HOPE IN PERSECUTION
Hope is a strange thing. It will give you confidence in the bleakest of times. But hope is not any good unless you have your hope in someone that will not let you down. There are a lot of things that we hope for, and a lot of things that we wish for. The hope I am talking about is the hope that we have as believers. This hope has its foundation in what Jesus did for us on the Cross, and what He will do when He takes us out of this world. When you have this kind of hope, you can face anything.
Listen to what is happening in Bangladesh:
"We have never seen days like this in Bangladesh! On average, ONE NEW ASSEMBLIES OF GOD CHURCH IS PLANTED EVERY THREE WEEKS!
In 1980, Bangladesh had 12 Assemblies of God churches; today that number is more than 400! Much of the astounding growth is happening through God- called men and women who have been trained and sent out from the Assemblies of God Bible School in Dhaka, the nation’s capital.
Sentu and his wife are two of those sent. Not every new church planter faces the opposition this couple has endured. In an attack by radicals, Sentu nearly lost his life. Shot in the face, stabbed nine times, his throat slit four times-his recovery took 18 months and numerous surgeries. During that time, in spite of grave personal danger, his wife remained faithful in ministry. As soon as Sentu was able, he convinced everyone that he intended to continue serving at the same place where he was attacked."
(Source: "Faces of Eurasia" November 2008, Omar J. Beiler. From a sermon by John Harper, "The Proclamation of Hope")