Dear Friend of the Persecuted Church—

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

We are on the threshold of the cheeriest time of the year. Undoubtedly your plans are well underway for all of the activities of the season, a time hallmarked by sharing well wishes, blessings, and smiles. But sometimes I wonder just how much of our cheer is based on our physical blessings. Would we have the same celebratory spirit if we were to live in suffering?

Don't get me wrong; we should most certainly offer praise and thanksgiving for the blessings we have been given. But the command of John 16:33 is not conditioned on having temporal blessings—in fact, just the opposite. As I prepare to minister in Sudan to brothers and sisters with none of this world's blessings, I would like to seek out a deeper reason for the sort of “good cheer” that perseveres through tribulation.

The beginning of that answer is in the last phrase of John 16:33: Jesus Christ has overcome the world. But let's face it. If we are not connected to Jesus Christ, His overcoming simply does not help us. If we are part of “the world,” instead of part of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, we will be overcome ourselves, instead of overcoming.

Knowing that all of humanity would be divided into these two categories—overcomers and those that are overcome—Jesus prayed for His own. As I mentioned last week, His prayer in John 17 is a perfect model of our prayers for our persecuted brothers and sisters. Multiple times in these verses He prays that believers would know the oneness of a perfect relationship with God (for His disciples specifically, in verse 11, and for all believers to follow, in verse 21).

That relationship, that connection, that oneness with God is the source of genuine cheer. It puts us on the overcoming side of the battle, so that we can know for certain that, despite any earthly suffering, our eternal home is secure.

As Jesus prayed for His own, let us pray that persecuted Christians would experience oneness with God, and let us pray for them the unending cheer of eternal security!

This week, I would also ask for your prayer for the team that Remember and two other ministries are sending to Sudan. We are leaving on Friday, and will be returning December 5. Pray for travel mercies and safety, and please pray that the Holy Spirit would be upon all of our thoughts and plans. We will have the opportunity to scope out the land for our building project, to meet with government officials to clear the way to begin, and to meet with pastors, widows, and orphans in the persecuted church as we prayerfully seek to expand our ministry to these believers.

Happy Thanksgiving! May this holiday season be one of good cheer for you and yours.

Yours for the Body of Christ,

Gabriel J. Waddell
Executive Director

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