“And grant that if I die for you,
O Jesus Christ, my Master, Those who watch, may by my death, Your Person come to know, O Christ, my Lord! So, dwell in me, That even by my dying, Those watching may be drawn to find Your blood’s redeeming flow.” Fenton-Hall, The Challenge of Missions, Oswaldo J. Smith, page 123. This prayer came to mind as the NFI team gathered via Zoom to pray for God’s work around the world. Some areas where our team go have the potential of a martyrs’ death. We are prepared if this is God’s will. If this should be so, may those who watch see the living Christ in us and surrender to His redeeming love.
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One of our partners in S. E. Asia understands the value of training the next generation; young men who energetically follow the Lord Jesus and want to know God’s Word. Paul modeled this attitude when he wrote to Titus with these bold words. “Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.” (Titus 2:6–8). Paul was just as straight forward in his message to Timothy. “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you” (1 Timothy 4:12–14). There may come a day, and it could be very soon, when our partner, myself, and others on our team will no longer be here to train younger men. We need Timothy’s and Titus’s who carry on the work of “entrusting [these things to] faithful men” and who “rightly handle the Word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:2, 15). Are you among them? Some of the recent blogs have highlighted those who are going through God’s Plan for His Disciples in very difficult places where persecution and hardship are a way of life. This reminded me of my readings in Ezra the last few days. Israel went into exile through their own disobedience, but God moved the heart of Ezra who led the return of many to Jerusalem. During this testing time, Ezra made a very important decision. “Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel” (Ezra 7:10). When you read the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, you realize that the commitment of one person can have far reaching implications. It is no different for you or me! You have no doubt heard of the unrest in northern Sudan which has brought distress on so many. Not far from these conditions in South Sudan, Rogers in Juba is with leaders from all over South Sudan and one from Kenya. They are heading to a second training in Torit tomorrow after they finish in Juba at noon. Please keep these places and believers in prayer. Notice the three factors of success for Ezra:
“Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship” (Acts 8:26–27).
What happened to this Ethiopian after “the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more” (39)? Did he understand enough of the gospel that a church was planted? We do not know, but we have the assurance that when God starts a work, He finishes it (Philippians 1:6). History records that near the beginning of World War II, missionaries returned and found Italian soldiers who tried to stamp out a small church in Ethiopia. Church leaders were given one hundred lashes. One of these leaders, Wandaro, was beaten in public, but preached the gospel to crowds between lashes. Persecution became the means of multiplying the Church from forty-eight believers to eighteen thousand. (Robert J. Morgan, This Day in Christian History, Thomas Nelson, 1997). What Satan intends for harm and destruction; God turns into eternal blessing for His glory. The Lord gave us a good message today from a pastor I work with on the topic of discipling as found in the Book of Acts. There are many examples that were mentioned, but one in particular caught my attention; Philemon and Onesimus.
Though details of how Paul met Onesimus are not given, we can gather from Paul’s comment that he was in prison and Onesimus met him there; “I Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus” (Philemon 9). This encounter resulted in Onesimus being saved. Through conversations, Paul learns that he was a runaway slave who belonged to Philemon, another disciple of Paul’s. We can imagine the conversations they had as Paul discipled Onesimus in the gospel and way of the Lord. I am sure the subject came up about returning to Philemon, but how would he receive someone who had been unfaithful? This would require Paul stepping in with Philemon to disciple him (via letter) in preparation for receiving Onesimus, “have him back forever, no longer as a bondservant, but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother” (16). I call this type of intervention ‘corrective discipling.’ Building on the relationship Paul had with Philemon, he teaches Philemon the Spirit of Jesus in forgiving an offence and the offender so their relationship can be restored on their mutual relationship in Jesus Christ. Learning these lessons prepares us for furthering the gospel, even in difficult situations. We are always challenged to find appropriate words to say when a loved one is getting close to the end of their life and the Lord taking them to glory. There are certain Scriptures we quote with a desire to comfort the immediate family and those who have treasured a relationship with the person who is passing.
A particular family in our church is losing their father who has been a faithful pastor for many years. As I was praying for this family, Paul’s words at the end of his life comforted me. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7–8). Here is another: “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” (Psalm 116:15). Paul say, “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” (Romans 15:4). Scripture is the most precious resource for comforting ourselves and others. Get to know it well! Zeal for the gospel is not natural to us. Any true zeal for the things of God cannot be generated by our wills and have any eternal effect. Paul confirms this in the first letter he wrote. “But when He who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son to me, in order that I might preach Him among the Gentiles” (Galatians 1:15–16).
Roland Allen says “that it is not a natural gift, that though we can cultivate it, we cannot create it. It begins with an act of reception and is an effect of the presence of Christ in the soul.” Zeal for the gospel is part of the character of Jesus Christ and flows out of the very reason why he came “to seek and to save the lost” Luke 19:10. Therefore, a close walk with Him is essential for this zeal. To have His zeal for the gospel we must be on Christ’s mission. Allen continues to address this very point and remind us that zeal for the gospel “profoundly affects our whole attitude toward the forms and processes and methods” we use in manifesting the gospel. As we tell our students, we must be very careful that our “forms accelerate” the gospel, not hinder it. If you have zeal in what you do, what is the source of that zeal Passion for spreading the gospel and doing God’s Work is never fully energized by pleas and sad stories of poverty and bad conditions. Jesus wanted to graft into Peter, James, and John an impression of Himself that would never leave them. They each give us a lasting impression that marked their ministries.
Peter: “For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased”” (2 Peter 1:16–17). James: “Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures” (James 1:18). John: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Paul saw Jesus in His glory: “But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen Me and to those in which I will appear to you” (Acts 26:16). Spend time with the Lord and ask Him to show you His glory. This will transform your life and ministry! By the time you read this blog, 80 young people will have spent their first of three days of study through God’s Plan for His Disciples (GPHD) in an undisclosed place in S. E. Asia. They are ready to learn from Scripture what it means to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ. None of them know whether their commitment to Jesus will involve severe persecution or even death, but their growing love for Jesus overshadows what they may face.
What matters to these young people is that they become established and strong in God’s Word so they can pass His truth on to their peers. Their leader reminds me of Paul and his advice to a young man whom he mentored. “As for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:14–15). For security reasons, I cannot share where they are, but God knows each of them by name. I urge you to pray for them that the Holy Spirit will give each student rich understanding and a deep commitment to live what they learn. We are so amazed at how God is working in so many places around the world through New Foundations International (NFI). I just got off the phone with Randy (one of our team) in Togo, Africa (see the blog on April 9th). While there are challenges, he reports that many leaders in other countries we have never been to, are hearing about what is taking place through NFI and have invited us to come and introduce our training. This is creating a huge need for printing books in specific languages, additional travel, and wisdom in arranging the training sessions.
Here is a list of the immediate need for printing God’s Plan for His Disciples in Uganda and Sudan:
Hudson Taylor, missionary to China, once said, “God’s work done God’s way will not lack God’s supply.” Paul said, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). We rest our needs and concerns on God’s faithfulness and timing! |
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