Pastor Rick Hudgens | The
Antidote to Suffering
Sunday/Jun/2009 13:16
Peter tells us in 1 Peter 4:13-14: “Friends, when
life gets really difficult, don't jump to the
conclusion that God isn't on the job. Instead, be glad
that you are in the very thick of what Christ
experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with
glory just around the corner.” As we study 1
Peter chapter 4 today we will see that Peter shows us
some unexpectedbenefits that can come to Christians
when they go through suffering in thewill of God.
Consider this remarkable true testimony:
Hawa Ahmed was a Muslim student in North Africa. One
day, she read a Christian tract in her dormitory and
decided to become a Christian. Her father was an Emir
(Islamic ruler), so she expected to lose her
inheritance because of her conversion. She was
completely unprepared for what happened.
When she told her family she had become a Christian and
changed her name to Faith, her father exploded in rage.
Her father and brothers stripped her naked and bound
her to a chair fixed to a metal plate with which they
wanted to electrocute her. Faith asked them to at least
lay a Bible in her lap. Her father responded, "If you
want to die together with your false religion, so be
it." One of her brothers added, "That will show that
your religion is powerless." Although they had bound
her, she was able to touch a corner of the Bible. She
felt a strange peace, as though someone were standing
beside her. Her father and brothers pushed the plug
into the socket—and nothing happened. They tried
four times with various cables, but it was as though
the electricity refused to flow. Finally her father,
angry and frustrated, hit her and screamed, "You are no
longer my daughter."
Then he threw her into the street, naked. She ran
through the streets, humiliated and in pain. People
looked at her, curious rather than shocked. Shaking and
tearful, she ran to a friend. Her friend let her in,
clothed her, and gave her shelter. The next day, her
friend asked neighbors what they had thought when they
had seen Faith running naked through the streets. "What
are you talking about?" they asked. "The girl had a
wonderful white dress on. We asked ourselves why
someone so beautifully clothed had to run through the
streets." God had hidden her nakedness from their eyes,
clothing her in a beautiful white dress. Today, Faith
is a full-time evangelist with Every Home for
Christ.
{Source: joelnews.org}
Listen
Guest speaker: Judy
Buttles
Sunday/Jun/2009 17:59
We welcome our special guest, Judy Buttles. (Judy is
the sister of Joyce Alsbury.) Judy started playing the
piano as a child, and soon found herself (at the age of
9) as the pianist for the Prosser, Wash., Church of the
Nazarene. Married to Stan, with three grown sons, Judy
worked alongside Stan, a music minister at Kennewick,
Wash., Church of the Nazarene for nearly 30 years. Judy
is a classically-trained piano performance graduate of
Northwest Nazarene College and teaches piano for her
livelihood.
Nearly four years ago, Judy suffered a terrible car
crash, crushing her left hand. Doctors informed her she
would be fortunate to ever use her hands for even
rudimentary tasks, with no possibility of ever again
playing the piano.
This is a story you will not want to miss! Judy’s
story has been featured in "American Music Teacher"
magazine and national American Medical Association
conferences. Judy is a testament to perseverance and
determination. Doctors call it a miracle, what she has
done. But she calls it a miracle, what God has done.
Join her as she shares God’s handiwork in a way
you won’t soon forget.
Listen