straight from my heart ...

Being a Father

2011-08-24T00:57:00.009-04:00

Earlier this week I head a local news report detail how the new head coach of our NFL team had taken time from his hectic schedule to toss the softball with his daughter. Not a big deal you might think, but given the pressure of leading a professional football team out of the seller, it was a time and priority issue. He made the right choice.

This story caused me to reflect on some of my fondest memories of my on daddy. He had retired from the US Navy and was working for the NC Department of Corrections where tensions were always high. Many of the memories are from the mid to late 1960's. Now I don't know if you remember (or have read about those years) but it was a time of riots, race fights, and turmoil in the world. Many of these difficult times directly impacted the situations in the NCDoC. I can, even now, remember the strain and stress evident on my dad's face that many of the events caused.

My greatest memory of those days come from the way I remember him coming home each day. Even after his long and difficult days, as soon as he got home he had time (and energy) to throw the football or baseball with me. He never complained, never refused, and has never been forgotten. I still cherish those afternoons of daddy time. He took time for me and I am better for it.

I tried to always do those same things with my daughters and am trying to do that today with my grand kids. Daddy was teaching me the truth of being a daddy.

When we look closely at the ministry of Jesus we realize that His most personal reference to God the Father was the term Abba (Daddy) Father. It was a reminder that God enjoys and desires intimacy with His children. He reveals to us that what God wants for us is personal and eternal. I hope that today you will spend quality time with God everyday and grow in your relationship and fellowship with Him.

The Sovereignty of God

2011-08-10T12:41:00.001-04:00

When I have time I tune in to one or more of the "news" channels which inundate the airwaves with their product. Like most, it does not take long for the news to turn my stomach, so I simply tune to something more refreshing. The past few weeks have filled the minds of many with thoughts of deep panic and concern. So many have called me to share their concern over events happening globally. "What should I take from the events?" is the most often asked question. While I do not believe any one has the answer to the problem, I do know that God is sovereign and is in complete control!

If we believe in the sovereignty of God, then we must acknowledge that none of the current world events have taken Him "off guard." Rather they are all a part of His divine plan designed for His glory and our good. Is it possible that God is allowing all these things of turmoil in an effort to shake us and draw us unto Himself? In the Old Testament Haggai wrote,

“For thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Once more in a little while, I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea also and the dry land. I will shake all the nations….I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. I will overthrow the thrones of kingdoms and destroy the power of the kingdoms of the nations.” (Haggai 2:6, 7, 21, 22)

As children of God, bought by the blood of Jesus Christ, redeemed from the eternal penalty of sin, Christians must realize that we are most certainly living in the days preceding the ultimate return of Christ in power and glory. Regardless of your particular position on eschatology we can all agree that human history is ramping up for the final showdown between good and evil -- between light and darkness -- yes between the forces of Hell and Heaven. Therefore these are the day of evangelism! You and I are called to fully surrender our lives under the Lordship of Jesus Christ and boldly share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with everyone.

Today there is an all out assault on Christians. Too many of us are ignorant to the things that are happening to the Christian world globally. I want to encourage you to stay aware of these current events. You can read an unbiased report from the voice of martyrs <http://persecutionblog.com/> which you will find helpful in your prayer life. I also want you to consider reading the blog from Joel Rosenberg <http://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/> which will certainly give you insights into many current events from a Christian perspective.

That I May Know Him!

2011-07-13T19:40:00.000-04:00

Oswald Chambers said, "The aim of a spiritually vigorous saint is “that I may know Him . . .” Do I know Him where I am today? If not, I am failing Him. I am not here for self-realization, but to know Jesus Christ. In Christian work our initiative and motivation are too often simply the result of realizing that there is work to be done and that we must do it. Yet that is never the attitude of a spiritually vigorous saint. His aim is to achieve the realization of Jesus Christ in every set of circumstances." (read devotional) <http://utmost.org/the-spiritually-vigorous-saint/>

The basic question facing every true believer is this: "Do I know Him today?" We live so much of our life in an attitude of compartmentalization where we try and put areas of our life in boxes hoping that the areas will never intersect. You and I are called to live our life in a way where we are examples of Jesus Christ for all the world to see -- all the time. When we lose our cool or are sharp-tongued toward others we are certainly revealing the fact that, at the moment, we do NOT know Him. With an attitude of complete surrender we are able to lay aside all our claims to our rights and realize that our rights have been surrendered to the rights of Jesus Christ. When we KNOW HIM, we know about Him and His perfection. I pray that today you are living in the reality of Jesus Christ. He is our Lord. He is our Savior. He is our Master. He is our everything!

Images of the Cross

2011-06-29T09:58:00.000-04:00

The cross is a constant reminder of the grace, love and mercy of God. As I have had the opportunity to be away for a few days of rest and relaxation I have been amazed at the wonderful ways God reminds me of His love. As I sit on the porch of our condo it seems that my eyes are drawn to images of the cross. These images might be nothing more that the beams of a condo unit across the way, the shape of a tree in the distance, or even an oddly shaped cloud in the sky, but I know that I see these images. It has been a great reminder of the love of God.

As many Americans prepare to celebrate the birthday of our nation this weekend, I hope you will remember that this once richly blessed nation was founded upon the Word, will, and way of God. We were unashamed to mention openly the Name of God in our classrooms, courtrooms, or congressional halls. However, now our fear of the politically correct has sent us down a path of disaster. The only hope for America is Jesus and I trust that you will use this weekend to ask God to bring to your remembrance the wonderful glory of what could be again.

Seasons of Refreshment

2011-06-15T09:15:00.003-04:00

Now that school is out for the summer break many people will enjoy times of vacation, holiday, and relaxation. I am sure that God created us to enjoy and benefit from these seasons of refreshment. Our body, mind, and soul all require these times of revitalization and we will all be better following the break.

I hope you will remember to benefit from your times of vacation -- regardless of where you go or what you do. Our family is looking forward to our break to Hilton Head Island with another family of friends. We will enjoy all we do but especially our time worshiping with the dear people of First Baptist Church of Hilton Head. It will be refreshing to listen to the Word of God preached from that excellent pulpit. Let me encourage you to worship in a church in the place where you vacation. Look and see that the Body of Christ is alive around the globe. Look for how God is at work around you -- even when you are away from home. I have made it my practice to be aware of God's activity everywhere I go. Even today, while in a local department store I had the opportunity to engage in spiritual conversation with a person working in the store. She gave testimony to me that she personally knew Jesus Christ. I hope you will join me in turning the world upside down. If you did not have the opportunity to hear my message last week (by the same title) I hope you will click here to listen online.

My heart continues to be encouraged by all that I see God doing around us.

Continuing in Faith

2011-05-26T15:38:00.000-04:00

God continues to do wonderful things in and through the life of His dear ones. I am so blessed to witness the grand works of God around the globe. Last week, while preaching in my local church, I saw the Father do some incredible things!

I have been preaching through the book of Acts and on that Sunday I was preaching from 16: 11-15. Following the message I witnessed four former Catholics come forward during the invitation to express, not only their faith in Christ, but their desire to follow the Lord Jesus in baptism. There were at least three others who came to indicate their decision for baptism!

As I thought on this and listened to the spoken testimony of all of these who came for baptism, the recurring theme was that of obedience. God is certainly teaching all of His children the importance of obeying His word. As I witness all that He is doing around the world I am reminded that our love for God and our obedience go hand in hand. If you love God, you WILL obey Him. Is your love for God being fleshed out today?

O how the mighty have fallen

2011-05-18T18:09:00.000-04:00

The headlines of recent days reveal a continual problem with humanity. News of the child of former California Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger's tryst with a housekeeper and the case of an alleged sexual assault by Dominique Strauss-Kahn is a reminder of the depravity of humanity. Talk radio and others have been asking the question, “Why do the rich and famous seem to have such a problem with sexual impurity?”

While members of the elite circles certainly garner more attention to their lifestyles and actions, I do not believe such sins are confined to those in high profile positions. One national radio host asked, "Why can't human
beings simply do the right thing?" The answer is not so simple. Here is what I mean.

The "right" thing has become a cluttered mess in our modern society. For years now there has been a constantly changing line of what is acceptable behavior in our culture. The classrooms have been teaching for decades that contemporary man must be devoid of moral absolutes. The academic community has been pounding into the young minds that both morals and absolutes are antiquated abstracts which are certainly unnecessary in an evolving society. This demonic teaching has finally taken hold in our culture and now "right" and "wrong" are defined individually not collectively. What were once acknowledged morals and virtues in our society have become simply personal biases today.
The lack of genuine faith has also caused our society to devolve into a muddle of humanity at its lowest form. When God was intentionally and viciously removed from the national stage -- including the classrooms -- we witnessed the beginning of the end of our culture. Scripture attests in Psalm 33:12 "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord" and "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people." (Prov. 14:34). There is little doubt in my mind that we have moved far from God and His design for society. The idea of a personal
faith in the Lord Jesus has been relegated to the trash heap of superstition by the collective thinkers in America. As a society we have continually thumbed our collective nose at God and told Him that we
neither want nor need Him in our lives and I fear that He has granted our request.

In light of these two truths the answer to the original question is easily focused. Without a moral and spiritual foundation man is destined to simply follow the carnal and natural desires of the flesh. The two men listed above are but a microcosm of humanity. "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick;" (Jer.17:9) Mankind, apart of Jesus Christ is lost. Remember, lost people do lost things!

The responsibility of every Christian is to take the gospel message to the ends of the earth. The earth includes these two men and every person alive. "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel!" (Mark 16:15)

Headed Home

2011-03-03T17:11:00.000-05:00

[Brong Ahafo Region, Ghana] Our evangelistic project has just ended. God allowed us to share the gospel in 138 venues and witness 38,093 individuals indicate their first-time decision for Christ. Even though these numbers are staggering we have been reminded that there are 15,000 unreached villages here with a Muslim population in excess of 5 million people. Therefore the unfinished task ahead of us is both daunting and demanding.

The grace of God has been evident in all our work. The fact that He organized for our first-ever medical clinic was amazing. Unknown to the American team was the fact that this project would be conducted in a Muslim dominated region of Ghana with the potential of turmoil and chaos. The clinic, however, provided us with the perfect platform to demonstrate the genuine love of Jesus Christ. More than once we heard the villages proclaim that they could not believe the fact that we were freely treating Muslims without any reservation. These people had been taught that Christians were hostile and threatening. Perhaps this is a sad indictment upon some who preceded us. We are so thankful that God used our team members to show a gentle and honest picture of the grace and love of Jesus Christ. Through these medical clinics we offered medical assistance to 984 people who, otherwise, would have nearly certainly gone without help.

One sad, yet victorious story bears mentioning. In Saturday’s clinic, there was a particular old man and his wife who traveled a great distance to be seen by our team. The man complained of fatigue and weakness. He was seen by the doctors and referred to the regional hospital. However this man also sat and listened to the Gospel message as it was shared during the clinic to which he responded by inviting Jesus into his life. Although the man was fatigued, he placed his trust in Jesus and a great change in his countenance was evident. We received word on Wednesday (4 days later) that this man had died. This worn out body had succumbed to death, but thanks be to God that he is now at home with Jesus! This certainly served as a reminder that we have the responsibility and privilege of sharing the Gospel with all those in our paths.

It is good to see that God is always a step ahead of us. On Tuesday night Sammy Lartey informed us that he had decided that we would complete our school ministry on Wednesday rather than Thursday. Although his reason was so that we could rest on Thursday in preparation for the long trip early Friday morning, we learned today (Thursday) that all the area teachers have been on strike. Sammy said this morning, “I had no idea, but I know God told me to bunch the schools together for Wednesday.” God is always a step ahead!

Taking the Gospel to the Airways by Ruth Kandaras

2011-03-02T16:21:00.001-05:00

[Brong Ahafo Region, Ghana] It is 7:15pm here in Atebubu. We had been invited to the local radio station for an interview. During the interview Pastor Roy and Pastor Emmanuel had the privilege of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ over the airwaves, both in English and Twe.

Once again God continues to amaze me as He opens new doors to share His amazing grace.

He says His word will never return void. We pray that tonight words have touched the hearts of those still in need of His saving grace. I praise God for what He has done and continues to do!

Moving out of our Confort Zone

2011-03-02T11:33:00.004-05:00

[Brong Ahafo Region, Ghana] We have just completed our school ministries in Ghana. Over the past 10 days we have ministered in 85 different schools. The ages of the children has spanned from 8 to 19 years. In each school we have seen multitudes of children, teachers, and headmasters humbly accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Some of these schools have been large area schools but most of them have been poor, remote schools well off the beaten path. (In all we have shared the Gospel in 127 venues to nearly 50,000 people. We have seen 35,204 individuals indicate their first-time decision for Christ!)

Not all of our team members came here expecting to “preach the Gospel” in the schools. The only “preachers” on our team are Jeff Andler, Mark Chase, and myself. Although Craig Barker and Andy Poe have been to Ghana before they never had the primary assignment of preaching, rather they have usually served in support roles. This time however they have had the assignment of preaching each evening in the film crusades and they have done a wonderful job.

Other team members came knowing that they would be working in the medical clinics during our first week and were expecting to work in the dental clinic this last week. However, when word reached us that Dr. Ney was not going to be able to travel to Ghana all our plans changed. Immediately Ruth Kandaras, Matthew Bolling, and Courntey Bolling learned that they would now be speaking in school ministries. While they are all three wonderful individuals who love the Lord none of them have been expected to stand in front of large crowds and present the Gospel. They are all three more comfortable in sharing the Gospel in a one-on-one setting.

God, however, had new plans for them all. Over the course of the days each of them has stood up and clearly presented the Gospel to large groups of students in the schools. God has gently moved them from their comfort zones and expanded them in preparation for more that He plans to do through them.

As I talked to Matthew a few moments ago he said, “I did not expect to be preaching, but God has given me the power to trust Him and be used by Him. This was great!” Ruth told me, “I have to trust God to do what I cannot do!” As we talked I reminded her that too much of what we do is in our own power. “The medical clinics are important and have been used by God, but we are able to do those things in our own strength,” I told Ruth. “But,” I continued, “when we stand and preach the Gospel we know full well that unless God shows up it will be a failure.” “Yes,” Ruth replied, “this is certainly outside my comfort zone and I wish others back home would come here and let God do something wonderful in their lives too.”

“Courtney shared the Gospel with a sweet and gentle spirit that they children loved,” remarked Sammy Lartey. “She is a natural and should come to Ghana every time!” he continued.

I watched with amazement at the ease in which all of these shared the Gospel. It certainly reminded me that being outside our comfort zones is the safest place in the world. It is, however, only when we are outside our abilities that we are conscious that we are completely dependent upon God. Will you move from your comfort zone today?

When God interrupts your Schedule

2011-03-01T12:49:00.000-05:00

[Brong Ahafo Region, Ghana] What a marvelous privilege God gives us every day! Thus far this project has allowed us to the share the Gospel in 112 venues where we have seen 29,192 individuals indicate their personal decision for Jesus Christ!

God continues to reveal His ways to us – even though our ways are not always His ways. He reminds us over and over, that, “He is constantly at work around us.” This morning we traveled to an unscheduled school for ministry. The long road was remote, washed-out, and extremely difficult to navigate. The temperature today passed 100 degrees and we conducted the program outside, in the hot sunshine. While the ministry yielded many decisions for Christ we were all a bit frustrated at the idea of having to travel all the way back to our hotel over that same terrible road.

About half way back we stopped along the way at the beckoning of a woman walking toward the town. This was the only person I remember seeing on the entire journey. She apparently asked us for a ride and we obliged. In a matter of minutes, Pastor Ebenezer engaged her in deep conversation. The spirit of God revealed in me that he was sharing the Gospel with this woman. After only a few moments I could tell that the woman had come to a point of decision and was praying; inviting Jesus into her life. Following the prayer, Ebenezer said, “Dr. Roy this is Ashiatu. She is a Muslim, but now she is our sister!” I have never seen a broader smile nor more gleaming eyes. This woman was evidently happy, not because we had given her a ride, but because she had been accepted into the household of faith!

I had the opportunity to pray with this sister and gave her a bible. She held it close to her chest as she got out of our Rover and left us. The entire event reminded me that our road to nowhere had become a highway to holiness. The word of God says in Isaiah 35:8

A highway will be there, a roadway,

And it will be called the Highway of Holiness.

The unclean will not travel on it,

But it will be for him who walks that way,

And fools will not wander on it.

We had no idea this morning that we would meet this woman. We thought we were being inconvenienced by the unscheduled trip to such a remote village, but God knew exactly what He was doing. He had scheduled a divine appointment with Ashiatu and allowed us to be a part of the journey. God’s plans are always perfect.

I hope that you will always eagerly embrace the divine interruptions to your schedules.

Weekend Update

2011-02-27T19:14:00.000-05:00

[Brong Ahafo Region, Ghana] It is Sunday here in Ghana. We are winding down from a busy two weeks of ministry here and are thankful for a day of rest. Since our arrival on Tuesday, February 15 our team has completed 91 separate ministry venues in villages, towns, schools, medical clinics, and film crusades. We have traversed difficult terrain and ventured where few, in some cases any, whites have previously been. It is still amusing to witness many of the people rub our hands and arms to see if our “color” will come off! Thus far we have seen 22,574 people indicate their first-time decision for Christ.

Each of our team members have personal stories to share and I will leave most of them for their own time, but I will relate a few to you here.

Ruth Kandaras, while sitting in town yesterday, had a group of children approach her for conversation. As they visited and chatted she noticed the young boy holding a worn and tattered book in his hands. When she asked to see it she discovered that it was a small New Testament. There was, however, something unique about this New Testament. She said the cover and all the Gospels had been ripped off and the first page was the book of Acts. Upon further conversation with the boy she said, “O, you have a Bible,” to which they lad replied, “Yes, but I am a Muslim.” Not letting the opportunity pass her by, Ruth said, “That’s okay, I want you to read this book and learn that God loves you very much.” After some more conversation, the boy, clutching the torn New Testament tightly to his chest promised that he would read the book. We are trusting God to do something wonderful in this young boy’s life.

Craig Barker was in a deep and remote village on Saturday night. After preaching to the crowd of over 1,100 people at the evening’s film crusade, several hundred made public commitments to Jesus Christ but a particular group of young men caught Craig’s attention.

“These young men came to me and asked me for a copy of the Bible,” reported Craig. He continued, “These men explained to me that they have been Muslims all their life, but they wanted a Bible. I asked them, ‘Did you invite Jesus into your life tonight?’ With smiles on their faces they indicated that Jesus had in fact come into their lives this very night. They said, “We are Muslim, but now that we have Jesus in our hearts, we need to read more about Him.” We directed them to Pastor Ebenezer who counseled them and gave them a copy of the New Testament. We are trusting God to use these young men to share the Gospel with others.

Please continue to pray for us during our final five days of ministry here in Ghana. God certainly continues to watch over us and draw people unto Himself. All praise and adoration belong to Him!

A day before the Chief

2011-02-26T14:25:00.001-05:00

[Brong Ahafo Region, Ghana] Mt 10:18 – “On My account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles.” This morning our team had the opportunity to visit with the Village Chief and his Elders for a traditional ceremony of welcome and appreciation. The formality of the event was a good experience for us all, but especially for our first-time members.

We entered the Chief’s palace where he was seated on his royal throne, which was atop the elevated base in the grand hall of the palace. His tribal Elders were seated along the front wall to either side of the Chief. Through his official linguist he greeted us and welcomed us to Atebubu and the entire area of his domain. He thanked us for taking time to come and visit with him and expressed gratitude for all the work we have been doing in the area.

These are a distinctly proud people. The Chief’s orator shared with us the fact that this kingdom has never suffered a loss in battle. Their history, which they stated goes back to the seventh century, reveals the fact that they have always been victorious in military battles. Not even the great Ashanti warriors were ever able to defeat them.

Following the time of pomp and circumstance I was afforded the opportunity to share the Gospel with those assembled. By the power of the Holy Spirit the message went forth in power and authority. At the time of invitation the Chief and every one of his Elders, with bowed heads prayed and indicated their decision to invite Jesus Christ into their lives. In fact, following this the Chief said, “Anyone can raise their hands to deceive someone, but today, I can vow that I have asked Jesus into my heart!”

It was the honor of our team to be present when this victorious Chief surrendered his battle of eternity to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Pastor Sammy Lartey in fact said to the Chief, “You are a Chief who has never lost a battle and today you have met the King who WILL never lose a battle.” Such is the daily ministry of Global Evangelism Ministries.

Through Saturday noon our teams have shared the Gospel in 89 venues where we have witnessed 21,554 indicated decisions for Christ.

Please pray for us as we enter our final week of ministry in this region. We have two film crusades scheduled for both tonight and Sunday night. Following that we have school ministry and film crusades each day through Thursday. The team is all doing very well and our health and strength is strong. Thanks be to God for His wonderful provision!

Friday, February 25, 2011

2011-02-25T15:35:00.000-05:00

[Brong Ahafo Region, Ghana] Today I rode with our nurses back to Kumasi for their flight home. The three-hour drive was uneventful, but very hot. I watched them check-in for the flight to Accra where they will connect with United Airlines for the long trip home. Please pray for their safe arrival back to their home in the USA.

Jeff Andler learned today that he was a grandfather for the second time! The news reached us this morning that “Jovie Andler” was born at 11:09pm on February 24 in Charlotte. Jovie was born to Jeremy and Holly Andler. Although this precious little girl was born a month early both she and her mom are doing fine. Congratulations to the Andler family – Grandpa is doing great too!

Tomorrow promises to be a day of much needed rest as we do not have school ministry planned. We are, however, scheduled to meet with the Village Chief and his elders sometime on Saturday. Please pray that they will hear the gospel message as we share it with them. Again, tomorrow evening we will share the gospel in two different film crusades.

“Forbid not the little children"

2011-02-24T10:24:00.000-05:00

[Brong Ahafo Region, Ghana] Our journey this morning was into the most remote village I have ever been! After a brief ride down the main highway, we turned off onto a dirt road and drove for miles and miles. We stopped at one school where the students were all waiting in their classroom(s) for the day’s studies. There was one problem for the kids – there were no teachers present! It seems that this to too often the norm for the remote village schools. The teachers, although paid by the government, often fail to show up on time (and sometimes not at all) because of the difficult conditions in many of these places. Our team told the students that we would return shortly for a program and that they should go and collect the villagers to come and hear what we had to share with them. We got back into our Land Rover and continued down the dirt road.

After about 10 minutes we turned off the road into an open field which led us into the bush. We drove and drove through the bush – sometimes with no reminder of even a path. Eventually we came upon a cluster of mud huts where we stopped and asked a few questions. The lady of the place spoke clearly to our pastor and apparently told us that we had missed the fork in the road. After a “photo op” we got back into our vehicle and turned around.

“Wow!” I exclaimed to Pastor Ebenezer, “I missed the fork – I didn’t even see the road.” After a good laugh, we reminded ourselves that this is the reason we come to Ghana, “To go where others refuse to go!”

After, what seemed like an eternity, we arrived at the village school. This open-air, straw roofed, building was the education center for the 20 children who lived in the village. At first, I must confess, I was feeling frustrated that we had traveled so far for such a small group of children, but the Spirit of the Lord reminded me, “Let the little children come unto Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt. 19:14) We shared the gospel program with the same passion and conviction as if there had been 1000 students assembled. When the invitation to Jesus was offered, all 22 people (1 teacher and 1 villager was gathered) present invited Jesus into their lives!
Over and over again pastor Ebenezer proclaimed, “I am so happy we came to this place!” Yes, these sweet people are all precious in the sight of Jesus and now have a wonderful place in our hearts.

On our travels back to the dirt road our capable driver Narh, a Ghanaian himself, kept telling us, “I could not live in this place, I would die! It is too far. It is far, far-far.” Eventually we made our way back to the first school where we had stopped and as promised, the students and called the villagers to join us for our school program. This school saw over 150 individuals indicate their decision for Christ! Thus far, in 77 different ministry venues we have witnessed 20,575 people express publically their commitment to Jesus Christ.

Phase One Has Ended

2011-02-23T19:31:00.000-05:00

[Brong Ahafo Region, Ghana] Wednesday, February 23, 2011 brought an end to the Medical Clinic phase of this project in Ghana. Under the coordination of Rev. Jeff Andler and the daily supervision of Andy Poe our capable team treated a total of 984 patients!

I want to extend my sincere gratitude to our nurses, Ronda Brookshire and Sheila Radcliff (Asheville, NC) who performed like the highly skilled professionals they are. Even more impressive than their medical skills was their keen spiritual perception and obedience in sharing the Gospel. They understood that our sole reason for being here was to share the good news of Jesus Christ with as many people as possible.

In addition to the nurses, Courtney & Matthew Bolling, Ruth Kandaras, Craig Barker, and Mark Chase worked in the clinics. Each of these people accepted their daily assignments with graciousness. Even in the midst of the turmoil of this ministry each person worked diligently in seeing to the needs of the people.

Thus far, our project team has shared the gospel in 67 different ministry venues where we have been privileged to see 18,610 individuals indicate their decision to receive Jesus Christ into their lives.

Although these numbers seem too difficult to comprehend and we are looking forward to seeing thousands more respond to the Gospel each day, it is becoming more and more challenging. The school program over the past few days has been growing increasingly unruly. More and more villagers are showing up at the schools each day to hear what we are saying and while this is encouraging most of them come from the Muslim tradition and thus are sometimes disruptive.

We need to have the assurance that people are praying for us. The film crusades tonight are schedule to be out pretty far in villages that have had little (if any) exposure to the Gospel. Please pray for our preachers, team members, and nationals. Pray for the safety in travel, equipment and vehicle reliability, and continued physical strength and health.

The entire team joins me in sending our appreciation to each of you.

Medical Clinics Prevent Conflict

2011-02-22T21:43:00.000-05:00

[Brong Ahafo Region, Ghana] As you know this project has been our first ever Medical Evangelism effort in Ghana. I must confess that I did not know how any of this would work here. However, I did know that God was leading us to trust Him in this matter and that He alone would use it for His glory. Thus far we have conducted five clinics where we have treated 849 patients suffering from various afflictions. Some have been relatively easy while others have been pretty trying. Through them all, it seems that we had the exact medications and treatment knowledge to attend to each person.

The most wonderful thing about this project is the fact that the Muslims have been humbled by the fact that we were offering free medical care to members of their communities and villages. Over and over we have heard stories that reveal a great truth about the Gospel and genuine Christians.

A group of prominent spiritual leaders from the community shared with our team their complete lack of belief in the fact that we would actually be willing to treat them freely and without question. One Muslim leader affirmed boldly, “Your faith is real and I believe your God is real. If your God loves me like you have loved me, why should I not place my trust in Him?" Over and over again I am hearing stories about the gentle ways that our Ghanaian physicians Laud Kassim, David Mekano, and Philemon Kumasah, who have traveled all the way from Accra, are giving their time and energy in the care of these patients. Our American nurses, Ronda Brookshire and Sheila Radcliff worked with vigor and determination. Ruth Kandaras, Courtney and Matt Bolling, Mark Chase, Craig Barker, and Andy Poe were the greatest team I have ever seen assembled. I am praying that each of these team members will plan on being a part of our next medical project next February.

It has become evident to us that the Medical Clinics have spread a spirit of peace that went in from of us during all our ministry. We are convinced that without these clinics we would have been unable to travel into many of the remote areas for ministry. It seems that God has used the clinics as a peace offering to those who otherwise might have been hostile.

Never before has our ministry in Ghana seen such large numbers reported at this early stage in a project. After only four days of school ministry, 14 Jesus films, and 5 days of medical ministry we are able to report 14,364 individuals indicate their decisions for Christ. Only one Muslim school thus far refused to let us come in and talk with the students, but nearly all of them were present for the Jesus film shown on that same night. This is indeed a wonderful project. Please keep praying for us.

Received or Rejected?

2011-02-22T16:32:00.000-05:00

[Brong Ahafo Region, Ghana] Tuesday morning in Ghana was filled with opportunity and opposition. I received an email from home informing me that Dr. David Ney, our project dentist, has a medication condition that will prevent him from coming to Ghana. He is suffering from a bulging disc in his back and his physician has prohibited him from air travel. While we pray for his recovery and are challenged by his correct decision to stay in NC we are in the midst of re-adjusting our on-field assignments for the next week of ministry here in Ghana. One thing we rest assured in is the fact that this news did not surprise God and He already has our schedule planned. God is able!

Our three ministry teams set out from our hotel around 8:00 and traveled out in different directions for our school ministries and the medical clinic venues. Jeff’s team traveled to a village area where they shared the gospel in four separate schools over the next couple of hours. My team ventured out about 35 miles to a heavily Muslim dominated community of farmers. Upon our arrival in this community we discovered more people than I ever remember seeing in one area in Ghana. We shared the gospel in 7 different schools to total crowds of over 6,000 students. All of the students listened with interest, and while most were Muslim, we saw well over 3,000 of the people pray to receive Jesus Christ! As we shared the Gospel many adults gathered around to hear what we were saying and I am delighted to report that many of them too indicated their decisions to receive salvation. We were able to place a Bible, New Testament, or Gospel of John into the hands of all who indicated their decision for Christ.

At the medical clinic, which was in the same area as my team’s ministry, several hundred people gathered and waited on treatment. Our American and Ghanaian team members shared the Gospel with the crowds with passion and conviction. Nearly every person in the “waiting room” was Muslim with several mosque leaders also in the crowd. When the offer of salvation was offered, some lifted their hands to indicate their decision to receive Christ, but most did not so indicate. However, as Pastor Sammy talked with many of the people, he received great news.

“I prayed to receive Jesus this morning,” one strong man in the community related, “but I did not lift my hand in the light of day. I know, should I raise my hand, my villagers will kill me,” he continued. “Tonight, I promise you, I will raise my hand in my house,” he told Sammy.

Such is the place in which we are working during this project. Muslims heavily dominate this area, and we have learned that few evangelicals are sharing the Gospel in these places. We have learned that the love of God is sufficient to penetrate the most hardened hearts and His Spirit continues to draw people unto Himself. Hallelujah! What a Savior.

Reaching the Un-reached

2011-02-21T08:43:00.003-05:00

[Brong Ahafo Region, Ghana] Our ministry in Ghana continues to move to show both the power of God and the motto of GEM (“Going where others refuse to go!”) working hand in hand. On Saturday night my film team traveled to a remote and rejected village to share the gospel. By “rejected” I mean, this particular village is viewed as both outcasts and dangerous people. Sammy shared with us that the villagers, native to the Northern Region, have all relocated to the Brong Ahafo Region in search of better farmland. All these people have some sort of Muslim tradition that people here think to be far too militant for their liking. As a result, none of the population of our area ever venture out to the particular village where we ministered last night.

Upon arrival in this rejected area I was humbled and awed by the gracious way in which we were received. The entire village had gathered in an open area of the place awaiting our arrival and the screening of the Jesus film. Although I have seen poor and desolate areas before, this particular one surpassed them all. There were no roads, no lights, and no water. Every dwelling in the place was wretched and horrible – nothing but sticks and mud houses for these people. There was literally no signs of livability.

We showed the Jesus film to a completely quiet crowd of more than 200 and then shared the gospel message in the power of the Holy Spirit. Our entire team was moved with compassion and gratitude when we witnessed approximately 150 indicated that they had just prayed to receive Jesus Christ!

We distributed bibles to each one of them and promised that we would have a pastor there to serve them this coming Sunday. Think about it. In a matter of three hours a new church had been planted in a previously unreached, neglected village of the world. This is certainly the work of God!

I, and our entire team, are counting on you to keep us in your prayers. None of this is easy, but it is comforting to know that our friends around the world are remembering to pray earnestly for us.

Our medical clinics continue to function smoothly. I stopped by the clinic today on my way back from a morning of school programs and once again was thankful for the great work each team member is doing.

I am especially grateful for the way Andy Poe is managing and coordinating these clinics each day. My original plan was for my dear friend and colleague, Jeff Andler, to coordinate the clinics, which would have meant loosing him from preaching each day in the schools. While I know Jeff would have effectively managed the clinics, I am thankful that he is able to utilize his dominant spiritual gifts of preaching and evangelism each and every day.

Please remember to pray for our film crusades each night. Normally the preaching takes place around 9:00pm each evening (which is 4:00pm EST). Pray for Craig Barker and Mark Chase who will be speaking tonight.

In addition to the already mentioned team members, continue to pray for Ronda Brookshire, Courtney and Matthew Bolling, Ruth Kandaras, and Sheila Radcliff. Everyone is doing an outstanding job! Through Monday noon we have recorded 8,706 indicated first-time decisions for Christ in 39 venues.

Saturday's Medical Clinic

2011-02-19T17:25:00.000-05:00

[Bantana, Brong Ahafo Region, Ghana] The medical clinic on Saturday was our most challenging to-date. After the dirty and difficult road trip to the clinic site our team set-up for the day. Almost immediately we realized why God brought our particular team members together for the project. Both of our American nurses (Ronda Brookshire and Sheila Radcliff) have had vast experience in Emergency Room medicine and this proved to be completely necessary for this ministry. The other members of the medical team, Craig Barker, Matthew and Courtney Bolling, Ruth Kandaras, and Andy Poe are all capable servants who adjust quickly and follow assignments wonderfully.

The ministry on Saturday was filled with critical needs for many of the 140 patients seen. There were many open and oozing sores on feet which required detailed attention. It was challenging and difficult; and some of these sores were so old that we fear some of the people will ultimately lose limbs. Our Ghanaian physicians were overwhelmed at the condition of many of these villagers who had never before been attended to by physicians. We are thankful to God for providing perfectly these young men to come alongside us for this project.

At least three people today were actually carried to the clinic, one even on the back of his fellow villager. These people were in such poor physical condition that they could not walk to the clinic. “It looked like a scene from the New Testament, when the paralyzed man was carried to Jesus,” said Andy Poe. “Even though Jesus completely healed that paralyzed man, I hope we were able to offer our patients some relief from their suffering. I know they all were attended to and heard the gospel,” he continued.

Through all of this we are fully committed to always clearly presenting the gospel message of Jesus with every person we encounter. Over and over again we are reminded that GEM goes where others refuse to go.

Update From Ghana 2/19/2011

2011-02-19T09:48:00.001-05:00

[Atebuba, Brong Ahafo Region, Ghana] The morning started out with our team breakfast at 6:55. This project requires us to travel from our Guest House to a “restaurant” in this town of Atebuba for all of our meals. The cook and her helpers are doing a marvelous job in feeding us and the food has been very good.

Following our meal of oatmeal, fresh fruit, toast, juice, and coffee we set out for the medical clinic in the area of Bantana which was about 2 hours away. The road to this village was pretty rough and very dusty. I tell you all of us looked like we were native to Ghana by the time we arrived in Bantana, because of the heavy dust and dirt that covered us!

Upon arrival in this village our team began sitting up for the clinic with teamwork and precision while Ebenezer corralled the awaiting crowd for the presentation of the Gospel message. Through his able gift of interpretation I was able to present the life-changing message of Jesus Christ with those waiting to see the doctors and nurses. The crowd consisted of Muslims, nominal Christians, and traditional fetish people were all attentive to the Word of God.

By the time we offered them Jesus, no fewer than 100 people indicated that they had prayed and asked Him into their life! I never cease to be humbled and amazed at the absolute power of God in drawing men and women to Himself by grace through the presentation of the Gospel. It reminds me over and over again that all that is required of us is obedience and trust in the sharing of the Word of God.

Please continue to pray for our team and the project. Thus far we have witnessed a total of 6,713 individuals publically indicate their decision for Christ! To God be the glory!

Update From Ghana 2/18/2011

2011-02-18T09:48:00.001-05:00

Thank you for your continued prayers. Our team is functioning well and God is being glorified. As of Friday afternoon, after 20 ministry venues, we have seen 4,963 people indicate their first-time decision for Christ. This continues to be a marvelous testimony to the glory and grace of God.

When we were first seriously contemplating a medical clinic in Ghana we knew that we would need a person to “take charge” of the daily organization of the clinic. While we knew the importance of this role, neither Jeff Andler nor I thought we were the men for this task, knowing that our spiritual giftedness was best utilized through evangelistic presentations. I began asking the Lord to reveal His choice for this role of “coordinator” and it became clear to me that our friend, Andy Poe was the right person for this role. Although a videographer and photographer by profession we asked him to abandon this task and take up the mantle of “Clinic coordinator.”

Andy has already proven to be both capable and careful. He took charge over the doctors, nurses, and helpers involved in this ministry. The Americans and Ghanaians have responded perfectly to his leadership. I am thankful for the great way Andy has stood up and led out in this vital ministry.

With each passing project I repeatedly learn that nothing catches God off guard. Through all things, God remains faithful and sufficient for all our needs. I trust you will continue to pray for us every day. [rdm]

The Battle of the Ages

2011-02-17T17:24:00.015-05:00

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” –Ephesians 6:12 ESV

As I sit writing this blog, I am listening to the afternoon “call to prayer” emitting from the mosque across the way from my hotel here in Ghana. The melody of the voice seems soothing, but ultimately is a hopeless call to religion. A carefree walk through the village reveals that very few are actually at the mosque, but I can see people around the region bowing religiously in the direction of Mecca hoping to be accepted by their god. This is yet another reminder of the deception of the enemy against the people of this age.

I do not know if I will ever realize the depths of the spiritual warfare that has (and is) taken[ing] place surrounding this ministry project in Africa. On both sides of the Atlantic the opposition to the Gospel has been intense. Here are just a few of the things we know about so far:

Our prescription medications delivery was three weeks late in arrival to Charlotte causing no small amount of frustration and difficulty in sorting and planning for the project.
Sammy Lartey, our national director in Ghana, informed us of the warfare surrounding the actual approval of bringing the medications into Ghana. He had an official letter of invitation from the national Minister of Health, but upon presenting that letter to the Customs Officer he (Sammy) was threatened with violence and bodily harm. This woman official dispatched armed security personnel to the airport to intercept us upon our arrival. These people were somehow delayed and we entered the country without even the slightest interference.
Our flights from Accra to Kumasi were cancelled and we were forced to find a different flight airline serving Kumasi.
On the three-hour drive from Kumasi to our project area we had a flat tire on the long dark road.
The medication needed for the treatment of malaria was omitted from our order from our supplier. This means we must find a pharmacy here that can provide these medications.
This morning while traveling to the project site our Land Rover threw a gear in our transmission which caused us great difficulty. The truck was completely paralyzed, but after a look at the situation, God miraculously “repaired” the truck and it moved on down the road with complete ease.

The list could go on and on, but all this is said to remind us that we are certainly involved in spiritual warfare. It is imperative that I continue to ask you to pray for us. All of these things, while humanly explained, are most certainly attacks on the work of the Gospel. As I mentioned, earlier in this blog, are working in a heavily “Muslim influenced” area of the country. Even this morning at my school ministry I had the chance to answer questions from an inquisitive Muslim who had just heard the Gospel message. His questions were honest and heartfelt, but confused by the false influence of his religion. I can report to you that this man did pray to receive Jesus Christ and I hope that you will begin now to pray for this new brother in Christ. As Thursday, February 17, 2011 comes to a close here in Ghana I can tell you that we have seen over 3,500 individuals indicate their decision for Jesus Christ.

Please keep praying!

You just never know

2011-02-17T10:47:00.036-05:00

In my 33 years of ministry, never have I seen a morning like this one! My team set out before 8am and was scheduled to speak in a school only about 20 miles from our hotel. Little did we know that those twenty miles would take us no less than three hours of travel time. For the first ten minutes of the journey we were on a good road, BUT THEN …

Our adventure took us off road into the middle of the African bush for the next three hours over some of the most treacherous terrain on which I have ever experienced. We were so far remote that we went over 2 hours without seeing another human being! I jokingly told Ebenezer (one of our beloved pastors) “We are now BEYOND the Great Commission!” To which he replied, “Yes, Dr. Roy, we go where others refuse to go.” Such is indeed the work of Global Evangelism Ministries.

Our entire team has settled in well in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. The medical clinics began on Thursday morning to overflow crowds of would-be patients. Our American personnel is working wonderfully with the three capable Ghanaian physicians. The initial morning clinic saw of 200 people indicate first-time decisions for Christ. Remember each person who sees a doctor or nurse also is presented with a clear gospel presentation.

In addition to the medical clinics we have three teams going out each day to conduct school ministry and two teams leading in film crusades each evening. As of the posting of this blog we have recorded over 2,650 indicated first-time decisions for Christ.

Please continue to pray for us as we minister in Ghana. The spiritual warfare has been, and continues to be intense for us. I will share more of the stories of the battle in upcoming blogs. Until Jesus comes, I remain

Yours, in the fulfilling of the Great Commission,
rdm

Early Intense Warfare in Ghana

2011-02-15T19:00:00.002-05:00

Our team have all arrived safely in Ghana! All of our medications came through customs and immigration without incident. The only problem now is that all air flights for tomorrow are canceled. Sammy Lartey, our ministry National Director, is eight hours away from where we are. We really need an airplane and not a bus to take us there tomorrow! Please pray! We will keep you updated as we have more information.

T-minus 1

2011-02-13T21:03:00.000-05:00

All systems are go! Our team members are all ready and we all board an airplane sometime tomorrow. I am so thankful for all the people who are praying for us. Please don't stop now!

Several of our team are struggling with either colds, stuffy noses, coughs, or the like which is yet another indication that spiritual warfare comes in both strong and simple ways. Please pray for health and safety for each team member.

We also need to know that you are praying for us as we enter Ghana on Tuesday afternoon. As you know, on this project, we are taking in a good amount of both prescription and OTC medications. Please pray that our passage through Customs and Immigration in Ghana will be without incident. We need God to go before us and clear our path for any opposition that Satan might try to use to hinder us.

I will do my best to keep you all updated throughout the project via this blog. Please feel free to email me directly at rdmgem@gmail.com and I will respond as I am able. Thank-you, in advance, for your faithful prayer support. We're all counting on you.

T-minus 5 days

2011-02-09T14:21:00.000-05:00

Our final preparations for the upcoming Harvest Ghana project are well underway. While there have indeed been several hic-ups over the past couple of weeks, we are trusting God's grace for perfect peace.

We received word yesterday that many of our medical supplies and actual prescription medications are still at the UPS terminal in Oklahoma City because of recent weather conditions in that part of the country. This logistical problem feels like a nightmare at this moment because UPS told us that it would take at least three days (once the supplies were actually placed on a UPS truck) to reach us here in NC. Remember, we leave on Monday! I do not know how all of this is going to shake out, but I know that God is able! Please pray for a miracle of God in the delivery of these supplies.

Our team is scheduled to fly from various places around the country on Monday and we will all meet in Washington, DC for our flight to Accra late that night. Please pray for some of our team members who must fly through Chicago en-route to Accra. The weather, in all these places this time of year could be a problem. Once again we are counting on you to hold our project in deep and earnest prayer. In other words, we are counting on you.

The Work and Workers of the Gospel

2011-01-24T13:09:00.000-05:00

Dr. Philip Ridenour

Last Monday, I received the news that my friend and colleague, Dr. Philip Ridenour had died. Philip, an American living in Ghana for the past ten years (or so) has served the Lord faithfully, without recognition, in some of the most dangerous areas of the country. His death was unexpected and gives reason for questions.

Dr. Philip was a big man with a big heart. His infectious smile was always an encouragement to everyone who met him. Our projects in Ghana were always easier once we had met and visited with Philip.

As a gifted eye-doctor and sincere missionary Philip made the decision to leave the comforts of the USA and move to Ghana with the vision of helping blind children in the villages of the Northern Region. He had established a shelter compound for the children where he saw to it that each of them was cared for, educated, housed, fed, and loved. These children were the passion of Philip. In all my years of ministry I do not think I have ever met a person of more devotion and commitment.

Not only did Philip live in Ghana, but he lived in the traditional fashion of a normal Ghanaian. In other words, he lived in the village setting without running water or the other comforts most of us take for granted. When I would travel to Ghana, Philip would travel over 20 hours to meet us in Accra where we were bringing supplies to him. It was incredible to hear him relay the details of his travels just to meet us.

On one occasion Philip shared with us the details of the difficulty of the Gospel ministry in His area. He related to us the sad story of the dangerous opposition to the gospel in that area of the country. He told us the story of a young woman, who upon coming to Jesus, lost her life at the hands of religious extremists in a matter of days. It was a sober reminder that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is free, but it is not without cost. I trust you will remember to pray for missionaries around the globe as they share the gospel with many who's lives are on the line.

The work of the ministry will go on, but we have certainly lost a friend and co-laborer in Christ. His death is a constant reminder that we are in a battle for the souls of people. His death, for the cause of Christ, will not make news, but it is certainly recorded in the books of God. Philip, I will miss you.

A day in the Snow

2011-01-10T15:35:00.000-05:00

One of those, "rare snow storms" has made its way through Charlotte. It's beautiful sitting in our family room looking out on the yard and woods behind our house. The insulation factor of the snow certainly makes everything seem still, hushed, and clean. Of course, if one needs to venture out (presumably for bread, milk, and eggs) the snow presents challenges, dangers, and potential peril.

Mary and I are pretty content to just sit in front of the fire, watch the snow, read a book or watch a movie or two.

The convenience of technology makes it possible for me to continue to do all the necessary preparation for our upcoming ministry project in Ghana. All the plan are moving smoothly toward this event. Nearly all of our personnel are ready for this event to get here and our able staff in Ghana is working diligently in preparation for our arrival.

I trust that you will continue to remember us in your prayers. As you can read in our most recent prayer letter (click here) we certainly count on your prayerful support for our ministry.

In addition to working on the plans for the upcoming project to Ghana, I am working on a sermon from Acts 12:1-17 which deals with the responsibility the church has for praying in the midst of difficult times. Please pray as I work on this message.

God continues to prove faithful in all things. I will do my best to stay consistent with my blog posts.

1111 -- Happy New Year

2011-01-01T09:28:00.000-05:00

My eager expectation and hope [is] that I shall never have reason to feel ashamed, but that by my perfect freedom of speech Christ will be glorified in me ... --Phil. 1:20 (NTIMS)

It seems like just yesterday that all the geeks were warning us about Y2K and all the problems that would certainly be associated with that. Now we stand at 1111 -- the first day of a new decade. This is a day of new beginnings and fresh starts.

On this first day of January many people are making resolutions for the coming year.

Throughout this year of "ones" I pray that Jesus will certainly be your #1 priority in all that you do!

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

Ephesians 1:4-7 (ESV)

Let me share with you what God has put in my heart for this year:

I am determined, by His grace, to walk in a manner which includes humility, gentleness, patience, love, unity, and peace. I am praying that God will allow us to share the Gospel with more people than ever before. I am resolved to speak a word of faith and grace to someone every day.
I hope that GEM will be completely faithful in our calling. May God give us the opportunity to share the Gospel with more people this year than ever before and may we be willing to walk humbly through the doors that God opens. I pray that we will be fruitful, but more importantly that we will be faithful.
I trust that GF will move beyond words and launch into witness. I pray that God will give us ears to hear and a heart to receive His Word. I hope that we will surrender ourselves to His will. I pray that we will impact our community and our world with the Kingdom of God!

Now I pray for you. May this be your most productive year ever in service to the King of Kings. May His grace be so overwhelming in you that you constantly remind others that He is first and foremost in your life. May every day be a fresh start and a new beginning for the glory of the Gospel.

Friendship is a true blessing

2010-12-11T08:00:00.000-05:00

This weekend trip to Tampa has been on of expressed friendship. Because of the apparent foolishness of US Airways, I had to fly from Greensboro to Tampa (via Charlotte). This meant, rather than flying directly from Charlotte, I had to drive to Greensboro (and hour and a half) away, board a plane which flew directly back to Charlotte, then change planes to the exact plane in Charlotte that I could not originally board in Charlotte. The flight was not full, not even crowded, just extrememly over-priced!

My friend Joe took time out of his busy morning to drive me to Greensboro and then drove back to Charlotte for his busy day. His was a picture of dear friendship because he hates to drive (anywhere).

Upon my arrival in Tampa, my friend Dave had to leave the busyness of his family gatherings, preparing for his detailed retirement ceremony to come and collect me at the Tampa airport, transport me to a hotel, and then get back to the difficult work of planing for many visitors to clear security on to McDill Air Force Base -- The home of the United States Central Command Headquarters. In addition to this he was a marvelous host to me during the entire two days -- even though he was flush with many family members here for the ceremony. David is a picture of a true friend.

My entire reason for making this trip to Tampa was to express my friendship to my dear brother Col. Dave West, who yesterday was retired from 35 years of military service. For the past eight years, Dave had ad the unique responsibility of serving as Command Chaplain of both USCENTCOM and for the Central Command Special Forces. These assignments placed him in the most intense war zones of the world. I'm so proud of him and hope that always I proved to be a friend to him.

Go now and prove to be a friend!

A couple of Days with my friend

2010-12-09T23:44:00.000-05:00

Today I flew to Tampa, FL to share in the retirement ceremony of my dear friend, Col. David West. His good and distinguished service has been an inspiration to many and I know a grateful nation is stronger for his uncompromising stand on the Word of God. He is retiring from his assignment as Command Chaplain with Central Command. This assignment afforded David the opportunity and responsibility to stand alongside General Tommy Franks during the initial difficult days of the War on Terror in Iraq. I'm proud to know David in this position and am personally grateful that those days of military service will be completely behind him on 31 December 2010.

My gratefulness for this closure in David's life is fed by the knowledge that David will once again now become a full-time part of our GEM work globally. While God used him in good ways to share the gospel with a particular strata of people over the past several years, but the declining spiritual and moral condition in our national leaders and placed an unfair burden on those who are trying to share the Truth of Jesus in a broad sector. With this retirement, David will be more passionate, more personal, and more powerful in His gift calling.

In a matter of a few weeks, I am convinced that David will be with us again on our projects in Ghana, Czech Republic, and other, yet to be mentioned, opportunities for service. This are going to be the best of times.

I hope you will take a moment to pray on Friday for David, his dear wife Faye, and his entire family as they begin to adjust to a return to civilian lives. They will be moving from Tampa to South Carolina in the next few days. Also, please take a moment to thank a member of the military when you see them for the wonderful sacrifice they are making in keeping our nation free.

December 2010 Newsletter

2010-12-03T12:19:00.000-05:00

All I want for Christmas ...  Pastors from Ghana express their Christmas wishes

(see the actual newsletter)

One of the most humbling times of my life is when I hear from our pastors in Ghana with regards to their needs. Their requests are rarely for anything of a personal nature.

Here are the requests from one of our pastors, but his are a near mirror of what kind of requests come each month.

Please pray for peace, commitment, and church growth.
Pray that the Lord give us divine favour and grant our children wisdom and knowledge.
I need a means of transport so that I can visit the village churches regularly. I have over twenty churches to oversee. I pray for a motorbike.

It is clear from all of our pastors there that now is the time we must provide transportation for these men. Our five “district pastors” need motorbikes for the effectiveness of their ever expanding ministry assignments.

We have found a brother in Ghana who will sell us new Yamaha 125cc motorbikes at a cost of $700 (inclusive of registration, licenses, and insurance.) The total cost of this need is $3,500.

If you are able to help us with this need, please make your check payable to GEM and mail to the address at the bottom of this page. We hope to purchase these bikes before the end of 2010.

Easy-chair Christianity

2010-11-18T14:32:00.000-05:00

Too often Christians in America take for granted the ease of Christianity! We get up on Sunday morning and drive in an air-conditioned car to an air-conditioned church and sit on a padded pew. We stand around the church “campus,” sipping on classic or designer coffee, making small talk with our fellow pilgrims, and feeling pretty good about ourselves, we talk of the trials facing Christians! This, however, is not the mark of genuine Christianity.

The Christian life is a marathon, not a sprint. The acid test of our faith is not seen in our expressions of the “Sunday morning experience” but is revealed in the daily of our lives. We are called to be “market-place” people. In other words, we are called to share our faith with those in (and out of) our circle of influence. We are asked to serve God in the good times and the bad times. In fact, we are called to be “joyful” in the midst of the trials.

When was the last time you were “thankful and joyful” for the tough times? The brother of the Lord Jesus, James wrote, Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,” James 1:2 NAS. Perhaps, James was talking about something different than we understand when he uses the words “trials” and “joy.” The word translated “joy” is chara GK which literally means “cheerfulness, calm, and delight.” There seems to be little possibility that we translate the word incorrectly. Secondly, James uses the word peirasmos GK meaning “a putting to proof (by experiment [of good], experience [of evil], solicitation, discipline or provocation); by implication, adversity:1 Clearly, James IS saying, we are to “consider it all JOY when we encounter various TRIALS.”

Why would this divinely inspired writer offer such an exhortation? Look at his next sentence: “knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:3-4 NAS. The Bible is clearly affirming this premise, “The Christian life is a marathon, not a sprint.” You and I are formed and fashioned by God through the various trials of life. Our Heavenly Father is constantly preparing us for our next assignment. Can you look back on times of adversity and see the great lessons that you learned? Have you not drawn on many of these experiences as you face new dilemmas and circumstances? Have you not used His deliverances in your counsel with others? It is imperative that we realize God is always working to strengthen and sustain our faith.

Let me encourage you to stand tall and firm, even in the midst of the trials. Keep trusting God and believing His Word. He is faithful and will remain so through all the trials and adversities of your life. Consider it ALL joy!

God is always at work around us

2010-11-14T08:48:00.000-05:00

The truth taught in Experiencing God (Henry Blackaby) that "God is always at work around you" is a wonderful word of both faith and fact. This, and all seven of the "realities" of Experiencing God are worth your attention. From the time that Global Evangelism Ministries (GEM) began we have endeavored to operate within these realities.

As you know, I am in the Czech Republic (CR) for a few days just listening to, and looking for the exact places God is at work around us. GEM has been coming to the Czech for several years now, trying desperately to know exactly what (if anything) God is wanting us to do. Some of you will remember that we were approached by the International Mission Board (IMB) of the Southern Baptist Convention several years back about beginning a work in the western area of the CR. During the past years we have made numerous trips here trying to establish a work in this area of the world.

GEM has conducted annual Prayer Walking trips to the CR and have waited patiently on our next assignment. We conducted a "successful" basketball clinic" in partnership with my friend Todd Burden and InBounds Ministries a couple of years ago. During all this time we have been praying for a contact person on the ground in the CR that could help us move forward with this much needed ministry. However, unto this point, we have been unsuccessful in this effort.

I know, in my heart of hearts, that God wants us to be involved with Him in this region of the world. Let me take you back to the ways God has been moving in and around our lives in this region of the world:

On our very first trip to the Czech we met with some good people working with the IMB who pointed us in the direction of the western CR. They told us that they had been unable to identify any evangelical work in this region of the country. We traveled there, alone and looking, and discovered the IMB assessment to be accurate.
On our next trip, while traveling by train back out to an obscure town in the western CR, we met a Czech on the train who spoke very good English. "Doris" (name changed), although without Christ became a champion for us and has helped us every step of the way on our journey. Doris has served as our translator, logistical person, and friend during our numerous trips to the CR.
Doris helped us with the basketball camp, where we met another Czech who has continued to express interest in our continuing this ministry. The problem, he does not speak any English. We fully realized that we must make a contact with a believer here who has a heart for evangelistic work. We have been praying for God to raise up a contact person for GEM.
While in Prague this weekend, I was at the point of decision that perhaps God did not have a work for us here. I was sitting alone and feeling a bit defeated in my hotel, just waiting for my flight home the next day. Then, God proved His faithfulness again!

At approximately 2:30pm (local time) while sitting, thinking, praying, and pondering my cell phone rang and a voice on the other end said something like this; "Hello, my name is Preston, and I understand that you are looking for a contact in Domazlice." In a matter of minutes we made plans to meet at a coffee shop near my hotel to discuss what God was doing. WOW! What incredible timing God has! Remember, God is rarely early, but He is NEVER late!

Our meeting went well and within the next hour or so, I had received a phone call from a brother working with the IMB in a large town near Domazlice who knew of our previous work and was eager to meet and plan future ministry there.

Here is the truth, GOD IS ALWAYS AT WORK AROUND US. Within a matter of two hours God revealed His will for us. Although I don't know exactly what it looks like, I know that He is always working around me. I realize that this blog does not explain it all and more will be on the way, but this is certain. God has not finished with GEM in this area of the world yet.

Turn The Page

2010-11-12T14:35:00.000-05:00

Today I am in Prague, Czech Republic. For the past several years we have been answering the call of God to effectively do ministry in the western parts of this central Europe nation. The task of answering this call has been far more about faith and patience. I am here this weekend to see what, if any, the next page of this journal looks like.

The trip over was fine. I flew from Charlotte to Washington, then to Munich, and finally to Prague. The flights today from Munich to Prague were repeatedly delayed due to some weather in England. (Seems that the aircraft that we were scheduled to travel on from Munich to Prague was coming from England.) However, through it all God is in control. I had a wonderful conversation while on the delayed flight with a woman from Philadelphia.

As today I have written on buses, trains, trams, subways, and walked in the midst of a multitude of people, I have been once again reminded that people are looking for something that is real. As I watched school-aged kids cut up and rough-house I was reminded that they looked and acted just like our kids in America. There is a distant and far away look in the eyes of the people of central Europe which is, in many ways an indictment on the Church.

I trust that God has been going ahead of us in the preparation of both those who will be blessed by our ministry and those who will be clay in the potters hands, Please pray for our time together in Prague and ask God to make His will easily received.

The Tangled Web of Tolerance

2010-11-03T17:20:00.000-04:00

There seems to be a great lie in the 21^st century that is being perpetrated by good, well-meaning people. It is the lie that says Tolerance is superior to Conviction. This subject has been slowing working its way into the educational processes of our public schools over the last half century, but it came to be a priority position since 9.11.01.

We have been taught that the most important human value was that of “tolerance and respect” toward all people regardless of any circumstances. In these days of religious battles in the Middle East, it is the Christian population that is being forced to express tolerance regardless of our convictions. USNEWS.COM asks the following question: “How tolerant do you think Christians in the United States are of people of other faiths?” Here are their reported results: 38% Very tolerant; 30% Somewhat tolerant; 18% Somewhat intolerant; and 14% Not tolerant at all. Clearly this “unscientific poll” reveals that nearly 70% of the people believe that Christians are tolerant toward people of all faiths.

Why are Christians the ones being examined? Why not ask, “How tolerant do you think Muslims, Hindus, or Agnostics in the United States are of people of the Christian faith?” Why are Christians always the ones asked to be tolerant and accepting of everyone else? Why are Christians routinely discriminated against without any protest from government, society, or the press, while every other group finds protection and advocacy for all their causes? Why is tolerance only expected from Christians?

While the idea of “tolerance” sounds noble and honorable, I am afraid it is based upon flawed assumptions.

Tolerance cannot mean acceptance.
As Christians we are “entrusted with the Gospel” (1 Thes. 2:4) which means we have a mandate to share our faith with all people. We cannot accept those things that are contrary to the Word, Will, and Way of God. When a person’s life (or religion) is in conflict to the Gospel, we cannot accept it as being valid.

Tolerance cannot mean agreement.
In our culture of “diversity” and “universalism” we are often asked to agree that all roads, as long as they are sincere, ultimately lead to God. Pluralism is completely contrary to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Bible clearly proclaims that Jesus, alone, is the only way to the Father (John. 14:6).

Tolerance cannot mean approval.
Today Christians spend an inordinate amount of time trying to find “common ground” among all people. Entire churches have become “seeker friendly” to a fault. Churches, and in some cases, large parts of denominations, that once boldly preached the blood of Jesus Christ as the only payment for the penalty of human sin, have removed this message from their regular preaching. I fear that we are seeking the approval of man over the message and approval of God. The writer of Hebrews concretely asserts, “Without the shedding of blood, there is NO forgiveness of sin” (Hebrews 9:22). This is God’s only plan of redemption.

Christians have the responsibility of being “salt and light” in the midst of a bland, and dark society. We are obligated to share the message of Hope with a lost and dying world with a spirit of grace and reconciliation. We are to be, as Paul asserts, “Ambassadors of Christ” in all that we do. There are three simple things we must remember in this effort:

Live in the grace of Faith.
This means simply that we are constantly aware of God’s provision, protection, and promises. We must understand that God alone enables us to have opportunities to share the Gospel with others. You and I are not called upon to “force open” the doors of evangelism. It has constantly been my experience and belief that God will open doors everyday as we live in fellowship with Him.

Live in the grace of Hope.
In other words, as we live by faith, it is faith in the Son of God. Our motivation must always be our conviction that “Jesus is Lord!” He is the only path of access to the Father. This is true, not only by the Biblical record, but also by the fact that Jesus is not a representative of God – He IS God! We must continually be aware of the fact that the only Hope of the world is Jesus. Solutions to the world’s problems will NOT be achieved by the deeds of good men, a mighty military, or an adequate democratic government. Man’s best efforts produce nothing more than the reformation of the societal models. Jesus alone is able to produce the transformation of individuals within the society.

Live in the grace of Love.
The only true motivation of our life must be the Love of the Lord Jesus Christ! Our “intolerance” must be based upon the love of God, in Christ Jesus. You and I must desire to see people of all races, religions, creeds, and nations enter into a personal relationship with Christ. Our love for God and love for our fellow man reminds us daily of the horrors of an eternity apart from Christ.

The great lie of the 21^st Century is counted by the ageless truth of God’s Word.

"All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. " --Matt 28:18-20 NAS

Am I Biased?

2010-11-01T10:20:00.000-04:00

There seems to be much talk these days about “bias”, or lack thereof, by everybody in the media. As I listen to “talk radio” or even “mainstream” media, I constantly hear comments about the bias of those doing the reporting. From the left I hear that their reporting is free of bias (which it is most certainly not) while those on the right rail of the blatant bias of all who are “reporting.” The truth is that nearly everyone who speaks, writes, or comments on any subject will almost always reveal their own personal bias. This is the case, I believe, because the personal convictions of the particular person doing the reporting will nearly always surface throughout the “story.”

Admittedly, this should not be the case in professional journalism. After all, the very definition of the word “journalism” is “writing characterized by a direct presentation of facts or description of events without an attempt at interpretation.’ This is certainly NOT the case with most modern-day reporting. Those on both sides of the political spectrum are attempting to influence public opinion through their presentations of the “facts” to support their agenda. In other words, they are filled with bias. While we connote bias in the media as negative – “meaning prejudice or unreasoned judgment” – the definition is also “a special inclination or bent.” This context is descriptive of our bias as Christians. Our bias is toward what God says in His word.

While I do NOT purport to be a journalist, I want the world to know, that I have a bias. In fact, I want you to be unmistakably clear that everything that we do is done with a bias! Here are my biases:

I BELIEVE there is but one living and true God, creator of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each is worthy of our worship, trust and obedience.

I BELIEVE that Jesus Christ is true God and true man, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin. He lived a sinless life and made atonement for our sins by His death on the cross. He arose bodily from the dead and ascended into heaven where, at the right hand of the Father, He is now our High Priest and Advocate.

I BELIEVE the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, to be the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God. The scriptures are the supreme and final authority in all matters about which they speak.

I BELIEVE that man was created in the image of God to glorify and enjoy Him forever. Men fell into sin by a willful act of disobedience to God and consequently, all human beings are born with a sinful nature, commit acts of sin, and are eternally separated from God apart from salvation through Christ.

I BELIEVE that the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ and His bodily resurrection provide the only ground of justification for all who believe. This salvation is not obtained by human effort or merit, but is entirely a free gift of God's grace received through faith in Jesus Christ. God Himself will make the faith of all genuine believers persevere to the end, so that no child of God will ever be lost again.

I BELIEVE that all Christians will yet experience temporary personal sin and spiritual warfare in this life; but from the moment of salvation, God has provided the means for overcoming these in the truth of the Scriptures, the power of Christ through the indwelling Spirit, and the encouragement of the believers.

I BELIEVE in the personal return of our Lord Jesus Christ to earth in sovereign power and glory to visibly establish His righteous rule over creation. This blessed hope should vitally affect the daily life and service of the believer.

I BELIEVE in the bodily resurrection of the dead, of the believer to everlasting blessedness and joy in the presence of God, and of the unbeliever to judgment and everlasting punishment apart from God.

These are my biases. I will continue to do everything I do with these biases in mind. Now, what will Global Evangelism Ministries do? Listen again to our mission statement:

As God enables us, we will take the message of Jesus Christ into all the world and help people seek His Kingdom by preaching the Gospel message that calls for a decision which spiritually transforms people, churches, and cultures.

How do we plan to fulfill this mission? Our philosophy is clear and easy to understand.

Global Evangelism Ministries is a cross-cultural ministry, which operates on the front lines in compassionate, yet confrontational mass evangelism through a network of indigenous ministry teams around the world.

GEM will continue to do what we have always done.

We will “go to them” and share the undeniable love of Jesus Christ with a lost and dying world.
We will, without apology, tell people about God’s love for them. We will remind people that neither human efforts, good intentions, nor the sincerity of their own personal beliefs lead them to God as Savior.
We will share with people the truth of Jesus Christ alone as the only guarantee of eternal life in the immediate presence of God.

These are our biases and we will continue to operate our life and ministry upon them. It is my prayer that you will continue to express your prayerful support for our efforts. However, we want you to know that we do have biases and hope that you share these as well. I pray that these biases, which are really nothing less than convictions, radiate through us all as we live our daily lives.

Why is Jesus the only Way to Heaven?

2010-10-29T21:38:00.000-04:00

Over the years this question has been asked to me on numerous occasions. My answer, while not always appreciated or accepted, has remained the same. The Bible, God's inerrant, infallible Word bears clear and undeniable testimony to the fact that Jesus alone provides the way for sinful man to enter into an eternal relationship with God, The Father. Jesus' testimony clearly proclaims, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." --John 14:6   With this divine affirmation in place, there is no doubt that it is only through a personal relationship with Jesus that eternal life in heaven will be realized.

The most important part of this question is never really asked and that is this: "Who deserves to go to heaven?" Once again, it is imperative that we look to the scripture for the answer to this, and all, questions.

The idea of deserving something is always based on a certain performance. The bible makes it clear that NO ONE can earn a place in heaven for heaven is a free gift. Scripture teaches "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Rom 6:23 Maybe the idea of a free gift causes you to stumble because you think that certainly there must be a way to work for or work toward the prize we desire. The prize, in this case, would be a home in heaven. So, you might ask, why can't I just work harder, be more religious, or something that will cause God to reward me? Here are the fundamental problems with that suggestion.

There is only one true God. While many people proudly proclaim that "the God of the Christians is but one of many gods," this belief is completely outside the realm of scriptural authority! The Bible, as a whole, and the Lord Jesus specifically, proclaims the truth of only one God. "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one." --Mark 12:29   "You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder." --James 2:19 (also see Deut. 6:4)

God is holy and completely free from sin. The concept of "holiness" is one that has lost both its meaning and understanding in the modern world. Unger's Bible Dictionary reads, "Holiness is a general term used to indicate sanctity or separation from all that is sinful, impure, or morally imperfect; i.e., it is moral wholeness. The term is used with reference to persons, places, and things."   This is the hallmark characteristic of God. God is completely free from all sin, evil, impurity, and the like, because He is, by very definition HOLY. As Holy, He has a self-imposed limitation upon himself that He cannot tolerate anything that is sinful. "You shall be holy, for I am holy." --1 Peter 1:16-17

Man is sinful and cannot save himself. The word of God tells us "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," --Rom 3:23-24 This single verse of scripture reveals to us that there is no one that is now, or ever will be, good enough to get to heaven through any work of their own. Some will contend with this statement and suggest that "sin is an obsolete concept" or that sin is certainly to be categorized and thus sin does not automatically preclude one from heaven. Remember God demands perfection to be accepted to heaven "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." --Matt 5:48 "There is no one righteous, not even one;" --Rom 3:10. The bible makes it undeniably clear that there is no one perfect.

God loves us and wants us to experience a love relationship with Him that is real and personal. One word that is rightly used to describe God is love. The nature of God includes love; 1 John 4: 8 and 16 openly and simply state, "God is Love."

However, God is also just which means that while He loves the sinner, He hates the sin! Remember, sin is anything that is "less than perfect" and all sin separates us from God. There is another characteristic of God that is of monumental importance. God is grace! This means that while we deserved immediate and complete punishment for our sin (which would be eternal separation from God) He provided a way for our sins to be forgiven. "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation."--Rom 5:8-11

God sent Jesus to earth to provide the solution for our sin! Scripture affirms that Jesus is the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, and the Creator of the Universe. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. (v14) And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." --John 1:1-5, 14

But why did Jesus come to earth? He came to be the sacrificial lamb for the sins of the world. The Bible says, "All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. --Isa 53:6. God the Father, because of His great love for us, allowed our sins to be placed upon His son, Jesus who became sin for us. "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." --2 Cor 5:21

So the answer to the question "Why is Jesus the only way to Heaven" is this, only the perfect, sinless, Son of God could satisfy the requirements of God for the sins of the world. But now I have a question for you

What will you do with Jesus? The Bible says that God has offered us a free gift of eternal life, but how do you receive this gift? Scripture testifies, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." --Eph 2:8-10

Faith is more than an intellectual decision. It is more than a confident belief. Faith as used in the above verse of scripture means placing your whole and complete hope for eternal life and salvation in the work of Jesus Christ. It means realizing that JESUS alone has paid the price for your sins through His death on the cross, resurrection from the grave, and promise of His returning to claim all His followers to Himself. In addition to placing your trust for salvation in the completed work of Jesus Christ, the Bible tells us that we must be willing to repent of our sins. This means, turning away for those things that separate us from God and ask Him to give us the strength to abandon them in the future. 

How Can We Make The Message of Jesus Relevant Today?

2010-10-29T10:00:00.000-04:00

In the modern world it seems like words have little meaning. The growing phenomenon of "situational conversation" is amazing. Politicians are seemingly masterful tacticians of this practice. They are apparently able to frame words, which once meant one thing, to mean something totally different while on the political trail. This "situational conversation" is the natural outgrowth of the flawed philosophy of "situational ethics" which has pervaded our educational institutions for several decades.

The societal problem is this: People only want to hear what is pleasing to self. In response to this desire those who are dispensing information and opinion use words which will gain the ear of the masses. The old adage of say what you mean and mean what you say has obviously become a part of our forgotten foundation. This is, I'm afraid, a microcosm of the state of affairs in the world today!

Recently I was listening to a person explain how the message of the church of Jesus Christ needed to be made relevant to people today. While this has a generally positive sounding ring to it, a careful analysis of the statement is very troubling. To state that the message must be "made relevant" implies that the message somehow has been "irrelevant." Should this be the case, there are at least three more substantial problems:

1. The word of God is antiquated and obsolete. If societal problems have evolved into epic proportions, unable to be addressed by the Word of God, then the original Word was never really necessary! In other words, the Bible, while useful for a time, is no longer necessary for revealing the truth of God. However, the Bible proclaims, "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever." (Isa 40:8) therefore

2. The word of God is unreliable and untrue. If the Bible is obsolete, then it is untrue! The writer of Hebrews boldly proclaims "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." (Heb 13:8-9) Therefore the choice must be made. Wherein is the truth? It is either found in the Word of God, or it is found in the mind of man. If the message of Jesus Christ has become irrelevant, then it was never relevant. Should this be the case, I suggest that

3. The Christian faith is fraudulent. If the Bible is untrue at any level, then it is completely unreliable at every level! If Jesus Christ is NOT the same yesterday, today, and forever, then He is simply an ever-changing creature like all of us. As such, He cannot be divine, He cannot be the Son of God, He cannot be the sacrifice for our sins, and He cannot be the Savior or the World. In other words, if "The Message" has become irrelevant, then Jesus is irrelevant too!

I do not believe this to be the case! Global Evangelism Ministries is a cross-cultural ministry, which operates on the front lines in compassionate yet confrontational mass evangelism through a network of indigenous ministry teams around the world.

We do this because we fully believe that Jesus Christ is the only solution for the human problem. In a world filled with ever-changing words and leaders, we are committed to our task. Jesus said, "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel" (Mark 16:15) and we will obey.

In my opinion the greatest tragedy in the modern church is the failure to preach the gospel. Too many pulpits and classrooms are filled by people talking about the gospel rather than actually preaching the gospel. Talk about the gospel, while academic and socially acceptable, will never transform a human life. Only a personal encounter with the Living Lord Jesus can accomplish this.

Read again our mission statement: As God enables us, we will take the message of Jesus Christ into all the world and help people seek His Kingdom by preaching the Gospel message that calls for a decision which spiritually transforms people, churches, and cultures.

Your Personal Invitation

2010-10-27T15:16:00.000-04:00

Isaiah 55: 1-7 --What is your mental image of God? How do you picture Him? Do you see Him high and lifted up in the Temple as described in Isaiah 6?

“In the year of King Uzziah’s death, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne,
lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple.”

Do you see Him as the King and Judge of the Universe? For some reason, His holiness and splendor drive us to an ethereal and reverent concept.

I hope for you to see God in different and unusual place. Isaiah 55 paints a portrait of God standing in the market place sellinghis wares. Against the canvas of a middle eastern marketplace the divine artist uses the brushstrokes of the written word to reveal God offering an indescribable gift to all who will receive. Those reading these phrases could easily identify with the merchant pleading with the buyer to sample and trust his product. The marketplace was a festive and carnival-like place. Children would be running and playing. Day laborers gathered to be hired, and the leading citizens exchanging greetings with one another. It was the place to see and be seen. It was the grandest of meeting places. It is into this arena that God walks, crying out to all who will hear his Personal Invitation.

While this is the word picture Isaiah is painting, his reference is to something far more significant. It has nothing to do with physical wants and satisfaction, rather it deals with the most fundamental need of every human being. This prophet of God, under the direct leadership of the Holy Spirit, moves from his description of the suffering servant in chapter 53 to the universal invitation of God to a lost and hopeless world here in his 55th chapter. As it was an invitation in the latter half of the 8th century BC so is it an invitation in the first decade of the 21st century AD. As it was an invitation to the people of Judah so is it an invitation to the people of the local church this morning. It is your personal invitation! Look with me and see …

The People of the Invitation

It is an invitation to those who are Dry. Isa 55:1 says “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters …” The most basic human need is that of water. There is nothing so important as water is to the human body. Research has shown that a person can go without food for 100 days, but will die within a week without water! It is essential to the human body which is comprised of nearly 90% water. It is the very substance of our existence.

On a trip into West Africa, I came to understand this need more personally. The water in our region of the country “was not flowing” (to quote the locals). The wells were dry and the region was parched. Before setting out on our journey we stopped to fill all our available containers with water – not suitable for drinking, but for cooking, washing, and cleaning. The pastor took great care to see that the containers will supplied, sealed, and secure. Nothing could be worse than spillage.

As we began our journey we purchased two additional containers for drinking water – each one capable of holding approximately 25 gallons of water. The containers were ready, but the problem was there was no water to be found in the place where we made our purchase. We drove very slowly looking for a place to fill our empty vessels. We stopped at houses, petrol stations, and the like – all to no avail. Finally we found the home of a “brother” who had water in his well. What a feeling of gratitude we had for the supply to meet our need.

God is offering here a spiritual answer to our most basic human need. Is your life dry today? Are you willing to admit that your soul is parched and perishing? Listen to what Jesus said to the woman at the well;

"Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water

I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will

become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

-- John 4:13-15

Are you trying to quench your thirst with the things of the world. Nothing but Jesus can satisfy the thirst of your soul.

This is an invitation to those who are Destitute. Verse one goes on to say, “and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.“ In this modern society, especially in this place, we have little concept of what poverty really means. We live in the wealthiest nation in the world and in one of the wealthiest places in North Carolina. Most of us know nothing of destitution! We have cars, boats, bikes, airplanes and helicopters. We have land and we have houses – filled with every imaginable convenience. But in God’s economy we are completely destitute!

One of the greatest problems in reaching people for Christ, especially in America, is helping them realize this absolute poverty before God. We have nothing with which to bargain. There is no partiality with God. We cannot buy God’s favor, we cannot barter for His gift. We are penniless and hopeless before a Holy and Just God. But, God’s free gift of salvation is available to everyone.

The invitation is to those who are Deceived. Look again at Isaiah 55, verse 2, “Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.” We are living in a world of deception. Satan has whispered in the ears of so many that you don’t need God. He asserts that God is only for weaklings and cowards. Some of you this morning have tried to find peace and happiness in all the wrong places. You have looked to your family, your business, your possessions, your passions, and your abilities. But, when you get really honest with yourself you know that you have no contentment in your life and no hope for your future. Why? Because when Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” (John 14:6) you refused to apply the truth to your life. I urge you, don’t be deceived any longer. Turn to Jesus today!

The invitation is to those who are Depraved. Look down to verses 6- 7. “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.” This is a thought that we shun away from today – depraved. We don’t want someone to stand and remind us about our sin. But what does the word of God say? The Bible says that we have a problem and that problem is sin. Paul boldly proclaims,

"There is none righteous, not even one”
-- Rom 3:10

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”
-- Rom 3:23

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God
is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
-- Rom 6:23.

These are not my words, but the Word of God. I have seen people grow angry and hostile toward these words, but your anger should not directed towards me, but to God.

This is God’s assessment of your spiritual condition. Yes, we are all sinners, it’s not your fault, but it is your problem! Why? Because God, through the Apostle John declares,

Nothing impure will ever enter it [heaven], nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life. -- Rev. 21:27

Beloved, there is a great gulf -- a gap – a chasm, between God and man, and nothing we do can bridge that gulf. If you are trusting in your religion, your works, your philosophy, or your morality, you stand as a good, religious, philosophical, and moral man separated from God by your sinfulness. But there is good news. God alone, has made a provision for our sin.

Jesus is God’s only provision for our sin. Listen again to His sweet words:

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son,

and whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

-- John 3: 16

"I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly."

-- John 10:10

"He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son

shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."

--John 3:36

"I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me."

-- John 14:6

This is the invitation of God to you now. It is simple and clear. But the invitation given is not the gift received. While it is true that God’s call is universal and personal, your response to the invitation is crucial. You must meet certain conditions.

Your Participation of the Invitation

You must be receptive. Read again that second verse of chapter 55. “Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.”

One of the mistakes of people today is that they seem to believe that God rewards sincerity and belief. This is simply not the case. I hear people talk about their personal and private faith. But what does this mean? Does it mean that we believe in God? That’s good, but it’s not enough. The Bible says that even the demons believe:

“You believe that God is one. You do well;

the demons also believe, and shudder.”

-- James 2:19

I have never really met a person who does not believe in God. They may call Him by some other name, but there is a personal belief in God. These are the people Paul described in Romans 1:20-22;

For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-his eternal power
and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made,
so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him
as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish
hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools …

Belief alone does not result in eternal life.

In order to receive eternal life, you must be willing to shut out all the other voices! We are living in a day when so many voices are crying out for our attention. In such a pluralistic society we must know that God alone is truth. We are living in the days Paul spoke of in his letter to young Timothy:

“For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine.

Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number

of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.”

– 2 Tim 4: 3-5.

What is the provision for our sin? Listen carefully to 1 Cor 15:3-4

“Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures … he was buried …
he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.”

In order for the invitation of God’s salvation to come your life, you must be receptive.

He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him,

to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who

believe in His name:who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh,

nor of the will of man, but of God.

-- John 1:11-13 nkjv

Not only this, but …

You must be Responsive. Listen again to verse 6 of Isaiah 55. “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.” You must be willing to respond and receive the invitation of God’s gift of salvation. How do we do this? Listen to the word of God:

“if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart

that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved;

for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness,

and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes in Him

will not be disappointed." 

-- Rom 10:9-11

This is God’s invitation to you. These are His directions. They are non-negotiable. They are forever settled in Heaven. Are you willing to respond this morning?” I want you to know there is a price to be paid for this response. Notice finally,

You must be Repentant. Isa 55:7 says “Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.” Very simply put, you must have a change of mind about your present spiritual condition. You must agree with God.

Several years ago, Henry Blackaby wrote an incredibly simple book entitled, Experiencing God. Some of you read this. The single simple statement that Henry penned was this. "You can’t go with God and stay where you are." WOW! How clear and succinct is this statement. This is the message to you this morning.

Is your life full and complete today? Are you were you want to be spiritually? I don’t know most of you, but I know something about you. This is what I know. One day you are going to die. And when you die, you are either going to Heaven or you are going to Hell. It’s that simple. God has made a way for you to go to heaven, but you must make the choice. Here’s how Isaiah concludes this chapter:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,"

declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your

thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven,

and do not return to it without watering the earth and making

it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower

and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes

out from my mouth: It will not return to

me empty, but will accomplish what

I desire and achieve the

purpose for which I sent it.

-- Isa 55:8-11

I want you to admit that your actions, attitudes, belief, and behavior has led you to the place you find yourself today. Your present spiritual condition is the result of your actions. Maybe everything is good in your life. Perhaps you are content and satisfied with where you are. But perhaps you are not. Hear this again. You are where you are today because of what you’ve been doing. Your life and your actions have brought you to the place you are today. God has a better plan and a better way. His invitation to you is clear.

“If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves,

and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins,

He is faithful and righteous to

forgive us our sins and to

cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

--I John 1: 8-9

This is not my promise, it is God’s. His invitation to you is just this simple. Realize, repent, and receive.

Some Things Never Change

2010-10-26T08:43:00.000-04:00

[first published, 2006] Solomon wrote, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” --Eccl 1:9 –NIV Certainly this is seen clearly in the midst of the most recent military conflict involving Israel.

According to an Associated Press report released on July 27, 2006 Al Qaeda is urging all Muslims to join in the battle against Israel. Here are a few direct quotes from the report:
CAIRO, Egypt — Al Qaeda's No. 2 leader issued a worldwide call in a new videotape released Thursday for Muslims to rise up in a holy war against Israel and join the fighting in Lebanon and Gaza until Islam reigns from "Spain to Iraq."

In the message broadcast by Al-Jazeera television, Ayman al-Zawahiri, second in command to Usama bin Laden, said that Al Qaeda now views "all the world as a battlefield open in front of us."
The Egyptian-born physician said that the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah and Palestinian militants would not be ended with "cease-fires or agreements." "It is a Jihad for the sake of God and will last until (our) religion prevails ... from Spain to Iraq," al-Zawahiri said. "We will attack everywhere." Spain was controlled by Arab Muslims until they were driven from power at the turn of the 16th century.[1]

This aggressive attitude of the Muslim extremists should come as no surprise to thoughtful Christians. There has always been an absolute hatred for the people of God. It may be seen today as an “Arab v. Israel war” but rest assured that the real battle is that of Evil against God.

On Tuesday, July 25, 2006 it was reported that an ancient copy of the Book of Psalms was unearthed in Ireland.

DUBLIN, Ireland (AP) -- Irish archaeologists Tuesday heralded the discovery of an ancient book of psalms by a construction worker while driving the shovel of his backhoe into a bog.
The approximately 20-page book has been dated to the years 800-1000. Trinity College manuscripts expert Bernard Meehan said it was the first discovery of an Irish early medieval document in two centuries.

"This is really a miracle find," said Pat Wallace, director of the National Museum of Ireland, which has the book stored in refrigeration. Researchers will conduct years of painstaking analysis before putting the book on public display.

The book was found open to a page describing, in Latin script, Psalm 83, in which God hears complaints of other nations' attempts to wipe out the name of Israel.[2]

Consider again the Word of God. Psalm 83 reads …

O God, do not keep silent; be not quiet, O God, be not still. See how your enemies are astir, how your foes rear their heads. With cunning they conspire against your people; they plot against those you cherish. "Come," they say, "let us destroy them as a nation, that the name of Israel be remembered no more." With one mind they plot together; they form an alliance against you-- the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, of Moab and the Hagrites, Gebal, Ammon and Amalek, Philistia, with the people of Tyre. Even Assyria has joined them to lend strength to the descendants of Lot.

Do to them as you did to Midian, as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon, who perished at Endor and became like refuse on the ground. Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna, who said, "Let us take possession of the pasturelands of God."

Make them like tumbleweed, O my God, like chaff before the wind. As fire consumes the forest or a flame sets the mountains ablaze, so pursue them with your tempest and terrify them with your storm. Cover their faces with shame so that men will seek your name, O LORD. May they ever be ashamed and dismayed; may they perish in disgrace. Let them know that you, whose name is the LORD--that you alone are the Most High over all the earth.

While there is widespread disagreement about the exact date or context of this Psalm, it is generally agreed that the Psalm has both a historical and prophetical note. A leading Bible scholar points out some have related the Psalm to events in the days of Jeroboam II while others have related it to the days of Maccabees or even the days of good King Jehoshaphat. John Phillips notes “Probably events in the days of Jehoshaphat most closely approximate the situation envisioned in the psalm.

Throughout time the Jews have faced the possibility of extermination. Think about the times past where Israel was assaulted:

In 1458b.c. Amenhotep I, as the new pharaoh of Egypt attempted history’s first effort to exterminate the Jews when he ordered all newborn Hebrew males be tossed into the Nile.

In 72b.c. the Assyrians culminated a three-year siege on the northern tribes of Israel. They sacked Samaria, depopulated the country and marched their Hebrew captives into exile and oblivion.

In 701b.c. the Assyrian monarch Sennacherib turned his attention on the Jews and uprooted them.

In 586b.c Nebuchadnezzar demolished Jerusalem, burned the temple, slaughtered Jews wholesale, and deported the remainder to Babylon.

In 473B.C Haman persuaded Xerxes of Persia that it would be to his benefit to rid the world of Jews.

In 169b.c Antiochus Epiphanes captured Jerusalem and put the Jews to the sword. He defiled their temple, issued idolatrous laws and did his best to replace Jewish culture and religion with Hellenism.

In A.D.70 Jerusalem fell to Rome. During that war, over a million Jews perished by the sword, starvation, crucifixion, internal strife, and disease. The Romans glutted the slave markets and arenas of the world with captured Jews.

In 135 the Roman, Hadrian made it a capital offense for anyone to practice Judaism.

In 339 Constantius II made it illegal for Jews to intermarry with Christians.

In 438 Emperor Theodosius II banned Jews for all high office in the Roman world.

In 531 Justinian resurrected and enforced the prohibitions and made it illegal for Jews to appear as witnesses against Christians in court.

In 630 the Byzantine emperor Heraclius connived at the massacre of Jews who had re-infiltrated Palestine.
In 722 Emperor Leo III ordered all Jews to become Christians.

In 1066 the Muslim rulers of Granada in Spain massacred four thousand Jews in a single day.

In 1149 the Berbers, who controlled the greater part of Spain, gave Spanish Jews the usual choice: convert to Islam or get out.

In 1215 the fourth Lateran council of the Roman Catholic Church ordered all Jews to wear a badge to distinguish them from other people.

In 1371 Jews were massacred in Castile under the rule of Henry II.

In 1391 they were massacred in Seville.

In 1479 Ferdinand and Isabella united Spain and cleared the country of Moors. The Catholic Church introduced the Inquisition to root out heretics, especially Jews.

In 1492, by Edict or Expulsion, 300,000 Jews were tossed out of Spain to set out on a dreadful journey to nowhere.

In 1506 many Spanish Jews, who had sought refuge in Portugal, were mobbed and massacred.

In 1531 the Inquisition was imported into Portugal and she became another Spain.

In 1648 hundreds of thousands of Jews in Poland were massacred by the Cossacks.

In 1660 the Jews of Europe were accused of spreading the Black Death and were therefore slaughtered in country after country by the panic stricken populace.

And so it went. Ever since the Jewish people in Pilate’s judgment hall pulled down on their heads the dreadful curse “His blood be on us and on our children,” they have wandered from land to land, from one graveyard to the next.[3]

Perhaps the greatest evidence of an attempt to rid the world of the Jews was the diabolical death camps of Adolph Hitler and his Nazi empire. While there is no verifiable record of absolute certainty, most scholars agree that no fewer than 5.9 million Jews were murdered during the Holocaust.
And so you see, there has always been a hated for Israel. Time and time again (and the above list is certainly in no way complete) there has been an effort to rid the world of the Jewish people.

There can be but one rational reason for the hatred of the Jews. It is crystal clear in scripture that God has always had one specific plan for the world and that plan is Jesus Christ the savior of the World! The plan is first mentioned to us in Genesis 3:15 when God said to the fallen Adam in Eden

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."
This is the promise of Jesus, God’s only son, sent into the world as the payment for and victory over Satan and our sin. The plan became even more specific when God said to Abraham, in Genesis 12: 1-3
The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."The plan of God, revealed in the Garden, now becomes even clearer as we understand that the Promised One would come into this world through a particular people – the seed of Abram (later his name was changed to Abraham[4].)

God’s promise crystallizes even more when God tells Abram how vast will be his descendants.

After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward." But Abram said, "O Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?" And Abram said, "You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir." Then the word of the LORD came to him: "This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir." He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars--if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness. --Gen 15:1-6
Over the next 10 years, Abram waited on God’s promise but saw no children come to him and his wife. Therefore, in an effort to fulfill God’s promise to himself, Abraham, with the full blessing of his wife, took her maid and together they conceived a son – Ishmael. While this self-effort seemed the only logical solution for Abraham (if he was to realize God’s promise of a son), it was wrong. You see Ishmael was the fruit of unbelief! Listen to the words of the angel of the Lord to the mother of Ishmael:

"You are now with child and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard of your misery. He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers." -- Gen 16:11-12
Ishmael, the son of the flesh, born to Hagar, the maid of Abram’s wife is the originator of the Arab peoples. This act of disobedience by Abram was the beginning of the conflict between the Arabs and the Jews. You see, God’s plan of redemption for the sins of the world was not to be realized through the line of Ishmael, but through Isaac, the son of promise.

Then God said, "Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year." -- Gen 17:19-21
From the moment of Abram’s sin of unbelief until now there has been a war raging between the two sons – Ishmael, the father of the Arabs and Isaac, the father of the Jews. The covenant promises were confirmed to Isaac and later to Jacob through whom the Nation of Israel gets its name.[5]

It is through the nation of Israel Jesus was born. When John first saw Jesus he identified him as the Messiah:
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said,

"Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, 'A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel." -- John 1:29-31
And even though Israel, as a people, rejected Jesus as the Son of God, He is the redeemer of the World, as promised by God.

The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. -- John 1:9-14

Scripture teaches us that Satan’s plan has always been to offer a “solution” which is contrary to the plan of God. At every turn Satan has been, and will be defeated because Jesus defeated him on the cross. In today’s world we are seeing a last ditch effort of the old serpent to destroy and discredit the nation of Israel, through whom the Messiah came, even through rejected by the Jews. We are closing in on the closing days of human history. Think of this:

The Jews have defied thousands of years of persecution, endemic and epidemic anti-Semitism, bloodbaths, and holocausts. They have defied, too, the trend toward assimilation and absorption into other nations. They have retained their racial purity, outlived the nations that persecuted them, and returned in our times to the land of their fathers.

Two kinds of Jews have been repatriated by the newborn state of Israel. From the lands of the West have come the enlightened, educated, sophisticated Jews – the lawyers, the doctors, the professors, in industrialists. From the lands of the East have come deeply religious, orthodox Jews, passionately devoted to building Zion into an exclusive religious state. Both kinds will see a promised messiah in the antichrist. Secular Jews will hail him because he will offer them a peace treaty that will guarantee their frontiers against attack. Religious Jews will embrace him because he will permit them to rebuild their temple under his protection … The fact that Israel is back in the land adds a new urgency to our conviction; end-time events can now take their ultimate shape.[6]

The world is quickly aligning itself toward the final cosmic clash. The stage is being set. The world will be realigned. The British and French empires are gone. New nations have sprung up and have been enrolled inn the United Nations. Russia, who thought itself to be the world leader, crept into the Middle East and made plans for a future assault on Israel. The old Roman Empire is reforming through the Union of European nations who are making their way toward a centralized federal government. All of these things are shadows of what is about to happen.

The next event in Biblical history is the rapture of the Church, where the true believers will be removed from the world and join the grandstands of heaven to witness the Returning of Jesus Christ to the Mount of Olives and destroy the enemies of the cross – Satan, his antichrist, and all who have rejected the gift of grace for ever and ever.

So what about you? Do you know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior? Do you have the certainty that you will spend eternity in Heaven with Jesus? What does the Bible say about this?

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. -- John 3:16-18
The plan of God has always been for you to be in eternal relationship with Him, but your sin has prevented it. Today, if you will accept the fact that you can never be good enough to go to heaven, acknowledge the fact that Jesus is the only way to God, affirm that through the blood of Jesus your sins can be forgiven, and ask Him to come into your heart, HE WILL.

If you have never asked Jesus into your heart, will you, right now pray, in faith, to Jesus? Say something like this:

Dear God, I know I am a sinner. I realize that I have failed you and broken your laws. I know that, because of my sin, I cannot come to heaven. But Father, I am sorry for my sins and I believe that Jesus, your only son, died on the cross and paid the penalty for my sins. Today, I ask you to please forgive me of my sins and give me eternal life. I want you to take control of my life and guide me every day. Jesus, right now, I acknowledge you as Lord and from this day forward I want to live for you.

[1] http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,205858,00.html
[2] http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/07/25/ireland.psalms.ap/index.html
[3] John Phillips, Exploring the Future (Neptune, N.J.: Loizeaux Brothers, Inc.) pp. 289-301.
[4] Genesis 17:5
[5] Genesis 32:28
[6] Phillips, p. 376

If Jesus is the only way, what happens ...

2010-10-25T13:01:00.000-04:00

Question: If Jesus is the only way for salvation, what happens to the Indian Tribe who never gets to hear about Jesus... What happens to the Middle eastern person who has their own religion and never hears about Jesus?"

Answer: All of us have at times struggled with questions like this one. Religion and tradition does not bring salvation to the heart and life of any person. People who die without Christ are without hope. The Bible clearly states, "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12 NASB

Scripture teaches us the absolute truth of the gospel,

“if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”
Rom 10:9-10 NASB

This is why we must follow the command of Jesus to "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel!" (Mark 16:15)

More on the matter:

I suspect that the genuine impetus of this question is really one of fairness. What really spurs this question is the idea that it seems unfair for a loving God to condemn anyone to eternal damnation and separation.

The problem with this line of thinking is based in our human condition. The bible teaches us that we, as the human race, are sinful, fallen, and unrighteous. Remember the bible proclaims,

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked;”
Jer. 17:9 NKJV

The heart of man does not operate in tandem with the heart of God. We do not process TRUTH as does God. The mind of man is flawed; the mind of God is perfect. The mind of man is limited; the mind of God is eternal.

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways," declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.
Isa 55:8-9 NASB

Any discussion of “fairness” presupposed that we know what is best. Often we speak of fairness when it works to our benefit, but ignore it when is works to our disadvantage. It must be realized that God’s nature is Holy and Just – in other words, what God states and does is founded in His own holiness. When this is understood, do we really possess the right or knowledge to question His character? God has, in His own wisdom demonstrated His love for us in the person of Jesus Christ. God has made a way for all to come into a faith relationship with Him. His love for us is perfectly presented in the life, death, resurrection, and promise of Jesus Christ. Who are we to argue or disagree with His perfect plan? A careful reading of Romans 9 will help us with this struggle.

“But who are you, O man, to talk back to God?” Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, 'Why did you make me like this?'" Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use? “--Rom 9:20-21 NIV

God’s way to eternal life and relationship with Him is through Jesus Christ alone. Jesus proclaimed,

“I am THE way, THE truth, and THE life. NO ONE comes to the Father, but through me.” (John 14:6)

The bible makes a clear proclamation that people are “without excuse” in their knowledge of God. Romans, chapter 1 says that God has revealed Himself through creation to all humanity. Verse 20 says “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”

It is my firm conviction that people of every walk of life have the truth of God’s love, power, and nature. The question then becomes, “Do they acknowledge and recognize God?” Romans 1: 21 says that, as a whole, they do not.

“For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. “

It must be remembered that God has given Light to shine in the darkness. According to John 1:9 Jesus is the Light.

“There was one true Light, which coming into the world enlightens every man.”

So, the real question should be, “Have the people [to whom you refer in the stated question above] acknowledged the light that has been given to all men?”

I fully believe that God gives us more and more light as we walk in the Light that He has given us, but remember what the bulk of humanity has done with the revelation of God:

"Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator — who is forever praised. Amen."
Rom 1:22-25 NIV

This willful rejection and denunciation of God has a certain result:

“Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind; to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, and ruthless. Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.” Rom 1:26-32 NIV

It is important to remember that God’s heart is for humanity to accept His love and receive His grace. God does not wish for any to reject His gift of salvation.

“The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”
2 Peter 3:9 NASB

“God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth.” 1 Tim 2:3-4 NIV

The Word of God makes it clear that God has given all humanity enough of His grace to realize the need for salvation. As we walk in the light of God, this light will increase and draw us into truth. By God’s grace He has made available to everyone who believes all that is necessary for salvation, therefore, the entire world is without excuse.

Cowboys, Indians, and the Garden of Eden

2010-10-24T17:58:00.000-04:00

As the weather gets cooler here it reminds me again why I love calling North Carolina home. Mary and I spent the day yesterday in the mountains with our two year old grandson Jayden at Tweetsie Rail Road. This old amusement park was the perfect reminder of the best and worst of today's society.

It was perfect because the simple things brought wide-eyes to our grandson. He loved riding the old steam engine, feeding the animals in Deer Park, riding the Merry-go-round, and licking on his big lolipop. It was an absolute joy to watch him enjoy the day with maw-maw and pop-pop. Yep, a day at Tweetsie (with Mary and Jayden) was a perfect reminder that we should never forget the simple things in life!

It was a bad day because of what I witnessed on the train ride which is billed as a wild-west cowboy tradition. What I learned from this historical entertainment was that the Cowboys were the bad guys and the Indians were the good guys. The show revealed to us that none of the Cowboys (frontier Americans) could be trusted and that the Native American Indians did nothing but protect us from ourselves!

Now before you respond by telling me that I am reading too much in to this, or that the entire civilization of Native Americans were really just the victims of the greedy expansionists, all I am trying to say is this: "Revisionist history is everywhere." I can see this fact in nearly every facet of modern life. The dumb-ing down of America is a plague that will certainly have long-lasting consequences.

I am convinced that one of the tools Satan has, and is using, is to systematically deceive people into believing a lie over the truth. What started in the Garden of Eden is alive and active today. It's not just in social history, but more importantly it is in Biblical truth.

Cloaked in the veil of sensitivity, tolerance, and inclusiveness is the destruction of both the Biblical record and eternal truth. I hear people everyday tell me that all Faiths are equal and that only a bigot would stand on the ground of Jesus being the only way to eternal life.

There is in our society today an organized and orchestrated plan to discredit and destroy the things of God. There is an open attack on true Christian conviction that is being carried out by a cast of characters that includes the media, the politicians, and the intelligencia. The director and producer of this drama is none other than satan himself. While some will ridicule my position even a cursory reading of scripture reveals the truth.

We are spiraling toward the end times. All the pieces of the puzzle are so closely aligned that the smallest shake will cause the pieces to lock together to complete the scene.

Let me encourage you to study your Bible, live in Truth and stand up for the principles on which your life is built. Be aware of the revisionists attempts to re-write history and stamp out the Christian faith. You and I have a responsibility to be obedient to Christ in sharing is love with a lost and dying world . Remember, "faith comes by hearing ... and hearing by the Word of God." The lies of the enemy are getting louder and louder. Be a witness for Jesus in everything you do.

Why don't Baptists recognize and promote sacraments

2010-10-22T22:50:00.000-04:00

The most succinct answer to the question is this: True, Bible believing Christians do not hold to the sacramental system, because sacraments have absolutely NO SAVING POWER and the concept is in complete contradiction to the New Testament.

In other words, there is no such notion in the whole of New Testament instruction to the Church of Jesus Christ.

With respect specifically to Christ's institution of the Lord's Supper and baptism, the fundamental issue in this question is the meaning and use of the term "sacrament" versus "ordinance."

Catholic and other liturgical churches use the term sacrament to describe these two institutions, but the distinction should be in what is actually meant by these practices.

Baptists recognize, promote, and practice both the Lord's Supper and baptism in obedience to Christ's command, however they do not use the word "sacrament" because this is a non-biblical concept.

The term ordinance is typically used in Baptist churches for these celebrations but it is the meaning of these acts that remains biblically true. Jesus said, when referring to the Lord's Supper, "Do this in remembrance of me." Luke 22:19

More on the matter:

For most casual attendees of church the use of these terms [sacrament and ordinance] are nearly interchangeable, but there is a reason baptists and other evangelicals do not refer to these institutions as "sacraments."

At the outset let me clearly state that I do not speak for "Baptists." The hallmark of the Baptist belief system is that of the "autonomy of the local church" which simply stated means that each baptist church is free to both establish and govern themselves, under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

There is a need to understand the meaning of the word sacrament.

The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary reads; "Sacrament - a Christian rite (as baptism or the Eucharist) that is believed to have been ordained by Christ and that is held to be a means of divine grace or to be a sign or symbol of a spiritual reality."

The Catholic Encyclopedia reads, "Sacraments are outward signs of inward grace, instituted by Christ for our sanctification."

With both of these definitions, the Christian should be careful in the interchanging of the words "sacrament and ordinance."

The impetus of the word "sacrament" [in both above definitions] indicates that the rite or act is a "means of grace and sanctification." Both these statements are in opposition to the teaching of the Word of God.

The bible clearly and unmistakably claims that we are saved by "grace, through faith." Ephesians 2:8 This simply means that our salvation is complete in Christ's finished work on the cross. We are sanctified by the blood of Jesus Christ. To sanctify means commonly "to make holy, that is, to separate from the world and consecrate to God."*

This [sanctification] is realized through the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, accepted by faith, in the life of the true believer in Jesus Christ.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead," -- 1 Peter 1:3 NASB

The sacramental system carries with it the notion that the work of Jesus Christ on the cross is incomplete and inefficient. It implies that there is a regular need for Jesus to "die and resurrect" over and over again because of the ongoing sinfulness of humanity.

Specifically the Catholic church believes that the sacraments bestow "saving grace" upon the followers of Christ. The flawed pseudo-theological position of transubstantiation is in direct conflict with the teaching of Christ's instruction of "do this in remembrance of me." Luke 22:19

The doctrine of transubstantiation is the dogma that in the Eucharist the bread and wine to be administered become, upon consecration, the actual body and blood of Jesus Christ, even though the external manifestations of the bread and wine-shape, color, flavor, and odor-remain. It is interesting to note that this concept was and phraseology did not make its way into the church until 1215.

Here's what I mean. If the body and blood of Jesus magically appear in the otherwise plain elements of the wine and the bread, then what was Jesus saying when he instructed his disciples to "do this in remembrance of me."? When Jesus stood there and said, "This is my body" and "This is my blood." Matt. 26:26-28 what was he talking about? Certainly it was not talking about His actual body and blood, for he was standing right there in front of them!

In the simplest form of the discussion, the sacramental system teaches that we must have a renewed sacrifice of Christ (Mass) because of the sinfulness of mankind. Scripture flatly rebukes this concept:

For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; nor was it that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood not his own. Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him. --Heb 9:24-28 NASB

While it may be understood by many who participate in the sacramental system that there is a need for a continuing sacrifice for our continuing sins, this understanding is wrong. It is direct contradiction to the living Word of God. Read what Paul said to the Church at Rome (the claimed Birthplace of Roman Catholic Church):

For the death that He died, He died to sin, once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. -- Rom 6:10b-11 NASB

It is also important to realize that this truth is consistent with the entirety of the New Testament.

So Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, --Heb 9:28 NASB

For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; -- 1 Peter 3:18 NASB

And you know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. --1 John 3:6 NASB

With all of this said, the most succinct answer to the dilemma is this: True, Bible believing Christians do not hold to the sacramental system, because sacraments have absolutely NO SAVING POWER and the concept is in complete contradiction to the New Testament. In other words, there is no such notion in the whole of New Testament instruction to the Church of Jesus Christ.

Only Jesus can save! It was his single act of obedience to the Father; His virgin birth, his vicarious death, his victorious resurrection, and his promised visible return that made salvation possible for all who place their faith in His act of grace toward them. This grace is not received via some magical, secret, or mysterious channels of grace for those who participate in the act of worship.

In his book, "Criswell's Guidebook for Pastors" Dr. Criswell writes, "The ordinances are not sacraments; they are not the means and the channels of saving grace. [They] are symbols and visible representatives of the vital, central truth of the gospel. There is no sacramental efficacy in the rite at all." **

The ordinances of both Baptism and Communion are vivid reminders and representations of the dynamic, essential facts and truths of Christianity. As Criswell says, "They are outward symbols of tremendously meaningful, spiritual, inward experiences with Christ our Savior."

O What A Difference ...

2010-10-22T09:30:00.000-04:00

What difference does Jesus make in our life? Does anything really change when Jesus moves in?

I've been studying Acts 9:19-31 this week in preparation for my preaching assignment this Sunday.

The great sin of the church today is summed up as a spirit of apathy and a sense of lethargy. We seem to be content with watching the world fend for herself while mankind is decaying in its sin. We are more concerned with our image and label but humanity is speeding toward hell.

I am convicted that the church today must come to a place of corporate repentance and consecrated renewal under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Remember, a person cannot and does not stay the same once Jesus moves in to his life. Within the study of Acts 9 we find the continuation of the spiritual transformation of Saul -- that once proud Pharisee and professional persecutor of the Lord and His church -- who has been sovereignly apprehended on the Damascus road and gloriously saved by the grace of Jesus Christ.

I hope you will study this passage and notice the Difference that Jesus makes in our life. You can listen to my previous sermon online in preparation for this week.

Newsletter now online

2010-10-14T14:32:00.000-04:00

I am getting completely settled in back at home. I have spoken to all our team members (both here and in Ghana) since our return and things are all good. We have just posted our October 2010 newsletter. I hope you will take time to look at this and you will get a good picture of all that God is doing in Ghana.

Returning Home

2010-10-13T17:46:00.000-04:00

Thanks for following my blog while we were in Ghana. Even though I am home for a few weeks, I will continue to provide some blog updates.

We all arrived home safely on Saturday (10/9) and all adjusted very well to our home time zone. We all carried out our ministry responsibilities on Sunday without any problems. In the afternoon on Sunday, my youngest daughter (Sarah) went to the hospital in and was admitted because of her pregnancy. Although she was a few days shy of 36 weeks, she gave birth to her second son, Gavin Mason Hunt at 12:15M ON 10/11/10!

Interestingly his birthday is exactly the same as our first grandchild, Mackenzie who turned 12 that same day. This makes it easy for me -- one less date to remember!

Because he was a bit early he is still in the NICU getting fluids, but all else is well. Mom, dad, brother Jayden, and Maw-maw and Pop-pop are all fine too.

I'm headed now to our Bible Study for Wednesday night. I hope you will pray for this study from Luke 9.

On the Road Again (and again)

2010-10-07T22:51:00.023-04:00

This project has certainly been wonderful.

As I wrote a few days ago, the Juju men of the South Ketu district had been asking their gods to send the rains to hinder our work in Agbozume. While we were on the project, it did not rain in any way to prevent or hamper the ministry. Their prayers were for naught, since our God is the only true God. However, this morning as we departed, the heavens opened and the rain fell like I have never before seen in Ghana. The rain was so heavy that the local market day was terribly disturbed. Even the very places where we had conducted projects were awash in rain – roads impassable, and dangerous. This was once again proof of our Heavenly Father’s hand of protection and faithfulness.

While in Akosombo today we were able to visit with Pastor Simon Akpolu. As you can see from his photograph he is standing, walking, and laughing. His strength has nearly all returned to him and his spirit is contagious. He is a living miracle and testimony to the power of God. Over and over today he expressed his profound gratitude for all who have prayed for him.

While we were with Simon we were able to visit his church building, still under construction, in Juapong. As Simon showed us around the building, which now has permanent walls and roofing, he reminded us of all the warfare that has occurred in that place. “I had the accident, Pastor Sammy fell ill, and even the construction man was sick. Yet, God has used this place as a testimony to His name,” Simon said. “We are,” he continued, “going to name this place ‘The House of Testimony.’” This building is indeed a testimony to God in so many ways, including the wonderful way God’s people have contributed to the construction of Simon’s church building.

While we will not know, this side of eternity, the true results of this ministry project, I am able to report that we shared the gospel in 155 different venues, and witnessed 34,158 indicate their first-time decisions for Christ. Let me say again, this is an absolute display of God’s sovereign GRACE.

Thank you once again for all the ways you have supported this project. We’re all in this together.

Another Bend in the Road

2010-10-06T19:51:00.012-04:00

This ministry in Ghana has been an incredible journey. We have been able to share the Gospel with 155 different groups of people where we have seen 34,158 individuals indicate their first-time decision for Christ. (We still have one more film crusade scheduled.)

The school ministry has now concluded. We have a travel day tomorrow as we move to Akosombo for our final night of ministry. While there we will have the opportunity to see Pastor Simon Akpolu (who was injured on July 18 when he lost control of and wrecked our Land Rover.) Although his initial condition was grave the reports of his recovery have been remarkable. I look forward to seeing him and praising God for this miracle.

One of the most rewarding parts of this trip has been the opportunity we’ve had to share a New Testament with nearly every person who has made a decision for Christ. We have given scripture to every person in the schools, and have tried to get this in the hands of each person in the evening film crusades.

My heart has been thrilled to see the way people have expressed their hunger for their own copy of God’s Word. The students in the schools have followed us to our vehicle as we have left waving their hands to each one of us. None of them has been without their copy of the New Testment in their hands. Some have even asked if we could give them and extra copy to share with their parents.

When I think of the way most people in the US take their Bibles for granted I am reminded that having God’s Word in our hands is a sacred privilege. Let me encourage you to always keep copies of the scripture with you so that you might share it with others. http://www.pocketpower.org/ is a wonderful resource for doing this. Here you are able to get free scripture portions as well as other great evangelism tools to use everyday.

I want to personally thank every person who has been apart of our ministry here in Ghana. As you can see, it is not always easy to get around in this country, but God has always proven faithful to us. He has provided exactly what we have needed, every step of the way. Some days, He’s had to provide extra “man-power” just to get us to our assigned location.

Thank you again to all who have helped us. So many of you have been praying for us (please do not stop now) and so many others have given financially to keep this ministry “Going where others dare not go!”

Let’s keep our minds and hearts focused on all that God has in store for the coming days.

Scripture’s Promise Fulfilled

2010-10-05T18:12:00.007-04:00

[Agbozume, Ghana] As we have finished our ministry for today we have seen 31,398 individuals indicate their first-time decision for Christ! This staggering number has come as we have shared the gospel with 145 different groups, including school assemblies, church services, public gatherings, and film crusades. As a result of the ministry work this project a new church was started in the village where we ministered tonight. Pastor Gabriel, from a nearby town will serve as the pastor in this new church.

I am confident that we are doing what God has called us to do. Repeatedly we have seen scripture’s promise fulfilled, “So shall my word be that goes forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please …”-- Isa 55:11

Do you know today that God’s Word can be trusted? Are you constantly looking for people who need to hear the Gospel?

If our statistics are correct then nearly 6 billion people in the world today are without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The question to every believer is, “Whom will you tell?” You cannot reach everyone, but you can reach someone. Tell somebody today!

Thank You from Pastor Sammy Lartey

2010-10-05T09:10:00.007-04:00

To all who Cared

The following is a letter written today from Pastor Sammy Lartey in Ghana. He wants everyone to read this!

”And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to Me.” –Matthew 25:38-40 ESV

I am so grateful first and foremost to God and to all of you for the concern shown during my ailment. Some of you sent well-wishing letters. Some of you prayed and some of you gladly sent monies.

These have all helped my speedy recovery. Although not fully recovered your concern and prayers has brought a big relief to me. It has been a sweet smelling savor for my present state.

I’m grateful to you all once again. You have indeed shown the love of Christ you have for me. May our good Lord richly bless you in all your endeavors. I love you all.

Stay blessed,

Rev. Sammy A. Lartey
Global Evangelism Ministries
National Director, Ghana

The Grace of God

2010-10-04T09:06:00.002-04:00

We are all winding down here in Ghana. It's hard to believe that we only have a couple of days left for school ministry here. As of noon (local time) on Monday 04 October we have shared the gospel with 130 different groups and have seen 26,929 people indicate their own, first-time decisions for Christ. This has been only by the grace of God!

This ministry team has functioned very well together. Both Nick Ollila and Andy Poe have done outstanding jobs in presenting the Gospel clearly with both passion and anointing. I am always thankful to see lay people step out of their comfort zones and engage in Kingdom work.

My friend, ministry partner, and colleague Jeff Andler has, as always, done an excellent job and proved to be a blessing to me. I am so very grateful that God has joined our two hearts together in this ministry in Africa.

As my mind begins to turn toward home I am studying Acts 8:26-40 as I prepare to preach at Grace on Sunday morning. Constance, in his book on Acts, reminds us

"Men’s doctrines, creeds and philosophies divide, but the gospel of Jesus Christ unites all people."

I have witnessed this marvelous truth over and over again. This truth is not only true on the foreign field. It is equally true where you are today. I am praying that your love for the Lord Jesus will cause you to be an evangelist. Be one today, right where you are.

The Light of the World

2010-10-03T14:30:00.009-04:00

As it stands today, we have witnessed 23,989 people indicate their first-time decision for Christ during these past 13 days of ministry in Ghana. Team members Jeff Andler, Nick Ollila, and Andy Poe join me in expressing our sincere appreciation for continuing to lift us up in prayer.

I know there are some people reading this blog who are saying, “I do not think all those decisions are legitimate!” Perhaps even some missionaries and church leaders who are leveling this charge, and to them I say, “I do not know, but I know the message of the Gospel has been shared in the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Recently I had a denominational leader quip to me, “I do not believe mass evangelism works!” To them, I responded, “I know it will not work if you don’t try it!” You and I are called to share the Gospel in every way possible.

Joseph

Last night during a film crusade along the shore of the “Gulf of Guinea” as I spoke to a crowd numbering approximately 800, God displayed His providence once again. In the middle of my message, a man walked up behind me, tapped me on the shoulder and loudly asked, “Please pray for me!” Although this startled me, I later learned that he had been on the beach and upon hearing our message over the loud speakers was compelled to stop and take heed of the message. This man, captured by the Word of God, indicated that He prayed to receive Jesus Christ!

This man Joseph, walking along the beach in both physical and spiritual darkness was transformed by the power of God and was gloriously saved. Jesus proclaimed,

“I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone

who believes in Me will not remain in darkness.”

--John 12:44 NASB

I do not know about every decision that is indicated, but I know Joseph heard the message of Jesus and responded to His invitation. “Go into all the world and PREACH the Gospel!”

Why Go to Africa?

2010-10-01T14:12:00.006-04:00

Abbozume, Ghana – Nearly everyday someone asks me, “Why do go to Africa, when there are already believers there?” Maybe this story from today will help you with the answer.

     [From Jeff Andler] When we came into the village I noticed a young
     boy who was dressed in only an unusual white skirt. As I often do, I
     waved as we continued  toward our school. I noticed the boy had
     come into the large school gathering. Following the presentation of
     the gospel, after several hundred students had indicated their
     decision for Christ, two of our national team members brought this
     young boy to me, explaining that he was the child of a Juju man.

     Destined to become a Juju man himself, he was not allowed to attend school. He
     was required to use only the name of his Juju clan as his own name. Both of this
     parents were dead and this boy was living with his grandmother.

     Seeing the “white men” arrive in his village, he followed us to school, heard the gospel
     presented and trusted Christ as his savior. He received a copy of the word of God and we
     were told efforts would be made (by our national team) to get him enrolled in school and to
     minister to him in his walk with the Lord.

Had this boy simply seen a van full of Ghanaian preachers, his interest most likely would not have been peaked. However, the presence of the “whites” in this village was used of God, not only to see his boy converted, but perhaps hundreds of others who would have been influenced by the evil and wickedness of Jujuism through this boy’s life.

He came into the schoolyard walking in darkness, but he left, walking in the Light of Jesus.

The Power of God

2010-09-30T16:37:00.000-04:00

Abbozume, Ghana – When the presence and power of God comes upon a person, it is a wonderful thing. As Nick preached today, the obvious anointing of God was upon him. As Nick preached about the resurrection of Jesus from the grave he effectively pointed out the fact that Jesus is the ONLY one who has risen from the dead. He unashamedly and passionately declared that “Mohammad did not rise from the dead, Buddha did not rise from the dead, the Juju man did not rise from the grave; ONLY JESUS has risen from the dead! He is our only hope of eternal life.” This brought applause from many who were hearing the message.

When Nick was coming to the end of the gospel presentation, he shared with conviction the words of Paul, “if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, YOU WILL BE saved;” This message clearly connected with the students and many in the school prayed to receive Jesus Christ. Following the message, Nick sat with some of the students, shared scripture with them from their new Bibles, and asked the kids read it aloud to him. This is the presence and power of Christ.

Thus far, in 105 different venues, we have seen a total of 19,365 indicated first-time decisions for Christ. To God be the glory! Great things He has done.

The Providence of God

2010-09-29T19:58:00.011-04:00

We just received Jesus!

Abbozume, Ghana – The spiritual warfare around this project is intense. Each day we are having mechanical problems with our vehicles. The local pastor who has been the chief organizer for this area has been sick, hospitalized, and is now recovering at his home. This, on top of the physical conditions of both Sammy and Simon are all proof of the warfare. Yet, through it all we have seen 18,185 indicated first-time decisions for Christ!

God continues to show his providence and sovereignty in each step we take in Ghana! This morning our ministry teams encountered our first visible and vocal opposition to our presence in the schools here. In one place, our spokesman, Rev. Eben Agbleze was challenged by one of the teachers upon our arrival. This man asked, "Why should we give any attention to you?” and told us he did not want us to talk to the students in that school. Eben graciously told him that we were there at the invitation of the headmaster and that we were going to speak. After a few more words of scolding from the teacher, we began the program. All during the program the teacher sat, arms folded with a glare on his face however, in the end, over 300 students earnestly prayed and received Jesus into their hearts. This reminded us again that the power of man is no match for the power of God!

Hannah

In another school a teacher named Hannah met us. This woman, wearing a headdress of one of the cult-type churches here, was obviously disinterested in our speaking to her students. She however did not openly oppose us. She appeared completely bored the entire time I was sharing the Gospel, but as I began to proclaim the divinity of Jesus to the students, she immediately took notice and it was clear to me that the Spirit of God had captured her heart and she was HEARING the Truth for the first time. When we bowed our heads in prayer, Hannah called out to Jesus and then indicated her decision to receive Him into her life. From that moment forward her disposition, attitude, expression, and countenance was completely transformed. I really believe that Hannah is now a child of God!

While on the way home from the schools two ladies flagged our vehicle down as asked us for a ride back to town. We obliged and while on the journey we were able to share the gospel with them. Before our arrival back in town, both ladies had prayed to receive Jesus. This was certainly a divine encounter.

I hope you will remember that we are all called to be witnesses for Jesus Christ everyday of our life. You don't need to be in Ghana to share the gospel. People you see everyday need to hear God's glorious offer of salvation. God will constantly bring people across your path that need to hear the gospel. Please share the love of Jesus with someone today!

15,959 Decisions for Christ!

2010-09-28T17:53:00.003-04:00

Agbozume, Ghana -- This was another incredible day of ministry! Our totals (through tonight) stand at 15,959! We have thus far shared the Gospel in 79 venues. This has been, as always, a testimony to the grace of God. Tonight, both Jeff and I experienced some intense warfare in our film projects. I had some rowdy guys who were obviously mocking the message (not mine, but God's) and were certainly a tool of Satan. In spite of this we saw over 500 stand to their feet and indicate their personal decision to trust Christ.

Jeff was approached by a drunk man demanding money during their film crusade. Our Ghanian team members quickly came to his aide and prevented any further chaos. It seems simple to you, but these battles are real and spiritual. Pray for us.

Today our team traveled to the extreme southeastern border of Ghana. I had the beautiful ocean in front of me and could see the skyline of Lome, Togo to my left. It certainly seemed like the ends of the earth! I do not remember a more active ministry day ever. My team (Andy, three pastors, and me) were assigned seven separate village schools this morning. Each school had between 300 - 900 students plus the teachers and administrators. Jeff's team (Nick, three pastors, and Jeff) likewise had multiple school assignments. In each of our schools we were repeatedly able to witness the marvelous power of God and hundreds of students, upon hearing the gospel for the first time, were drawn by the Spirit of God unto Himself. This wonderful act of grace continues to encourage our hearts.

As noted above, the day has not been without incident. On the way to their first school, Jeff and Nick encountered a Ju Ju man and his band of followers. When Nick took pictures they became agitated and began to demand money. Their demands fell on deaf eyes and the team got back into their vehicle and left. The Ju Ju man, clothed from the waist down, had his torso covered in white powder and was ringing some sort of bell to call attention to himself. The crowd that followed him were obviously attracted and attached to this false prophet. The man was but another example of a man without Jesus Christ. As Jeff said to me this afternoon, "The Ju Ju . man thought he was his own God. He believed he was in need of nothing and those people following him reminded me that all people without Jesus are lost and misguided."

Pastor Eben

Thoughout West Africa we meet so many people who are held captive in the darkness of sin. Some follow the Ju Ju, some participate in ancestral tribal religions, while others are held in bondage by the worship of idols. Sadly, most of the people here have never clearly heard the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is evidenced by the fact that each day we see so many people gladly and eagerly respond to Jesus Christ when they come face to face with the message of salvation. Once again today our defacto director, Rev.Ebenezer Agbleze echoed the mantra of Brother Sammy by saying, "Remember, Dr. Roy, we go where others refuse to go!"

May it always be that GEM remains faithful to this task!

The end of the day

2010-09-27T18:28:00.000-04:00

[Agbozume, Ghana 2200 local time] -- This day has come to an end. Nick and Andy have just returned from the two evening film crusades. Our total indicated first time decisions now total 11,129! As of tonight we have spoken in a total of 57 different venues. Although this is a large number of places in just 7 days, the blessing of having four people who can share the Gospel makes this assignment easier. Brother Sammy was right when he said that this project was too heavily scheduled for just Jeff and me.

Please continue to pray for brother Sammy. Yesterday, while we traveled to Togo, as Sammy was getting out of the Land Rover, he became so dizzy that he fell to the ground while trying to walk. I do not tell you this to alarm you, but he does need a fresh touch of healing. He has finally started on medication for the dizziness and we believe that the initial doses of this added med may be the blame for his stumble. He is determined to remain active on this project although we have "forced" him to take rest during the morning school venues.

Our day will begin again in the morning at 6:30. Ask God reminds you please pray for us throughout the day.

Amazing Grace

2010-09-27T11:36:00.000-04:00

Agbozume, Ghana

The grace and wonder of God continues to thrill my soul! We have been in Ghana since last Wednesday and have already had the opportunity to share the Gospel message with 55 different groups of people. During these school meetings, church services, and village film crusades we have seen 10,079 individuals indicate publicly their first-time decision for Christ. I neither understand not fully comprehend why God allows me to witness such marvelous things.

As I have been telling you, this particular area of Ghana is heavily infested with idolatry and juju (local witch-craft and black magic). Each day we encounter the oppressiveness of the enemy whether through the disposition of the local school officials or the difficulty of movement from place to place. In all these things we know that the protection, power, and provision of God is sufficient. It is a great thing to know that our God is always watching over His children.

Today, as always, we reminded the listeners that only the children of God have a relationship with Jesus Christ and a home in heaven. Remember, not everyone is a Child of God. The Bible says, "He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God" Jn 1:11–12. This simple verse reminds us that individuals must RECEIVE Jesus Christ and this happens by the power of God. People receive Jesus through faith alone, and faith is always a matter of grace.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."

--Ephesians 2:8 – 9

This verse clearly states that FAITH is a gift from God. If you know Jesus remember, God gave you freely the FAITH to receive Jesus. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Amazing Grace

2010-09-27T11:17:00.000-04:00

[Agbozume, GH] --The grace and wonder of God continues to thrill my soul! We have been in Ghana since last Wednesday and have already had the opportunity to share the Gospel message with 55 different groups of people. During these school meetings, church services, and village film crusades we have seen 10,079 individuals indicate publicly their first-time decision for Christ. I neither understand not fully comprehend why God allows me to witness such marvelous things.

Today, as always, we reminded the listeners that only the children of God have a relationship with Jesus Christ and a home in heaven. Remember, not everyone is a Child of God. The Bible says, "He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, Jn 1:11–12. This simple verse reminds us that individuals must RECEIVE Jesus Christ and this happens by the power of God. People receive Jesus through faith alone, and faith is always a matter of grace.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." --Ephesians 2:8 – 9

This verse clearly states that FAITH is a gift from God. If you know Jesus remember, God gave you freely the FAITH to receive Jesus. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Going to new fields?

2010-09-26T16:42:00.000-04:00

Agbozume, Ghana

1930 local time

This day has been full of opportunities! We travelled across the border into Togo this morning. While crossing proved to be fairly easy, it was not completely free of frustration. Our team left the hotel around 900 and rode the 45 minutes to the border crossing. Once we had cleared the Ghana customs office we walked the 100 yards or so to the immigration office at the Togo border. Since done of us had the required Togolese visa, we had to negotiate our way into permission to enter the country. After a bit of clever conversation (and $100USD) we were able to obtain the necessary legal stamps and signatures on the pages of our passports. From here we rode the 20 minutes to our planned meeting point. Here we met both Rev. Bright and Brother Happy. What about that? It was a Bright and Happy day. Both of these men are proving to be necessary parts of our potential future ministry inside Togo.

Pastor Bright has been working alongside our GEM teams for the past three years. We first met him when his mother was attended to by Dr. David Ney on our first dental project in Ghana in 2008. Once his woman was ministered to by our dental ministry she informed her son who came (during that very project) to thank us for our service. Once he showed up then, he has been with us on every project since that time. He has watched our ministry, joined us in set-up and tear-down of the film crusades and has even translated in some of our schools. Over the course of the six projects (2 per year for three years) he has been praying that GEM would begin a similar work in his home country of Togo. Today, it seems, we took our first step toward this dream. He had arranged a meeting with a group of 10 pastors/evangelists who have a heart to move from the traditional church settings into the rural evangelistic work that GEM conducts. I found a strange love building in my heart for each of these people. The looks in their eyes said it all. My only concern is that they want to begin this work immediately. As I met with them both Jeff and I repeated reminded them that the ministry must begin small and allow God whatever He chose to do in His time. I can hardly wait to see what our Father is going to do in this new place of ministry.

Brother Happy is a man I had only heard of yesterday. Apparently he is a friend and colleague of Bill and Judy McCall from Mooresville, NC. These former missionaries to Togo knew this brother and thought that it would be a good idea for our paths to cross. After a brief meeting with this brother I can begin to see that perhaps God is doing something else wonderful in our lives. I am thankful for friends like the McCalls who read our updates and pray regularly for us.

This upcoming week promises to be another filled with excitement and ministry. Please continue to pray that we will have the strength to do all that this project has planned for us.

To GOD Be the GLORY! Pictures from Togo this morning!

2010-09-26T14:11:00.001-04:00

Crossing Security Point

Togo Security

Togo Border

Church Service in Togo

Togo Pastors

Rolling Back into Ghana

Saturday Night Live!

2010-09-25T19:04:00.000-04:00

[Agbozume, Ghana] --6,834 indicated first-time decisions for Christ.

We have made it through our first week of projects. Saturday is never a busy day because the schools are closed. We were, however, able to do two film crusades . Tonight I was sharing in an idol rich village where the people have placed all their trust and hope into the hand-carved statues. Many of the statues look like the simple souvenirs that many of our past team members have innocently bought. The one here though are thought to have special powers of protection and salvation. Although you and I know that the only real protection and salvation comes through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, these primitive people are still searching for some kind of hope. I am thankful that God has given us the opportunity to stand and boldly proclaim the truth of the Gospel. It reminds me of the great privilege our heavenly Father has given me, our team, and this ministry.

Some of you are asking about Sammy and I am happy to tell you that he has delegated much of his (and Simon's) usual responsibilities to two of our district pastors -- Jacob Yakabu and Ebenezer Agblezer. These two choice servants are young men who, I believe are the future of our ministry leadership here in Ghana. They have studied hard under Sammy and Simon and will one day be ready to fully take the reins here. Once again this proves that God is always going in front of us to plan the steps He has for us.

Tomorrow morning some of our team will travel into Togo to meet with Pastor Bright and others. Bright has been working with us in Ghana on the last three projects and his been constantly asking us to come and consider beginning an evangelistic work in Togo. His sweet spirit has always been an encouragement to me. Please pray with us about this future possibility. I want us to remain true to our motto of "Going where others dare not go!"

Each of our team members are doing great. Both Nick and Andy have settled in wonderfully and are sharing the gospel with power and authority. My dear friend Jeff Andler is, as always, a complete joy and powerful preacher. I am truly thankful that God brought our two lives together back in 2002. If I am not mistaken this is our 18th project together in Ghana.

Please continue to pray for us and the ministry. Pray for God's continued hand of protection upon us … our health and safety … our families at home, and … the anointing of God upon His message of grace and salvation.

Pictures from Ghana

2010-09-25T15:50:00.000-04:00

Distribution of bibles in a school

Jeff speaking in a school

Two ladies receive bibles after accepting Jesus

Another Day in Paradise

2010-09-24T12:23:00.000-04:00

[Agbozume, Ghana] -- The heavy rain of both last night and the weeks leading up to our project has made our journeys difficult. While traveling to the numerous village schools today our Land Rover showed its worth as we forded ponds, streams, and washed-out roads. At one point we saw the entire hood of the Rover under water and the floor boards of the truck completely flooded! But, by God's grace we were able to present the Gospel in 12 separate ministry venues this morning. Without this vehicle we would have been limited to no more than 4 places today. Thus far in our project(through noon on Thursday) we have seen 5,262 indicated, first-time decisions for Christ.

This morning began with my first opportunity to visit with Bea Lartey (wife of pastor Sammy Lartey). Her countenance was precious as she revealed the absolute grace of God expressed in her family's life. Little did we realize, just how sick Sammy has been. Bea related the seriousness of Sammy's condition during the past few weeks. "He was so sick … he could not sit, stand, or walk. He was always throwing-up and I thought he was about to die!" Bea said with tears in her eyes, "but our God was faithful and brought about deliverance and healing." She could not express enough the many ways our friends and GEM family has helped through prayers and financial contributions. I confess, I feel better about Sammy since talking with his dear wife.

I never ceased to be awed by the wonder-working power of God. This morning, as we completed the gospel presentation in one of the schools, we noticed two women in the distance lifting their hands to indicate their decision to receive Jesus Christ into their lives. Although we did not know it, there were people near the perimeter of the school ground who had been crowding in to hear the message of Jesus Christ. We never know who is listening, so we must be clear in our presentation of the Gospel. Please keep praying for us.

Going into the fields

2010-09-23T15:47:00.002-04:00

[Agbozume, Ghana] -- We've settled into our good field hotel here in the coastal region of Ghana, only a few kilometers from the Togo border. As I understand it we will be going into Togo for several days of ministry. Everything is going well and our American team members are adjusting well to the location. This morning Nick Ollila had his first opportunity to preach in a school and the anointing of the Spirit was evident upon him. It was a wonderful reminder to me that God can use all of us when we are obedient to His Spirit.

My biggest shock was in actually seeing Sammy since hearing of his recent sickness. His voice and spirit are strong, but his body is visibly challenged. My heart breaks to watch him struggle with walking and getting about. He seems to have aged 10 years since we were here in March of this year. He is walking with a cane and wearing a neck brace. The medications, he tells me, are helping him greatly and he keeps saying that he will be as strong as a young man by the end of the project. I'm not sure I believe this, but I have faith in the power of God. PLEASE keep praying for him.

It has been encouraging to see Sammy use his current physical condition as a point of reference with the students in the schools. He stands to his feet and proclaims, "I did not choose to have old age catch up with me. I did not choose to have my legs and walking become feeble, but it reminds us all that ONE DAY, we will face death. It is coming" says Sammy "whether we like it or not. But this we can do, ACCEPT JESUS CHRIST, and we will have a happy home in heaven." Isn't it wonderful to hear that message of grace and hope in such a personal way? I am confident that God is going to do a great work on this project.

Thus far, through Thursday noon, we have shared the Gospel in 12 different ministry venues and have witnessed 2,829 individuals indicate their decision to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. This sovereign work of grace is incredible to witness. Thanks be to God for the wonderful work of grace.

Arrival in Ghana

2010-09-22T19:11:00.002-04:00

[Accra, Ghana] We have arrived safely in Accra! Our flights from the US were good and uneventful. As always, it was refreshing to see our director, Rev. Sammy Lartey in Ghana. Even after his health issues, his smiling face and warm greeting was a blessing to us all. This great brother is truly a man of God and we are so blessed to have him as a part of our ministry. None of what is about to happen on this project would be possible without his spirit-led preparation.

The next couple of weeks will prove to be challenging as we have a very hectic schedule. Although this project will not have the medical component we still have nearly one hundred ministry venues planned. The venues include school assembly programs each morning and two separate cinema crusades each evening. In addition to this, we will have a time of fellowship with many believers each weekend in church settings.

Team members, Nick Ollila and Andy Poe (both of whom have been on projects in Ghana before) will have the opportunity to lead in ministry each day. Both men will be preaching the Gospel in school meetings and in the evening village meetings. Please pray for them as they launch out in faith into this new arena. I am thankful that God continues to place men like this in our lives and ministry. These brothers are shinning examples of what God is able to do with willing and obedient hearts. Perhaps you will join us on a future project like this one.

Let me ask you to please pray for:
    1)    Our physical protection on this project.
    2)    Safety as we travel into deep and remote areas of the country.
    3)    Our health and well-being
    4)    Our sensitivity to the leadership of the Holy Spirit.
    5)    Our anointing by the Spirit to proclaim the message of the gospel to an awaiting audience.
    6)    The spiritual power that is required for the Gospel to be heard.

As you pray, we will go. Thank you for your continued interest and investment in Global Evangelism Ministries.

Enroute to Ghana

2010-09-22T19:10:00.000-04:00

[somewhere over the Sahara Desert] As we departed Frankfurt an hour or so ago the weather was pleasant and the air was brisk. Now, looking down from 37,000 feet I can see the hot sands of the Sahara desert below. Although the aircraft video screen says that the outside air temperature is -65F I know that the weather below is much, much hotter. It is a reminder that sometimes we are able to "control" our environment. As we make our way to Ghana, I am praying that none of us will attempt to "control" what God wants to do with us. I am confident that when we yield ourselves to the Spirit of God, and respond to His prompting with an attitude of obedience we will witness Him do marvelous things. Please pray that our team (Jeff Andler, Nick Ollila, Andy Poe, and myself) will remember constantly -- "There is no limit to what God can do when we give no care to who gets the credit." I am excited about all that He is about to do.

Update from Pastor Sammy in Ghana

2010-09-17T21:20:00.000-04:00

I just received this update from Dr. Paul in Ghana with regards to Pastor Sammy's health.

Hello Dr, Roy,
Forgive me for the delay in informing you about my dad's progress. i was a little busy with my project work i the rural districts.

He came to the hospital yesterday for his review. Fortunately the MRI did not pick up any lesions or tumours and all other biochemical investigations were normal. The only problem was with the cervical spine X-ray that indicated arthritis of the spine. Cervical spondylosis as it is called occurs mostly in the elderly and is capable of producing stroke-like symptoms and dizziness due to the unstable spine compromising the blood supply to the brain. It can also cause this by direct pressure on the spinal cord.

He is going put on a cervical collar to stabilize the neck for some time and also some drugs for the dizziness. With respect to walking, the gait is still a bit unsteady. But its the best i have seen in weeks since he could walk without any support at all.

Apart from that, his only complains are abdominal pain for which he is being given ulcer drugs. His blood pressure was also found to be high and so e has been given some anti-hypertensives. we are praying that this is transient as a result of the stress.

His next review is in a month's time and he is also scheduled for an endoscopy in 3 weeks time. I will see you in Ghana next week. Have a safe trip and enjoy your flight until then;
Sincerely
Paul
Thank God for His marvelous provision!

Spiritual Warfare and Sovereign Control

2010-09-17T11:28:00.000-04:00

The time is running out for our preparation of the upcoming Harvest Ghana project. We leave on Monday, 20 September.

The warfare has been just incredible in the build up to this project. It seems that every day since June has brought new challenges for us and our national team in Africa. We've had automobile accidents, health issues, financial burdens, broken equipment, totaled vehicles ... and that was just in Ghana! But, as always, GOD HAS PROVEN SUFFICIENT!

In addition to this, our daughter who is pregnant with our second grandson went into premature labor last night (she is seven weeks until her due date) but was released and placed on complete bed rest. While I know all of this is in God's hands, as a daddy, I can't help but me a little concerned. I know God is in control. Please keep praying for us!

Ramping Up for Ghana

2010-09-15T17:10:00.000-04:00

In just five days our team of four will be leaving for Ghana, W. Africa. This trip promises to be a wonderful project in light of all the warfare we have been experiencing. Over the past few months we have seen two potentially devastating events:

Our national director, Rev. Sammy Lartey, suffer an apparent stroke.
Our deputy director, Rev. Simon Akpolu, critically injured in an automobile accident.

However, the overwhelming grace of God has once again proven sufficient and we have witnessed both of these men's health improve. Praise be to God for this!

Please be in prayer for us as we make final preparations for this harvest project.

Now on Facebook!

2009-02-09T23:07:00.004-05:00

Thank you for continuing to express interest in Global Evangelism Ministries and our efforts around the world. We are only a few days away from a ministry project in Ghana, West Africa. Throughout our newsletter you will find important information about this project.I trust you will continue to pray for us and consider how you might become more intimately involved in our ministry. Thank you again for your faithful participation in the Gospel.

Global Evangelism Ministries is excited to announce that we have a new presence on the web! In addition to our website, we have have a group page on Facebook.

If you are not a member of the Facebook family you will not be able to view this site, but joining is easy and you might discover that you really like the site.