Peace Prize devotion: Prisoner for Peace

Psalm 118: 9 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes. 

In three days time, the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize will be awarded. Instead of going to a major political leader, the prize will be awarded to a humble winner. His name is Liu Xiaobo and at the moment he is languishing in a Chinese prison. The Communist Chinese government is absolutely livid about this choice and will not attend the ceremony. The Chinese have also persuaded 19 allied nations to boycott the Peace Prize award in Norway.

Liu Xiaobo has been in prison for two years. His crime was to publicly advocate for many freedoms and civil rights that we in the West take for granted. Among those precious protested rights was that of religious freedom. Despite announcing to the world years before the Beijing Olympics that it was going to release religious prisoners and allow people to worship whatever religion they freely chose, the Chinese government has never fulfilled those assurances. When Liu Xiaobo protested before the Games, he was quickly arrested, speedily put on trial, and sentenced to eleven years for being a dissident. Now the Chinese government is embarrassed because the world knows of its false claims.

For many years I have advocated for the religious rights of the Chinese people through my sermons and writings. I feel that the Christians in that land are presently the bravest souls in Christendom. What they endure from the oppressive authorities is something unheard of here in the West. We are so casually cozy in our faith that we find it very difficult to understand or even accept what is going on. Chinese Christians, especially those who meet in unregulated house church groups, face prejudice, intimidation, and harassment on a regular basis. Despite these challenges, the Chinese church is growing immensely and one day Communism will be overthrown, just as it was in Eastern Europe during the 1990s. My personal hope is that I live long enough to see this; I also hope that Liu Xiaobo and his family get to see that liberating moment in their lifetimes too.

When the psalmist writes of not putting our trust in princes, he is referring to whatever branch of government presides over a particular country. Princes and governments can be frivolous and ambivalent with the rights of their people. Our unalienable rights as human beings, however, come from God, so no matter what rights are denied by authoritarian governments or totalitarian dictators, freedom and liberty, especially of conscience, speech, and faith, will always be given to us by God and not from capricious governments.

On Friday, I will say a prayer for Liu Xiaobo and his family. He deserves this award and I hope that it will bring about his early release.

Prayer:                        Lord God, we thank You for our unalienable rights which come from You. We pray for freedom to be experienced throughout the world. We know that many people suffer at the hands of their leaders and the caprice of oppressive governments. Help us to trust in You and to joyfully experience the freedom of faith that You have bestowed and blessed us with. In Christ’s Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is one of John’s 2010 Winter Wildlife drawings. It features a grey wolf in winter. If you would like to see a larger version of this please click on the following link:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4103/5191026618_86fe27d279_b.jpg

Daily Devotions: Prisoner of Faith

Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

About every six months, I get an update on a Chinese Christian who has been imprisoned by the Communist regime in China since January 2008. Alimujiang Yimiti has been held without trial since January 2008. He has been accused of leading an unregistered house church and has been charged with breaching national security. If he is found guilty, he will be sentenced to death.

Alimujiang converted from Islam to Christianity which caused resentment in the local community. His enemies fabricated the charges against him, but to date there is still no substantial evidence to make the charges stick. However, the Chinese Communist authorities won’t release Alimujiang because they continue to persecute Christian leaders.

On April 20, his family was allowed to visit with him for the first time since his arrest in January 2008, according to China Aid Association. The family reported that Alimujiang was noticeably thinner but in good spirits.  Despite the horrendous conditions and injustice of the situation, Alimujiang and his family still hold dear to their Christian faith. God is their refuge and strength, as well as their ever present help in a time of trouble.

When we compare the hardships that we face with those of Alimujiang and his family, we should feel thankful to God for the religious freedom that we have in our respective countries. His faith is so much stronger than ours; his Christian beliefs have cost him everything.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, sometimes we take You for granted and put our faith to the side. Instead of placing You at the center of everything we do and praising You for everything we have, we serve ourselves first and leave You with what’s left over.

Remind us that there are Christians in the world like Alimujiang who suffer for the same faith. We pray for his family and for his freedom, in Your Holy Name. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

If you would like to read more about Alimujiang and other prisoners of faith, please click on the following link: http://www.prisoneralert.com/pprofiles/vp_prisoner_185_profile.html

Daily Devotions: Li Ying - Mark 13 v 9

Mark 13:9 “You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them.”

We really lead a comfortable Christianity over here in the West. We complain about school textbooks, cold sanctuaries, and long sermons. We come and go to church as we please, and we pick and choose what we want to believe in and where we want to go. Everything is handed to us on a plate. No wonder then that the rest of the world calls our faith “Canteen Christianity.” We just stand in line at worship and wholly expect to be fed and nourished, with either a lifestyle latte or sweet dessert of a sermon to finish things off.

Meanwhile people like Li Ying, a pastor’s daughter from China, have been languishing in prison since April 2001. Her crime? Writing and distributing a monthly church newsletter. She has six more years of hard labor to complete, before her unjust sentence from the monstrous Chinese Communist regime is over. Talk about a real Christian! We really have no idea what Christianity is all about.

Instead of ourselves, let’s pray for Li Ying. Compared to what she is going through right now, we’re living like royalty.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, forgive us for being whiners and complainers instead of winners and champions for our faith. We remember Li Ying this day and ask that You protect throughout her time of unjust imprisonment. We pray that You will sustain her spirit and her family. We ask that she will remain faithful to You despite her sufferings and that when she is finally released, she may be welcomed and embraced by Your Church in China and throughout the world. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

If you would like to read more information on Li Ying and other Christian prisoners in China, please visit this link online: Li Ying

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

4 Minute Daily Devotions: Room for Hypocrites

Psalm 26:4 I do not sit with deceitful men, nor do I consort with hypocrites;

Over the years, I’ve heard some people say, “I don’t go to church. It’s full of hypocrites.” My usual answer to that is: “Don’t worry. There’s always room for one more.”

There’s also no such thing as a perfect church on Earth because congregations are made up of imperfect people. We go to church because we know that. We seek the Perfect One in our lives. We know that only Christ is sinless and unhypocritical. We understand that we fail each day to live up to the demands our faith. We don’t go to church because we are spiritually holy; we go to church because we find the Holy Spirit there.

I’m amazed sometimes at people who publicly talk about God in their lives, but who never seem to get around to going to church on Sunday. I don’t get it, nor do I understand it. If God is so important to them, then why isn’t church on their timetable? Do they honestly believe that church is an option to their faith?

If they take time to read their Bibles, they would discover that church-going and being a Christian go hand in hand. From the earliest times of our faith, Christians would gather together on the first day of the week (Sunday) to worship, sing hymns, hear the Gospel, and share communion. They did it in defiance of the authorities, and in the knowledge that they could be arrested, persecuted, and even executed for such a simple gathering of faithful people. In the 17^th century, the Scottish Covenanters experienced the same thing, and in today’s China, Sunday Church groups meet together knowing that the police could break up their services at any time.

The church is full of hypocrites, but at least it’s full of people who prioritize their collective worship of God, especially on a Sunday morning. As for those other hypocrites who always talk about God but never get around to actually worshiping Christ on Sundays, we’ll leave the door open. After all, there’s room at worship for them, too.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, each week on the Sabbath Day, You were to be found in a local synagogue. Even though You are the closest being to God, You never treated worship lightly. Even Your first followers, who began worshiping on Sundays to recognize Your Resurrection, never stopped going to church, even though they were hunted down and persecuted, tortured and executed for defying the authorities. Help us hypocrites to find room at church on Sunday mornings. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.