Safely Home...

As I read through my Evangelism text books a few weeks ago, there was a quote in there from the book Safely Home by Randy Alcorn.  I was immediately intrigued since I recognized that book as being on my "to read" list for a good year now.  So I checked the price on Amazon for my kindle and then I decided to check the library and see if they had it for kindle.  THEY DID!!  I was ecstatic since usually I cannot find many digital books that I like at the library.  So I downloaded it for my 21 days and for the last 21 days I have read that book like it was on fire!  Normally, while I am doing classes it takes me a good month or two to read a book, but not this time!

The book tells the story of a Chinese man, living in China, who was persecuted for his faith.  While the story is fiction, it is very hard not to read this book without feeling convicted in one way or another.  Here are chinese people thursty for the word of God, and unable to own a bible without being arrested.  These people will sit by candle light copying by hand the bible, in order to pass it along to other believers.  At one point a scene from the book reminded me of a scene in the book Radical by David Platt.  They were having an under-ground siminary.  They sat for hours reading the word of God.  they didn't have air conditioning, they didn't have running water, hardly enough food for everyone.  Some of the people walked for 7 days to get there to study God's word.  In David Plat's book Radical  I remember him asking the simple question, "is God enough?"

Is God enough for me?  Do I need fancy chairs, emotional services, programs, fancy clothes, and high heels just to go to church and worship God?  Personally, I would prefer not!  For me it's the music that always moves me.  I love having great worship before great preaching. I love the emotional over whelming feeling that God is moving in a service.  But...when that doesn't happen...is God and his word still enough for me?

Would I walk 7 hours just to sit on a hard floor, knee to knee with strangers, by candle light and listen to someone read me the bible line by line  (not just from 10-12) for 24 hours!  Could I live a life like this and still walk around with a smile on my face because I KNOW that THIS is not my home?

Is God Enough?  Do I have to have a church to make me feel the presence of God?  Do I have to have a bigger home, is that really that important (no) to have more space when these people are living joyfully in ONE ROOM houses!

My answer...YES!  God is enough for me! I do not need anything fancy in order to be happy.  God has blessed me with many things and for that I am grateful!

In the story Li Quan, ends up getting arrested and beaten in jail.  He prays and asks God to give him a ministry in the jail.  He ends up cleaning all the human waste off  the floors in the jail cells.  As he does this he tells the other prisoners about Yesu (Jesus).  He recites to them scripture from memory word for word.  One by one prisoners and even some of the guards came to Christ.

This story really touched my heart.  It was really eye opening to see that people in other countries are being tortured for the sake of Christ, and here in america we are more worried about sitting in the same seat on a Sunday morning than getting out of our seats and telling people about Christ!  I'll be the first one to say that over the years, since I have been a stay at home mom I have lost some of my boldness to share Christ like I used to.  So my prayer is that God will continue to equip me to share his word, and that he will start little by little putting people in my path that need to hear about Christ.

When is the last time you told someone about Christ?

I highly recommend that you read this book....Actually do not go get it at the library...I recommend that you BUY the book.  WHY?  All proceeds from that book go to help get the word of God, and bibles to China.  So If God hasn't put someone in your path to share with in a while, buy the book and send a bible to china!


Favorite Quotes from the Book:

"Remember the most common cause of stumbling is the fear of man.  It is God we must fear, not men.  You  must learn to stand boldly for your Lord, regardless of what men may think of you."

"Never forget Yesu (Jesus) is King, Never forget your home is in another world.  Never forget your father will be waiting to see you again"

"most trouble comes not from atheists who say there is no God, but from those who adopt strange ideas because of no training in shengjing (bible)"

"Wife and husband must be more than lovers.  Must be comrades, soldiers fighting side by side for same great cause.  Ming's mother say, "Wife and husband should not only lie down face-to-face, but stand up shoulder to shoulder."  They must face together the worst Mogui (satan) can do to them.  And when they draw strength of Yesu (Jesus), he bind them together"

"Even a bad father can leave an inheritance.  Only a good father can leave a heritage."

"A path is made by people walking on the ground.  My father walked the path before me and his father before him and his before him.  I pray my son will walk it after me.  So I ask my old roommate a question- what path are you walking for your children to follow?"

"Some money is counterfeit.  Does that mean that you no longer believe in money?

"Martyrs are not only those who die, but all who suffer for the Name."

"Real Gold fears no fire"

"To me, America is strange.  Each person acts as if his life begins and ends with himself"

"The enemy seeks to accuse us that we are not what we are.  But just as surely, he seeks to assure us we are what we are not."

"Believers comfort each other in their suffering by the truth that there is a God.  Communists comfort each other in their prosperity by the myth that there is no God.  So atheism is the real wishful thinking"

"Because every man trusts someone.  If he does not trust Yesu (Jesus), he trusts other men or he trusts himself ."

"we are accountable to Him, He is not accountable to us."

"I refuse to believe in a God who sends men to hell."  "And do you think your refusal to believe will convince God to change his nature?"

"if you are looking for a religion centered around yourself, Ben, I must agree that Christianity is a poor choice"

~Randy Alcorn  "Safely Home"