God
That is God”s testimony to us and to the rest of the World of His truth, but He does require us also to give witness and testimony to others even although it is not always easy and not always accepted.
Luke 21: 12-15 “But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake.
And it shall turn to you for a testimony. Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer: For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.”

Even today, there are those who suffer for witnessing or testifying to what God has done and can do for mankind and for individuals! But just as He promised in the Old Testament, He never changes and He will give us the wisdom to say what we should, to influence others for Jesus, to share His Word.
In giving others the Scriptures, they too will find them to be filled with the History of the beginnings of the Faith, the promises of God and the fulfillment of the plan of redemption for each one of us.
It means that God will do it, repeat it, do it again, whatever we need as He leads us safely home, no matter how often we have let Him down. He will forgive!

Testimony gives us Quiet Assurance
“Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you:” 1Corinthians 1:6. His Spirit witnesses with our Spirit that the works of God have been done in our hearts, that the promises of God are sure and that He is leading and guiding our lives. This assurance makes us happy to do His Will, keeps us from Worry and allows us to stand quietly steadfast in His Love. The example of this assurance is often what speaks to other people”s hearts. We have a contact who noticed how a fellow colleague, who was a believer, had quiet confidence in the midst of a very difficult home background. When she asked how this was possible and was told that it was only through God”s power in life, this contact immediately sought us out, to tell her how she could find this peace for herself.

Our Testimony to Others
Maybe what we have to say will be a warning to others and save them going that way before coming to Christ! It could be that we encourage others, with our experience, to realize God loves them and wants to forgive them too! It just may be they see for the first time, that there is a plan of redemption provided!
Acts 14:3 Long time, therefore, abode they speaking boldly in the Lord which gave testimony unto the word of his grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands.” shows that the Apostles testimony was seen and believed by many and God was able to use their testimony to reach others.
People today don”t always want to hear us defend our faith with loud words, lists of rules or even scientific evidences, but they want us to show them the difference He makes in our life and the joy & peace He gives to our living. They want to find certainty in the midst of their chaos and we can tell them how to find Him! He has given us a testimony to share!

This time of the year, from early morning till late at night we hear the sound of farmers and farm workers working in their fields. Tractors are trundling past our gateway from 4.30 am, heading to the fields before the heat of the sun makes their work more difficult. Combine harvesters and crop -collectors drone on most of the day, while the field workers run behind the vehicles doing whatever is necessary to get the crops planted or the harvest in.
No offence to those who were born, brought up or live in cities, but don”t we all in some respect have a relationship with the countryside? Even those living in the city, love to take a trip away from the mundane and spend time enjoying the beauty of nature. Not that those who have the privilege of living in the country, don”t thoroughly enjoy a good day at the shops in the city, or a visit with friends to some city sights. But when one has time in the countryside, we are refreshed, relaxed and ready for anything. We feel closer to the Creator than before we went, which we can”t really say of going to buy new shoes or a dress!!
It has been said by Tom Keller a New York Presbyterian, that God”s future redeemed world is depicted as a “city.” He uses as his evidence the verse in Hebrews 11:10 which says, “Abraham sought the city, whose builder and maker was God.” He concludes, “We began in a garden, but will end in a city. God”s purpose for humanity is urban.”
Personally, I am not so sure about that, since before the Fall Eden was the perfect place for Man to live and be in complete and total harmony with land, self and God! The Fall, of course, destroyed the innocence and purity of that harmony, and so the happiness of the people, but in Salvation through Jesus, we see the world once again through new eyes!
When it came to creation of the earth, animals etc.. God made it all without any pre-existent matter. In other words, He made it all out of nothing! As romantic created beings, we have little problem in realizing that although God could have created Eve from nothing, He chose to use a rib from Adam, signifying the closeness and interconnectedness of these two humans in their relationship. From then on Adam would feel the responsibility to care for her as part of himself and she in turn to care for her family as one who belongs and is loved!
But, is it not also very significant to note that in the creation of man, God uses the dust of the earth to make Adam and breathed into Adam”s nostrils. Surely, this was showing not only man”s eternal connection with God, but also man”s connection with the earth. Indeed, the task given man in Eden was to “work it and take care of it.” Even after the Fall, Adam & Eve were to work the land, only this time it would be by the sweat of their brow, with all the problems and troubles that entails.
Some of those who farm in this area, have for a time been living outside the country for education or for work after the war. One close friend is an engineer and in Germany was earning a lot of money every month. He had a “good life”, but gave it up to return to take over the family farm a few years ago. He is amazed at how unstressed his life is now! He has much less money, especially in these hard times of crisis here in Greece, but he says the benefits to his health and his family”s life, far outweigh the sorrows. He reminds us often, that the satisfaction of growing and living from your own produce leaves him with a much greater feeling of success than he ever felt in his engineering firm.
I know, this is not and cannot be the case for everyone, but in some ways we all are inextricably connected with the soil we were created from and get great satisfaction from even looking at the beautiful sights we see around us. We do enjoy looking out over the patchwork quilt of color, which changes repeatedly through the entire year, as each crop is planted, grows and is harvested. As we look over the scene before us, or any other beautiful picture, we can do nothing less than worship the Creator who made it all, who provided the earth, the seed and the people to work them. The God who controls the weather, that we always have seedtime and harvest, food to eat and clothes to wear. That same God, sent His only Son to die for your redemption, that once again we can enjoy His Peace and Satisfaction through all Eternity!

On our recent deputation, we spent some time in the Isle of Skye, where my father was born and brought up, and where many of our relatives still live. It came afresh to me that people when being referred to or identified in Gaelic are introduced as being the son of their father. For instance, my father who is called Neil, would always be known as Neil son of Angus who was his father, and I in turn would be known as Wilma daughter of Neil Angus and so on. This has always intrigued me and also as a child given me a feeling of belonging, emphasizing the importance of family.
Also in Greece, names are very important, as the first born son is called after his paternal grandfather, and the first daughter after the paternal grandmother etc, making people not only easier to identify, but I am sure giving the children a very definite feeling of belonging in the family circle. Naturally, if your grandfather was a good man who lived a good life, then a boy would feel very proud to carry that name further.
In the Bible it is also so, that sometimes people are known by different names. Some of the most notable being Levi & Simon: Levi was a tax collector before he came to know Jesus and a pretty dishonest one at that. The first Levi was the third son of Leah, who was the first wife deceitfully given to Jacob by Laban, his father-in-law. This name in Hebrew originally meant “joined” as Leah in Genesis 29:34 thought that since she had given Jacob 3 sons, he would now be joined to her and choose her over Rachel, the wife he loved, but who was at yet barren. From this name eventually came the tribe of the Levites who were set aside to be the priests.
But, after Levi followed Jesus, he became known as Matthew, which means “gift of God.” Recorded in Mark 2:14 and Luke 5: 37, this could have been to signify the free gift of salvation, which has been given to Matthew when he trusted in Jesus. In Revelation 2:17, the person who overcomes will be given a new name. We have been given a new name as followers of Christ. We are known as Christians, not because of anything we have done but because we have been reborn into the family of Christ and are therefore known by His name. We should therefore, always be aware that how we live as believers reflects on the family of God our Father.
Simon means “he who has heard” and in spite of being hard headed and a bit strong willed Simon had heard and listened to Jesus teaching for three years. He had obeyed Jesus in following Him, he had failed many times and yet Jesus could see much more potential. He, who knows the heart, could see, not only a disciple, but one with amazing leadership qualities. Jesus therefore wanted him known from then on by the name Cephas (in Aramaic ), or Peter meaning “rock”. God was going to use Peter as a founding leader in the New Testament Church and He gave him a name to identify him as such. (Matt 16:18 and John 1:42).
If a person is very good at tennis or running, he likes to be called an “athlete”, a pianist likes to be called a “musician”, or a university professor to be known as an “academic.” I am sure these men were glad to be known by the names which identified them in their new roles.
Amazing that despite our failures, our pride, lack of love and forgiveness toward others, God calls us reconciled, justified, forgiven and beloved in Him! He calls us by these names and many more, continuing to cleanse and making us holy, transforming us into the image of His Son, till the day he takes us home. He is allowing us to have the family resemblances to go with the name we carry as a gift from God. Do we let Him do this transforming work in us, by renewing our minds? Or, are we still conforming to the world and what it expects from us. Romans 12:1&2
In this world today it is possible to have your identity stolen and it can cause such a lot of hassle to try to prove who you actually are, but remember no one can ever steal our identity in Christ! He knows each one of us by Name!

Easter is the time when I realize afresh just how much it cost God that I could be forgiven. He gave his only begotten Son, sent Him to die a terrible death, turned His back on Him, and allowed Him to suffer the deepest of agony and humiliation, that as undeserving sinners each one of us could be forgiven for all our sin. Not only the past but the future sins as well. Amazing!!!
Of course, we know now that Jesus did not stay dead, but that did not make His suffering any less or the shame of carrying my sin any easier for Jesus to bear. But again, it makes our lives so much better when we can know Jesus now and have a relationship with Him, even while still on this earth!! Again, amazing and awesome!!
Before Jesus could pay the price of our sins, He had to bear the shame and the weight of these sins even though He never committed them. Therefore, before we can know His complete forgiveness of our sins, we need to acknowledge that we have sinned. So often, this is not the case! When a person is asked if they want to accept Jesus, some people say they do without ever being convicted of the sins they have committed. I don”t believe it is possible to fully repent of sins that we haven”t even admitted to ourselves.
As a younger Christian, it used to puzzle me how it was that a drunkard or addict who was wonderfully saved, could turn so easily away from alcohol or drugs, yet someone who knew and understood their need to trust Jesus could still dabble in pornography or have trouble giving up smoking etc. But eventually, I understood that those who get saved from a deeply sinful life, know what they are, accept responsibility for all they”ve done, and realising the enormity of their sin, they lay it down gladly at His feet. They are indeed made into new creations when they accept His offer of salvation!
I also believe that is why, instead of living victorious Christian lives, so many of us live in fear, because of never having accepted responsibility for what we have done. We lose out on so much of what God has in store for us, so much of what He wants to bless us with and do through us, because we don”t acknowledge our guilt and wrongdoing, and asking Him to remove that sin from our lives forever. He has promised to do just that, to remove our sins far from us and has even chosen to remember them no more. Those of us who have been privileged to sit under the sound of the Gospel, in church and at home for most of our lives, need to realize that it was our sins that nailed Him to the tree, and even if there had only been our sins, Jesus would still have had to die the same death to save us!
I have met many believers who have fallen again into sin, but, who after a period of time come back and try to continue from where they left off. But the spark is missing! The joy of the Lord is clouded by fear of further wrong doing, as they seem to be still living in shame. Is it because the sin was dealt with too lightly, without them really accepting responsibility for their actions? Sin costs and sin leaves consequences behind. Jesus bears the scars of sin and the cross for eternity, not because He had to, but He chose to that we don”t have to. Accept responsibility, make things right with those who have been wronged, if possible, and then lay the sin down at His feet for ever. That way the joy will return and He will give beauty for ashes and the oil of joy for sadness.
One aspect of being completely forgiven is that we can also be forgiven by those we have wronged, but that is not possible if we don”t, up front, acknowledge our sin. As a believer, even if the other person doesn”t want to be forgiven or doesn”t realize the need for forgiveness, we are still required to forgive to keep us from bitterness, to enhance our maturity in Christ and deepen our relationship with God. Likewise, as the person who has done wrong, we are expected to go to the one wronged, and ask their forgiveness, before we can know complete freedom and once again experience the joy of the Lord and the fullness of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives.
What a cost it was for Christ to die, but what an undeserved Salvation we have because He was willing!!!! Because the debt was paid in full, we can have total freedom in this life, not waiting till we get to Heaven, but trusting in His paid penalty every day!!! Happy Easter!

On February 6th 2012, my mother, Betty MacDonald, was lifted to Heaven in the arms of her Saviour. She passed quickly with no fuss and no ado, so typical of my mother, who never wanted to cause anyone any bother. Yet, her whole life was spent serving others as the vast crowd at her funeral stood to testify to. She was a lovely lady and we will all miss her.
She would have rejoiced at her own funeral service, as she loved good hearty singing of hymns and the passage and solo were her favourites. One of Mum”s much-loved hymns was “I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene,” and we know that she was experiencing that amazement as we were singing the hymn. If the church door was open and services were on, mum was there. She left a gap in many ways, yet, if given the choice, she would not change being in the presence of the Lord for returning to this earth. As her favourite Scripture Psalm 27 says, “The Lord is my Light and my Salvation” and she is experiencing that to the full now.
We as a family, benefitted from her example of caring for others. Numerous people told us of the things mum did for them, from feeding them when they were hungry, to rescuing them from a life of alcohol, even to putting them in their place, when it was needed. She had a great gift of hospitality and caring for others and I hope we are able to follow that example a little.
Our father, Neil MacDonald, had, in mum, a faithful, strong woman, who stood by him through thick and thin and without her, he would not have achieved as much as he did in life. As children, each one of us knew we were faithfully prayed for throughout our lives. As missionaries, both Elizabeth”s family and ours have known what it is to have parents who prayed and supported us through many years and many travels. Mum and Dad came out to various countries we were involved with, to help out in mission activities, even though some of the work was difficult.
Our children, learnt much from their grandparents who especially enjoyed spending time with them when it was possible. During periods of deputation they came to where we were living and looked after our children while we travelled to the mainland for services. Their influence on these boys will live on for many years and has already helped them in many facets of their lives.
Many thanks to all who prayed, sent cards or phoned us over this sad time. We appreciate your participation in our grief and are very grateful to be part of the huge family of God!!! It is us, the left behind that feel bereft, even though we know it is only for a short time. How precious to have the knowledge that one day, in the not too distant future, we will meet again and the rejoicing will be a huge celebration. Mum loved celebrations and parties and you cannot imagine the party we will have when that day dawns!!!

Some words in the Bible we always remember, while others we often forget
Words like “nevertheless” and “however,” or like “even so” and “yet”!
These words full of grace, mercy and hope, tell us He”s promised far more
In His perfect plan, He has made a way “in spite of what has gone before.”

400 years there was silence from Heaven, for sins that His people had done
Nevertheless, God remembered He said, “One day a Redeemer would come.”
People were waiting, expecting a King, to come to this earth for to reign
However, God chose to send His own Son, to bring back His People again!

He came as a babe, grew into a man. Loved, taught, healed and cared
Even so, He was God, therefore knew of the plan, His Father had prepared
Though He was hailed as the Jewish King, when he rode on the back of an ass
Yet, the promise of God to redeem our souls meant Jesus would die on a cross

In the garden that night, in anguish He asked, was there no other way
Nevertheless, in obedience, was ready to die, the price for our sin to pay
We, who had wandered from God and His Will, deserved to be hung on that tree
However, His death paid the price for us all, that we from sin”s curse can be free.

Peter denied any knowledge of Christ, when asked by a maid on the way
Even so, He was first to run to the tomb, when Christ had arisen that day
Ashamed at the look he”d felt from the Lord, Peter left to fish on the sea
Yet, Jesus forgave him and called Peter forth, His loyal apostle to be.

A Samaritan woman, married five times, despised by most in her town
Nevertheless, after meeting with Christ, made sure His message was known
The prodigal Son, spent all that he had, was hungry, lonely and tired
However, was welcomed home as a son, and not as one who was hired

Saul, met with God, in his great quest to kill, those who would follow our Lord
Even so, as Paul, he built up the church, while penning much of God”s Word
Young Mark, overwhelmed by all he had seen, decided to leave Paul alone
Yet Paul, when in prison, requested his help in getting the needed task done.

We oft feel unworthy, so foolish and frail, yet no one the Lord will refuse!
No matter how little we think we can do, even so, our weakness He”ll use.
However, He won”t leave us just as we are, God fits us for Heaven above.
Nevertheless, as we wait for His Coming one day, we should reach out to others in love.

As one year ends with the future unknown, yet, the best is still to appear
When some days are dark and troubles are many, even so, we need not fear
We wish you His Love and peace for each day, however, you need it the best
No matter what life should bring on the way, you can look for God”s nevertheless!
Wilma Lyttle Christmas 2011

I”m glad to provide a guest post by Dr. Myrto Theocharous (M.A. Wheaton College. Ph.D Cambridge Uni ), Professor of Hebrew and Old Testament at the Greek Bible College in Athens. She provides some reflections from Habakkuk on the Greek economic crisis from the vantage point of a Greek evangelical. I think for many this will dive clarity into the situation here in Greece at this time and the responsibility we as believers have to use the opportunity. Wilma

The Greek debt crisis, while tragic, affords the opportunity to face hitherto hidden dilemmas for evangelicals. Parallel to the prophet Habakkuk”s view, the problem is both national and global. On the one hand there is the national ethical degradation. Greece is a nation which has learned to operate in its daily dealings through unlawful means, a situation which was often purposefully left unnoticed by government officials and the country”s leadership as this allowed them to pursue their own corrupt schemes undisturbed. These schemes included feeding off EU grants and loans, but also taxation from those who were not in a position to hide their incomes (usually those at the bottom), while at the same time enjoying political asylum. This cycle of corruption had become the established way of survival in the country and it was very difficult for anyone to do business without participating in one measure or another in this game. Businesses that refused to ‚Äúbribe‚Äù their way in were easily marginalized and lost in bureaucracy.
On the other hand, as Habakkuk also observed in his time, the oppression comes from outside. Greece is one of the few countries that faced occupation for centuries. Upon escaping from Ottoman rule, the Greeks were faced not only with World Wars, but also civil wars, dictatorships and multiple Turkish threats (all in the last century) with each of these leaving irrecoverable wounds and a deep suspicion of government. The euro did bring some development for the country”s infrastructure‚Ķ but much got lost in other pockets‚Äîyet no one at that level is ever punished.
In the crisis that we face today, although all have sinned, some have sinned to become wealthy and some have sinned to survive. Lots of Greeks see that not everyone is paying to make things right, thus perpetuating an unjust system where the elite always manage to escape with their funds unscathed. It is the lower strata of society that have to carry the burden for the sins of the powerful: their salaries are slashed, thousands have lost their jobs, cannot pay for their rent, stores are closing down one after the other – all sheep to the slaughter for saving the banks.
How does the evangelical religious minority react to this? On the one hand, the traditional approach continues: the church remains focused on spiritual issues and individual guilt, while passively submitting to the government (appealing to Romans 13) and trusting the EU”s ‚Äúroadmap‚Äù on how to get out of the financial mess. Some tend to emphasize the church”s ‚Äúheavenly‚Äù citizenship and the imminent coming of Christ, which render political involvement futile. Evangelistic efforts and charity continue, both of which focus on saving individuals from the clutches of what seems to be an irredeemable society. Without discounting the traditional approach, some are beginning to place greater focus on systemic evil, assessing what should be the level of their political involvement and what direction it should take. For some the evil lies in the productivity-killing corrupted socialist system of Greece, while for others it is to be found in the poverty-generating greed inherent in global capitalism.
Theological and political issues are thus discussed with an acute sense of urgency, as previous perspectives are now being put to the test in life-altering ways; there is no doubt that all of us will emerge from this changed. While there is currently no unified viewpoint or course of action among Greek evangelicals, the crisis is demanding a reevaluation of the church”s role in the political sphere, something we must all pursue in open and deep scriptural reflection in order for the church to be relevant to our troubled world. As the world learns from the Greek debt crisis, let us hope the lessons learned by Greek evangelicals will be heard and heeded by believers in countries whose turn for crisis has not yet come; for as Habakkuk assures us, it certainly will.
Myrto Theocharous, Professor of Hebrew and Old Testament, Greek Bible College, Athens

Recently, we were invited to a Prayer Conference for countries in the Balkan Area. We did not have a program in advance as this was the first conference organized by our friends there. All we knew was it should begin in the evening of Friday and David was to preach at the ministry service on Sunday at 11am.
Soon after arriving, we heard of many who had traveled 12-14 hours, cramped together as many as possible in one vehicle, to get there. They arrived tired, disheveled but ready for the weekend! Some of them told us how hard it had been to get a free day from work on the Friday and how their bosses did not understand their need to go, warning them they had better be present and ready to work on Monday morning.
Then the prayer times began and we were split up into small groups according to the language we understood best. As 9 or 10 countries were represented that put us in small groups of maybe 7/8 people. And so we began to pray. I left at midnight with a few others who were dead tired and the rest prayed on!
Over the weekend each country was given a few minutes to present the needs for prayer in their country and church. Then it was directly to prayer! All day Saturday, apart from mealtimes, when the food was ready to be served b the staff and did not take long to devour! At the evening meal, we were all told it was the day to change the clock back, and we should do it immediately, as it would mean we could pray for an extra hour!!! Why did I not think of it that way?
It was amazing to watch believers praying for each other”s countries, where not so long ago there was war between these nations! Even more amazing was to see nations where generations of hatred and bitterness has left people at various stages of disagreement, placing hands on another”s shoulders as they prayed fervently for the church in that land. Certainly, with God there are no barriers! Some who had fought in the war, said they still had some unease to be in the other country, but there was no problem fellowshiping with their brothers!
Again I left them praying around midnight, to begin again after 6 am continuing where we left off. By this time, there was some brokenness among those who were known to be the stalwarts of the faith in some countries, as they acknowledged allowing traditionalism and legalism to rule in their fellowships for so many years and having suffered by not seeing any fruit for their labor in the past 40 years. God had given them an opportunity to see widespread evangelism done in the area 40 years previously, but because the leader of the evangelistic outreach was not from their denomination, they refused to have him. This man has since been used by God to see hundreds find the Lord in India, and the elders who refused him have realized their folly in refusing God”s opportunity. They repented and we know “God will restore the years the locusts have eaten” but how sad for the generation who have grown up without knowing the Gospel.
Apart from the Breaking of Bread worship service followed by ministry of the Word brought by David, the rest of the weekend was spent in prayer and then after a quick meal the travelers turned round, got into their cramped cars again, for the return journey lasting another 12-14 hrs.
What a weekend! It has been a long time since I spent so much time in consistent, concentrated prayer! Yet, it was a great time, made even more wonderful by witnessing how vision and burden for the lost was renewed in each of the participants as we left for home, meaning we were already seeing answered prayer. This was really a Prayer Conference where not so much was talked about among us, but everything was prayed about and God was the Divine listener and motivator of every conversation!

Living in Greece during these troubled times, we witness the increased poverty, feel the frustrations of the people, the abject hopelessness is tangible at times, even though the media do an expert job of exaggerating the rioting! There has not been anyone killed in the uprisings and the one man who did die, had taken a cardiac arrest, due most likely to stress and made increasingly probable by devouring too many gyros! I have no clue why the media need to put everything so far out of proportion, as there is plenty of things they can write about the problems without resorting to lies and gross exaggeration!
Most people won”t hear on their news broadcast that a young man in Greece was imprisoned for the simple act of spreading the Gospel, not in a Muslim country, but in a land where they profess to be a Christian (albeit Orthodox) nation. Is it any wonder the blessing of God is not on the land when they do such things to those trying to help the situation, by giving people hope!
Someone once said that there are 366 occasions in the Bible where we are told to “Fear Not” to “Depend on the Lord” or some other admonition to that effect, this being one promise for every day of the year even a leap year. It appears today we need every one of these admonitions if we look around us. Greece is not the only land with economic problems, many lands are filled with children, mothers and families who are starving to death for lack of food, drink and heat. Some places are still battling the effects of Earthquakes, Tsunamis or flooding, and believe it or not, there are many countries where Christians are suffering severely for their faith.
This week we saw the killing of another tyrant leader, and that country needs our prayers so they do not get a worse devil than the one they got removed. In some ways removing the authority figure allows for the possibility to rebellion and the spirit of lawlessness is widespread in our world today. As I read about the riots in Great Britain of recent weeks and witness the protests here in Greece, I am aware that people are getting desperate and resorting to these measures in the hope of finding answers.
We have the answer as believers and may it cause unrest in our souls and make us even more ardent and ready to give others the good news of Jesus that we know to be true. The opportunity is ours, the power to save and change people is God”s, so we need to be busy.
2 Chronicles 7:14 reads “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” We have the answers, it all begins in his house and with the people of God! If we do our part, He will use us to reach others and once again God can forgive a nation for the sake of a number of people who have turned from their wicked ways and seek the Lord!

Recently, we had friends come and stay with us from a country where life is very different. They look just like us and indeed on the outside there does not seem to be much difference. But it was not long before we saw the differences in our lifestyle. These people got so excited by little things we hardly notice. They were excited to meet another believer when David went out the gate of our home and to be greeted by “Doxa to Theo” (Praise the Lord)! Imagine their delight when they met some of the local Christian youth on the beach when they were swimming. They had begun to think there were many believers in Greece. Actually, there are only 0.2% of people profess to have a relationship with Christ in Greece and yet to them it was many. In the country they come from they go from one Sunday to the next and never see another believer, and if they did meet one, he would not feel free enough to Praise the Lord in public. I wonder do we really appreciate the freedoms we have to spread the good news to others?
The folks were fascinated by the amount of information we had from people for prayer. They had never seen a prayer letter and knew nothing of the sufferings others were going through for Jesus. They counted it such a joy and privilege to spend time every day praying for the people we had been asked to pray for. They wept tears for others who they never met and knew so little about, yet they knew that part of the body of Christ was suffering and they could pray for them. I wonder, how delighted we are to have the privilege to pray for others? Do we help in any other way we can?
It wasn”t the shops that fascinated these people or the variety of goods available which was not in their country. In fact, they found everything to be extortionately expensive!!! But they could not wait to go home and spread the news of what they learnt about God and about their sisters and brothers in Christ during these days in Greece. They loved the fact that people feel free to come and call on us for coffee and a chat and the opportunity it gives to speak about Jesus. Not easy to do in their country, but with a bit of innovation and carefully choosing those to speak to, they look forward to trying it out. Even though in their country they are classed as a sect for believing in Jesus, they showed such excitement over the possibility to prove God”s faithfulness in helping them tell others about true life in Him! How excited are we to share the love of Christ with our friends, no matter the reaction?
Yes, they did go back and give testimony to their small group about all they learned while here, but I think we also learned a new appreciation of what we can do and how He has placed us here at this time for His particular purpose. Look around, see your circumstances as being for His particular purpose, and you might also be amazed at how many opportunities are right before your nose!