As Tom continues his journey into Ukraine, it is imperative that we hold him up in prayer.
The next place Tom will minister is east of the capital, which has been heavily affected by the war. He will be doing the same type of ministry there. The team leader has several contacts there, and they tell her that the need for biblical teaching is enormous. On the last trip she took to Ukraine, she came home with heart issues, which the doctors said were related to the things she saw and experienced in Ukraine, so please pray for her. We are told from several different sources that what happened when the war broke out was that those who could flee west did, but the elderly either refused to flee or were unable to for various reasons. It was impossible for the poor and many children who could not afford to travel stayed behind. These are the ones Tom will be ministering to. While several humanitarian organizations and ministries work in Ukraine, that will not be his focus. Tom's purpose will be to help ground the new believers and strengthen the existing church in God’s Word as well as sharing the Gospel. Please pray for these opportunities. The Gospel is the only real hope for Ukraine and the world.
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As I was reading a few lines from Roland Allen's book, Essential Missionary Principles, I realized again the immense privilege we have of being left here to assist God in finishing the task of preaching the gospel to the nations (Acts 1:8). It is not that He needs us, but through His grace, God has chosen us to be "ambassadors" for Him.
Paul points to this concept by saying "that in Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself" (2 Corinthians 5:19). God came to us in the person of Jesus to bring us back into a right relationship with God through His sacrifice for us - removing our sin and giving us God's righteousness. But that is not all. “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” (5:20). As Allen says, God is the "master sculptor" and He has chosen to work through us as "His assistants in constructing and finishing His design" in others. We do not see at the beginning of our 'assisting work' exactly how it will look in the end, but we know that God sees his work "as it grows under His hand." The challenge for us is remaining under His guidance even when we do not see the final design. This requires the patience of genuine faith. It always thrills my heart to hear of God working among the young people here in America. Byron was at an Intervarsity meeting at the University of New Mexico, hoping to start a discipling group. After presenting God's Plan for His Disciples (GPHD), 21 students signed up to go through the study with Byron. Let's thank the Lord for starting this group and work among these young people. Also, pray that God will give them understanding and spiritual insight as they work through the lessons. “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). The question was asked whether we as followers of Jesus should "fear the Lord"? This phrase or allusion appears nearly 850 times in the Old Testament, but only 37 times in the New Testament, and there is only one of these that is a direct quote.
“So, the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied” (Acts 9:31). The word "fear" in most New Testament references means that we are given the occasion or opportunity to show "reverence and respect" Him in a worshipful manner. That can be expressed in any and every part of life. It comes out of a deep love for the Lord which began with His love for us in the greatest sacrifice that was ever made. This is so different from a "fear," the result of demand, and is concerned about the consequences of doing right or wrong through obedience or disobedience. It is the Holy Spirit in us who gives both the desire and the power to love the Lord with genuine reverence and fear. NFI is venturing into a new frontier and Tom will need your prayers. He leaves for Ukraine on Saturday, March 16, and will return home on April 8. He travels with three others. Elka, the team leader, has been to Ukraine twice before, and made contacts in the places where they will meet. Please use the map (left) as a prayer guide for the weeks ahead. They will travel by bus from Warsaw, Poland, to the Ukrainian border. From the border, they travel across Ukraine by van. The first place they will minister is Kremenchuk for about six days. Tom will work with pastor Vladimir and his family, teaching, preaching, visiting the wounded in the hospital, visiting shut-ins, traveling to the villages, and helping as needed. Pastor Vladimir asked Tom to teach foundational biblical truth. Many people have been searching for hope since the war started, leading many new people to attend churches or Bible studies, so he wants Tom to do a lot of introductory lessons. Tom will introduce God’s Plan for His Disciples to some leaders. If this stirs interest, Tom will return later and teach through the lessons. Sherman has rushed through formatting the new Ukrainian translation and printed 10 copies just yesterday. The final will come later. More on this trip will be given as the days pass. THANK FOR PRAYING I will conclude in this blog a close look at Acts 20 and Paul's last words to the elders in Ephesus. This section (verses 22 to 35) is much like the final words Jesus spoke to the churches in Revelation 2 and 3. They were both encouraging and convicting.
These are hard words to hear, and harder to take them to heart, but if we do, we "will save both ourselves and our hearers" (1 Timothy 4:16). Any leader who thinks he is immune from dangers like this has already entered a danger zone. Get help and be accountable to a godly leader immediately! The characteristics listed yesterday were taken from what Luke reveals in His Book of Acts. I could have referred to many other passages, but the number of passages does not increase the truth of Scripture, they add other contexts in which that same truth is used.
In this blog I want us to look at Paul's leadership characteristics as he worked with the Ephesian elders in Acts 20. I mentioned two of them yesterday, but there are more. We must also keep in mind that Paul was leaving them after about three years. They could not question the type of person just from their observation.
There is more in this chapter that is directed to the elders which we will look at tomorrow, but these features about Paul demonstrate how he lived among them. What do people observe about our lives? What would they say about our life and ministry? In this blog, I want to point out some distinguishing features of leaders like Paul who were effective in their ministry because of these qualities.
There are many more characteristics which I will continue to list tomorrow. Take these listed above and examine your own life and ministry. Do you see these qualities in others who are leaders in your church or ministry? Are you content with leaders where these features are not present? I will address this problem in a later blog. After reading through Randy's report several times and knowing a few of the leaders he was serving with, my thoughts traveled back to the Apostle Paul. He had a passion to prepare the next generation of leaders in the Church for several reasons.
In one sense, the challenge in raising up leaders is two-fold: to help them "rightly handle the word of truth"(2 Timothy 2:15) and maintain a self-less attitude of humility that preserves them from the "traps" mentioned above (Philippians 2:3-8). “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). This attitude must be at the core of our personal lives and ministry. We are so grateful that this is the commitment of our team and those we train are always challenged to follow this example in Paul. RANDY'S REPORT FOR S. E. ASIA - February 18 – March 6, 2024 “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18,). God’s transforming power was on display as we introduced God’s Plan for His Disciples (GPHD) to these former drug addicts, each growing in God’s grace! What a delight to be with them. We should never discount what God's Word will do when offered to such as these. In Malaysia, over 30 leaders in Cornerstone Immanuel Church began to study God’s Plan for His Church. We cast a vision that they become a training center for all of Southeast Asia. Currently, we are praying for God to use them to reach Indonesia and the Philippines. In Chiang Mai, Thailand this association of leaders gathered to plan future trainings among Burmese youth, Chinese immigrants, and Thai nationals. The couple on the right (Rebecca & Steve) are translating GPHD into Thai and printing them. Thank you for praying for this movement of God! |
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