Perceiving Blessings Amidst Christian Struggles

NOTE: Mattie and I are working on our new formatting, which will be revealed at the end of January. We will still be coming to you every week but will change up the content a bit. This week and next, we want to encourage our old listeners to engage with Don Roberts' two seminal messages about the persecuted church and living on the Harder Way. I try to listen to these two messages once per year and invite you all to do the same. - Scott Spoiler Alert: In our new format, you will hear some of these things straight from the Horse's mouth!

Summary: In this profound sermon, Christian missionary Don Roberts passionately explores the role of persecution in the life of devout Christians. Drawing from his vast experiences serving in restricted countries like China, Vietnam, Cuba, and North Korea, Roberts discusses the Scriptures on persecution, particularly Matthew 5:11 and 2 Timothy 3.12. He shares inspiring stories of Christians globally who live out their faith in the face of adversity, highlighting the relationship between persecution and spiritual growth.

Roberts addresses the unfortunate imbalance in the United States due to ungodly attempts to restrict Christian lifestyles. He emphasizes that understanding and preparing for persecution is fundamental for believers, irrespective of their roles within the church. The sermon concludes with an encouraging note, reminding believers that enduring persecution with joy leads to longer-lasting rewards.

By extracting lessons from the trials and tribulations of early Christians, the speaker encourages the audience to reignite their youthful zeal and dedication to the Lord. Using impactful stories, such as that of Pastor Lam's 21-year endurance in a hostile prison camp, he teaches that embracing persecution can strengthen our relationship with God and make significant impacts on the lives of others.

Finally, this episode encourages Christians to foster a relationship with Jesus and uphold key values such as humility, love, faith, and endurance. It also emphasizes the role of personal tests and trials in shaping our spiritual journey. It concludes by instilling hope and confidence in Christians worldwide, reminding them of the more significant rewards that come from faith, perseverance, and divine condition.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Music.

(00:57):
By the founder of our ministry over a decade ago.
For Christians in the West, the truths shared in this message seem more important
today than they ever have before.
My watch shows that it is 1115, and I am just cranked to get started with this message. Wow!

(01:18):
I've been living this message out for over 30 years, and I am just so excited
about being here with you all and this freedom and peace, and we're going to take advantage of it.
My name is Don Roberts. I'm going to stay on my notes here. If I don't stay
on my notes, folks, I'm going to rabbit trail down like crazy.
Man, really bad. So I'm going to stay on my notes here.

(01:38):
And if I don't, Daniel, he's got the job of trying to keep me from running down
that road down there and running down that road, otherwise I'll be here all day.
Okay. Blessed are the persecuted.
All right. Praise the Lord. Welcome to the most voted, the second most unpopular
seminar in America today.

(01:59):
And you've got the privilege of being here. This afternoon at 345,
you're going to have the privilege of being at the most unpopular seminar in America today.
And I have the privilege of being at both of them with you. My name is Don Roberts.
We are missionaries that takes Bibles. That's all we do is just take scriptures.
Just to restricted countries, such as China, Vietnam, Cuba, North Korea.

(02:22):
In the past, over all the 33 years that we've been missionaries to Russia and
Romania and Nicaragua and El Salvador and places like that around the world,
we've been doing it for full time.
And I've seen a lot of Christians who have been to jail, that's why with the

(02:45):
handcuffs, who are going to prison.
And they have wanted us to come back to America after we've taken them Bibles
and their gift to us is to bring back information to you about how to live a
victorious life in Christianity.
My authority of being here today is not based on who I am.
It's based on who these Christians are and the lives that they are currently

(03:10):
even living in their families and their countries and oftentimes in prison.
These are the people that we serve.
They're Christians who have gone through persecution, continue to go through
persecution, and their lives are the living evidence of the value of this today,
blessed are the persecuted.
So this message is based on the text of their life, and the text of their life

(03:35):
is based on Matthew 5.11.
Somebody read that for me. If you've got a Spanish Bible or...
Somebody read Matthew 5.11 and 12. One of the Beatitudes.
Matthew 5, 11, and 12.

(04:07):
Thank you. And the foundation of this scripture is in 2 Timothy 3.12.
Don't even look it up. I'm sure many of you already know this by heart,
and it's going to become more prevalent in our lives.
2 Timothy 3.12 says, all who would lead a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer

(04:30):
prostitution. It's a promise.
I think, apart from Scriptures on Salvation, that these two Scriptures,
Matthew 5.11 and 2 Timothy 3.12, are probably the two most important Scriptures in the Bible.
They're an umbrella or a cornerstone that encompass every book of the Bible,

(04:51):
and oftentimes in every chapter.
If you will, hopefully in the future, as you begin to study a little differently,
study with the eye of restriction and persecution.
The prophets, the minor prophets, the major prophets, Paul, the Lord,
I mean, there is persecution sweeping across the Scriptures.
So it's a cornerstone that encompasses every book.

(05:13):
These Scriptures scriptures they have affected every
godly family from the very first family on
earth to the prophets to the lord
to the apostle paul and even today to the
modern day healers of the cross and yet with all of this exposure these two
scriptures and the words restriction and persecution are probably two of the

(05:38):
least like the views the least used words in all of christianity,
Persecution and restriction are not popular in our vocabulary.
And yet when we live out these scriptures that we just talked about in Matthew
and many other places in the Bible,
we're going to experience the hand of the Lord in a special way that is reserved

(06:03):
for those who will be persecuted for the name of Jesus.
We will have the Lord's personal attention.
We think also that these scriptures that we're talking about are the most important
ingredients for knowing God's will for your life.
We call them the breakfast of Christian champions.
You know, kind of like Wheaties. Oh boy, Lord, we want. But I wonder,

(06:26):
do we get up in the morning, do we claim?
These are promises that we're talking about. These are God's promises.
All who would lead a godly life and blessed are you who are persecuted.
These are promises. Do we We get up in the morning, do we claim these promises?
So, Lord, listen, I need some of that in my life today. Lord,
I need that for my children. Lord, I need that for my church.
Lord, I need that for my family.

(06:47):
Listen, family, I'm not giving this message because I've lived it out.
But we have been with Christians, as I've mentioned, all around the world for
years and years, who have lived it and are living it out in their own personal
lives. And their lives have confirmed, and these testimonies have confirmed, these scriptures.

(07:09):
You see, fulfilling this Matthew 5.11, 2 Timothy, and a lot of these other scriptures
that talk about restriction and persecution, is a cause and effect process.
Let me explain. Matthew 5.11 says about, Blessed are you when people insult
you, revile you, and persecute you for my name's sake, because of me.
Let me explain. When we act in a godly way, in our families,

(07:33):
in our church, our workplace, wherever, when we act in a godly way,
then people will try to stop us from being godly.
They want to restrict what we say or do.
They will insult us. They'll slander us. They'll mock us. They'll exclude us from their activities.
A lot of things happen. So we need to understand a basic principle that religious

(07:58):
restriction is caused by ungodly people.
It's caused by non-believers. It's caused by people who are not Christians.
So let me explain. If Christians do what the ungodly demand us to do or to say
or to not do or to say, then there will be no persecution. Right?

(08:23):
But if Christians do what the Lord in the Bible tells us to do,
then there will be persecution.
So, therefore, listen carefully to this.
Restriction, again, is caused by the world. Persecution is caused by the Christians.
We determine how much of persecution is going on. I think a very good example

(08:44):
of some of these things always deals with prayer.
Prayer is so important in the life of a Christian.
Never cease praying. I tell you what, when the authorities come for us,
we're going to be praying continuously.
It's amazing what persecution and restriction will do in our lives.
Let me give you an example.
The Lord tells us, pray about all things and pray without ceasing.

(09:05):
A very good friend of ours, in fact, at one time he was a pastor of ours many, many years ago.
His name was Jim Arnold, Sacramento. He was a basketball coach as well as being
the pastor of the house, of the church.
And his basketball team, the high school basketball team, one year was a city
champion, and the next year, his team, midway through the season,

(09:26):
had an undefeated season. I mean, they were rolling.
Well, the principal called Jim in, and he said, Jim, I understand that you're
praying with your teammates.
Jim said, yep, I'm praying really regular. Why do you think we have a winning team going?
And without any further comment, the principal demanded Jim Jim's keys to the

(09:47):
gym and said, you're fired and leave campus now.
And you're not even permitted to go back to say goodbye to your team. You're fired.
Because Jim said, yeah, I'm praying with them and I'm going to continue to pray with them.
Well, some of the parents heard about this situation and they were really quite
upset because, I mean, everybody wants to be on a winning team and they were
having a good time with their kids and everything and like rolling on.

(10:08):
So they got on the principal. They said, you know, listen, let's,
let's lighten up a little bit on that. So the principal called him back and
said, okay, Jim, if you will stop praying with your team, just play basketball,
reinstate me, no problem.
Well, at that time, Jim had just started really becoming familiar with this
part of the body that we call restricted church.

(10:31):
Actually, that's 55% of the world. At that point, it was Russia was still involved
in it and China and Cuba and a lot of other different countries.
And he was really impressed by how the Lord was blessing these Christians and
how the fact that many of them had lost jobs and they were separated from their
families and imprisoned and, I mean, a lot of things.

(10:53):
And he said, Jim, if you go on the course that you're going on,
you're going to be keeping some company with some dynamic Christians and you're
going to see the hand of the Lord in your life.
So he went back and he talked to the principal, called him in.
Principal calling him in.
Jim said, you know, I'm going to pray because my life is my ministry and my ministry is my life.

(11:13):
I mean, basketball is one thing, but this is my opportunity to raise these kids
up and so forth. So I'm going to pray with them. And so the firing stood.
And Jim never protested, never went and said, you can't fire me for this reason or whatever.
And he just said, okay, Lord, this is your movement in my hand.
Well, Jim said, well, I don't know, what do you think I ought to do,
Don? I said, I don't know, I think you probably should become a missionary.

(11:36):
Gee, okay. So he said, well, I don't know, Lord, where should I go?
And somebody said, I don't know, probably Thailand.
22 years later. So he went right away. He left the church, let somebody else take the church.
Lots of preachers and teachers in the world, they were happy to take the church
over, but not go to Thailand as a missionary. So he went to Thailand.
It's now 23 years later. This was 23 years ago.

(11:58):
Jim knows the language fluently in Thai, and people are coming to the Lord by the groves there.
By the groves. You see, the cause was what? Restriction.
The effect, thousands of people
over these 23 years have come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

(12:20):
We have a tendency, when the cause happens, we don't wait long enough for the effect.
We want to quit. We want to get out of here. We don't want this to happen.
That's why we're saying, we want to be blessed. Lord, we want to be blessed.
Lord, bless us today. He goes, really? You really want to be blessed?
Oh, yes, Lord. I could use a new car.

(12:43):
So the ungodly tries to restrict the Christian, our lifestyle,
the things that we do and we say.
You know, in these countries we go to, there's a pretty good balance between
the restriction that the government or people put on them, and there's a pretty
good balance with the persecution that Christians are answering the opportunity
going, no, I'm going to preach the word in season, out of season.
It's convenient, not convenient. I'm going to do that anyway.

(13:08):
However, here in America, you know, you passed out, brother,
you passed out a number of those little cards, didn't you?
Everybody's got one of these little cards, and I think every one of them are
different. Did you all get one, Daniel? Okay. Okay, I think every one of them are different.
In America, there's a lot of restriction, and I have many times more than what
I've passed out to you in my office files.

(13:28):
There is a tremendous amount of restriction happening in the United States.
How much persecution is there? How much is actually responding to the opportunity
to say, no, I'm going to stand in the gap?
Very little, very little persecution in the United States.
And it's not because there's not a lack of opportunity. There's lots of opportunities.

(13:51):
It's just the fact that we're just not doing the things that is going to cause us persecution.
Another fact is that I don't think we understand the real benefit of persecution
in our life. I mean, even for me to say it, gee, how easy for me to say it.
We don't understand the benefit of persecution or what the Bible really says
about it. It doesn't make any difference if we understand.

(14:11):
It's the fact that we accept what the Bible says about it, and we try to get prepared for it.
That's why this session at 345, what we're happening here is that encapsulated
is the biblical references.
We're going to start talking more about the Scriptures in a second.
But the biblical foundation for persecution at 345 in this very room,

(14:34):
we're going to have the practical examples of saying, OK, folks,
now you got the biblical. Here's how it works on a practical basis.
And I'm going to share with you from a very personal standpoint how the Lord
is using me to prepare for persecution in my own life and in my ministry.
And this is just vital that I'm encouraged that you all are here.

(14:56):
And I just got to encourage you to continue and come to the second one,
because this is our future, family.
It's going to happen here, because we've got a lot of persecution and a lot
of restriction, and pretty soon the Lord's going to go, I'm tired of hearing
you all say you will follow me.
Because we stand in church, Lord, I love you. Lord, I'll follow you any place,

(15:19):
Lord. And he's saying, really?
Oh, yes, Lord. How am I here in my church? I mean, how much do we want to, what's the evidence?
I'm in church. I need a little more evidence than that, than being in church.
So we're just not answering the effect of the opportunities.
We don't really grasp that it's really a good thing for us.

(15:42):
Perhaps understanding how this restriction and persecution really works is not
as important as just going, Lord, you said it.
And Father, I don't want to resist you. I don't want to argue with you.
I don't want to try to escape it. But you say all things are going to work to
my good, Lord, to strengthen me.
And my weakness, Lord, strengthen me and let me endure it for your sake.

(16:04):
Because I think the Lord said, if you want to share in my glory, you must share in my,
I want to read Hebrews 10.32. I'll read it from up here.
Because this is not just for every third Christian. This is not just for Jesus
freaks or missionaries or whatever or people in full-time ministry. This is for everybody.
All who would lead a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. Hebrews 10.32.

(16:29):
Remember those earlier days when you received the light, when you stood your
ground in a great contest in the face of suffering.
Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecuted another time. You stood side by side.
Insults, persecution. For those who were so ill-treated, you stood by.
You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation

(16:53):
of your property because you knew that you yourself had a better and lasting possession.
He said, No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor mind imagined what I have in store for those who love me.
In this first part of the scripture, the Apostle Paul emphasizes something I
think is really interesting.

(17:14):
He says, remember those days.
When you stood your ground in the face of a great contest of suffering,
I wonder, no, I don't wonder.
I'm pretty sure, because I see it in my own life. I'm pretty sure that we can
read between the lines of what Paul is saying here.
Did Monty send to remember the earlier days? Because I think that what was happening

(17:37):
there with these Christians, even then, they were already starting to slip into compromise and fear.
Remember those earlier days, gang. Remember when we stood our ground,
we were punished, we were put to prison, we were willing to go to the fire for
the Lord. Remember those days.
We were hot and we were on fire for the Lord. Remember them.
I think as younger Christians, I know I was the same way. Younger Christians,

(17:59):
I go, Lord, put me on a cross. Me and Peter.
Lord, put me on a cross. You know, I'm with you, Lord.
You know, and as younger Christians, and I think that, Lord, and you love Peter.
And he didn't believe me anyway. But as younger Christians, we're ready to set
ourselves on fire for the Lord.
Because I just love you and I want to do that.

(18:20):
But it's, I know this. I've been walking with the Lord, at least trying to walk
in his shadow for a long time. and I see as we get older, something starts to
happen to us. We start to lose that zeal.
And somebody keeps saying, remember, remember, remember those days.
And just like the Christians there in Hebrews 10, I think what they were losing

(18:43):
was money, confiscation of property. They were losing their reputation.
They were losing their freedom. And unfortunately, I've seen the same signs happen in my own life.
I'm embarrassed to admit that, but that's what the Lord expects me to stand
up here and do it, is confess my sin to you all. I've seen it my own way.

(19:04):
You just get tired. Sometimes I just get tired of being excluded.
I get tired of being persecuted.
I get tired of being threatened or the ministry being threatened.
In these countries, I get tired sometimes of being arrested.
I get really tired of it. And I lose my zeal.
Struggles and disappointments and all these things that I've described is happening to me.

(19:27):
Frequently because I want to love the Lord and I want to love his Bible and
I want to take it to the restricted countries.
So Satan is making me pay a price. And sometimes he does a good job on me. He is good at his job.
Sometimes I feel like I'm suffering from burnout, spiritual burnout.
Physically, I'm healthy, but sometimes spiritually, I'm suffering burnout.

(19:51):
And yet, when I study the scriptures, I can see that this is an impossibility
to have spiritual burnout.
Man, look what the prophets endured.
Look what Jesus experienced. Look what Paul had to go through.
Did we see any place in there where Paul was yimping around and complaining

(20:15):
or whatever in jail? What was he doing? Singing.
I wonder if sometimes Paul had a good voice.
He thought he was a comic in prison. But he was singing.
Instead he was saying, the joy of the Lord is in me.
No burnout, fatigue. Oh gosh, easily to have fatigue.

(20:39):
But just joy, not burnout. The Lord said to come unto me, all your worrying heavy laden.
And I'm going to give you that rest. I'm going to do it. What kind of rest?
I think straight away, not physical rest, I think emotional rest.
Because emotional rest will take us down emotionally, and emotional unrest will

(21:01):
take us down emotionally and physically.
So when he says, come unto me and I'll give you rest, I think it's just purely
an emotional, maybe a spiritual rest.
Rest that surpasses, the peace that surpasses all understanding.
But in order to qualify for that scripture, we have to be doing something over
here that we need rest from. and working six days or seven days a week at your job.

(21:22):
Probably I don't think that's what he was saying. Come on, I'm going to give
you seven days so you can go to the baseball game.
I don't think. So what's my problem?
I just grow weary. I just grow weary of doing what's right.
I get tired of doing what is right. And yet I know the scriptures and it says,
do not grow weary of doing right for in due season.

(21:43):
I go, Lord, how long do I have to wait for that?
You know, in due season you'll reap a reward. ward. I said, I'm waiting for a harvest here.
You can't imagine what the Lord says to me when I say that. I won't even tell you that.
You know, I don't know any American Christians who say they look forward to
persecution or like persecution or love persecution.

(22:08):
I do not know, including myself. I don't know one. And yet the Lord says,
come with great joy when you face diverse trials and tribulations. And blessed are those.
And the Lord says all this stuff. And yet, I go, we're doing what's right.
However, these Christians, and you know what I'm wearing here,
little handcuffs. That's for little bitty people.

(22:30):
The handcuffs represent these Christians in restricted countries.
Remember those in prison.
Remember those, and that's why we wear the handcuffs, is to remember those in
prison as though we were their fellow prisoners.
And then the story, and I'm going to share the story about how they,
who inspired them, this handcuff.
An incredible individual inspired the handcuffs for our symbol for the restricted Christians.

(22:54):
But these Christians in these countries have been in prison for their faith
and they have personally told us.
And I even have the pictures in our exhibit over there in the exhibit hall of
the man that has inspired the handcuffs.
And they personally have told me they have learned to love persecution.

(23:15):
No one likes the pain of it. They don't like the pain of it.
Nobody likes the pain of it. But they have found that persecution,
listen carefully, they have found that persecution is the only avenue to have
the kind of power, spiritual power, in our lives that Christians want to have.
That power to move God's hands in your life, in your family's life,

(23:38):
in your church life, in your country.
That's the only avenue. When we are persecuted, you are going to be weak.
In your weakness, this Lord's strength will be manifested in ways that you will
tear down strongholds. You want to tear down strongholds in your family? Oh, yes, Lord.

(23:59):
Here's the way to do it. The only kind of way to have that kind of a Christian
walk and have that kind of power. Not political power.
Not financial power.
Not physical power. But that spiritual power.
Power to bring down those strongholds. You know, I know Every Christian here

(24:20):
in this room and this whole campus out here, we all want that kind of power.
We just don't want to do or submit to what it's going to require for us to have that kind of power.
We wonder, Lord, why is our church brilliant? Lord, why are this person and
that person not coming to the Lord? Lord, I'm doing a lot of talking.
Oh, Lord, I got this presentation down so good.

(24:41):
And the preachers are preaching it from the pulpit. And the message is terrific.
And we're a country that's still going to hell in a handbasket.
Go what's the problem here it's the homosexuals,
nah it's the abortionists nah it's the feminists nah those people nah no way
because your bible says in second chronicles 7 14 for those who are called by

(25:07):
my name if you will turn from your wicked ways.
He going to do? Heal your land. He's going to throw out the homosexuals or he's
going to turn their hearts into his children.
He's going to let the pro-choice go, ah, we choose you Lord.
Gosh, we just need to have that, to see the power of the Lord in our lives.

(25:31):
We all want that kind, we all want that kind of power. I just know we do.
Pastor Lamb, we got a picture of him there, there in the little narthex, right?
Narthex is that little worship center, the little chapel there.
You know where the Bible Curries International is. You've all passed by it.
You've all been nabbed by us going by our exhibit, going, come here,
got something to tell you, folks.

(25:52):
You know where our exhibit is. Got some pictures. Pastor Lam,
21 years in a rotten, stinking Chinese concentration camp.
They don't feed their prisoners. The families have to come and feed their prisoners.
They don't close the prisoners.
The families have to come and bring clothes to the prisoners.
And it's a wretched day. 21 years in that prison.

(26:12):
We were with him when he was released, and we've been with him for many years.
He just died recently, Pastor Lamp.
And he said, at first he had to accept persecution. He had to accept it.
Because he said, the book of Revelation says, some will be put into prison for testing.
So he said, I've accepted having to go to prison for that testing.

(26:34):
Then he said he had to learn to like persecution because it was good for him.
Because it says in Romans 8, 28, all things were to the good of those.
Then he made an incredible statement. I heard him personally say it.
So you're getting it secondhand. That's pretty close to the source.
Secondhand. He said, now I have learned to love persecution.

(26:55):
He said, and I just couldn't, you know, I wanted to say, right.
But I knew what he had been through 21 years and you can't imagine what a communist
concentration camp is like.
Oftentimes, they won't even tell what it's like because it brings up too many bad memories for them.

(27:16):
Had experienced the Lord in his 21 years in prison and he said,
I've learned to love it because it is a good friend of mine.
He said, I can depend on it. He said, I know how to, I understand it now.
He said, I can recognize it. And he said, when it happens, it somehow builds
me up and makes me know that God is in my life.

(27:39):
So he's experienced the personal Lord in his life so many, many years,
and the power of the Holy Spirit through him and in him.
Because in that prison camp, he told us there was actually hundreds of guards.
And sometimes they would even transfer the guards.
Hundreds of guards were coming to the Lord because of his witness.

(28:01):
Because they would beat him and trash him. And they never let him see his family or his wife.
Or his wife died while he was still in mid-sentence in prison.
And they told him, well, your wife has died. and they wouldn't let his kids
visit him or anything else.
And they saw how he was dealing, love your enemy, feed your enemy, clothe your enemy.

(28:21):
And he saw and he said hundreds of people responded to the message because I
was willing to suffer for them, just like the Apostle Paul.
He was willing to suffer. When he had a chance to even escape,
as you know, Paul didn't.
Some of these hardest cards, the hardest cards, especially about his wife and
his kids, kids. What a horrible thing for them to do.

(28:43):
Are we willing to suffer, to love and to forgive like this in order again to have that power?
Family, I can't emphasize that enough. This is the only way you're going to
have the kind of power to bring down the strongholds that we want to.
We can pray and pray and pray and pray. But until we become doers.
Me halfway there. Not minimizing prayer, because prayer is the key,

(29:05):
is the fire that makes the whole thing happen.
I remember once flying to Cuba, just before the plane landed on the tarmac in
Havana, and I said something in between breaths,
and while we were hyperventilating, and I always thought this was a lot,
we have to fight fear all the time. I'm going to talk about that in the second session.

(29:27):
Fight fear all the time. And I made a really bold statement.
I said, Lord, before I retire as a missionary, I want to have a chance to talk
to Fidel Castro in English or Spanish or whatever.
My Spanish is not too good, but I could probably do somewhat of a job even in Spanish.
And I said, I want a chance to witness to him.

(29:47):
And the Lord, even though I've never heard the Lord in my ear personally, we have conversations.
The Lord makes sure that I understand what he's saying. And he said to me, really?
Oh, yes, Lord. Lord, I want to, you know, I'm feeling all bold at that point.
Yes, Lord, I'm on fire, Lord, I want to, yes.
And I said, are you willing to go to jail? Think that could happen?

(30:09):
Maybe. Are you willing to die?
Think that could happen? Maybe.
And I mean, what a start. It's like I'd never thought of that before.
And I've been, you know, going to Cuba a number of years already at that point.
And I remember my answer.
I was, in fact, I was embarrassed by my answer. and I said, you know what?

(30:29):
Nope, I'm not Lord. I'm not willing to. And here's my justification.
He has been responsible for murdering thousands of Christians.
He still persecutes Christians.
And I said to myself, I know Fidel Castro and his brother Raul and all those
gang of sons over there have all heard the gospel.

(30:51):
The Lord made sure that when they executed Christians that that Christian had
a chance to say, God loves you.
The trigger. So they know the message. And I just justified it to myself.
So he already heard the message and all I do is go to jail. So what's the use?
I have since worked through that by God's grace.

(31:12):
I've since worked through that and said, Lord, I've got to at least be able
to say, Lord, I'm willing to go to jail and I'm willing to die for the privilege
of speaking to that man who has who has martyred so many people in our family.
It takes a while. This is a learning process, folks. You're just dropped in right here.
You just dropped in behind the enemy lines this morning on this thing.

(31:34):
I've had 30 years to think about this and listen to these people and be with them.
So I don't expect anybody to rally in a big way today and say,
Oh, right, Lord, bring it on. It's a learning process.
That's why we're here. That's why the Lord, you know, the Lord has brought you here for a reason.
He has brought you here, and I can tell you, I know, I know,

(31:55):
I do know that it's coming to America.
Because the Bible says so. God has to do it to us. He's preparing his bride.
He wants a purified bride.
It's coming to America.
So I've been able to work through this at this point, because it's just the
Lord in his wonderful, loving kindness has given me some time to work through this.

(32:21):
Therefore, the Bible says about it, therefore, 2 Corinthians 12,
therefore, I will boast all.
You know, I just, when I realized that, when I realized what my answers were
on this thing, I was really embarrassed. I'm embarrassed not to say it.
But I realized that what the scripture says, therefore, I will boast all the
more gladly about my weakness.
So that Christ's power may rest upon me. That is why, for Christ's sake,

(32:42):
I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, persecution,
difficulties. For when I am weak, I am strong.
It doesn't make sense to the world. And if we can get ourselves out of the world's
mentality, it will make sense to us because we trust and believe,
and it's called walking by faith.
Another pastor we were with in Shanghai, China, after he had also been released

(33:05):
from prison, said that he had learned that persecution also is good for him.
But he said, first of all, he had to learn to accept, to just accept Isaiah
30.20. that says the Lord gives the bread of adversity and the water of affliction.
He said during one severe winter, he was made to stand in freezing water.

(33:29):
And he said he endured it hour after hour because he kept remembering the scripture.
God gives the water of affliction, even freezing water.
You see, he knew what the scripture said. That's why we at BCI are driven
to get that book in these people's hands so that if they have to stand in cold

(33:51):
water or their children are beaten to death by the authorities, which we know happens,
and they're imprisoned or they're hungry or a whole variety of things are happening.
That's why we've got to get them the Bible so that they can see for themselves
what the Bible says and be strengthened by it.
That's why we don't take commentaries. We don't take tracts.

(34:12):
We've got to get them God's Word.
To us, there's nothing any more valuable, any more important.
And to us, and I know that a lot of people would argue with me about this, but I don't care.
Until everybody in the Bible, in the world, has a Bible that's begging for a
Bible, to me, there's nothing second.
Only one time, and it happened on this last, no, two trips to go to Cuba.

(34:35):
It's the first time in over 30 years that a Christian has ever asked us for
anything other than a Bible.
And I was so disappointed when that pastor asked us for some material stuff.
He asked us for a backpack and some stuff like that for his kids.
And, you know, they're desperate for everything. And, you know,
I understand. I understand.
I was disappointed because up until that time, for 30 years,

(34:58):
I've been able to say never once has any Christian ever asked me for any medicine
or food or clothing, even for their kids.
They've only asked us for Bibles.
Only one time. That's not bad. One time out of all those things.
And they're not embarrassed. They know that they need everything.
They're desperate for everything.

(35:18):
So, the Lord gives the bread of mercy and the water of affliction.
During that 21 years in that communist prison, in that concentration camp,
he said also that Proverbs 20, 30 was a major thing in his mind.
We want to get over our sin.
We want to be able to endure the sin. Listen, family. Do we want to be able

(35:39):
to endure the sin of other people? Think about that.
Not only do we want to endure our own sin, which we probably are much more aware
of other people's sin. Oh, I got that guy over there.
He's a good sinner and everything. Or think that I'm not like that guy.
We're much more aware of other people's sins. But if we want to get beyond their
sins, is God bigger than their sins?
Is God bigger than our sins? Here's what he says.

(36:02):
Proverbs 23, he says, Blows and wounds cleanses away evil, and beatings purge the innermost being.
Pastor said, I kept remembering these scriptures. And he said,
I felt purified because of it.
Because I wanted to look beyond those people's sin that was penetrating my whole existence so deeply.

(36:28):
Another pastor in Eastern Europe said, after being in prison five years and
released, he said, I know now I have to have persecution in my life.
Now that I'm free from prison, Listen, I have to have persecution in my life
for the rest of my life in order to have balance in my life.

(36:49):
He said, because he said the benefit of it is shown in 1 Peter 4.1.
What's the benefit? He said, therefore, since Christ suffered in his body,
arm yourselves also with the same attitude.
Because he who has suffered in his body is through with sin.

(37:11):
And if we can conquer the sin in our life, like the scripture says,
because we're allowing somebody to persecute us, you know what will happen?
You're going to win over their sin.
And when we win over our sin, which leads to the power to bring down the stronghold
of their stronghold, which is their sin and their life, we are going to get them.

(37:35):
You're going to get them. You want to get your kids? You want to get your neighbors?
You want to get your family?
Then look beyond their sin, overcome their sin, destroy their sin by your purity. You got it?
That's hot, huh? Yeah, that's hot. Get that, Jr. Thomas.
How did we, our life, bring up this stronghold? Yeah, you know,

(37:56):
there's so much information.
I'm going to try to repeat it but again it's a running process family you're
going to have to go get these CDs and go this guy is really weird no wonder
they're saying second most unpopular seminar in America guys talk talk big talk.
Be more than overcomers. Overcome what? Okay, overcome our sin.

(38:18):
We're going to confess our sin to him. That's why I'm trying to be open and
candid with you all to confess where I've got my problems and why I've got my problems.
Because what happens is when I go back out there again, I've got to conquer.
You know, this can't be always about us. It can't always be about me.
At some point I have to stop and say, not all about me. It's about those guys
out there because I've got my salvation.

(38:39):
I've got to go out there and conquer their sin. and I conquer their sin by righteousness.
The prayers of a righteous man availeth much.
I can go out there and I can take that guy's sin and ask the Lord to forgive
him, Lord. For he does not know what he does.
That's spiritual, isn't it? Lord? Except for the way that I am and there I would

(39:01):
go except for you and my life.
So family, sister, I'm not sure if I'm recapping this but you got the concept.
Let's stop making this whole thing always about us. us, always about us,
and saying, Lord, cleanse me.
And the way to cleanse me, wow, wounds and blows.
Could be mentally, could be physically, emotionally, financially,

(39:23):
freedom-wise, Lord, cleanse me with these wounds and blows.
Not always somebody just taking a whip and whipping you. You go into,
like Jim Arnold there, the principal said, you're fired, man.
He was whipped. I mean, it really hurt him hard because he knew he had an inroad.
He had an inroad to these young people's lives, and the Lord had allowed it to be destroyed.

(39:46):
And the cause, Jim didn't see the cause. He saw the cause, but he didn't see the effect.
You may not see the effect, but I can tell you, God will show it to you at some point.
Where was I? Oh, 1 Peter. Oh, you know, the Lord's not, he didn't just go out
to lunch. He's very aware of this stuff happening.

(40:07):
1 Peter 4.1 says this, Therefore, no, no, no, no, no, no, that's not the one.
Philippians, no, no, that's not the one. 1 Peter 5.10, that's the one.
Searching around here. 1 Peter 5.10 says this, After you have suffered a little
while, that he will personally come down and rescue you and restore you and

(40:27):
make you stronger than you were before.
Tentative. He says, my ear's not too dull to hear. My arm's not too short to rescue.
Stand by, gang. Stand by. You're going to have to suffer for a little while,
but you're going to get my personal attention.
See, in Psalm 91, he said, I will give charge to my angels to protect you.

(40:48):
But in 1 Peter 5.10, he said, folks, I'm coming personally because you suffered
for me. I'm coming personally to help you.
Not downgrading the angels, because you've got an angel on your side.
Oh, it's looking nice. But when you have the Lord's attention.
You know, Christians in America just don't accept what it says about persecution.
We feel that we're exempt from it.

(41:09):
Christians all the time say, we're exempt from it. Why would God punish us in that way?
We have this a lot. Oh no, that's not our God. Our God is not a harsh God,
and He's not a mean God, and He wouldn't punish us that way.
Actually, persecution is a measuring stick of of how much we are really willing to follow the Lord.
Pick up your cross daily. Deny yourself. Follow me.

(41:31):
Philippians 1.29 says, For it has been granted unto you. Wow, powerful stuff.
For it has been granted unto you on behalf of Christ to not only believe in
him, but to suffer for him.
Not with him. He'd done his suffering. Now to suffer for him.
You know, through the ages, It's just God has given every person who desired

(41:55):
to be a godly person an opportunity.
Every person. They're bound right here in America today. Oh,
man, there's so much restriction in America.
You've got just a few of these little cards here. I mean, it is rampant.
Satan is having a field day. Ha, ha, ha. He is having a field day with us.
Oh, we're just not. The problem is that we're not geared up.

(42:16):
We're not geared up for the fight.
I think okay the evidence of how prepared we are is how we would handle various
situations that come along in a restriction like these things here I would almost
challenge this okay we don't have the time at this point and each person would
have a little different take on how these situations how you would handle this
if there was happening in your life.

(42:38):
Here is it. I wonder if we, should we open that door up even more, brother? Yeah.
Fire. You know something? Oh, thank you. That's good. Thank you for that little
signal going. It's getting hot in here.
A metallurgist. You know what a metallurgist does? The metallurgist,
he refines metals like silver and gold.
A metallurgist, when he's refining that silver and gold, they put fire on it.

(43:02):
And that fire creates the slag to come to the surface, simplistically speaking.
Speaking and then the metallurgist pulls the flag off a little
hotter a little more slag a little more heat a little
more slag it's a it's a gradual process and pretty soon
after he's pulled a lot of this heat put all this heat on and
he pulls the flag off guess what thank you exactly where this beautiful bride

(43:24):
that he's waiting for that's kind of why it's hot in here huh i'm hot too up
here i feel some i feel some slag in there oh lord don't slag me lord Or,
oh,
gosh, let me give you how we handle these situations.
I'm going to give you nine examples from up in here.
I just kind of pulled randomly some stuff out of the files.

(43:47):
And I want to give you nine examples. And I'm going to tell you how this and
probably many of those that you have there were handled by the people who were having to.
So, nine examples here in America. The land of the free.
That's what the statue is holding up, the land of the free.
And all of these things that I'm going to talk about and all these things that
you have in your hands there should all lead to persecution.

(44:09):
How am I doing on my time? 45 minutes so far? Wow, we still have two hours. Cool.
This is the food here. The Apostle Paul, oh, you know what the Apostle Paul
said? I'm really struggling not running down a bunch of rabbit trails.
My wife, she gets on me all the time. She says, stop running down those rabbit
trails but I'm going to do another one.

(44:32):
Don't know, Bill. Okay. All right. And as I read these examples,
you think about how you would respond to them.
Remember, it's the ungodly who determines the restriction. It's the godly who
determine the persecution.
Number one, a warehouse worker in Georgia was reprimanded for discussing a religious
CD with a co-worker while the two were on a lunch break.

(44:54):
His supervisor told him he could not mention God while at work.
Number two, a family-owned printing company in Florida has been threatened with
a lawsuit because they refused to print material for a local group of witches.
Number three, an internet company worker in Massachusetts was told by his supervisor
that he may not talk about his views and opinions regarding religion,

(45:17):
even in a private conversation or with other workers on their own time.
Number four, a pastor in West Virginia led a Hindu girl to the Lord at church
camp that her parents had sent her to.
Now her parents are threatening a lawsuit because she no longer is interested in things of Hinduism.
Five, a coach in Alabama is trying to remove a player from the city softball

(45:41):
team because she refuses to play on Sundays.
Number six, a legal secretary in Georgia was told she and a small group of employers
may no longer study their Bible during their break time in an unused office.
So the group moved its meeting to a building near the smoker's area.
Then they were told the smokers complained about the Bible reading and again

(46:06):
that they would have to move elsewhere. Not the smokers, but the Christians.
Number seven, a pastor in California was told by police that he may not preach
or distribute tracts in a commercial area of town.
Number eight, a young person, young people in South Carolina are being told
they may not share their faith in the downtown district of their city.
Remember, I have hundreds of these examples all around the United States.

(46:31):
Satan always has the same pattern.
Four, persecution comes. Now, this number nine is one that's going to eventually
be used all across the United States and is in fact on a number of the codes
in counties across the United States.
And it's going to keep, this one is designed by Satan to keep us in the big

(46:57):
organized church from going into small groups, cell groups like we have here.
But across these countries where we go to, they're mostly all these little house
churches and cell groups.
And Satan doesn't like that. He wants us to be all in a big corral so he can
influence all of us at one time and he can keep all of us under tow.

(47:19):
He got all these little groups out here where it's more accountability,
more fellowship, all of that. He doesn't like that. And these governments, they do not like that.
This one is going to keep us from going, It's designed to keep us from,
when persecution comes, to going into, I already have in place, working cell groups.

(47:39):
This particular one I'm going to narrow out here is in San Diego,
but there's a lot of it going on in the United States.
It's on a lot of the books, but it's just not, it's in place,
but it's not being really enforced yet.
But in San Diego, it is at this moment. A home Bible study group,
it's kind of like a test case that they were using.
Like many others around the city, had received a letter from the county,

(48:04):
the city's zoning commission, saying you are not permitted to have a church in your home.
Well, they're not churches. I mean, they probably did some singing,
but they probably didn't have bulletins and probably didn't take up a collection.
But short of that, I mean, they assumed that it was a church.
They said, you can't have a church in the neighborhood. But the Zoning Commission

(48:24):
did say that we're going to give you three options. If you do this,
then we'll lighten up on you.
But if you don't, if you continue on, there's going to be a fine of hundreds
of dollars and possible prosecution by the city attorney.
So the three things that they said that you fulfill one of them and we'll lighten up.
So that we can relocate the Bible study to where you are permitted to have church.

(48:46):
In other words, go back to your church building.
Second is alternate locations. Do not have one location more than once or twice a year.
The third is that you can pay for an application to have a use permit,
hundreds of dollars, and then they're going to have a public hearing from the

(49:06):
neighbors as to whether or not to permit you to have a church in your house.
It's not isolated. So we had that right here in Baywood. Sure.
Of places. It's just not really, really being enforced. But Satan is gathering,
he's organizing, he's making sure that he's got all of this.
So when it happens, everybody is disbanded or not allowed. Where was the last

(49:31):
fellowship? I don't know.
Were we meeting over Tom's house or Bill's house? Where were we meeting now?
They said, let's just keep moving around. We don't want this thing to get too,
you know, too focused here where everybody knows where it is.
How would you how would you respond to this?
Well, in this situation, all these situations, they were protested by the Christians.

(49:53):
They were either hired an attorney or they filed a civil lawsuit in all these particular cases.
And I'm guessing probably in the same one that you have here.
I'm not so wise myself personally to know what to do in every situation.
That's why I have a Bible. to know what Jesus did or what would Jesus do.

(50:15):
And I've learned from these Christians in these restricted countries who've
gone through these same stages about what the Bible says.
And it says that legal action is not the way to handle it.
Let me give you some appropriate scriptures why we believe this.
In 1 Peter 2.23, talking about Jesus, it says, It says, when they hurled their

(50:36):
insults at him, he did not retaliate.
When he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to he who judges justly.
So you see, Isaiah 53 says, he was oppressed and afflicted.
Yet he did not open his mouth.

(50:58):
He was like a lamb who's been led to the slaughter, is silent.
And as a sheep before her shears is silent, he himself did not open his mouth.
It seems here is a perfect opportunity, perfect opportunity to the Beatitudes in Matthew 5.
It says, blessed are the peacemakers.

(51:19):
Family, when we take somebody to court, we're not being a peacemaker. Not going to happen.
Court, we're going to show that you're wrong and I'm right and I'm going to
make you pay financially or something. I'm going to make you pay.
What about if the world asked you for your coat, asked you to walk a mile?

(51:42):
What about turn your other cheek or pray for your enemy?
I think it's not possible to seriously pray for your enemy and then go down
and file a court action for them or criminal action, I think it's not possible.
Because I tell you what, I'm just pretty convinced of this. The Lord is not

(52:02):
interested in who's right.
He's interested in who will glorify him. And when we suck it up,
and I've got some major things in my life right now that I am really being tested
on with this very, very principle.
It's a huge, huge test. And these scriptures, even as I'm saying them right
now, Now the Lord is going, I want to see what you're going to do in this, son.

(52:26):
And I'm pretty sure that every one of you all have got the same thing going on in your life.
Or if you don't, after this class, you're going to be having something happen.
You're going to be tested on it.
It's hard for us to submit to these things. Oh, gosh, is it hard.
But he said the way is narrow and very difficult. Pick up your cross.
Pick up your cross. Can each one of us here say, this is my cross today?

(52:50):
Or crosses. He says, so the Lord's not interested in who's right.
The Lord's interested in glorifying. Lord, let me glorify. And he said, really?
I got one of his favorite words, really?
He's tired of all this talk and talk and talk and singing it even in church.
Love somebody, love your enemy. Pray for those who persecute you.

(53:11):
Pray for those who persecute you. That's what it says.
Let me suggest, though. Okay, now we got the problem here. Let me suggest,
and we said, oh, this is not how you handle it.
Let me suggest some ways to handle it without compromise.
One, pray for those who persecute you. Top one. Pray for those who persecute you.

(53:32):
Now, I would almost guess and tell you, how are we going going to pray for those people?
Lord, cause them just to give it up.
Smite them around the world, Lord, and make them feel guilty.
That's how I'm going to pray. Oh, Lord, get them for me, Lord,
so I can stand back and watch them and cheer you on.
Something tells me that that's not the way, Lord, to have us pray.

(53:54):
I'm pretty sure, because honestly, I prayed that and it's not working.
There's one challenge in my life that's been going on for 10 months and I'm
praying a lot that same thing so far, not working.
And yet the Lord says, my ear is not too dull to hear, my arm is not too short to rest to you.
So he's not waiting for me to respond. Well, I guess he is waiting for me to respond.

(54:18):
Secondly, know what the Bible says about restriction and persecution.
Study with that eye. It's quite revealing.
Third, stand your ground. Continue
to do what you're doing if that's what the Lord has told you to do.
Not in defiance to man, but in obedience to God.
Number four, okay, move to another place, but continue doing what you're doing.

(54:40):
Because the Lord did say, if they persecute you in this city, flee to another city.
Okay, just keep doing what you're doing. Don't back off and don't grow weary of doing what is right.
Just move to a new location and start doing that.
Number five, be willing to pay a fine or go to jail.
Family, what does your faith cost you? If your faith doesn't cost you something

(55:04):
You know how much it's worth?
That's what it's worth. If it doesn't cost you, and you should be able to say
to me, as I'm trying to say to you, and especially in the second session,
if I can't say to you, this is what it's costing me,
this is what faith is costing me, then you know what?

(55:24):
I don't deserve to be up here and you just say, listen, throw an egg at me and
go sit down. You have no credibility.
Because, family, each one of us in this room wants to see the sermon.
We're tired of having it preached and preached and preached,
and we want to say to the man up there, come down off the pulpit,
or while you're in the pulpit, tell us how it's working in your life.

(55:46):
Give us the examples. Teach us by example.
Is that fair? Absolutely fair. Okay, so what did our faith cost?
If it doesn't cost you much, not worth much. Number six, do not protest.
The opposite of protesting is humility, because you're not trying to say,

(56:10):
I'm right and you're wrong.
That's what you're saying if you protest. I know more than you know.
You already heard the scriptures about the Lord said he didn't retaliate.
His voice was not heard in the streets. He like a sheep was sheer, he was quiet.
So when we respond in these ways, we know that the scripture says, great is your reward.

(56:30):
Will that reward come to us because we went to court?
Because we protested? You know, we could win over our adversaries.
I got a situation in my life right now, it's a dead cold case.
Even a criminal case. I could win over my adversary. I wouldn't even have to have an attorney.
I've got a closed shut case, 100%. I could win over my adversary,

(56:54):
But what I gain a heavenly reward, what I really honor the Lord by walking in
faith and going, Lord, this deal is yours.
Oh, gosh, even as I say this, family, and I'm not going to reveal to you what
is happening. The Lord, even at this moment, is really convicting me.
That, son, I want you to walk in faith.
Son, I want you to show me that you're willing to endure this for my name's sake.

(57:15):
He says in there, I have put you through the furnace of affliction for my name's sake.
Oftentimes I go, Lord, why is this happening? In this case, I'm thinking,
Lord, why is this happening to me?
It was an innocent deal. I was trying to be a friend and a brother and everything
else, and this person is crushing down on me. Lord, why is this happening?
He said, because you said you wanted to honor me.
So buck up, Bucky. Stop being a big baby and get with the program.

(57:40):
I put you through the furnace of affliction for my name's sake.
We don't have to even go any further than this. Lord, why have I got cancer?
I don't, but it could be. But a whole variety of things. Lord,
why does this happen to me?
Because you said, yeah, but I didn't mean it.
Yeah, exactly. Not that way, Lord.

(58:03):
I know a Jewish guy, terrific guy, he just won't turn to Christ,
but we have a lot of talks.
And I said, but listen, Michael, you are a chosen person from God.
And he said, yeah, I keep telling God, choose somebody else.
I don't want to be chosen anymore.
We're not going to win if we protest.
These Christians in these other countries, they face this, oh man,

(58:24):
they face it far more than we do.
It's coming from every direction, and especially from the people in high,
powerful places, like the government,
and they've told us, like, we're really focusing a lot on Cuba right now,
but we're providing Bibles for China and Vietnam and Cuba and North Korea,
but we're focusing a lot on Cuba right now.

(58:44):
We'll be going back in three weeks to Cuba.
And they tell us we will never, they're coming out, the Christians are coming
out of the closet, and they're saying we're never going to take Cuba for Christ
in the closet. closet, we're coming out of the closet, and we're taking Cuba
for Christ, and they're willing to go to jail.
They're willing to be put in chains for the gospel of Jesus Christ.

(59:07):
And that's why they say to us, bring us the material. If you bring us the material,
they don't ask us to preach or teach. I never preach or teach when I go to these countries.
What am I going to tell anybody who's been in prison for their faith,
some of them 20 years for their faith, not because they're criminals.
What am I going to teach somebody? Homiletics?
Polygetics? Greek or Hebrew? That guy like Apostle Paul said,

(59:29):
you want to see my authority?
Back as a sunburn. So, do we want to take back America? Yep.
But it's not through politics.
You're going to get killed if you think that you're going to get involved in the ways of the world.
So, we do not protest man's actions, but proclaim God's salvation.

(59:50):
All over America, God has given us an opportunity to pick up that cross and carry it.
And we do not, because you don't need to pursue persecution.
Don't even think in terms of full ward.
You can just say, Lord, hear my, send me, and Lord, let me stand in the gap.
But don't seek persecution. As you lead a godly life, ooh, it'll find you.

(01:00:11):
So we have to preach the word in season and out of season. When it's convenient,
not convenient, 2 Timothy 4.2.
In closing, oh, wow, it's in this one here. It's in this message here.
The guy that inspired this, the handcuffs, Wang Mingdao.
He is acclaimed to be the father of the Chinese house church. 100 million strong.

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He's one of the three iron men in China, along with Sun Yat-sen and Wach Pan Ni.
We were with him on two occasions in his house after he was released from prison there in Shanghai.
Dynamic man. He was in a concentration camp, 24 years in prison.
His family was never allowed to visit him.
Oh yeah, in the last year before he was able to gain release,

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They sent his son to him who said, Daddy, come out of the prison.
Renounce all this stuff that you've done. Just come and be with your family.
And he had become a communist, the son. And that's why they allowed his son.
Other than that, no family in 24 years.
No Bible. No fellowship.
Point, 24 hours a day, seven days a week for five months, he had the handcuffs on.

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He said it was everything to keep his whole body from atrophying.
He told us, he told us personally, so you're getting it again,
second hand, you're really close to Wang Mingdao.
His wife was in prison 15 years. And he told us of these 24 years in prison,
wretched prison, unbelievable, he said that That was my honeymoon with Jesus.

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I said, how can somebody get to that place in their lives?
You're seeing your whole life passed by you, not just passed by you,
but being tortured and punished. Your wife is in prison.
You're not seeing your children. They've turned one of your children to communism.
And he says, that was my honeymoon with Jesus.
So you see, it's not about the suffering. We don't want to get focused on the

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suffering. Even now, when we get caught at the borders in China or Cuba or Vietnam
or these places, when we get caught at the border, we cannot focus on that event.
We have to look beyond, like even the Lord said, He looked beyond the cross.
We have to look beyond the suffering because it's the testimony that it produces.

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Because it says in there, the Satan, Revelation, the Satan will be defeated
by the word of your testimony. You see, it's not about suffering.
It's about the testimony that it's going to produce. That's where every one of us wants to be.
And the only way we can have it, family, is to... Oh, I still got five...
Six minutes. I'm going to take care of one of them. So don't look at your watch. I'll tell you.

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The only way we're going to get here is to stop making Jesus Christ the God of provision.
Oh, man. Lord, I need a car.
I need a job. Lord, I need, I need, I need. Instead of saying, Lord, what do you need?

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What would please you today, Lord? What can I do for you?
Gosh, you know, my heart just swells up with just the love and appreciation
of this individual who has done the things that he's done for us.
Lord, what do you want today?
And he says, come into me like a little child.
I'm not going to make this complicated, son or daughter. I'm not going to make this complicated.
Just do some things for me and for other people leave it in my hands and just

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acknowledge me that I am the power and the love and the forgiveness I just would
just be delighted in that let's stop making him the God of provision,
make him the God of mercy and the God of love that we would just get out of this selfie stuff,
so that one day when that happens and again it's a process remember it's a process

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this, that one day you're going to be able to say, I'm going to be able to say,
along with Wang Mingdao,
that was my honeymoon with Jesus.

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To the Harder Way podcast on your favorite platform. Until next time,
remember the words of Christ.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake. For those who are.
Music.