Philippians 1:14

“Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.”  – Philippians 1:14

I am an Air Force brat.  About every 4 years of my childhood my family would uproot and move to a different location.  I have lived in Texas, Illinois, Alabama, Oklahoma, Colorado Springs, and even overseas for 4 years in Saudi Arabia.  That was an experience!  The word BBQ had a completely different meaning there.  A BBQ in Saudi included inviting the entire family out to the desert to roast a lamb.  Not just roast but haul it up there, cut it’s throat, drain it and then proceed to cook it on a spit in front of everyone.  When it was done you sat it on a table with some rice and other delicacies and then if you wanted a piece, you took it … with your hands.  Aside from the food, and the school which included kids from about 45 different countries, we had our own underground church.  Church was different over there.  We met in a house on a compound which was like a country club for Armed Service personnel and out of country contractors.  One rule that was very important there was to not all park in front of the house on Friday mornings (which was when the weekend fell on).  If you were a Saudi and were caught confessing Jesus most likely they would take you out to the desert and kill you.  If you were military you would be deported immediately.  Many of the people that met in the house were living in Saudi working in the oil fields but had a tremendous heart to reach those for Jesus Christ.  One of the many stories that touched my heart was hearing about Bible smuggling in the airport.  Some stories included the officials finding Bibles in their suitcases and then immediately throwing them in jail.  Many other stories included travelers ahead of those who had Bibles in their suitcase and their things were searched thoroughly and then when it was their turn they would just let them go without touching their things.  My favorite story was hearing about a missionary who set his things on a table to be searched.  After reaching the bottom of the suitcase and finding numerous amounts of Bibles in the bottom, they put everything back, zipped up the suitcase, and let them go through.
We as Christians have a choice.  Do we speak courageously about Jesus Christ or do we let a situation slide because we think the circumstances aren’t perfect.  Opportunities arise daily to share the love of Jesus, and we all sometimes miss them.  Perhaps the opportunities include helping someone change their tire on the side of the highway.  On the other hand, the opportunity may arise when someone tells you the trouble they are going through and they don’t know any way to cope with it.  Whatever the circumstances may be, we, as Christians, have the responsibility to help.
Paul wasn’t mad about his situation.  He used it as an opportunity to boldly share his faith.  Because of that many others were encouraged.  What catches my eye about this verse the most is the word, “most.”  God’s perfect will would have included, “all” of the brothers in the Lord.  We as humans don’t respond the way God wants us to all the time though. However, the wonderful thing about grace is that we can start anytime.  God calls us to him constantly.  Repentance is the act of turning from where we are now and going another direction.  If you feel the Spirit moving you in a different direction, pray for guidance and if it persists, then move in a different direction.  Once you start acting on your impulses that are prompted by the spirit, you will never be disappointed. As I stated in the beginning, we as Christians have a choice.  Do we choose to hear stories like the one above and hide behind our masks of insecurity and shy away from a situation or do we choose to be encouraged to tell others about Jesus in a country where it is still legal and we have the freedom to do so.  What choice will we make today?