October 2007 - Help Refugees in Trouble

Ga 6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all [men], especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

Isa 58:6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? 7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? 8 Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward. 10 And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:

Mt 25:35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Lu 3:11 He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.

Pr 3:27 Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. 28 Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.

Pr 28:27 He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.

Jas 2:15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, 16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?

1Jo 3:16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? 18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

1Jo 4:20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

Ro 12:13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.

1Ti.6:17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

Heb 13:2 Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. 3 Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.

Lu 10:26 What is written in the law? how readest thou? 27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. 28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. 29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour? 30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31, 32 And by chance there came down a certain priest, and likewise a Levite that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. Lu 10:36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?

Pr 24:11 If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain; 12 If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?

Jer 17:10 I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

Mt 16:27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.

Ps 82:4 Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.

Pr 24:10 If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.

REFUGEE MATTERS – “Men Ought Always To Pray And Not to Faint”– Luke 18:1

The news of Sis. Chenoor’s reunion with her husband in Holland is indeed very encouraging. What I found bracing, when it seemed that she would be again disappointed, was the determination of the brethren to continue their efforts on her behalf. These obstacles are the trials to strengthen and enlighten us to the power of Our God. Pharaoh’s persistent stubbornness to release God’s children, and God’s use of this situation, even though frustrating to the Israelites, clearly demonstrated his power to his own people, and to the nations around, thus strengthening us also in our own situation. Our sister’s case is one of triumph and assurance that our prayers and efforts are indeed yielding encouraging results.

In the above exhortation, Jesus is urging absolute trust and belief in God’s power, love, wisdom, care and interest in our affairs. Persistent prayer in the face of numerous disappointments, actively demonstrates our belief in God’s supremacy, makes us strong in the Almighty, overriding those perceived overwhelming obstacles, which in our human limitation, can block his power from our view, reducing us to fainting victims filled with doubts, fearfulness and weakness.

Examples – The Israelites were terrified at Pharaoh’s angry defiance of God, when requested by Moses and Aaron to let his people go. The evidence of God’s wonder in the miracles Moses demonstrated, was soon overshadowed by their perception of Pharaoh’s power, and they quickly turned on Moses and Aaron, no longer listening to them for anguish of spirit, because of their cruel bondage. (Exodus 6: 6 – 9). The outcome eventually proved God’s invincible power over this terrifying monarch.

In her reign of terror, Jezebel’s fury, unleashed in frightening threats to Elijah, seemed to have so overshadowed his recent demonstration of God’s supremacy over her gods, that in hopelessness and depression, he ran for his life. Finally, God arrested and commanded him to return and begin to initiate the plans he (God) already had in place to destroy Jezebel and the prevailing evil which Elijah feared, also stressing that in his overriding power over Jezebel’s, he had, still reserved, seven thousand in Israel, who were faithful to him.

When the spies of Israel - leaders of each tribe specially chosen for this assignment - saw the size of the inhabitants of the land they spied, they immediately forgot God’s recent convincing victory over the powerful Egyptians, and instead saw themselves reduced to the status of grasshoppers in comparison. Only Joshua and Caleb retained the mighty status of God and his invincible power.

God’s Commission, the Opposition And The Reaction of God’s People
Zerubbabel, Jeshua, the priests and the Levites, on their return to Jerusalem began to build the house of the Lord. They met with great opposition from their enemies, who finally obtained an order directly from King Artaxerxes to stop the work. So they compelled the jews by force to stop the work, which came to a standstill. (Ezra 4: 17- 24). The Jewish workers seemed to have overlooked the fact that it was God’s desire to build this house, and he had directly appointed Cyrus, King of Persia, over this project - (Ezra 1: 2- 4). Cyrus had then conveyed this information to Judah, the Priests and the Levites, whose spirit God had raised. Artaxerxes should not therefore have been allowed to override God’s order. But here again, the Israelites, overshadowed by Artaxerxes power over that of their God, therefore shelved God’s command, and began to make fine houses for themselves, while the house of God remained unfinished. They were so occupied with their own interest, that they were blind to the inappropriateness of the unsightly appearance of God’s unfinished dwelling place, while perhaps not far away stood their stately cedar residences – for man, extolling the flesh. So God told them to consider their ways. In Haggai chapter 1 vs. 9, he forces their attention to their error – they were putting their own fleshly comfort before the establishment of his spiritual house which they left in ruins, clear evidence of where their interest was - and he showed them how he viewed and responded to their action. Their fleshly pursuits brought them no fulfillment, because fulfillment comes from performing God’s service only.

Was God Not Aware Of the Opposition the Jews Encountered In The Building Operation?
He focused mainly on the motive of their decision to discontinue the work. Knowing that he had specially called out Cyrus to spearhead this project, and the firmness of his purpose, why did they not take this problem to him rather than submitting to the demands of the adversary? Rather they discontinued his work in favour of to their own interest.

Service to God Entails Sacrifice of our Fleshly Desires
God’s work undeniably calls for sacrifice on our part – hard work, many times foregoing what we would naturally want to do, and going God’s way – but as he points out in Isaiah 58: vs. 13 – 14, if we honour him instead of going our own way and doing as we please, then we will find joy in him, which is satisfaction to the utmost. In Haggai 1, vs. 8, God told his people to go up into the mountains and bring down timber that his house will be built. This is strenuous work; then they must cut down the timbers and bring them down the mountains, setting them in place even before starting the work on the building.

I Will Never Leave You Nor Forsake You
The scriptures give numerous examples of this. God always shoulders our burdens. Haggai 1: 14 shows God’s response to the obedience of Zerubbabel and Shealtiel to his voice and his message – “I am with you”, declares the LORD. So the LORD stirred up the Spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people.

This World Is Directly Opposed To God’s Way and His Purpose
If borne in mind, and expected, we will be prepared to completely rely on Our Heavenly Father, especially in apparently impossible situations – a test here of our faith in the power of our Heavenly Father. Do we really believe that Jesus’ statement in Matthew 19:16 – “….with God all things are possible” fits all unmanageable situations, and is not only confined to the context in which it is quoted? We gain strength in our own struggles from the encouraging message in Haggai 2: vs. 4 - 8 which God sent to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, disappointed with the insignificant results of their efforts - “But now be strong O Zerubbabel, declares the Lord, be strong O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest, Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the Lord, and work. For I am with you, declares the Lord Almighty. There is strength again from vs. 22 as we deal with the political powers – “ I will shake the heavens and the earth. I will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms. I will overthrow chariots and their drivers; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother”.

State of Preparedness Despite Disappointment And Obstacles
Our brethren all the more need our love, our help, our support, because they are personally and directly affected by the stumbling blocks and on going disappointment which are a severe trial to them. Like Joseph, they would be constantly looking for their release. Will we then cave in to the opposition or the seeming difficulties, decide that perhaps it is not time and turn our attention to other matters? This certainly all the more calls for earnest persistent prayers, looking up in expectation for God’s response, and on going follow up action. We must not faint. What about specially convened ecclesial prayer meetings for this, along with our individual prayers? When God turned down King David’s proposal to build a house for his Name, King David did not abandon this project. Rather he became diligently involved in preparing the plans that the Spirit nevertheless put in his mind for the courts of the temple, and for the dedicated things, giving Solomon instructions for the order of the various services (1 Chronicles 28: 11 – 19). In addition to contributing all the gold and silver required for articles of the temple worship, in his devotion he gave his personal treasures of gold and silver. David still had his plans all ready to be implemented.

In awareness of our inability to manage this huge project of relieving our refugee brethren, I am urging that we all earnest pray to Our Heavenly Father, to miraculously blend together the unique and distinct talents he has given each of us, in a coordinated operation towards the relief of his suffering children. Let us continuously pray, looking steadfastly for his ongoing direction and power in us, and work as he moves us. WITH THANKFULNESS AND GREAT ENCOURAGEMENT, WE REMEMBER HIS BLESSINGS ON OUR PETITION FOR OUR SISTER’S RELEASE.