It might surprise some that Christians are the most persecuted religious group in the world. A Pew Research article published in November 2020 cited statistics that indicate Christians experienced harassment in more countries than any other religious group. More than 260 million Christians living in the 50 countries on Open Doors’ 2020 World Watch List are experiencing high levels of persecution for their faith. This means that one in eight Christians endures discrimination, assault, imprisonment, and even murder because they follow Jesus Christ. But the Church continues to stand strong in the midst of persecution – the light in the darkness. We must however remember that the persecuted Church is not a defeated Church, but overcoming, and will ultimately be victorious.

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Acts 2 records the history of Pentecost, that wonderful event with tongues of fire, bold Gospel witness, and amazing church growth. We rejoice for what happened at Pentecost, now almost two thousand years later. But what lasting spiritual benefit does Pentecost have for us today? Today we should follow the example of the church in Acts 4. We learn from their unshaken spirituality and biblical prayer. We pray earnestly for revived faith, boldness in witness, and to be filled with the Spirit of Christ (Eph. 5:18, Luke 11:13). We are united in worship and studying God’s Word, carefully applying it to our contemporary situation, and calmly confessing confidence in our Sovereign God. So with Christ’s church, we continue praying: “Now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness.” – Acts 4:29

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As we emerge from the global pandemic, society has two enormous challenges: there is a growing mental health catastrophe, as well as an economic crisis. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the world was already a lonely place for so many people. More than a year later, we find ourselves in an even greater solitary climate as shielding and other social measures have left us even more distant from others. Those facing mental health issues are likely to increase further once the economic impact of unemployment increases its grip. As people discover they have no job and government support across the world, mental health issues will rise further.  God is the great entrepreneur and created us in His image; we all have this spirit of enterprise within us. We are all innovative, creative, and entrepreneurial – and God has given us a royal position to use these gifts. The global Church has the opportunity to bring relief and development for people facing mental health or economic crises. Our very identity, and all that flows out of us, was created for such a time as this. 

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Did you know that the motion of a peacock’s tail, the feathers being shaken, is what actually attracts a peahen? It had once been thought that it was the size of the male’s feathery train, or the number of colourful ‘eyespots’—but this is not the case! When the peacock vibrates his tail, it seems those ‘eyes’ (eyespots) can hypnotise the one he is trying to woo by creating a “dynamic iridescent background” around each eyespot. The behaviour of the eyespots during tail-shaking is remarkable – not their movement as such, but their apparent non-movement. 

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