Dear Supporter,
I hope that you enjoyed a happy and blessed Easter, celebrating the life bought for us by our Lord's death and resurrection.
Jesus was dead and buried, with a big stone rolled against the tomb, and the Pharisees came to Pilate to ask for permission to seal the stone and guard the tomb. Pilate responded, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” (Matthew 27:65). So they did.
They did their best but it was in vain. It was hopeless then, it is hopeless today, and it will always be hopeless.
We know in our work here at Christian Concern that no government, court or system can keep Jesus down. No attempt of man can keep Him buried.
As we look to the recent tragedy in Lahore we see that they may use physical violence. With our own cases such as Felix Ngole, Richard Page, Victoria Wasteney and Barry Trayhorn they use academic scorn and religious caricature; with our organisation, attempts to silence us and ostracise us, describing us as 'alarmist' and 'extremist'.
For a season, they may think that the tomb is finally sealed. But it never works. Jesus breaks out. He breaks out because He was never forced in. He let himself be libelled and harassed; scorned, mocked and killed, going willingly to the grave.
"I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again." (John 10:17–18)
No one can keep Jesus down because He laid down His life when he was ready.
As I see the story of China unfold I am amazed. The door to China may have been 'closed' for forty years to Western missionaries, yet the Lord saved fifty million Chinese citizens from inside. China is numerically the largest Christian country in the world – and because of the persecution, one of the strongest churches.
The underground church in Iran, too, is one of the fastest growing churches anywhere in the world.
And so I have hope for Britain and for Europe.
When it looks like He is buried for good, Jesus is doing something amazing in the darkness. “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how” (Mark 4:26–27).
It may feel to us at Christian Concern, living on the hard edge, that we in Britain and Europe think Jesus is done for, that His Word is buried for good and His Spirit is no longer at work.
But Jesus is at work in the dark places: "Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit" (John 12:24).
He let himself be buried — "no one takes my life from me" — and He will come out in power when and where He pleases — "I have authority to take it up again." And His hands will be full of fruit made in the dark.
"God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it" (Acts 2:24).
Jesus has His priesthood today "by the power of an indestructible life" (Hebrews 7:16).
For twenty centuries, the world has sought to bury Jesus but all in vain. It can't bury, silence or limit Him.
Jesus said: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me" (Matthew 28:18).
All things were made through Him and for Him, and He is absolutely supreme over all other powers (Colossians 1:16–17).
In the sure and certain knowledge that Jesus cannot be contained, we trust him at Christian Concern, and we take up our cross and follow Him, no matter what.
We cannot lose in the end. Our job is to keep on, obedient and faithful, so long as He gives us breath.
So be encouraged - we as followers of Christ must stand firm, for we have the ultimate victory. The battle is already won.