I have often thought about Paul’s passion for presenting the gospel of salvation to those who had never heard it and wondered what energized his passion. Certainly, his dramatic experience on the Damascus road helped drive that passion. But there is much more.
Paul realized the universal sin condition of man. In Romans 1:18 to 3:23, Paul explains in detail the sin condition of man as “ungodliness and unrighteousness” and concludes that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” The specific examples he mentions were prevalent in his day and continue to this very moment. In fact, they will continue until the end of this world. In the first letter to the Corinthians, Paul refers to men and women without salvation or the Spirit as “the natural person [who] does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is no able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (2:14). When we pray for the gospel to be spread across people groups who have never heard, do we ask the Holy Spirit to bring about “new birth” (John 3:1-8) and “regeneration” (Titus 3:5)? The power for this change is not in us who preach the message, but in the Spirit who takes the Word and gives understanding to those who hear.
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“EVERY TRUE CHRISTIAN IS A SOLDIER — of Christ — a hero "par excellence"! Braver than the bravest — scorning the soft seductions of peace and her oft-repeated warnings against hardship, disease, danger, and death, whom he counts among his bosom friends.” – C. T. Studd
“Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him” (2 Timothy 2:3–4). In less than two weeks, our team will be in Myanmar training disciples. One particular group is already preparing themselves for an intense four weeks of discovering what the Bible says about every subject a new disciple and growing disciples should know. Tim writes: “The attached is a picture of the Fall students or disciples we will be training in Myanmar at GTP for one month - 27/7, night and day! This training will allow them to complete both God's Plan for His Disciples and God's Plan for His Church. I am thankful both of these are translated into Burmese and will be ready for them when I arrive. Pray the Holy Spirit will go ahead and prepare the soil for the Seed to produce a hundred fold. These disciples will NEVER be the same again! To God be the Glory!” As Jesus was leaving His disciples, He instructed them; “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). Will you go with us in prayer? Over 80 leaders gathered in Jos, Nigeria to be trained in church planting and church renewal using God’s Plan for His Church. This group of enthusiastic men and women have committed to seeing the church in Nigeria reach out to the 10/40 Window. For five days they participated in studying God’s Word, and most of them will return November 12-16 for a follow up meeting. In the follow-up week, they will take principles they gleaned from their study of Acts and the biblical lessons on Leadership Development and develop practical plans for implementing these truths in their own ministry contexts. Lord-willing, following this next training event, we will see many complete the entire study and formulate their own 5-10-year plans for ministry expansion throughout north Africa. In addition to the training of leaders, I had the opportunity to bring the gospel to over one hundred young Muslim boys, teach a Bible study to young men who were new to the faith, give a message of challenge and hope to young men who are growing in their faith in Jesus, and to offer words of hope to widows and young adolescent girls. Nigeria is a mixed place of persecution and gospel growth. These often go hand-in-hand, and many have been displaced from their homes as Muslim herders kill scores of Christian farmers and their families. Even as I write this report, I got word of rioting in Jos. In bold attempts to help, the ministry in Jos provides the poorest of the poor a place to live and food for their families until they can be settled back in their homes. Young boys and girls are rescued from life on the streets where begging is their way of life. As we develop leaders who will plant new churches like those in the early church, and as others bring powerful, biblical renewal to existing churches, these unreached peoples will hear about the true God who loves them and desires a relationship with them. While Nigeria has 91 Unreached People Groups in their own land, there is much work to be done so please pray earnestly to the Lord of the Harvest to send out workers from Nigeria into the fields that are white unto harvest (Luke 10:2). Thank you for praying! Randy “You who answer prayer, to you all people will come” Psalm 65:2 (NIV). There are times in this ministry that God gives us privileges that are exciting and very rewarding. Some places we are allowed to go are where persecution is very real. Having been there myself, I have seen pastors who were beaten and imprisoned for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. Some even lost their lives. In the face of such conditions, their work and joy in the Lord continues.
Bibles have always been banned and difficult to obtain in this South East Asian country, but we have been able give out hundreds in the past. Randy and Tim will present a group of faithful servants with Bibles in their own language so they can give them to believers with none. This will be followed by a time of encouragement and training. These dear saints know the cost, but also the comfort of John 14:23; “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” Their divine comfort comes from obedience. Would you pay that price? Pray for this upcoming trip; that God will oversee the delivery of His Word and its truth planted into fruitful soil. Have you ever considered that God created mankind without the necessity that life should or would ever come to an end? Remember, He is the eternal God. It was only when Satan introduced sin into the world by deceiving Adam and Eve, that God had to cut their life short with death.
God reintroduced eternal life through His Son Jesus, so “that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life” (John 3:15). God’s plan is never set aside because of a slight interruption. Down through the history of man, many have rejected God’s offer to restore what sin took away. Even the Apostles had to face this with those they witnessed to. “And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles” (Acts 13:46). Literally, to “thrust it aside” means to push it away by refusing to listen. From our perspective, it is hard to understand why anyone would reject the Gospel; a message about eternity. God has restored in Christ what was taken away through sin. In the message of the Gospel, not only is eternity restored, but the relationship that Adam enjoyed with God before sin came is restored to a new level through Jesus Christ. Enemies of God are now sons and children of God by faith in Jesus Christ. Some are waiting to hear this message. They will not know what the message is unless someone goes and tells them. “How are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard?” (Romans 10:14). Will you go and tell them? Before Jesus left the earth to return to His Father, He said to the eleven disciples, “I am sending you” (John 20:21). This is the way God has always done His work in this world. He selects those who are willing to do His will whatever the cost.
God sent Abraham into a country that he was totally unfamiliar with. He sent Moses back to his own people after eighty years and a marred reputation. God called David from being a shepherd to leading a nation after years of threats on his own life. Jesus was sent from the glories of heaven to earth filled with sin to deliver those in sin. Uneducated Peter was sent back to his own people with the message of the precious blood of Christ. Paul, bent on destroying the Church was sent to the Gentiles to build the Church with the Gospel of Grace. The closest disciple to Jesus was John, and through him, Jesus sent the most powerful letters to seven churches in Asia. None of these God sent could do the work of any of the others. They only did their assignment. God has established His kingdom and the Church locally, globally and for eternity through those who accepted His call to be sent where He wants them, not where they liked to be because the conditions were easy and comfortable. He has sent them with only three promises; ‘I will be with you, my Word will not return empty, and the Spirit will be your Helper and Guide.’ Are you like Jonah who resisted the will of God and had to go through a whale of trouble before doing God’s will and seeing His mighty work? God knows ahead all the conditions you will face and how HE WILL SUSTAIN YOU IN THEM. Will you GO? Yesterday we thought about the extreme measures God takes to prepare someone so they can accomplish God’s purpose. I want us to think about this a little further. We would agree that Jesus put much training into the disciples over three and a half years so they would be ready for the greatest movement of God on earth – the Church.
While their ability to do God’s work depended on the Holy Spirit coming, filling them, and giving them power to preach the gospel effectively, there were some significant moments in Jesus’ training that we need to remember. I am referring to John 13, the basin of water He took to wash the disciples’ feet, and the towel. Though Jesus is God and Creator, His coming into manhood required that He humble Himself and become a servant (Philippians 2:5-8). He served these men. In John 13, Jesus took on the role of the house servant. He put water into a basin and took a towel to dry their feet after they had been washed. Peter resisted being served in this way. Jesus responds with, “If I do not wash you, you have no share (part) with Me” (13:8). I think there are several meanings in this, but the one I want to point out here is that Peter (and all of us) need to experience the ‘greater serving the lesser.’ Without this experience, we will not know how to effectively serve others. Have you let Jesus wash your feet? I am not referring to the literal act with water and a basin, but spending time in His presence, letting the water of His Word and His towel, remove anything that hinders you from being a true servant like Jesus. He will remove any superior attitude with His humble love and grace. When God wants to drill a man and thrill a man and skill a man,
When God wants to mold a man to play the noblest part; When He yearns with all His heart to create so great and bold a man That all the world shall praise…watch His methods; watch His ways! How He ruthlessly perfects whom He royally elects… How He hammers him and hurts him and the mighty blows converts him Into frail shapes of clay that only God understands. How his tortured heart is crying and he lifts beseeching hands… How He bends but never breaks, when his good He undertakes, How He uses whom He chooses…with every purpose fuses him; By every art induces him to try His splendor out… God knows what He’s about. Author Unknown Is God shaping you through trials and tools of pressure to make you His special servant? Let Him! As I was asking the Lord what He wanted me to write in this blog, it suddenly became very clear as the Spirit brought John 11:4 to my attention. “But when Jesus heard it He said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it”” (John 11:4). What had Jesus just heard? Mary and Martha came to Jesus and said, “Lord, he whom you love is ill” (11:3). Could Jesus possibly allow Lazarus to die?
There is not one of us who have not faced disappointment. Since 2013, the Lord has allowed me to go through seven surgeries and much therapy with the hope that sometime I can travel again. Recovery for each of these has been long and challenging. So far, there is no evidence travel is His plan. I am absolutely at peace if traveling and training overseas is not God’s will for me. WHY? This verse in John 11 has often comforted my heart. But, it is more than comfort. If I know that what God allows and my acceptance of His will for me brings Him more glory than traveling, then I choose to accept my circumstances and God’s will in them. God knows what He is doing in my life, even if it is not my preference. He does not always tell me the reason why things happen the way they do. Details and questions may never make sense to you or me, but knowing that through them, God will receive more glory, THAT IS ENOUGH FOR ME! Are you content in just knowing God will be glorified through difficult trials and pressures? |
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