Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. Matthew 16:24-25
“So you, the Lord is saying, must surrender everything but your faith: money, body, even life itself. For faith is the head and the root, keep that, and though you lose all else, you will get it back in abundance.”
John Chyrsostom (c. 347-407) in Matthew 33 as recounted Milton Walsh in Witness of the Saints: Patristic Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2012) 210.
My travels in Africa in March were rigorous. A person close to me said that God was developing “new muscles” in me. Then in April it seemed that God wanted to “stretch” those muscles, enduring the suffering of cancelled bank accounts.
And lest you think that was an anomaly, check out the recent Washington Times article, “Franklin Graham warns of data, bank cancellations of Christian ministries.” The opposition against Christian causes is real in my country.
Anyway, now I feel God leading me to “use” my new muscles. Specifically, to trust Him to supply for the needs of GTP and undertake work in war-torn, underserved, and difficult places where Christians face persecution.
What about you? Is God giving you new muscles, stretching you, and calling you to surrender everything and face opposition and danger? If not, then invite you to support GTP, where workers on the front lines need help.
If you want more information about GTP program work in May and June in Laos, Ghana, Cambodia, Honduras, Czechia, Slovakia, Ukraine, and Moldova, reply to this email. We are holding back nothing and trusting God for abundance.