“When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.” Ezekiel 3:18
The first Monday of Oktob…ugh. I read the above verse in a devotion this past weekend and initially, this verse may seem like quite a strong warning to those who have heard the message of salvation; they are not to just keep this knowledge to themselves, but freely share with the lost. This reminds me of the quote; “People gather bundles of sticks to build bridges they never cross.” You read God’s Word but never share its wisdom. The man in the attached photo is the witch doctor at this vodou temple in Croix d’ Bouquets which is a suburb in Port-au-Prince; he needs to hear the message of salvation.
It seems that while we learn that the lost are certainly doomed to hell and we are to speak the truth with them, there is also the fact that God loves each and every one of us and only wants the best for each of us. It is His desire that this man trapped in vodou, the violet gang members and you and I would all accept the fact that He sent His Son to die for us and salvation has been won and is awaiting all who call upon the name of Jesus.
There are close to 6,500 young missionaries attending Lutheran schools in the Port-au-Prince district who are learning more and more about Jesus Christ and being fed daily by donors like you. As you have shared the truth in your neighborhood thank you for also sharing of your gifts to assist in the preparation of the youth in Haiti who will take the message of salvation to those caught up in the lies of vodou and live daily in fear from the brutal gangs. Isaac Watts wrote the words for the Hymn ‘Am I a soldier of the Cross’ in 1721 and they will close this message today.
“Am I a solder of the Cross, a foll'wer of the Lamb and shall I fear to own His cause or blush to speak His name? Must I be carried to the skies on flow'ry beds of ease while others fought to win the prize and sailed thro' bloody seas? Are there no foes for me to face? Must I not stem the flood? Is this vile world a friend to grace to help me on to God? Sure I must fight if I would reign; increase my courage, Lord! I'll bear the toil, endure the pain, supported by Thy Word. Thy saints in all this glorious war shall conquer though they die; they see the triumph from afar with faith's discerning eye. When that illustrious Day shall rise and all Thine armies shine in robes of victory through the skies, the glory shall be Thine.”
I would be remiss to not remind you that today is the Trinity HOPE day of prayer for October; there is a prayer guide at their website. Please add to your prayers the turmoil from last week. In the news it was estimated 60 percent of the schools in Port-au-Prince would be open as parents were taking extra precautions to get their children to school in larger groups to fend off gang members. On Thursday, local residents in Mirebalais captured and hung 10 gang members while two other groups of gangs killed 20 patients and care providers in a rural hospital in the Central Plateau. The border dispute between Haiti and the Dominican Republic is causing hospitals and medical centers to cut back on services due to a lack of supplies and threats of violence. Please…pray for Haiti.
Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.
May God be with you,
Jay