![]() Please Pray: (October 3 – November 10) 1) Teaching Church Leaders using the Burmese God’s Plan for His Church in Yangon – October 27- November 7 2) Launch the new Karen God’s Plan for His Church in Maw Day Musekee – October 17-19 3) Teaching Bethany College students God’s Plan for His Church in Chiang ai - October 13-24 4) Synergy Meeting with Vietnamese Leaders in Bangkok - October 6-10 5) Strategic Planning for the Khmer God’s Plan for His Church in training Cambodian Leaders – November 1-3 6) Launch the new Vietnamese God’s Plan for His Church in Saigon – October 13 – 24 Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving, pray also for us, (Tim and Sherman): 1) That God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ Col 4:2-3 2) That words may be given to us in opening our mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel Eph 6:19 3) That the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored 2 Thess 3:1 (ESV) 4) That we may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding Col 1:9 5) That we be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might Col 1:11
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Dear Faithful Brothers and Sisters, We first want to thank the Lord for his abundant goodness us in so many ways. Your prayers are heard and we sense God's unmistakable leading in so many respects, though not always just the way we expected. Here is a brief update on a few items from the last newsletter: ![]() Pakistan: Tim Bunn and a brother from Africa were expecting to travel there this month to introduce GPHC to 25 - 30 pastors, but because one of the visas was not granted, we felt the Lord closing the door. The Pakistan brother we trained in Chiang Mai last year is now going to conduct the training in our absence. We believe this is God's way of making the work there truly indigenous. Please pray for this dear brother.Foreword to be written by David Hesselgrave (professor emeritus Trinity Evangelical Seminary) along with several other key endorsements. It will then be ready for Bible Schools and Seminaries around the world. Continue to pray for open doors where this will effectively impact students before being sent out in His field. Seminary Course: Final proofing and editing is finished. We are just waiting for the Foreword to be written by David Hesselgrave (professor emeritus Trinity Evangelical Seminary) along with several other key endorsements. It will then be ready for Bible Schools and Seminaries around the world. Continue to pray for open doors where this will effectively impact students before being sent out in His field. ![]() Trip to S. E. Asia in March was postponed which gave Sherman more time to heal from two surgeries. Just Monday, he received a very good report from the surgeon and release to return to normal activity using normal caution. For this we are very thankful! Please pray for trip to S. E. Asia in May: -Through our connection in Pakistan, there may be an open door for Tim to visit Malaysia and/or Bangladesh to introduce GPHC. -Through a wonderful sequence of events, God has given us Pastor Randy from Connecticut to travel with Sherman and Tim. He is working through the manual and has a heart for church planting. We believe this is God's appointment! -Sherman and Randy: May 6th to 10th - in Yangon, Myanmar to help a brother there launch the new Burmese manual. -May 13th to 16th - in Chiang Mai, Thailand to complete the training of Chinese missionary students before they go out to various unreached people groups around the world with God's plan and purpose. -May 17th to 20th - complete the training of Karen students in Chiang Mai, preparing them to strengthen their own people to reach out to unreached people groups in both Thailand and Myanmar. -Tim and Randy: May 22nd to 24th - in Phnom Penh, Cambodia encouraging a church planter who has been translating the manual into Khmer and has been going through some trials. -May 25th and 26th - following up on new contacts in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) in view of advancing God's work in Vietnam through the church and business leaders. -May 27th to June 1st - God has given us a new opportunity through a contact in Hanoi to visit the Hmong and Dao ("Yao") people groups along the northern border of Vietnam and China to introduce GPHC. These are opportunities that only God could orchestrate and we ask for your special prayer that each event will be guided and filled by the Holy Spirit so that an indigenous and eternal work will be ignited and hasten the Day of the Lord. "This gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations and then the end will come" (Matthew 24:14).
With gratitude for your interest, prayers and support, Tim, Sherman and Randy Below is a testimony received from a group of Lahu disciples we trained last fall using illustrations from the new revised God's Plan for His Church.
Our teaching consisted of showing them how the Gospel spread from Jerusalem (Pentecost) to the world. This is what happens when disciples, with childlike faith, take seriously the Holy Spirit and Christ, the Living Word. We have seen this happen over and over again throughout the world. “After teaching the book of Acts, the Pastors are so happy to go out to share the Good News with the people. We dedicated the 9th daughter church on March 15, 2014. Members of the new church are from Ah Kha tribe. Your teaching is so effective. Thank God for that.” Here is a current testimony of what is happening when believers use God’s Plan for His Church manual to get them back into the Scriptures as their sole guide for personal walk, the family and the church.
“I was urgently invited to Ghana to attend the International Missions Leaders Workshop in Kumasi Ghana. The Theme for the Workshop was “MOVING FORWARD”. The director for Baptist Foreign Missions Rev. Phil Knott shared with us the Mission’s Vision and goals that is to multiply disciples, leaders, Churches and ministries that are reproducible and sustainable. The Workshop was held because many of churches were relying on foreign support and when that supports ceased, the church fell or pastors moved to other ministry that will support him. So we were called and encourage that our churches should be self-sustainable and focus on God and the direction of the Holy Spirit. Brother, what we have been studying from the training manual is exactly what is going on with so many pastors and churches here in Africa. We have been encourage that our churches should be self-sustaining; not money to be it lifeblood, because when money stop ministry stops. Thanks for the material that open our eyes and understanding. I took along the Training manual (GOD’S PLAN FOR HIS CHURCH), with me and I seized the opportunity to meet with pastors and church leaders from Ghana, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Mali, Togo and other African countries discussed with them the goodness and Biblical teaching of Planting and Church Renewal of the material. Having shared the introductory part of the manual many of them express their desire to be part of the study. While I was away the men studying with me in our church were busy in carrying on their studies and at times we shared our discussion on phone after our meeting. I am going through the manual as well as a brother who has gone to Hungary with a copy of the manual. He will be back on the 26 of February, so that we can all do the completion of the material together. It is our prayers that the Lord will give us strength and open our understanding as we study His Word to win souls for him.” Yes my brother, there are so many adversaries which we are experiencing. We however thank God for all his promises. I want to tell you that it is not easy for these old churches to accept New Testament principals and come out of their traditions which are not found in the word of God. Some of the old churches adapt tradition, doctrines and church structures and their leaders have become owners of the churches, especially when a church is in the villages. But I thank God because his word is sharper than a double edged sword. Pray always for this new ministry we have on our shoulders. I am so glad because we are not only teaching the principles but the power of God is being demonstrated. I was asked to pray for the sick and God graciously gave them healing. I did not expect this to happen, but the church elder just stood up and asked me to pray for the sick. Brother, I don't understand how the Holy Spirit is working because l did not have this in my mind to pray for the sick. We really need your prayers. On Thursday this week we are going to two other churches and we are sure God wants us to go there, but we do not know what is ahead of us. This manual (God’s Plan for His church) is anointed!
This post will give you a slice of what God is doing in Thailand. “Timothy and I had a very fruitful time ministering the Word of God to 7 students. He knows the material and can communicate the biblical principles and connect these principles to their current and future ministries. He actually can communicate and teach much better than I can. What a blessed time we are having together!”
A brother in Zambia who has completed the GPHC training reports:
"The leaders whom we have taught through this manual (God’s Plan for His Church) have come to consider the manual like a bible commentary. They understand the book of Acts and the letters of Paul. They say transformation is taking place in homes and in the churches." This week (July 29th to August 3) there is a conference in Yangon, Myanmar. The initial report for the first two days is that there are "about 50 - 60 hungry souls" at the meeting and we are seeing "a real work of the Spirit".
These two things will always go together; hunger for God's Word and a work of the Spirit. Notice the example in the Book of Acts: Acts 10:33, "Now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord." There was a readiness to hear what God would say, which we receive primarily through His Word. This is followed a few verses later with Luke's record; "While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word" (verse 44). If you want to see God's Spirit work in our day, promote a hunger for His Word, not yourself. In all things, "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30). One of the key principles we see in the Book of Acts is that the life, fellowship and preaching; all forms of worship of the early church, was a strong reason why the church grew so rapidly (Acts 2:14-47; 6:7; 10:34-48; 13:48-49). Dr. Edmund Clowney has said, “When we worship God as we ought, that is when the nations will listen.”
Is our worship truly God-centered? If we mix in to our worship anything that exalts man, we will weaken out gospel voice to the nations; the unreached. As Tim prepares for his next trip to Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand, we want to give you a few details so you can be praying for each event. We feel very dependent on the Lord that He would go before us and provide a "wide open door for effective work" (1 Cor. 16:9).
July 24th - Leave Raleigh for Yangon, Myanmar (via Bangkok, Thailand). Pray for safe travel and rest in preparation for the conference in Yangon. July 29th to Aug. 2nd - Through a Chin Brother originally from Myanmar (now living in Australia), there will be a week long conference teaching the manual, God's Plan for His Church. Those attending will be given GPHC on the 15th of July so they can prepare for the training. Please pray they will complete the preparation and that those called to be church planters and apostles like Paul will follow Paul as he followed Christ. This instruction and application helps to prepare "unstoppable church planters" in any culture, anytime, and under any circumstances. August 3rd to August 17 - Training with leaders from Africa. Part of their learning process will take place as they help Tim do training with the Karen and Lahu people groups of Thailand (see below). Pray for the work and power of the Holy Spirit in these leaders. August 18th to September 28th - Specific dates have not been set, but there will be instruction of ten Thai Karen evangelists who will work among many Karen people who have been displaced from Burma and are living in refugee camps. Our desire is that they will be equipped to eventually reach their own people in Myanmar and the other 55 unreached people groups. In addition, there will be training with the Lahu people of Thailand with a goal that they evangelize the 82 unreached people groups. Please pray for God to give vision through His method they learned from Scripture. We are providing 30 GPHC manuals to a Chinese Missions Training Center in Chiang Mai in preparation for instruction in May of next year. Please pray that these students will absorb the Scriptures and principles so they can be effective in ministry in China. Tim returns by October 1st. Here is an interesting comparison between Myanmar and Thailand: Myanmar: Total People Groups = 155 Unreached = 55 Unengaged = 13 Thailand: Total people Groups = 112 Unreached = 82 Unengaged = 41 It is critical that we plant a biblical mindset in leaders so the task of reaching the unreached people groups with the gospel happens rapidly. We hope, Lord willing and through the work of the Holy Spirit, to challenge from the Word of God, that they consider reaching these unreached people groups, especially since the Karen and Lahu are primarily reached people groups, similar to churches in the US. Now that is not to say that we do not work with the existing church to strengthen through renewal, but we see from Acts that it was not either/or but both, working within the traditional establishment while sending and going to those who had never heard. But, it does seem the apostles number one focus in life and teaching was giving priority to those who had NEVER heard. Now I know not everyone is called to "go", but they are called to be "set apart" and be in one accord with the Holy Spirit in the mandate and commission given to His Church. The advantage of our training center in Chiang Mai is that these leaders learn in a setting free from distractions and where fellowship strengthens their learning. It has proven cost effective and the effectiveness of this one-on-one mentoring, as Paul did with Timothy and others, is undeniable. Please pray for God's continual direction as we use this facility. We continually thank the Lord for "your partnership in the Gospel" (Phil. 1:5) through faithful praying and support. Our only desire is "that we should go and bear fruit and that our fruit should abide (remain) for the Father's glory! (John 15:8, 16). |
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