attended an "Open Doors" partners meeting. For
those who don't know, Open Doors was founded
by brother Andrew, a man who smuggled Bibles
into the former communist countries. Since then,
Open Doors has become a ministry, involved
primarily with the persecuted church.
A few facts. Prime Minister Steven Harper has
appointed am ambassador for religious freedom.
Canada is one of the few nations in the world to
have such an ambassador. His name is Dr.
Andrew Bennett. He met with us and informed us
that Christians are the most persecuted religion in
the world today, persecuted in over 130 countries.
The persecution ranges from extreme social
pressure all the way to Christians who are now
suffering genocide. The Harper government
believes it to be an immutable fact that no one
should be forced to act in contradiction to their
beliefs. I was taken aback by the fact that our
Prime Minister is willing to take world leadership
in this area. Please pray for him and for Dr.
Bennett.
Most of the details around the work of Open
Doors must be kept secret, lest by revealing it,
they endanger human lives. But one can say that
Open Doors provides material aid to Christians
who are in extreme situations. As well, they
provide Bible Distribution even in closed countries.
They also provide Bible training for Pastors, as
90% of pastors in persecuted countries have no
Bible training. I believe this to be a worthwhile
Christian ministry to support. I also believe we
need to take seriously the call to pray with great
earnestness for our brothers and sisters in Christ.
In many places, in spite of horrendous
persecution, reports come back of not one single
believer breaking ranks! This is incredible, and
should both call us to faithfulness, as well as
asking God what we should do in this present
hour.
In keeping with my past blog, one might wonder
how anyone can hold to the meticulous
sovereignty of God, when - for instance - ISIS is
targeting believers for death. But it must be
acknowledged, that a robust doctrine of the
sovereignty of God does not answer all our
questions. It does provide for us the confidence
that God, indeed is in control. It is not the devil,
or evil men who control their own world, it is God.
Thus, we have great hope.
A doctrine of God's meticulous sovereignty allows
us to rest securely in his providence. The
question we must ask is simple: Is Romans 8:28
always to be counted on by every single believer
in every single circumstance. The answer of the
man or woman of faith is a confident, YES!
Historically, the knowledge that God controls all
things, has been called the doctrine of
"Providence". This is the truth that our all
powerful God controls all things. This is found in
the creation itself. Hebrews 1:3 tells us that
Christ upholds all things by the word of his
power. God sustains the universe moment by
moment, so much so, that Paul can say to the
people of Athens, "in him we live and move and
have our being. (Acts 17:28) The Psalms are full
of declarations of the praises of the God who
makes the clouds rise at the ends of the earth,
bringing rain, feeding the animals, and so forth.
Consider Daniel 4:34-35, for evidence that God
directs the pathways of the nations - doing with
them whatever he wishes. Or consider the
prophecy in Isaiah, in which God speaks against
the wicked Assyrian nation. Even though they
came to be in God's providential design, in the
end, he puts hooks into their nose, and leads
them where he wills. (Isaiah 37:29)
But what so often bothers believers about this
doctrine is the question of evil. If God controls
all things, does he not then control evil, and does
God not then become evil himself. In this matter
the Bible is clear. God is never the author of evil.
Even though this matter deserves a great deal of
treatment, I wish to draw our attention to only
three incidents in scripture that provide some
insight.
The first is in relation to the evil that was done to
Joseph by his 10 brothers. The brothers were
jealous of him, hated him, sold him into slavery,
and lied to their father, causing him grief for years
to come. Is God in that? Yet Joseph would tell
his brothers that God sent him to Egypt - not they
- so that many lives could be spared. (Genesis
45:5) Then later he would say, "You meant evil
against me, but God meant it for good". (Genesis
50:20). In this we get a small insight. God is
not the author of the evil that was in the heart of
Joseph's brothers. The brothers intended to rebel
against God's design - but that very rebellion was
intended by God for a great good. Hence - the
action depends upon the intention. The very
same action can be intended for both evil and
good.
The second example is that of Pharaoh. When
Moses demanded that Pharaoh release the
Israelites, the book of Exodus repeatedly tells us
that Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not let
Israel go. But as many times as it tells us that
Pharaoh hardened his heart, it also tells us that
God hardened his heart. How can both
statements be true? The answer seems to be
found in the question of intent. Pharaoh hardened
his heart in order to oppose God, continue to
enslave Israel, and do the work of Satan. But why
would God harden his heart? The Bible gives us
the answer. Romans 9:17 says, "For the scripture
says to Pharaoh, For this very purpose I have
raised you up, that I might show my power in you,
and that my name might be proclaimed in all the
earth." (ALSO - check out the next verse!) And so
we find that in hardening Pharaoh - and then
eventually bringing down the 10 plagues and the
great deliverance of Israel, God set the stage to
declare to the whole world just how powerful he
was - and also what a saving God he was. Were
Pharaoh's heart not hard, this lesson would be
lost. What Pharaoh meant for evil, God meant for
good.
The last example is the ultimate example, found in
the cross. Acts 4:27-28 teaches us, "for truly in
this city there were gathered together against your
holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both
Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles
and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your
hand and your plan had predestined to take
place." The persecuted church in Acts 4, found
great confidence and reason for boldness in this
truth. At the cross - Satan sought to kill and
discredit the Son of God, but God - in that very
action - sought to make his Son the author of our
salvation.
In conclusion, God never does evil, neither is he
responsible for it. But God uses all things to
fulfill his good and righteous purposes. That is
why, whether we are talking about our own
personal hardships, or the suffering of the church
of Jesus, we can rest assured in this. What Satan
intends to defeat, discredit, malign and defeat,
God uses for his glory and our own long term
good. This is where the doctrine of the
meticulous sovereignty of God leads us - to God's
providential goodness.
Posted 4th November 2014 by Pastor John
Neufeld
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