Walking Away From Worldly Comfort- wk 5

That I may know Him

Philippians 3:10-11

“Listen, if all the Christians leave Afghanistan, who’s going to share the gospel?”

Afghanistan is now under Taliban rule. They believe that the only religion is Muslim, and those rules and devotion must be obeyed. As a result, Afghan Christians who stayed in Afghanistan face nearly inevitable persecution, yet many chose to stay. They understand that there is a strong movement of Christian growth in Afghanistan and they won’t let it flounder. (GodTV, September 2022)

Yes, there is minimal comfort in Afghanistan right now. . Those that chose to go to the mountains have faced hunger, harsh cold, and endless nights. Afghan Christians that chose to stay in the towns face the threat of persecution daily. These are typically new Christians in numbers of years, but mature beyond those years in their obedience. They often ask each morning, “how many people can I tell about Jesus today?” (Made for this Podcast, August 2021)

Saul was driven by his own self-righteousness that comes from his knowledge of the law and his belief that he was blameless in those laws. Paul was driven by a desire to know Jesus, share his sufferings and even experience the power of the resurrection. (Philippians 3:10-11)

Saul was so exceedingly comfortable. But Paul had audacious faith. He spent much of his life in prison. He spoke of a weakness or thorn that kept him humble before God. (2 Corinthians 12:7-10) Paul went from being as comfortable as you can be this side of heaven to being uncomfortable in so many ways. Yet he found his joy in taking up Jesus’ cross. He knew that adopting Kingdom values changes us from focusing on serving our interests to serving others with genuine humility and love.

Regardless of our circumstances, we still know that Jesus will carry us through rough times. Like Paul, God can use our weakness for His glory. The world notices when we lose something precious and still have hope, joy, and peace. 

Iran has been the fastest-growing church in the world, and Afghanistan second for a while now. Many believe that Afghanistan has taken over as the fastest growing church, despite, or maybe because of persecution. Those believers in Afghanistan are a beautiful example of obedience and humble service.

We are all called to take up our cross and be carriers of the gospel by Jesus. (Luke 9:23, Matthew 28:19-20) Paul and the Afghan Christians remind us that we are called to do the hard and holy work of the cross. That cross might be heavy, but we have a Savior right there with us, making sure we don’t drop it. 

Questions to consider:

Where do you find your joy? How will you share that joy?

How will you take up your cross today? 

Nita Wilkinson is a writer and speaker that encourages women to pursue joy and freedom with the most important tool in our toolbox of life, the Bible. You can find out more about Nita at her web page www.inthewhisper.org, through her podcast The In the Whisper Podcast and through various social media outlets.

^{©2023 Nita Wilkinson/Christian Women Living Magazine}

We have included a PDF printable for you to have as a resource or study guide.