The Persecuted Church, Appreciate Pastors & Baseball Fans

This Sunday is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church.

The Voice of the Martyrs’ is focusing on a Nigerian woman who watched helplessly with her daughter as Boko Haram militants killed her husband and son, and burned her home. When she searched the charred remains of her home, she found the Bible that she and her husband had received on their wedding day.
Meanwhile, the IMB is focusing on a man who traveled across Europe as he was driven out of his home country because of his faith in Jesus Christ. The IMB says on average someone is killed every two minutes because of their religious belief across the globe.

You can find more information about this important day at Baptist Press.
===

Most pastors worked hard in serving Jesus and His church. Just like the rest of us, they can use some encouragement. In a First Person on Baptist Press, Aaron Earls offers 17 ways you can encourage your pastor. And if you put them into action, these acts of encouragement will probably be good for you as well.

He writes about things like growing as a servant in the church, learning to trust God, being consistent in Bible reading and more.

He says when pastors see church members exercising and refraining from working too much they are encouraged…as this is shared with them.

Earls encourages people to speak encouraging words to their pastor, but also encourages them to help carry the load of the ministry for the purpose of strengthening the church and encouraging their pastor.

Read his full piece at Baptist Press.
===

Good News for Today is sponsored by The Voice of the Martyrs

Good News for Today is made possible through our friends at The Voice of the Martyrs, a nonprofit organization that serves persecuted Christians around the world. Founded in 1967 by Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand, VOM is dedicated to inspiring believers to deepen their commitment to Christ and to fulfill His Great Commission — no matter the cost. Find out more and sign up for their free monthly magazine at vom.org/goodnews.
===

Most big baseball fans did not become fans overnight. They have spent their whole lives, including their childhood in front of the TV watching countless games and highlights. As adults, TV is no longer the only way games are viewed, but these super fans attend games in person at major league ballparks. This enhances everything they learned about baseball on TV.

In a similar way, simply reading Scripture certainly allows us to know God and His Word. But studying the Bible takes it to a deeper and richer level. The words, the events and the teaching of the Bible come alive when we invest the time to do more than just read the text. Our lives become rich as we live out what we study.

Practically speaking, we become approved workers by carefully and accurately handling God’s Word. This approval has to do with testing. We grow in this testing as we study God’s Word diligently. Studying God’s Word means you learn historical contexts, key theological themes and basic word studies.

Read the full piece and sign up for our daily emails at Baptist Press.com.