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As NFI closes the month of June, I have asked each of our team members to share a personal thought regarding this ministry and what it has meant to them. Over the next few days, I will share others as they come in. Here is a note from Terry. Though he has been on the team for a shorter time than others, it was more recently that he retired and has traveled more and shared in the training.
“I thank God for my own spiritual growth and development through God’s Plan for His Disciples (GPHD) and God’s Plan for His Church (GPHC) as well as being able to go with other members of the NFI team to different countries to assist in presenting this material. I am also thankful for how the Lord has always worked for me to acquire the necessary visas for each country. The spiritual camaraderie with some of the believers in each country has also cemented the bond of brotherhood as fellow members of the body of Christ that I cherish, especially knowing I have been the recipient of many of their prayers.” Terry
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There is one more aspect of walking as a follower of Jesus I will draw to your attention. As Jesus left His disciples, He left them with the assurance that they would never be alone, and His promises included all who would believe in Him through their word (John 17:20). “I am with you always to the end of the age”(Matthew 28:20). Jesus pointed to His presence being with them by sending of the Holy Spirit to “dwell with you and will be in you” (John 14:17, 23).
Just moments before ascending into heaven, Jesus instructed His disciples to “not depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, He said, “you heard from Me…but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses…to the end of the earth”” (Acts 1:4, 8). This power should be known and evident in every aspect of our lives. For that reason, Paul points us to the Spirit in and with us as we “walk by the Spirit…are led by the Spirit…as we live by the Spirit and keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16, 18, 25). When we desire and purposely allow Him to have control in us, our walk will be different, and we will become more effective “witnesses” wherever we go. There is another aspect of walking that is important along with having the right shoes. Walking means going in the right direction. It means knowing where you are going and not being side tracked along the way. Detours can be very costly, and you many end up in a place you did not want to be. As you read the verses below, honestly ask yourself if this is the way you are walking.
“Again, Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life”” (John 8:12). “And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:2). “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore, do not become partners with them; for at one time, you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:6–8). “If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7). “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,” (Colossians 2:6) . “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.” (Colossians 4:5). An event happened to one of our team that revealed how serious it is to wear proper shoes on our feet. I want to use this incident to point carefully to conditions that develop when we are not careful about our walk with the Lord.
We should begin with Paul’s description of proper shoes. “Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace” (Ephesians 6:14–15). It is not just being ready to give the gospel wherever we walk in this world, but it is part of the way we live. These shoes of the gospel carry more than just peace between us and God. The “gospel of peace” offers right relationships in marriages, families, churches, work places, neighbors, and even between nations. That comes by knowing the Prince of peace (1 Thessalonians 3:16). What about the shoes your Father gave you. Let me explain. “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet’” (Luke 15:22). Every person who came to God through repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus as Savior were given new shoes. When that happened (as in this parable), we were given a new relationship with God as our Father. He has clothed us with the righteousness of Jesus, sealed us with the Holy Spirit, and provided us with a new relationship (new shoes). What shoes are you wearing?  Earlier in June, I reported that Randy was going to be in Uganda and Tanzania conducting a Marriage and Family seminar. Randy is now home and gave us a wonderful report on how God has worked to bring about reconciliation and restoration to many marriages. This is a huge praise and testimony to the power of His Word.
There is much more happening in Africa, as you can see in this picture of a group of Baptist leaders in Bouna, Ivory Coast, that just completed a 3-day GPHD training conference with Jacob. This servant is unstoppable in his desire, energy, and commitment to establish believers and churches on a biblical foundation. This is God’s ‘ivory.’ How thankful we are for those willing to sacrifice in order to prepare the Church, the Bride of Christ to meet her Bridegroom (Revelation 19:6-8. Tomorrow Tim leaves for a very short trip through a few places in Missouri, Kansas, and Texas. He will visit specific places (churches) where there are Hmong and Vietnamese believers who need encouragement through our training materials in these languages. Tim has taken copies of resources in these languages to show them how God’s Word can equip them for a special work.
What benefit is there of training these people when they are so far from their homeland? We have learned from years of experience that Jesus’ words are so important to implement. “The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with Him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him” (Luke 8:38–39). When our lives have been transformed by the gospel, there are things God has planned for us. While we love to see people from every ethnos in our borders, God may have a greater work for them in their home country. They are more effective in their own language and culture than we are. Pray for their heart to be open to learning, equipping, and sending. I have some homework for you. After each of these statements and titles for Jesus, primarily in the Book of Hebrews, write down on a piece of paper why He has each title.
I am interested in your answers! Email them to http://www.newfoundationsinternational.org/ or text to 919-632-9062. For many years I have preached the gospel and spoken in person to those I knew and even some God put in my path in various places. Some say, “I am not ready” or “I have lived a good life” or “I believe my good deeds will outweigh my bad.” There is one person I see often, and he has heard the gospel from me many times, but darkness holds him in unbelief.
When Jesus presented Himself as “the light of the world,” He also promised that “whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). His appeal fell on deaf ear and Jesus issued this warning, “So he said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come”” (8:21). What an awful thought to refuse the opportunity to “have the light of life” and later discover there are no more opportunities. Paul was motivated by what he knew of the Lord and the coming judgment. “Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience” (2 Corinthians 5:11). Do we have this same passion for the lost, for the unreached and those who know not God or His great salvation in Jesus Christ? If the Spirit has put this longing in your heart, no obstacle will stop the message of the gospel getting through. Have you heard the Lord’s call to follow Him? Please read the following verses and then my questions which are after the quotation.
“To another He (Jesus) said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God”” (Luke 9:59–62). Is Jesus being too hard on those who want to follow Him? How you answer Jesus’ call depends on how well you know Jesus. Don’t you think that Jesus knew the details of their circumstances before this conversation? Was Jesus not able to take care of the details far better than they could, or you? We may not realize that excuses reveal our level of trust in the Lord. Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 6: “For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:32–33).  Though we have received little news in the last two years from Burkina Faso, Africa, God has been using His servant Jacob to continue the work, both in Burkina Faso and Ghana. Here is a brief report from our team member, Pat:
Jacob trained 61 leaders from 10 different churches near the Burkina Faso border in God’s Plan for His Church (GPHC). Just six months ago, 123 participated in training through God’s Plan for His Disciples(GPHD) and 61 finished the study and wanted to continue their study through GPHC. We are so blessed to have a faithful servant like Jacob. The quality of his leadership is seen in so many ways, including requiring students finish GPHD first before going on to study GPHC. This reminded me of Paul’s words about Epaphras who Paul sent to Colossae. “Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf and has made known to us your love in the Spirit” (Colossians 1:5–8). What a joy it is to say the same about persons whom God has put in our path. They are faithful, effective, and sacrificial in their service to Christ and His people. |
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