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Today, there is a popular version of the Christian faith that says if one becomes a Christian he/she will be healthy, wealthy and popular. There is a principle in Scripture, however, that says if one is faithful to God and His word it will inevitably lead to opposition. These two views, of course, are diametrically opposed to each other. Let us look at some Biblical examples.

• Moses watched the burning bush and heard God send him back to Egypt. Now, Moses was no plaster-cast saint, but look at the rest of his life: life and death struggle with Pharaoh when Jews suffered they wanted to get rid of him, there was trouble at the Red Sea, there was constant bickering about food and water, the pagan half-relatives of Israel – Moabites and Ammonites – wanted to do battle with Israel. Finally Moses didn't get to enter the Promised Land.
• Joseph tried to do the right. God gave him a prophetic vision and he shared it. His brothers hated him. He properly advised his father when his brothers failed to carry out their responsibilities. He was sold as a slave for his trouble. He served Potiphar well and Potiphar was blessed because of him. He refused to betray Potiphar's trust in relation to the official's wife. He went to prison for that good deed. He interpreted the dreams of two fellow prisoners. They forgot about him and he spent a couple of years in prison because of them.
• Daniel and his three young friends were determined to be faithful to God, even in captivity. They did their work well and no fault could be found with their work. If they had been willing to compromise, life might have been easier. They refused. Jealous princes schemed to get Daniel placed in the lion's den. That's opposition! The three young men refused to bow down to the image of Nebuchadnezzar. They wound up in the furnace. That is opposition!
• Noah was obedient to God even though it seemed quite strange to build a huge boat in an arid region. His neighbors mocked, scoffed and ridiculed him for decades.
• Stephen was a man filled with the Holy Spirit and a powerful witness for God. He served the church well, but was stoned to death for his faithfulness.
• Paul was instructed, in a vision, to go to Philippi. When he arrived, he was thrown into prison for his witness. Paul listed for us the sufferings he experienced in order to be faithful to the call of God. He was opposed by evil men outside the church and by jealous men inside.
• Jesus preached the Gospel to the people among whom He grew up. They tried to kill Him. He repeatedly tried to help the Pharisees see the error of their ways. He preached to them more than to anyone else. They lied about Him, plotted against His life and finally had Him crucified.
• The prophets faithfully conveyed the message God gave them to pronounce. They were imprisoned, tortured and killed in many different ways. Everyone knew that being a prophet was a high-risk occupation.

All of this is true. Jesus talked very specifically when He commanded those who would follow Him to take up their cross and follow Him. There is another side of it however. Moses did have a difficult life, but he was able to carry out the task to which God had called him. Joseph was mistreated by most everyone with whom he came in contact. Still, he was able to be in the right place at the right time so as to be able to spare the people of both Israel and Egypt from starvation. Daniel was mistreated, but God delivered both he and his friends and gave them positions of prestige and power in the realm. The people did laugh at Noah, but in the end that boat was his salvation. Stephen was put to death because of his witness, but even in his dying he could see the portals of heaven open on his behalf. Paul went to the places where God sent him and in most instances there was a physical price to pay for that faithfulness. The prophets faithfully preached the message God gave them and suffered for their faithfulness. The other side is that because of their faithful report, we have this wonderful record of God's justice and mercy that could not be as dramatic had they not lived and suffered for God. Jesus tried to minister to people who opposed Him. He was put to death for His efforts, but in the process He purchased our redemption.

Being a Christian does not necessarily lead to health, wealth and popularity. It does open the door to share the cross with our Lord and enables us to be faithful servants in His kingdom. Our reward may not appear this side of the grave. There is no doubt, however, that it awaits us. There is a bonus. He said that if we keep His commandments He would abide in us.

Bill Cooper

On January 9, Bill flew to Moscow to teach in a seminary there. He taught a course in Wesleyan Holiness Theology. The person who usually taught this course had to come home and Bill filled in for him. He taught the course in two weeks. In February of 1999, Bill will return to Moscow to teach a course in Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians. He is also scheduled to teach a course in the Pentateuch in February of 2000.

On January 22, Bill flew from Moscow to Donetsk, Ukraine to teach a course in the Gospel of Mark. He taught this course in two weeks and then returned home. This class was in a huge lecture hall and there were 75 first year students in the class.

While teaching in Ukraine, I had the opportunity to see the dental office in use every day. It provides total dental care for the people of the community as well as the students and faculty members of the university. This is a particular blessing for the pensioners there. If they went to get a small filling at a dentist's office, it would take their entire months pension. Here it costs them the equivalent of one dollar. Because these people have had little or no dental care during their lives, there are more extractions than fillings, but they do whatever is necessary to help these people. I was very happy that we had a hand in making this ministry possible. I also went to the kitchen to see the dishwasher that we provided for them. You may remember that many students had been sick because the dishes were being washed in cold water. The students are doing much better and I was very happy for that.

March 20, 21, Bill gave six hours of lectures on the "Wisdom of God versus the Wisdom of men." This took place at first Wayne Street United Methodist Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana. This is a Lay Academy that they conduct each year in Lent. On Sunday, he preached in all three of their worship services.

Each Tuesday during Lent, Bill has been giving a two-hour lecture on the book "Imitators of God" at First United Methodist Church in Fort Collins. This does not allow us to cover all of the topics, but it does give us an opportunity to cover many of them. This has been an exciting time to share with them.

You may remember that in the fall of 1996, Bill went to Tipton, Indiana to conduct a spiritual life retreat for the North Indiana Conference of the United Methodist Church. The retreat dealt with spiritual growth. The material he prepared for this retreat was written up as a book – IMITATORS OF GOD. At the conclusion of that retreat, Bill was invited to return in May of this year to give another retreat on the same subject – spiritual growth. This will be held April 30 through May 2, 1998. The research for this retreat has nearly been completed and of course will be complete before he leaves for Tipton. This will also be printed in a book entitled PARTICIPATING IN THE DIVINE NATURE. This book will be available by the first of July.

You may remember that we prayed for the Indiana conference and for the pastors and churches of that conference in advance of that retreat. We have been doing the same thing in preparation for this retreat. We hope you are joining us in this ministry of prayer.

Word has been received that Bill will be returning to teach at the Course of Study School which is held each Summer at Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary. This will be the 17th year that Bill has taught in this school. Again this year, Bill will teach a course in Bible for the first year class. He will teach this class in each of the two modules of the school. As usual, Bill will also offer his students an opportunity to study how to use the Greek biblical texts when you don't speak Greek, and the inductive method of Bible study. These 'extra-curricular classes' have been very popular over the years, although the students receive no course credit for them.

We would like to thank you for your support of Logos Ministries through your prayers, your financial gifts and your purchase of books and study materials. First use of these funds is for reinvestment directly in the ministry through the printing of additional materials. Other uses include gifts of books, special projects such as the Donetsk dishwasher and dental office and when possible paying part of Bill's travel expenses overseas.

Logos Ministries is a 501C non-profit corporation. Gifts are tax deductible.

MFN
PSS

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