Posted by John L. Rothra on March 22, 2006 under Devotional/Teaching | 
I ran across a news article about an Afghani man, Abdul Rahman, who converted from Islam to Christianity. First, let me say how wonderful it is to see someone put their faith in the true, living Messiah, Jesus Christ. Praise God for this man’s faith and willingness to risk everything he has to follow the God of the Bible.
It seems, though, Rahman could be sentenced to death because he’s now a Christian. His trial is taking place now. You can read about the story here:
Pressure Mounts for Way Out on Christian Convert in Afghanistan
He is being accused of being insane by the court, but when he took the stand, he said, “I believe in Christianity. I believe in the Holy Spirit. I am a Christian.” What a bold faith Rahman is showing.
Join me in praying God builds Mr. Rahman’s faith, strengthens him, and uses this to bring others to accept Christ.
Posted by John L. Rothra on March 16, 2006 under Evangelism |
I had the joy of preaching at revival services in Columbus, Ohio from March 12-15. Services were held at Hope Community Fellowship, where Troy Thoman is pastor. I want to extend my deepest gratitude to Pastor Troy and his family as well as to all of the Hope Community family.
Let me tell you a little about this church. If you are looking for a place to call home, I strongly recommend Hope Community Fellowship. They are warm, kind, welcoming people who gather together to worship God and grow in the relationship through Christ. They are led by an evangelistic, outreach-oriented, Christ-following pastor who longs to see the members gain more faith and see the lost come to Christ.
I had the opportunity to get to know some of the people there, especially the pastor and his family. They are a blessing to me and, if the Lord will grant it, I hope to return there to preach to them again. The style of the church is down-home with traditional Christian values. They are not like some churches where a suit and tie is required and the pastor seems more like a businessman than a minister. Hope Community Fellowship is full of people with whom anyone can relate.
If you live in the Columbus area and are looking for a church home, I highly recommend, and strongly encourage you to visit Hope Community Fellowship.
Posted by John L. Rothra on March 7, 2006 under Devotional/Teaching |
It is almost inevitable for things to go haywire at some time in your life. Maybe your boss will chew you out over a report filed wrong. Maybe you will get into an argument with your spouse or child. Maybe you will share sicknesses with your family.
Recently, my family participated in a family share-the-sickness bout. It began when our daughter got sick, then my wife, and finally me. Over a one-week period, all three of us shared those germs with each other. I must say, while we do encourage our daughter to share with others, telling her sharing is good, it’s ironic the one thing she readily shares is what nobody else wants. Ah, the joys of family.
During this week-long bout of the ’sickies,’ I thought about how things can seem when things go wrong. During those times, when your mood is already depressed, your spiritual guard may be weakened or even down, the devil will use that opportunity to ensure you stay down. During those hard times, you may begin to feel everything is going wrong. You see all of life as one long, depressing road of bad luck. You lose sight of the good things and only see the bad.
When things go wrong, when difficult times come, don’t let yourself focus on the bad things in life. View these times as opportunities to build your trust in God. Use the situation as a stepping stone to a stronger faith in Christ. Look up toward the creator of life to give you endurance and hope. In the letter of James, we are told, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance” (James 1:2-3, NASB). In other words, don’t look at difficulty as a barrier that cannot be passed or a giant pothole on your road of life. Rather, view it as a hurdle to be leaped, an opportunity for growth. The result of these down times shouldn’t be depression, but submission to God! They should result in enduring faith!
Whenever things look down, it’s time to look up. Look up to Christ.
