I’m mindful as we approach this Thanksgiving weekend of so many things that most of us are privileged to do – even while some of our brothers and sisters around the world don’t get to do them:
- Gather together as a church. In many places around the globe, believers gather quietly only in small groups to avoid bringing attention to themselves.
- Meet in the same place each week. Some believers move around for the same reasons they gather only in small groups.
- Have the Bible in our language. The Bible has been translated into English long enough that we take its access for granted. Others understand that our having the Word is a gift.
- Have our own copy of the Bible. Some believers have only what they’ve stored in their heads because they have no personal Bible. Many of us, on the other hand, have more Bibles than human beings in our homes.
- Actually read the Bible. Not everyone can read. Many have no access to little or no education.
- Preach and teach the Bible freely. We who will preach this weekend won’t worry about arrest or persecution. That’s not the case for every preacher around the globe.
- Sing loudly and passionately. We don’t have to worry about drawing attention to ourselves by our singing (and that’s one reason why I think we need to learn to sing better in worship, as this previous post suggests. . . ).
- Have income to give to our church’s work. Even if we don’t have much to give, we have more than much of the world does.
- Make a public commitment to Christ without fear. Others around the world do make commitments, but doing so puts them in danger. Their commitment really costs them.
- Go from church to tell others about Jesus without peril. No threat of persecution keeps us from telling the Good News. It’s disobedience that’s the cause—and it’s a glaring omission when we have complete freedom to speak about Jesus.
Don’t take for granted all that you’re privileged to do this weekend with your brothers and sisters in Christ. Thank the Lord!
“Have your own copy of the Bible.” Let me elaborate on what that means. For someone here in the United States, it means that we can go to a store that sells Bibles, pick from any number of excellent translations, and leave our Bible anywhere in her homes where visitors can see that we have a Bible. They can also tell from the condition of the Bible that we read it frequently. We are not limited to the translation that someone has smuggled into the country or painstakingly copied by hand from a smuggled Bible. We don’t have to keep our Bible hidden in case it is confiscated and we are arrested for having one. Having our own coy of the Bible is something tht we should be really thankful for. .
Thanks, Robin.