Open Doors - Pastor Steve Swenson

Welcome to Logan City Christian Church podcast where we bring God's Word to you weekly.

We pray what you hear will bring clarity to your situation and open doors in your life.

Enjoy the message.

Great to see you all.

I was taking notes.

I was writing down some things.

If you've not met me before, my name is Steve Swenson.

I actually started my life in Logan on this street.

1997, the 1st of April 1997, I started as the youth pastor at a church a few buildings

down with Pastor Jim Williams.

My wife and I used to drive.

It was here.

Okay, well I don't know where I am then.

But I came here from the north side of Brisbane.

I left the, what would we call the north side, Egypt and came to the promised land.

And I've raised my family here since.

I bring greetings from my wife Sherry, my children Jera and Nathan who have both been

born and raised here in the centre of the universe.

And it's a great privilege to be with you today.

Pastor Rob and I have known each other for some time but certainly I'd say over the last

couple of years we've certainly had our hearts have grown together and been spending some

time together over recent months just talking about the goodness of God and encouraging

ourselves in the Lord.

And it's good to have a company of faith to stand alongside of you through the good and

we'll call them character building times.

Suffering is the first step on the stairway to hope.

Romans says not only so but we also rejoice in our suffering knowing that suffering produces

perseverance and perseverance, character and character hope.

So if you're going through a time of suffering right now the actual destination you're heading

to is hope.

So hang on just keep walking up the stairs and believe that God is going to do great

things in your life.

Heavenly Father I pray you'd go beyond the limitations of my ability to share the word

this morning.

May the seeds of the word of God go deep into people's hearts and may the seeds of Steve

just be swept away I pray in Jesus name, Amen.

Usually when I'm in a service I keep a blank piece of paper because I really feel God's

he inhabits the praises of his people.

Sometimes we talk about the presence of God and we or the anointing you know we almost

have to change our voice and shake our hand when we say the word anointing but we tie

anointing to a style.

We say a certain style brings the anointing of God but we wouldn't say that we would just

say oh this brings the anointing for me but God inhabits the praises of his people and

doesn't matter what style that looks like.

I've just come back from a trip to South East Asia last Sunday I was in a church the style

of worship was totally different but the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwelt

there as he dwells here this morning.

And so some of you may have felt really comfortable with the African stuff at the beginning others

of you are going oh I can't wait till this is over.

Others of you are going can we go back to the African stuff after we went to the other

stuff but they're just styles.

But God responds to the praises of his people and he inhabits the praises of his people

and I declare in faith this morning that God is here in his manifest power to do something

in our lives.

When we talk about the presence of God we talk about the omnipresence of God.

I was in South East Asia he was there while you were worshipping here so he can be everywhere

at once blows my mind that God can be everywhere at once.

But then you know it's actually frightening that he can be everywhere at once and he sees

everything but he's everywhere.

But then we talk about the indwelling presence of God.

Pastor Rob has been telling me that there's been people who've walked in here you might

be here this morning and in recent weeks you've walked in and you've experienced the love

of Jesus Christ and you've submitted your life to him and said Jesus I want you to be

the boss of my life the Lord of my life and he has come in and so we talk about his on

his omnipresence everywhere but when we submit our life to him we have the indwelling presence

of God.

You might be here this morning and you've never experienced that maybe you've experienced

religion it's not the same.

Religion are the practices of men some good many bad that they set up and I'm sure God

sits in heaven sometimes going oh that's not what I meant.

I'm sure he does that sometimes when I preach and I read a verse and I explain what I think

it means that's not what I meant Steve but anyway my power is made perfectly in your

weakness.

But there's the indwelling presence of God and some of you here today you've experienced

religion but in the midst of the praise and worship this morning you felt that there's

something more for you.

This morning if you will just open your heart to Jesus and say Jesus I confess I've sinned

I ask you to forgive me and cleanse me of all that stuff I willingly submit to you and

I ask you to be my Lord my boss and I receive you now as my Saviour.

He promises that if we confess we've sinned he's faithful and just he'll forgive us and

cleanse us of all unrighteousness and so you can become a brand new creation in him this

morning.

So there's the omnipresence of God there's the indwelling presence of God and then there's

the manifest presence of God.

I've been reading some articles from the 1970s.

Remember 1970 you know it's about 50 something years ago and when you say it like that it

seems so long but it just feels like yesterday for me even you know I was a little fella

but I remember going to meetings in the 70s and I'll be at a conference next week that

will celebrate the start of one of the great movements of the Christian church in our country.

They're celebrating 50 years next week as a body of believers but I remember going to

services and seeing people set free by the manifest presence of God.

Well you know we can hark for those times oh God do it again take me back there well

I don't think he wants us to go back there if he did he'd stop time because he can but

the same spirit that worked in those days the same spirit that raised Christ from the

dead way back then the same spirit that was in the upper room the same spirit that caused

people to be risen from the dead the same spirit that was with the disciples in the

book of Acts is here today and the manifest presence of God is here to bring transformation

to your life.

And so my practice is I sit on the front row with a piece of paper and if I feel something

come I'll write it down and then we pray for it and then if I have time to preach we get

on with it.

So I want to pray for a couple of things this morning pastor I'm not even going to ask him

if it's all right because he's already told me it is.

He said yep do what you want to do we'll even call a public holiday tomorrow if we go too

long.

I want to pray this morning for people's need but here's some specific things and I just

write it down as I get it I don't understand some of the things.

Someone you're suffering with the nerves behind your eyes I know it's optic nerves or whatever

but there's nerves behind your eyes and it's causing you to feel feel actually nauseous

at times and sick and you might think well it's not not a big thing God doesn't care

he cares.

He cares and he wants to heal you today.

Someone is struggling really badly with ovarian cysts and God wants to heal you this morning.

The best way I can explain this next thing though God is it's a lower back condition

and it's running when you walk when you walk you feel a pulling from your hamstring all

the way up through your lower back and God wants to heal you today.

You know I just wrote this down God wants to restore to you the joy of your salvation.

That could be a number of people you know sometimes we walk through life and we're thankful

to God for his goodness and his salvation and his healing that comes to our life but

sometimes we lose the joy of that through the circumstances of life and what I was writing

down was I forgot where the address was of the verse my grace is sufficient for you and

my power is made perfect in your weakness and then you said it from here.

I want you this morning to understand if you are in your weakest point you are in the posture

for God's power to be made perfect in your situation.

So if we can before I share about the ministry of open doors and share around the word how

that relates to all of us.

If you have a need in your life either something I mentioned right now or perhaps another need

you need God to intervene miraculously whether it's a need for healing a miracle provision

you've your bills are here your incomes here or perhaps you've even got a loved one that

you're believing God will bring home.

If you're able would you stand where you are if you're not able to stand just put your

hand in the air and let's be a company of faith together.

The manifest presence of God is here to do a miracle and if that's you and you need a

miracle stand or raise your hand and if you're around somebody who's standing then just put

your hand towards them and let's believe for God to intervene in their life right now.

Heavenly Father we don't worry our prayers this morning but we pray boldly believingly

without any second thought that you are more than able.

We declare our faith is not in ourselves our faith is not in a person on a platform our

faith is in God who is omnipresent everywhere all powerful able to do anything there is

nothing too hard for you God.

So for these conditions that I've mentioned and others that are represented by people

standing today I pray right now in the name that is above every other name the name of

Jesus therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above

every other name that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth

and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of

the Father.

So in that name the name of Jesus Christ we speak healing in Jesus name we speak breakthrough

in Jesus name we speak joy in Jesus name we speak provision in Jesus name we speak a whole

creative miracle for people who need something created from nothing in their life where there

is void and darkness right now you can send your word and create something you've done

it before you can do it again we receive of your miracle power this morning in Jesus name

and everybody said amen amen God bless you.

Alright you can take your seats.

So it's a great privilege for me to be here this morning I want to begin by thanking you

pastor Robin Chantel and the leadership of Logan City Christian Church for the opportunity

to preach and to share about the mission and the ministry of Open Doors.

Before I show a video which kind of will give you one aspect of what it is that our partnership

together can do for people in persecuted countries I just want to say that Open Doors is not

related to a specific denomination it's a ministry on behalf of the whole body of Christ.

I was lying last night in bed as I was trying to fall asleep with excitement about coming

this morning reflecting on what this journey for me has meant I mean I grew up in the Assemblies

of God AOG I now attend an INC church and then we got all these different denominations

they're all just badges above the door really but sometimes in my upbringing I have thought

that I might be more than somebody else who goes to a church with another badge you know

I've got the full thing and they might not have it all you know I don't know if you're

a Christian bigot like I was but you know but I have had such a privileged life in a

number of ways God has prepared me for this role in my previous roles where I was with

council and I was able to work across the whole community in churches of all different

Christian denominations and see that God turns up wherever his name is lifted up and so you're

looking at somebody who's a pig in mud I have found the best opportunity to share the love

of God and be a part of the big C church I've been visiting with pastors from Pentecostal

churches Baptist churches Anglican churches don't come to me later and tell me about the

different theology of them all because I'll pretend to care but like you know sometimes

we look for the difference but I'm looking for the power of agreement I walked into a

Catholic church this will mess with some people's theology but I walked into a Catholic church

and I didn't get to speak to the priest of the church but I spoke to the administrator

and I said oh good day I'm from open doors and we're just looking for people who connect

with us to pray to Jesus for people that are persecuted around the world and he goes I

think we can do that how cool is that only three of us think it's cool but you know but

the Bible says that you know they who call on the name of the Lord will be saved you

know sometimes I think you know in my upbringing it was you know for God so loved the AOG

that he gave his only begotten son but I've had the privilege of being since I started

with open doors in January to be in independent churches Pentecostal churches Baptist churches

Anglican churches churches of Christ I've met with pastors of all denominations and

one thing I have found that we are in agreement with is that God loves the world and God is

building his church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it and so you are

looking at somebody who's representing a cross denominational ministry where we as the body

of Christ work together to strengthen those who are persecuted so with that in mind take

a look at this first video it's a story about a lady called Helen from Eritrea and I'm sure

it will move your heart thank you.

Hi it's Helen I'm safe now who can preach the gospel the answer is simple anyone who

is not afraid to die I was in that shipping container for 32 months in the heat of desert

day the walls would burn our skin in the night we shook from the cold I remember the story

of Paul and Silas like them I began to sing the gulps tried to stop me but I keep singing

and keep preaching the good news to anyone who would listen they tried everything they

torture me with a tool meant to kill their goal was for me to deny my faith stop saying

Jesus all I could answer was I cannot I accept him and to death but your prayers carried

me through I would tell the other prisoners people are praying for us I can feel it the

name of Jesus is medicine and the war desperately needed our brothers and sisters are still

in prison when we eat they have no food when we are free they are in chains we can do more

keep on praying keep on supporting keep on singing your sister in Christ Helen.

It's not illegal to be a Christian in Eritrea it's just illegal to share your faith we are

so blessed to live in a country where even though it's not going the way that the church

would like right now in many facets of community we still have a freedom that many do not enjoy

singing songs on the steps of your church should not banish you to a shipping container

locked away for 32 months but in the midst of that God still moves you know it's so powerful

when you hear people's stories of faith.

So our ministry at Open Doors is two facets first of all it's to serve the persecuted

and it's to strengthen the church and since 1955 when our founder brother Andrew of God

smuggler fame anybody read the book or read the comic I read the comic first and have

read the book since he used to smuggle Bibles behind the Iron Curtain since he started that

back in 1955 Open Doors has been helping people follow Jesus all over the world no matter

the cost.

Brother Andrew used to pray this prayer as he would drive towards a border to smuggle

Bibles in he'd hide them in his VW and then sometimes he'd even be brazen enough to put

them on the seat and he would pray this prayer.

Would you have made blind eyes see now I'm asking you to make seeing eyes blind and God

answered his prayer.

Cars in front of him would be stopped and they'd stop every car stop every car stop

every car and then his would just be called through or they would come to the window look

in see nothing and he would drive on and deliver literally tens of thousands of Bibles behind

the Iron Curtain to churches that were basically run by government even the ministers of those

churches did not preach from the Bible they would bring propaganda from the government

to speak to the people controlled.

So when I applied for the role here I was really surprised to find out that we don't

work to end persecution.

I thought that you know we would be warriors and we'd be you know like ninjas go in and

end persecution but the fact is if we end persecution then we might as well get rid

of most of the Bible.

Most of the New Testament is written by persecuted people to persecuted people.

Read it have a look some of the verses that I hate the most are about persecution in the

Bible consider it a sheer gift when you go through tests and challenges.

I wish I could liquid paper that one out but you know there's there's so many verses about

trial and persecution in our life but it's part of sharing in the suffering of Christ.

Matthew chapter 5 in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus proclaimed blessed are those who are

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

persecuted for righteousness sake.

So if we get rid of persecution we're robbing people of blessing.

Later we read that he told his disciples in John 16 33 these things I have spoken to me

so that in you so that in me you may have peace.

In this world you will have tribulation but be of good cheer I have overcome the world

amen.

So instead our ministry is to strengthen the persecuted church and we do that in a number

of ways by providing discipleship emergency relief and community development in over 70

countries across the globe.

So for over 65 years Open Doors has been partnering with local church and local partners in countries

like I said over 70 countries to strengthen them in the face of persecution and also advance

the gospel.

I've just come back from a trip and because of security reasons I can't tell you everything

yet because it has to go through a whole system because we were with a church the church big

C in a communist country and I realise that a lot of this goes to open channels but one

of the things that I am so aware of amidst the background of communism corruption and

clan oppression the Church of Jesus Christ still goes on.

The persecution that comes to our brothers and sisters around the world is not something

that destroys the church in fact they say in their own words in their own language that

the persecution is something we live with because it spreads the gospel.

So it's the power of God working through their weakness.

For those of you who are a bit statistically minded I just want to open a couple of slides

to tell you about what's happening in the world right now.

The number of Christians suffering high to extreme levels of persecution and discrimination

for their faith has risen by 5 million in the last 12 months.

It's now up to 365 million across the globe who face severe persecution for their faith.

Not persecution like your neighbour doesn't like the fact that you're playing you know

worship music in the morning and shouts out to you turn that down that's not persecution

that I'm talking about it's a form but it's not.

Persecution of severe.

Let's put a broader spectrum on it in 2014 so just 10 years ago there was about a hundred

million people that were persecuted for their faith across the world.

It's more than tripled in the last 10 years.

That means that one in seven Christians worldwide will suffer high to extreme levels of persecution

and discrimination for their faith in Jesus Christ.

In the last reporting period 4,998 Christians were killed worldwide for their faith.

And faith related attacks yet the extent of the loss remains largely unreported.

They're just the ones that have been reported.

In 2023 there was a seven-fold increase in attacks on churches, Christian schools and

hospitals.

Went up from 2,111 in the previous reporting period to now over 14,500 reported attacks

and they are the ones that are reported.

Just want to tell you another story about a lady named Nina that might inspire your

faith of the people that we are wanting to as believers support across the world.

Nina has given her life to sharing the love of Jesus in some of the darkest villages in

Egypt.

After reading the Bible and hearing Jesus call to make disciples she felt the conviction

to share Jesus with those who live in places most Christians would fear to tread.

Though in rural middle Egypt radical Islam, drug addiction and witchcraft are unrampant

this has often led to violent attacks on her and the people that she meets with daily.

Fully aware of the risks Nina is committed to seeing the little of the body of Christ

which remains strengthened in these rural villages.

She knows that any Christian in this area, in these areas have no access to church buildings

or a pastor and they suffer trauma from persecution they have faced in this very hostile region.

On top of this many cannot read the Bible due to low literacy levels.

Out of love for these people she continues to visit these regions daily even at immense

risk for her own safety.

In a heavily Islamic region Nina stands out because she is a woman travelling alone for

one thing and as a Christian she is also unveiled.

Because of this she runs the risk of assault, abuse, kidnapping and temps on her life.

On her first visit, get this, on her first visit to one of these villages Nina was greeted

by a family and welcomed into their humble home.

She politely accepted a cup of tea which is an Egyptian custom, it's a custom all around

the world but the tea was poisoned.

She woke up a few hours later, dazed, confused and grateful to have survived.

Despite the scary first encounter she felt compelled to return and has been visiting

these villages daily for several years.

I don't know about you but if I felt I'd heard the call of the Lord to do this in the

first place I go they poison me I'd think I didn't hear the word of the Lord I had

a bad pizza the night before and so you know I'll pray again Disneyland yes Lord but she

continues to go back.

When asked if she's ever scared Nina laughed and replied I've been adopted by these people.

If there's no bullets flying around my head something is wrong.

I've become so used to hearing bullets.

Because of Nina's love for the people in these regions many both Muslim and Christian backgrounds

are being introduced to the love of Jesus and the truth of the gospel.

Even though many villages have no church building and no pastors believers meet in homes to

tell Bible stories they memorize scripture and pray and worship.

Nina and her team also lead literacy programs to help believers and non-believers read and

write so they can read the Bible together.

They've opened two homes for young women to recover from drug and alcohol addiction and

now they have over a hundred girls in each home being rehabilitated.

So Nina asked for prayer.

Prayer that she would have the energy to keep going and not burn out.

Her family are also becoming quite concerned for her safety because she's in danger every

day.

We need to thank God for people like Nina who are working in rural Egypt and pray that

God will continue to guide her and protect her and give her strength she needs to continue

this important and exceedingly difficult work.

I wasn't on the trip the trip to Egypt was two years ago.

Our team met Nina and just the love of Jesus that flows from her.

Can I just say this though I'm very aware that there are people we live in a very culturally

enhanced society here in Logan.

There's 217 ethnicities represented in our city.

It's almost like we are the United Nations of Australia here and I when I was in council

I used to get up and I'd look across the crowd and I'd say I don't know what you people think

but I think Logan looks like heaven and you know people go oh yeah sure mate you don't

live in my street.

But the Bible says every tribe, every tongue, every nation will be represented in heaven.

And so I tell these stories as stories of great faith of people who are persecuted but

remain but I'm also thankful to God for the stories of those who have been in persecuted

countries and have left to come to Australia.

You are no less brave.

God has a plan for you and I believe that you are here to help disciple the Western

Church to be a part of us being one body together and we thank you for what you do and what

you bring to our country here.

I'm so thankful for the cultural enhancement our city has of people who have come across

the sea to be a part of the body of Christ here in Australia.

You are heroes also.

Because we may never know the persecution that you have suffered but our heart is with

you as God uses you in our nation and your new nation.

The persecution of the kind that I've read about with Nina and we saw on the screen from

Helen in Eritrea may never seem what we experience.

In fact it can be far removed from our churches here in Australia.

We are all part of the body of Christ.

John Corinthians 12 verse 12 to 13 says the human body has many parts but the many parts

make up one whole body and so it is with the body of Christ.

I'm using terminology that's not theologically sound here this morning talking about the

Western Church and the persecuted church because we are one body.

And so this is the way I look at it.

On the screen behind me I'm thinking that if my PowerPoint presentation worked there

should be a picture of an x-ray.

You seeing that?

If you look at the little toe it's broken right across.

That's not something I got off Google.

That is an x-ray of one of my family members who was walking out of a room one day and

kicked their toe and it bent out at right angles and snapped right across.

If you've ever broken your toe or even just kicked your toe you realise how when one part

of the body hurts the rest of the body is affected.

This person had to wear a boot for nine months until they found healing in that one part.

And so it is when one part of the body suffers the rest of the body compensates to adjust

and adjust to bring comfort, strength and healing.

This person in my family I'm saying it like that because they don't want to be named

but they would walk around.

The rest of their body was compensating for those nine months until strength and healing

came.

We are all one part of the entire body of Christ.

Today there are people being beaten for their faith in countries all across the world.

They do not even have the social fabric that stops domestic violence or tries to stamp

out domestic violence like we have in Australia.

A system that seems so broken here is so strong when you visit countries that don't.

Last week I asked somebody what happens when a woman goes home from church and her husband

beats her because she has chosen to follow Jesus Christ.

What do the police do?

The police go that's your home stuff we don't worry about that.

So there's not even the society fabric or framework set up to support people going through

domestic violence because of their faith.

So when they hurt we hurt and we must then compensate to strengthen them through these

times because God is working in those nations in incredible ways.

I want to talk about because when I hear these stories of faith I think God how do these

people survive?

You know I wake up with a cold sometimes and think like you know Jesus doesn't love me

anymore.

How do these people survive in the midst of such shocking persecution?

And I think the answer is therefore I want to share just some simple thoughts this morning

before I wrap this up.

But you know obviously that verse that I read earlier my grace is sufficient for you and

my power is made perfect in your weakness is such a powerful verse when we are going

through trials and persecution of our own here in the west and in other countries.

God's strength floods into these beautiful people in a miraculous way and when you sit

across the table from them and as they tell a story with tears running down their face

they are not looking for sympathy they are crying yes some of it is through pain but

some of it is through them sharing the revelation of the love of Jesus in their life and the

strength that he has brought to them.

They don't ask for money they ask for prayer they ask for presence.

I met a man who lives in a tent he has been living in a tent with his parents and his

family for over 11 years behind his brother in laws house who would beat him because he

was a believer in Jesus Christ.

He was so angry with him he cut off the power to the tent and so he would seek God God God

please provide for our family for our believers and so he got provision in the wherewithal

to get a house so instead of making the house where his family moved into and they live

in a tent there's no walls.

The church is the house and he still lives in the tent.

We had the opportunity to pray with him and the power of God came upon him in a manifest

way where he's jumping up and down and just laughing and his hands raised and we asked

him through an interpreter what was happening and for me I would be laughing with joy because

God had dealt with my brother in law or God had built me a mansion and he got up and while

God was speaking to him he didn't see a house for himself he saw stadiums full of people

giving their heart to Jesus.

So how do people live like that?

How do we live better?

And it's found in probably the evidence is found in that verse but also three quick verses

I want to share with you.

The first is found in Acts 1 verse 8 one of my favourite verses but you shall receive

Acts 1:8

power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you'll be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea

and Samaria and to the outermost parts of the earth.

That word power is the word dunamis or dynamis which is where we get the word dynamite you

shall receive dynamite from heaven when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.

You know it also can be translated as you will receive the ability of heaven, the efficiency

of heaven and the might of heaven when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.

Acts chapter 2 this is almost like you know a boy growing up in an AOG church you have

Acts 2 · chapter mention

to memorise the scriptures from the book of Acts and it says they were all together in

one place in one accord when suddenly the sound of a mighty rushing wind filled the

building where they were and tongues of fire divided tongues of fire sat upon their head

and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues.

They were filled with the Holy Spirit the power of the Holy Spirit.

In Acts 10 38 when I was the youth pastor in the church that I started at here it became

the verse for our youth ministry we were called high voltage youth and it says how God anointed

Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power and how we went around doing good and

healing all who were oppressed to the devil because God was with him.

The key to our lives having the strength to endure through persecution and trials whether

it's over in another country or whether it's here is the infilling of the Holy Spirit.

And so three simple things that we as the church the body of Christ not just in Australia

but across the world need to seek God for is these three things.

First of all to be spirit filled.

We need to be filled with the spirit the Bible says to be filled with the spirit but it's

an ongoing thing it's a be being filled it's not something that happened in a crusade in

1970 it's not something that happened at a massive crusade like the hat on the Gold Coast

last night and we live in the glory of those one moment experiences but it's a daily thing

of being filled with the spirit.

There was if we go to and I'll whip through these really quickly but the story of the

life of Stephen in the Bible what a great name.

He was known for being full of the spirit when he was chosen as one of the seven to

help distribute food it was because the Bible says he was a man full of faith and of the

Holy Spirit in Acts 6 verse 5 and Acts 6 verse 8 goes on to say his spirit filled life was

Acts 6:5 Acts 6:8

well it tells us that his spirit filled life was evident in his powerful witness and the

miraculous signs that he did among the people.

I'll just stick with Stephen I've got some illustrations of Paul that you can check later

on but so he was spirit filled we need to be spirit filled.

Second thing he was spirit led when Stephen stood before the Sanhedrin he boldly declared

the truth guided by the Holy Spirit.

His speech in Acts verse 7 recounts Israel's history and culminates in a powerful rebuke

of the religious leaders showing that he was led by the spirit to speak God's truth even

at great personal risk.

Paul was also led by the spirit Paul's missionary journeys were directed by the Holy Spirit

in Acts chapter 16 the Holy Spirit prevented Paul and his companions from preaching in

Acts 16 · chapter mention

Asia and guided them instead to Macedonia through a vision.

This guidance was pivotal in spreading the gospel to new regions so they were spirit

filled spirit led we need to be spirit led and then finally they were spirit strong.

Stephen's strength in the face of persecution which ultimately led to his martyrdom was

a testament of his spiritual fortitude.

How does someone in the midst of that who's being stoned stay strong in spirit praying

for his attackers and commending his spirit to Jesus saying Lord receive my spirit.

How does Paul endure through trials and persecution despite beatings imprisonment and numerous

hardship Paul remained unwavering in his mission.

In Acts chapter 14 after being stoned and left for dead Paul got up and instead of leaving

Acts 14 · chapter mention

the city that stoned him and left for dead he thought haven't killed me yet I'm going

back spirit strong.

He showed remarkable resilience and strength through the power of the Holy Spirit and as

we were praying and reflecting before the manifest presence of God in our lives embodies

our lifestyle of being spirit filled spirit led and spirit strong.

My encouragement to you today is that the trials that you face right now are no less

important to the ones that I am highlighting this morning and we've seen in video and we'll

see another video shortly they're no less important to God.

You need to be spirit filled.

You need to be spirit led and you need to be spirit strong.

I've been praying that God would make me more brave don't pray that prayer.

He's putting me in situations where I need to be brave.

I was down in Sydney recently and I got into an Uber.

Anybody could have picked me up I had a 50 minute drive from the airport to where I was

going for some training and I could have taken three trains but I didn't know how the train

system worked down there so I thought I'll get an Uber.

So I don't know if you've used Uber before but basically you go onto an app and any car

that's close to you can come and pick you up the closest one if you're an Uber driver

you'll explain it to me better later but basically this guy comes to pick me up and so I've been

praying this prayer for months now God I want to be more brave I want to be open to your

spirit I want to be spirit led.

So a man from Islamic background picks me up of all the people that could have picked

me up this guy does.

We get talking about he's from Pakistan we get talking about the Pakistan cricket team

you know I'm building a bridge I love cricket and so we're talking about cricket start talking

about his family he tells me a little bit about his family he goes oh but I told him

where I was from he goes oh I'm moving to Brisbane in a few weeks time.

I said oh where he goes over to the north side to a place called Jim Boomba.

I said mate that's not over the north side that's in the centre of the universe that's

Logan City.

I said let me tell you all about it I found out that he is married and he's got a six

year old and he's wanting to know about the schools and he's wanting to know about the

area so I told him about the development that's happening from Browns Plains all the way out

to Versdale I'm telling him all the schools that are available to him I'm telling him

about the the lie of the land he wanted to know about Yarra Bilba and Flagstone and all

I was able to tell him all of that.

Spirit led and so I'm thinking to myself okay what can I do here God I just want to get

some of the gospel into this fella.

He told me that he is raised Muslim and his wife is raised Hindu I said how does that

even work you wouldn't be able to go back home he goes oh no what a plan to go back

home he goes we're not practicing he goes we practice all the festivals where we can

have a drink.

So he's obviously not a practicing Muslim right so I said well long story short you're

not a practicing Muslim your wife's not a practicing Hindu why don't you just split

the difference and become a Christian.

I know it's not theologically sound but you weren't in the car.

So I'm just chatting to the dude we get to the and and and so I walk him through because

I said what happens to you after this life he goes oh well if you're good enough you

go to paradise and if you don't you go to hell.

He says it's like all the religions I said not my religion mate I said you're looking

at a guy that can't be good enough but God in his grace sent a gift of his son Jesus

Christ to die to pay the price for all of my sins.

I'm talking to him like this and then I walked him through the Roman road to salvation you

know Romans 3 10 there is none righteous not one only the women no no no man is righteous

just the women and then I walked him through five verses in the book of Romans that talked

about the journey to salvation and I said it's simple mate why don't you do this because

I'm not as educated as you he's got three degrees that never transferred over from Pakistan

to here so he drives an Uber and I said you're a very intelligent man someone more intelligent

than you and I could get in the car and talk you out of me talking you into Christianity

so I'm not even going to argue with you but I just said to him why don't you ask God if

you are real like Steve says you are prove yourself to me.

I said you can do it just like you're talking to me you don't have to get on your knees

or anything you just say God if you're real like Steve says you are I'm here I'm open

show yourself to me.

I said you can do it now in the car but that might be awkward and then we just continued

to talk about life cricket and all the important things.

He gets to the place where he had to drop me off and he said I was hoping I'd get red

lights listen to this because your words were like honey to my soul.

I said my wife doesn't even say that to me.

He said I was hoping it would take longer because your words were like honey to my soul

and he gets my bag out of the boot and he says what were those words I have to say to

God again?

I said I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer but I'm available so God use me.

So I said look give me your phone number I will go up to my room and I'll text you data

harvester I'll text you what you need to say.

So I get up to my room I rang my wife straight away I told her what happened and then I sent

her a message and I said it was such a privilege to spend time with you today I had a great

time feel free to call me anytime on this number but if you're talking to God just talk

like we were talking in the car and say these words God if you are real please show yourself

to me I am here I am open and I'm listening and then I said and when you move give me

a call I'd like to come out and visit you and then I text him the next few days and

I said to do that for the next three days pray that prayer for the next three days and

let's see what happens I'd like to tell you that on the third day my phone burst into

flame and I knew that he was saved.

I haven't got that call yet but I've had interaction with him since he wants to meet me via zoom

to talk to me again he rang me and said the job that I was going to in my new house where

I was going to has I have two options I can do real estate or I can work for LD can you

give me some wisdom on what I should do how cool is that he obviously doesn't know me

because he wouldn't be asking for wisdom from me but like he's asking for wisdom from the

Lord and I'm just believing that when he finally gets here because his move has been delayed

that he will find a Christian church I'll introduce him to a Christian community out

near his home and that he and his Hindu born wife and his six-year-old boy oh no Jesus

Christ how cool is that you say well that's all good for you Steve you were a pastor for

20 years you know all the Bible no I don't it's not about what you know it's about being

spirit-filled spirit-led so that you can impart strength to people but be strong yourself

I'll leave that there and we'll move on you okay anyone if you need to leave and put your

roast on feel free to go here's how we work we'll land the plane really quickly at open

doors we work four ways we provide Bibles we still provide Bibles to countries all across

the world in four formats and languages that they understand it's no not not useful to

us to send English Bibles to a non-english-speaking country nor even a physical Bible like this

sometimes because if they're found with it it could mean the end so we provide Bibles

in a format sometimes they look like a device that they can listen to through earphones

that everyone's listening to music and they can share so we do that we provide training

I heard of some training programs firsthand this week that were training for people to

be salt and light in the community and through good works in the community you know that

verse Acts 10 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power and

how he went around running crusades doesn't say that how he went around doing good these

Christians believers are are being discipled in ways to be good in their community and

the government of the time that would want to eradicate what they're believing is giving

them awards training people to be prepared for persecution training people to train others

training people to learn medical treatment training people in the Bible and and all sorts

of things so we do training practical support to go in and help people rebuild their community

when they have been devastated when whether it's either government or other faiths have

come in and decimated the Christian community and then also presence ministry which what

I is what I and some of my colleagues did for the last nine days throughout Southeast

Asia going and sitting across the table and holding hands with and praying with believers

together our heart to heart loving one another but not just us qualified people as well that

come in for trauma counselling after they have been through intense trauma they're just

a few things but for the sake of time we'll finish there so there's been 1.7 million bibles

or Christian literature or discipleship materials being delivered 3.2 million Christians have

received discipleship training pastoral support and theological training 600,000 Christians

have been helped with socio-economic development including aid microloans and trauma care and

one and a half million in-person visits care prayer and counselling across the world for

people that's the work that Open Doors is partnering with local churches and local partners

in countries to strengthen them so what does it look like for you as a church congregation

to partner first of all I make this offer and I've made this offer to your pastor that

I we as a ministry can provide for you dossiers on countries and and videos like I've shown

you this morning that that will inform you about what God is doing across the world to

strengthen this church and how you can pray so that's one way you can be involved but

first of all I want to ask you unashamedly this morning if you would commit to pray for

our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world up on the back table I have and

under the table if we run out I have this little book it's called the world watch list

used to be provided in an A4 format but we needed to make it more useful for you to put

in your Bible and it's got number 1 through 50 of the most persecuted places on the planet

today to be a believer in Jesus Christ it's measured through smash and squeeze smash is

the violence that happens to a believer squeezes the pressure for example I met somebody in

the last six months that I've been with Open Doors who served in the armed forces was a

decorated war veteran he had lost a limb in his service for his country and they had set

him up for life with a pension his medical all of that taken care of when he decided

to follow Jesus that was all taken away there is no NDIS or social security in his country

that's the pressure that comes I was talking to a pastor who supports missions in India

and to decide to follow Jesus in the northern part of India where they support people means

that you no longer have access to healthcare your children no longer have access to schooling

your children no longer have access to employment like other children do so it's not just a

matter of I can decide to follow Jesus and my neighbours might not ask me for a barbecue

anymore it's the pressure so we take those two measures put them together and come up

with a list of the top 50 there's other countries that are not on this list yet but these are

the top 50 and each page will have a little paragraph of how you can pray for that country

so if you're praying on the 1st of July you can pray for number one which is North Korea

the next slide that we have is the top 10 places in the world right now in 2024 to be

a Christian that the most pressure and persecution comes North Korea is number one Somalia Libya

Eritrea on that video you would have seen that it was number six if you remember that

was last year's figures when that video was made it's now moved up to number four Yemen

Nigeria Pakistan Sudan Iran Afghanistan that's the top 10 you can pray for those and 40 others

of them and that would really be great we'd love to engage you and join our hearts together

to pray for these countries and if you could do that that would be fantastic the second

thing that you can do as a church to partner with open doors and again unashamedly I present

this to you is to give financially we are not all able to get on a boat or a plane and

go to those countries but we are all called to go in Matthew 28 and we can go by giving

financially I know you'll say well Steve they don't want money no they don't want money

but they want materials that they can disciple people they want you know I want to tell you

I met somebody in the last six months from a country that it's not legal to be Christian

and they build a church a gathering of believers they get to a point of about 60 to 100 and

they ask 60 the pastor gets up and asks 60 people is there 60 people that will give one

day's wages a week to buy land for the next two years and they do on top of tithes and

then they do that for two years they buy the land and then they say right we need another

60 that will sponsor the volunteers who are going to give their time and not go to work

to build the building and in five years they've built eight churches land and building so

we want to be able to help resource that and you can do that because what what 50 or 100

dollars does in Australia you can't even take your family out for dinner probably unless

you go like me and go to Maccas but you know but that can do a whole lot in another country

so we're asking today if you would pray and I will never want to guilt you into that right

I'm not going to stand here and say if you would just stop drinking a coffee drink your

coffee it's God who provides seed for the sower and if if Holy Spirit moves on your

heart I want to give 20 dollars or I want to give a hundred dollars or I want to give

a monthly gift do that but do it because the Lord lead you to not because Steve told you

a sad story right and generosity starts in this house so don't give to open doors if

you're not first sowing here if that's okay because you know generosity starts in your

own church household and I know that the church sows generously to missions but we have given

you the opportunity there is a QR code that will appear on the screen I know your QR code

literate because I see that you already use them but we've also put this card on the seat

so pray and ask God what would you have me give and I know that pastor Rob is going to

receive an offering later of cash but I do have a card facility at the back that you

can tap at the end of the service if you would like to give if you didn't come prepared to

give today let's watch one more video and then I'll close and hand to pastor Rob from

the moment I decided to follow Jesus I knew that I would face persecution my name is found

on the radicals wanted list sometimes they watch me going from place to place my brother

and I decided to start a whole church in Yemen we are very careful about the meetings we

gather in closed spaces to prevent outsiders from hearing us we had new believers in need

of training and baptizing so my brothers and I sat down to take a decision they eventually

decided that I should not accompany them because I was no I posed a bigger risk to them when

they finished the training they decided to move to another location for baptizing so

they took a bus and started on the journey they were texting me for a while but after

that I lost contact with them I sensed that something had happened to them I remember

that evening I received information that they had been captured and put in prison I was

sad I was crying I felt guilty because I had allowed them to go to that place my family

was scared for me they told me to flee the country a lot of thoughts ran through my head

would I stay or leave I decided to hide in my home during this time I encouraged the

rest of the brothers in my church I would go secretly to meet them and pray with them

then return home into hiding I would always remind them that when we decided to follow

Christ we were aware that things like this would happen

your prayers are crucial to us because they lead to miracles

Yemen needs brave servants to go out in society and proclaim the message of God I could stay

safe I could remain at home and face no persecution but what good is my Christianity for them

what good is my faith if I don't go out and deliver the message of God to others

what good is my faith if I don't go and deliver the message of God to others would you join

me in praying heavenly father we thank you for the precious gift of your son Jesus Christ

the gift of grace to our lives saved us from our sin paid the price for my wickedness that

I might have relationship with God the good news bringing life where I had none eternal

life so God I pray today that for these nations that I hold in my hand that are represented

by this book for our brothers and sisters that are persecuted in those countries that

you would manifest your presence there right now as we join in prayer here in this room

in Logan that an unprecedented move of God would take place in each of those nations

we sing songs and pray prayers about revival but God I just pray for an unprecedented avalanche

of souls to be swept into the kingdom in these countries I pray that you would strengthen

our persecuted brothers and sisters as they stand strong for you may they be spirit-filled

may they be spirit-led and may they be spirit-strong and we pray for the persecutors those regimes

those political bodies those family members who feel that they are doing the work of the

God that they serve or the godless nation philosophy that they serve to rid their to

do their best to rid their city of followers of Christ I pray that they would have like

the Apostle Paul when he was Saul had a vision that transformed his life in an instant we

pray for persecutors to be swept into the kingdom turn them around to become followers

of Jesus Christ and not just followers of Jesus Christ but proponents of the gospel

people who share the gospel in their nation may they also be filled with the spirit may

they also be led by the spirit may they also be spirit-strong God we commit ourselves to

the simple thing as Christians to listen and obey to listen to you and obey give us opportunities

to see people the way you see them give us your eyes and heart to see people in our own

Jerusalem here that need to know the love of Jesus Christ we give you thanks honor glory

and praise in Jesus name amen so I want to thank you in advance for partnering with open

doors because it's individuals like you and churches like yours that make a difference

across the world where people will be strengthened as they follow Jesus Christ no matter the

cost even in the face of persecution I'm going to hand back to Pastor Rob God bless you folks

thank you so much for your time today thank you for joining us we pray God's richest blessing

on your life if you haven't already make sure to join us on Facebook Instagram and YouTube

you can also find us at Logan City Christian Church dot com see you next week