![]() Generally speaking, we rather people not pry into our personal affairs, much less have them exposed to others, and especially facts that make us look bad. Billions of dollars are spent each year protecting our privacy, and we should be careful that “thieves do not break in and steal.” At the same time, there is another part of our lives that needs to be exposed by the Word of God. This kind of exposure can be more painful than the loss of all our possessions and money. I am referring to our hearts – the inner being where we tend to hide secrets from others. “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:12–13). When God exposed the sins that David tried to hide, he came to this conclusion; “Behold, You delight in truth in the inward being, and You teach me wisdom in the secret heart” (Psalm 51:6). When we come to this point of wanting God to expose even thoughts, motives and intentions that are not controlled by truth, we will learn the secret of sweet fellowship with the Lord. Are you letting the Lord use His scalpel on your hearts? His surgery produces joy and fruitfulness.
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![]() My wife and I had the privilege of attending a Voice of the Martyrs conference last week. We learned that in one of the most persecuted countries, believers have access to very few Bibles, and those they do have are treasured and protected with their lives. Knowing that these treasures could be taken from them at any time, they continually challenge each other to memorize complete books of the Bible and can verbally quote them. For those of us in areas of the world where this degree of suffering does not exist, I wonder why we don’t have this kind of passion and desire, and much less, the willingness to challenge others to a greater commitment to Scripture memory. This reminded me of David’s love for God’s Word. Psalm 119 is woven with many references to the value of God’s law, commandments, statutes, and testimonies. Why did David express such delight in God’s Word? “I have stored up Your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (119:11). The expression “I have stored up” is one word in Hebrew and means to hide, treasure or keep concealed because of its immense value. I wonder what it would take to implant that value into our hearts? Does it require persecution? Does the real importance and worth of Scripture only come to us when we go through suffering or difficult times as others do around the world? Why can’t we place in our hearts the true value of God’s Word just by knowing that He is the Author? What is hindering you from following David’s example and “storing up [His] word in [your] heart?” ![]() Many times in the four Gospels, the disciples asked Jesus to explain what was done or said so they could understand. “And when He had entered the house and left the people, His disciples asked him about the parable” (Mark 7:17). Most of these events were away from the crowd and in private – one-on-one time with the Lord. We too should have hearts that want to understand. Many of the students we train through God’s Plan for His Disciples will say to us during the training, ‘we were never taught this in Bible School or Seminary’ or ‘no one ever explained this to us.’ Many of these students have been believers in Jesus Christ for many years, yet the basics of the faith were never taught them. We are not seeking to condemn traditions of denominations or Christian organizations, but we are here to offer a biblical approach to learning the Bible. We strongly encourage you to view the video on our website (link below) and see for yourself how important and helpful this study is. http://www.newfoundationsinternational.org/training-resources.html Once you have looked at the video, go ahead and download the book from the Resource page and start working on the lessons. We extend prayerful help in any form that is workable for you. We are working on an on-line course through this book which should be available soon. May the Holy Spirit inspire you to learn the Word of God and apply it to your life! ![]() This report from Randy’s will inspire anyone wanting to see the Word of God spread in areas of the world that are difficult. “One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate” (Psalm 145:4-5). “It continues to amaze me that God is allowing me to see Him work in such amazing ways in Nigeria! Leaders are emerging to carry the gospel to those who are unreached and unengaged. “B” and the others from JETS (Jos ECWA Theological Seminary) not only learned the course material, but have also found renewed life and commitment to fulfill the Great Commission. The first three weeks of this trip was spent at JETS, teaching God’s Plan for His Church and God’s Plan for His Disciples. These leaders have committed to meeting again, even though there will be no further credit toward their degrees. We should pray that these brave and bold leaders would expand throughout Nigeria and into the nations where Christ is not known. Out of this time, two more entire denominations, comprising hundreds of leaders and church planters have requested GPHC and GPHD. When I return to Nigeria in September, some of the ones mentioned above will join me in training them. And the work in Yol@, a town near the border of Cameroon where Bok@ H@ram continually exerts pressure and persecution, around 70 leaders are pressing on toward their graduation from our training also in September.” ![]() “You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 2:1-3) Unlike Congo, where Ebola has already killed more than 1,500 and may kill thousands more, and unlike South Sudan, where genocide and famine continue to impact millions, Uganda has more peace and health. Over 1/3 of the people have true relationships with Jesus and the gospel is spreading much faster than most places in the world. Yet, it is here that we have key leaders who are taking God’s Plan for His Church into hard places, like Congo and South Sudan. My next trip is one of the shortest I have ever taken, but it is one of the most important. For three full days and nights, I will meet and train three key leaders: Tomas and Charles from Uganda, and Henry from Zambia. These are seasoned leaders with much impact, and we meet to pray and plan for the expansion of the church in Africa. Please pray for our Lord to work in these areas: (1) Health and protection for Henry, Charles and Tomas. Henry has faced many physical battles recently. May our God provide strength for His work in and through them. (2) Holy Spirit’s empowerment for these leaders so that every strategy and plan would flow from renewed love for Jesus. (3) Training of God’s Plan for His Disciples. These leaders have never used this tool in their ministries. Working through the manual themselves will be important for teaching others. (4) Raising up of workers and leaders that will join them in East Africa and the 10/40 Window.” “Pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” Luke 10:2 ![]() We have often mentioned in this blog the joy it brings to our hearts to see students in Myanmar eagerly study the Scriptures. Terry finished up our four-week training last week and brings back another exciting report (below). “What a privilege I had in teaching and facilitating the discussion of the various lessons in chapters 5 and 6 of GPHC. The ages of the 20 students ranged from 17 to 61 years. All the men and women seemed to be eager to learn. In fact, the one brother in the attached photo who presented the overview of the manual had only been a believer for a couple of months. He enjoyed the manual so much he said he's coming back in the Fall when it's offered again. They all had definite plans as to what they want to do in the next 10 years. The amazing thing is that most of them mentioned the need to spend more time with Jesus and His word. They want to take the next year reviewing the material they learned. There is much potential in the group for the kingdom of God and the spread of the gospel. I'm thankful for the opportunity to be a part of God's work there in Myanmar.” ![]() “You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 2:1-3) Unlike Congo, where Ebola has already killed more than 1,500 and may kill thousands more, and unlike South Sudan, where genocide and famine continue to impact millions, Uganda has more peace and health. Over 1/3 of the people have true relationships with Jesus and the gospel is spreading much faster than most places in the world. Yet, it is here that we have key leaders who are taking God’s Plan for His Church into hard places, like Congo and South Sudan. My next trip is one of the shortest I have ever taken, but it is one of the most important. For three full days and nights, I will meet and train three key leaders: Tomas and Charles from Uganda, and Henry from Zambia. These are seasoned leaders with much impact, and we meet to pray and plan for the expansion of the church in Africa. Please pray for our Lord to work in these areas: (1) Health and protection for Henry, Charles and Tomas. Henry has faced many physical battles recently. May our God provide strength for His work in and through them. (2) Holy Spirit’s empowerment for these leaders so that every strategy and plan would flow from renewed love for Jesus. (3) Training of God’s Plan for His Disciples. These leaders have never used this tool in their ministries. Working through the manual themselves will be important for teaching others. (4) Raising up of workers and leaders that will join them in East Africa and the 10/40 Window.” “Pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” Luke 10:2 (The blog last night not posted because of a storm that knocked out the internet). Many who study the Bible often refer to Mark’s Gospel as the ‘servants gospel’ because it brings out unique features of Jesus as God’s Servant to all. In Chapter 3, Jesus “called to Him those whom He desired, and they came to Him” (3:13). He was going to model being a servant to the twelve over three and a half years so that when He left, they would have a clear picture in word and practice what it means to be a servant. For Jesus, being a servant meant sacrificial suffering and death He would receive at the hands of Jewish leaders. Yet, “He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8). Was this attitude only for Jesus? Paul clearly says NO! “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus” (2:5). If we are going to follow the supreme model of being a servant, this is the kind of humility we must take on by us. As Jesus extends the invitation to anyone to follow Him, we see Him use this same principle. “And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me” (Mark 8:34). The following verses (8:35-38) help us understand what this mean? · Walk in humility by putting Jesus first in everything. · Accept the path (my cross) God has chosen for me as I follow Jesus. · My life has no value apart from what I am in Christ. · My faith in Christ is tested by what I say about Him and how I accept His words. · A close walk with Jesus means that I will see the kingdom of God at work here and now. The strength of our witness is found in following Jesus CLOSELY! Sadly, we live in a world where people write their own rules of behavior, and it even is found among Christians who profess to follow Jesus. The absoluteness of God’s Word means that I live by “the law of God” (Romans 7:25), not my own law.
““If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26–27). Jesus was very clear about the requirements of being His disciple. Jesus was not denouncing those responsibilities that are God-given, “father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters,” but He puts them in the proper relationship to Himself. Jesus must come first and before anything else in life, even the closest relationships. “Therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple” (14:33). At the core of every issue in life is whether I make anything a priority before the Lord. We will discuss denying self later, but we must face the fact that our materialistic world and culture seriously affects how we handle possessions. If they come between us and our commitment and time with the Lord, then we have not learned to “renounce all.” Joy in Christ is measured by how much we surrender to Him. It is very clear that Jesus put the test to those who believed Him, “If you abide [remain or stay] in My word, you are truly My disciples” (John 8:31). The construction of this sentence is important. The verb “abide” and subject “My word” and “My disciple” cannot be separated. In other words, you cannot be a disciple of Jesus without having His Word and that Word remains or stays in you.
Many say they are a follower of Jesus, but their actions and life prove the opposite. Further down in this chapter, Jesus confronted those who claimed to be children of Abraham, “yet you seek to kill Me because My word has no place in you” (8:37). If the Word of God has a place in our lives because we allow it to “remain and stay” there, then our actions and obedience will prove that it has found a home in our hearts (Psalm 119:11). Jesus makes this connection again in John 15; “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” (15:7). Since the Word of God reveals the will of God, and if it abides in us, then our requests in prayer will line up with the revealed will of God in His Word. Are you a true disciple? Are you spending time in His Word, asking the Holy Spirit to make it transform your life to show the world you are a true follower? According to Paul, the best sacrifice is “being transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Romans 12:2). This requires God’s Word. |
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