Dear Friends,
It has been another tumultuous year filled with wars, persecution and natural disasters, as Jesus told us (Matt 24:6-9) would be the case as we move closer to His return. The war between Russia and Ukraine continues, with signs of further escalation instead of any inclination towards a peace process. The war around Israel escalated drastically this year with Israel and Iran firing directly at each other and thus no longer solely using proxy battlefields in their ongoing shadow war with each other.
At the same time, the war in Sudan continues to rage on, with less and less people paying attention to it. Tensions continue to build between China and Taiwan, the war in Myanmar is still ongoing and there seems to be no resolve to the crisis in Haiti. We also remember the fiasco of the Olympics opening ceremony, we have just seen Bashar al-Assad removed from power in Syria and everyone is looking on with anticipation to Donald Trump’s second stint as president of the USA.
And in the midst of all these events God is at work through His Church. Showing people there is an alternative Kingdom that cannot be devastated by natural disasters, wars or be overthrown by any opposition. More so, it’s an everlasting Kingdom and the invitation is open to anyone and everyone to become a part of it. We see that through our brothers and sisters who remain steadfast in their faith throughout these crises, the Kingdom of God is growing, and we are moving closer to reaching every nation, tribe, and tongue with Gospel of Jesus Christ.
As we thus move into the Christmas season to celebrate the birth of our Saviour, may we not forget our brothers and sisters, who will be celebrating His birth in the midst of war and persecution. Even as many of us are blessed with the reality of going on holiday during this time to visit family and friends, may we continue to remember our family who is caught-up in the midst of all these events. May we be mindful to pray for them every time that we are busy praying. Whether it is during our quiet time or praying before a meal, may we be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s guidance in uplifting the Church in a specific country every time we pray.
This is as much a message to the INcontext team as it is to everyone reading it, since we are also in the privileged position to close the office for the next few weeks. Our office will close on Friday, 13 December and will open again DV Monday, 13 January, and during this time we will not be sending out any resources. We are certainly looking forward to a time of rest and reflection after a very busy year, but at the same time we are looking forward with great anticipation to see what extraordinary things God is going to do in 2025!
We thank you for your continued support and we hope that you will have a Christ-centred Christmas, filled with the love, joy and peace that can only be found in Him.
Gustav & the INcontext team
