“But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
I doubt any of us in ministry never face moments when we feel overwhelmed with the pressures of the Lord’s work. There is always more to do than time, resources, or physical energy can accomplish. I have often asked the Lord, ‘what do you want me to do at this moment because I am overwhelmed?’ Often the Lord will indicate things we thought necessary are really not His will. Many times I have come back to Paul’s words (above). The context of chapter 10, 11 and 12 show that he persevered in the face of dangers, severe mistreatment, opposition from other church leaders, and even his own physical weakness. What kept this man focused and determined? Paul wanted others to see “the power of Christ” at work in his life. This could only happen as he acknowledged his own weakness. It goes against our nature to appear weak to others, but we must realize that God often designs our weaknesses, so we become more dependent and humble in spirit. What are you facing in ministry or life that makes you feel weak? Thank the Lord for giving this to you and ask Him to reveal His power through your weakness so that He might receive greater glory. There is always a divine purpose behind His design.
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When we print our training materials overseas, we never know exactly how the books will turn out until they are in the hands of our team. It is always good news when we receive information from our partners along with a picture that verifies the books are in hand. A dear Brother in Chad, Africa sent a message today that God’s Plan for His Disciples books in French were printed (not great packaging), and we are figuring out how to get them to where they will be used. This and many other logistic concerns are part of making sure training around the world is done with excellence. In another part of the world, we learned today that the translation of God’s Plan for Young Disciples in Bengali for Bangladesh is complete and ready for final review and editing. This is very exciting. In places where poverty and difficult conditions exist, we can usually expect that children and young people are more receptive to teaching truth from the Bible. This will have an impact on the next generation as well as what is being taught to pastors and leaders who then teach what they have learned to their congregations. How thankful we are for how God oversees all these details in ways that bring Him glory. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16). I can’t think of more beautiful words than these!
It’s the simplicity of the gospel message that makes it so attractive. The person with no education or the highest human achievement can understand the message. It does not ask anything of the richest person or of the person who has absolutely nothing – who has empty hands. It requires no resumé or history of those who have gone before you or a plan about those who may come after you. The gospel supplies everything you need for this very moment right where you are all the way through the endless ages of eternity. There is no one that the gospel is not able to transform. It does not matter where you have come from, what you have done, thought, or said. It only asks, ‘Do you believe in Jesus who died to save you?’ With such a message and with such power to transform, I want the world to hear the message and believe. No wonder Paul said, “thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation” (15:20). As you follow Randy in your prayers, I want to give the next segment of his trip in Africa. One challenge in this country is transportation. Please be in prayer that all obstacles will be overcome through the Lord’s goodness so the Lord’s work will move forward to bring Him much glory. “Along with training EMS leaders in Zambia, we also will join our dear brother and long-time partner in the gospel, Henry. A native of Zambia, Henry has planted many churches and trains leaders here and in The Democratic Republic of Congo to multiply disciples and churches. Here are the two locations where we will train: Kitwe Feb 6-8 Introduce GPHD & GPHC to EMS leaders. Luanshya Feb 9-10 GPHD graduation of Henry’s Zambian leaders & introduce GPHC. Lusaka Feb 10-11 Meet David, a leader who has a large and growing youth discipleship ministry to explore how our training might be used to grow disciple makers. Your prayers are greatly valued. None of this work can go forward and bear fruit without those who stand behind us in prayer!” It is always encouraging to hear from those who have gone through our training and are now taking the initiative to continue on their own. I just received this email from a leader in Mali, Africa. “We wish to thank you for your prayers regarding the training seminar, God's plan for His Church, in the town of Sevare, Mopti Region of Northern Mali; February 1st to 3rd, 2023. We have experienced the power of the Holy Spirit from the beginning of the program to the end. We give glory to God for using two leaders to carry on the training for pastors and Church leaders in the North. It was amazing that God provided our basic needs for the seminar. The participants were very grateful for the training, and they promised that they will go and study the manual in their various churches.” How thankful we are for God’s work moving forward without our being there. That is exactly what we pray for and expect God will do because it is His Word that transforms, not our word. I am overwhelmed with God’s abundant grace that allows us to carry the gospel to the ends of the earth. We look around at all those who stand with us in prayer and support with amazement and gratitude. This is what happens when the Body of Christ comes together and functions as it should; unexpected things happen!
As I have mentioned in almost all of our newsletters, there are new doors opening all the time. As Randy was preparing to leave last Sunday for Africa, he received an invitation to bring our training to Ethiopia, one of the countries in Africa we have prayed would open up. We have also just learned that someone in Malawi, Africa wants to translate GPHD and GPHC into Malawian. This on top of those translating GPHD into Oriya (India), Rohingya (Bangladesh), and Acholi (Uganda). Not every invitation is the door God wants us to go through. We constantly seek wisdom and discernment to know whether each opportunity is “a wide door for effective work” even though “there are many adversaries” (Romans 16:9). Challenges will always come. We desire to turn challenges into opportunities for “effective work.” Please remember us in prayer!! Along with these training trips and new languages, there is a continual need to print in many languages (now 29). At the top of the list is Spanish, Creole, and the 4th Edition of God’s Plan for His Disciples in English. THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST! How do we react to the presence of Jesus in His Church? Often, He is there, and we do not sense His presence because there is something happening in us or between us and someone else, or the church has lost its focus - Christ. In the last letter that John wrote, the last writing that was included in the cannon of Scripture, we see some very interesting statements. First, John is told by Jesus, “fear not, I am the First and Last, and the Living One” (1:18).
In view of all that John was told to write, it was critical that he be assured that all was good between him and the Lord. The first messages John is given are letters from Jesus to the churches. The first one is addressed to Ephesus; ““To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands” (Revelation 2:1). We are told in Chapter 1:20 that “the seven lampstands are the seven churches.” The question I want to ask everyone who read this blog is, ‘do you think Jesus in walking among the churches today. There is no doubt in my mind that He is. Perhaps we are not receiving a letter like these seven churches did, but He ends each letter with the same invitation, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (2:7). Are we filling our lives with ‘stuff’ and our churches by adding so many programs that we have little or no time to hear what the Spirit is saying to each church? We might be too afraid to hear what he might say to us. If we want Jesus exalted and the gospel spread and received, listening to the Spirit is imperative. It’s hard to put into words how we feel regarding those we minister to. Some live in very limited circumstances, poverty, and dangerous political circumstances. Yet, they are happy, and eager to learn the principles of the gospel that will advance God’s work, even to the unreached. As Paul writes to a very troubled church, he also lifts them up to God’s standard
“I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in Him in all speech and all knowledge— even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you— so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:4–9). What a beautiful way to gain their respect and prepare their heart before addressing issues of great concern. I have observed two principles from the way Paul wrote:
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