COMMUNISTS EXECUTED THEM FOR THEIR FAITH. THEIR HIDDEN BABY SURVIVED IN A RICE BASKET.

John and Betty Stam met at Moody Bible Institute, both individually feeling called to serve as missionaries in China, and married there in 1933 through the China Inland Mission. In September 1934, their daughter Helen Priscilla was born, and just two months later, the young family settled into a new post in Anhui Province, in the small town of Jingde. Two weeks after arriving, Communist soldiers unexpectedly overran the town and took the entire family prisoner.

John wrote a letter to mission headquarters that night, informing them of the Communists' $20,000 ransom demand, knowing full well the mission's strict policy against ever paying ransoms. He closed the letter with the words, "The Lord bless and guide you, and as for us, may God be glorified whether by life or by death." The next morning, the couple was marched to a hill outside the nearby town of Miaoshou to be executed, a Chinese medicine seller who pleaded on his knees for their release, and who was later found to own a Bible and hymnbook, executed alongside them for his own faith.

Before the couple was led away, Betty found a way to hide their three month old daughter, tucking her into a sleeping bag with a change of clothes and money pinned inside her diaper. Two days later, a Chinese evangelist named Dr. Lo found baby Helen alive, concealed her in a rice basket, and carried her to safety, eventually delivering her to Betty's parents, who were still serving as missionaries elsewhere in China. Helen grew up, became a teacher, and raised her own family in the eastern United States. News of the Stams' deaths spread around the world and, in the decades since, has continued to inspire generations of believers to serve overseas despite the risk.

Do you think you could have found the peace John wrote about, in that same letter, facing what he faced?

August 25, 2026 (day 237/365)
TUESDAY

GOD'S WORD FOR THE DAY

“Humble Yourself Before God”

2 Chronicles 12:6

“So the leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves; and they said, ‘The Lord is righteous.’”

This is the Word of God. 2 Chronicles 12 tells us how Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah turned away from God, and as a result, God allowed Shishak king of Egypt to come against them. When they recognized their sin and humbled themselves, they acknowledged that the Lord was righteous.

Pride often keeps us from admitting our mistakes. We may try to defend ourselves, blame others, or pretend that everything is fine. But God desires a heart that is willing to humble itself and acknowledge the truth.

Humility does not mean weakness. It means recognizing that we need God and submitting ourselves to His correction. When we humble ourselves before Him, we open our hearts to His mercy and restoration.

May God give us humble hearts that quickly recognize our failures, accept His correction, and return to Him with sincere repentance. Amen.

Have a blessed day with the Lord.

-- Pastor Emmanuel Serto

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EZEKIEL 36:17 “Son of man, when the people of Israel were living in their own land, they defiled it by the evil way they lived. To me their conduct was as unclean as a woman’s menstrual cloth.

LETS PRAY: OUR DEAR HEAVENLY FATHER, RECOGNIZING THAT WE HAVE SINNED AND FALLEN SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD, WE HUMBLY COME BEFORE YOU BEGGING FOR YOUR FORGIVENESS, WE HAVE WRONGED YOU THROUGH OUR WORDS THOUGHTS AND DEEDS. PLEASE WASH AND CLEANSE US IN THE BLOOD OF YOUR SON JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD. PLEASE GUIDE & HELP US TO LIVE RIGHT HOLY SPIRIT, BECAUSE YOU SAID IN YOUR WORD THAT IT IS NOT BY POWER NOR BY MIGHT, BUT IT IS BY YOUR SPIRIT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. WE PRAY ALL THESE THINGS IN THE MIGHTY NAME OF JESUS CHRIST OF NAZARETH AMEN 🏿.

Stay faithful and finish the race God has set before you.

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The things the Lord have against us.
Revelation 2 Kullie Mawolo
[vs: 14] But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.
These verse reveals to us that though the Lord is always glad of some good things we have done there may some areas in our life which he is not happy with, we should not be content in the areas we are doing well but should strive to be sound in all areas of our spiritual life.
"What are the areas that Christ is not happy with the pergamos church?
1,torerance of false prophets and teachers.
2, permission of false doctrines . 
3, accepting practices that became stumbbling blocks among them 
4, eating things sacrificed to idols 
5, prevailing acts of fornication.
From all these we understand that when any church or individual begins to allow false prophets and teachers and their teachings the results will be backsliding and sins
there is a strong connection between false doctrines and a lifestyle of sin.
*Any doctrine that downplays sin, make sin less serious than it is, excuses sin, make people to fear  not God's judgement against sin, teaches that grace covers our sinful lifestyle is a false doctrine.
False teachers being religious secret sinners can only lead the people that hears them to error,  sin and damnation. 
Application:
We should not hear , believes or follow those that teaches any doctrine that contradicts the biblical truths .


23 August 2026

Righteousness That Comes from God

These days, we are meditating on the Gospel of Matthew, especially the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus teaches His disciples the principles of the Kingdom of Heaven. After teaching them to let their light shine before others so that people may see their good works and glorify their Father in heaven, Jesus explains the true meaning of righteousness and obedience to God’s Law.

Jesus said, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17). He came not to destroy the Law, but to fulfill its purpose and reveal its deepest meaning. The heart of God’s Law is love: love for God and love for others.

Jesus confronted the religious leaders of His time because the scribes and Pharisees often emphasized outward religious practices while neglecting the condition of the heart. They had developed human traditions that sometimes replaced God’s commandments. Jesus asked, “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?” (Matthew 15:3).

The Law is holy because God is holy. The Ten Commandments reveal God’s character and help us understand what sin is. However, the Law cannot save us. Instead, it reveals our sin and shows us our need for a Savior. It leads us to recognize our need for God’s mercy, forgiveness, and salvation through Jesus Christ.

John 1:17 says, “For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.” The scribes and Pharisees practiced righteousness outwardly, often seeking recognition and honor from people. Jesus warned, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them” (Matthew 6:1). Their righteousness was based on self-righteousness rather than a transformed heart.

Therefore, Jesus declared, “Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). True righteousness is not merely outward behavior; it comes from a heart transformed by God through faith in Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.

This is why Jesus calls us to be poor in spirit—to recognize our spiritual need and humbly come to Him. May our righteousness never be hypocritical or self-made, but may it be the righteousness God gives through Jesus Christ. Let us love God, love people, walk humbly, and allow the Holy Spirit to transform our hearts. May God bless you.