THE Conference part 1

I had the privilege of attending a conference recently that was life-changing for me. I saw with my eyes and heard with my ears what God is doing beyond the fog of casual Christianity, and it is incredibly exciting!

One brother from a restricted country explained that in his country, the "reward" for a convert to Christianity is death...and now there are many more interested in learning about Christ! He told us to praise the Lord for the freedoms we have to come and go and preach as we do.

Another brother shared that he has been beaten and his glasses broken for giving a Bible to someone. When he returned to his country, he was nervous to go through the inspection, because he was carrying these Life Books. The inspector saw a Bible, but he didn't acknowledge seeing it. Then the brother gave it to him, and after a time, the inspector and his family are now saved!!

One more testimony...a sister had her identity completely concealed as she shared that from a young age, she was desperate to know God. She had the privilege of being trained in the beliefs of Isla..m and became an evangelist, even though she felt more and more distant from God. She heard on a tv program that "God is love", yet called in to the number on the screen to argue with them that God was not. This began to happen repeatedly, week after week. She would debate the person about who God really is. After almost a year, she decided to commit suicide.

One last time she turned to the program and heard, "Why do you want to kill yourself? God wants to give life." She called in again, and shared that she was ready to end her life. The person explained that this was the fruit of her devotion to her religion...death. Why not give Jesus a chance, for at least a week? If He does not change you, then she could continue with her plan. She thought, "OK...I'll do it to prove that Jesus is not any different, and call them back to tell them in a week." She gave her life to Jesus Christ, and the old things have passed away, and her life has become new!!!

It is so easy to forget that God is working in every part of this world, to bring many into relationship with Him...even the parts of the world where it seems there is no room for Christianity. In fact, many of those areas are experiencing a great growth in the body of Christ, in spite of the pressures of governments to quench them. Please join me in praying for our brothers and sisters to continue to have the boldness to proclaim the Gospel...and may we do no less.