Moved To New Blog

After starting this blog,  I found out that WordPress.Com does not allow use of the RefTagger script.  Since I consider linking to Scripture to be essential to what I want to do,  I have moved my blog to  WordPress.org – under Emmaus Ministries.  This allows me to use RefTagger.

So please check out the new blog name “Epimeno”  at:    http://www.emmausministries.org/epimeno/  

 

Blessings,

Bill

He who trusts in his own heart is a fool

Contrasting the difference between faith and our own wisdom is rather easy in the Bible.  Take this passage in Proverbs 28:26a:

26     He who trusts in his own heart is a fool      (NKJV)

In the Hebrew mindset, the “heart” was not the seat of emotions, but rather your knowledge, intellect and will (cf Proverbs 12:25; 13:12; 15:12,14a; ).   So the Bible warns us in many places not to lean on our own wisdom or will.  Rather, look to your Abba Father in faith – with absolute trust that He has you in the hallow of His hands.  Nothing will reach you without going through Him.  And nothing will take Him by surprise. 

Don’t analyze everything to death.  Don’t assume you have tomorrow—nor even today—totally figured out.  Instead rely on our Father’s love for His children and for you individually.  Count on His loving heart and tender mercies (Psalm 103:4, 118:1).  Know that not only is He in control, He is always victorious. 

Don’t forget, you are accepted in the Beloved (Ephesians 1:6), you are sealed with His guarantee of the glory to come  (Ephesians 1:13-14), and nothing in Heaven or Earth can separate you from His love and your victorious future in Christ Jesus  (Romans 8:35; Ephesians 1).    

So as the Apostle Paul says:  “…stand…”  (Ephesians 6:13) in these uncertain times.  But don’t stand trusting in your own wisdom and power.  Stand by faith in Christ Jesus and by trust in your Abba Father.

NKJV  Proverbs 3:5-6

5     Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

And lean not on your own understanding;

6     In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He shall direct your paths.

The LoTech Word of God

Those of us who teach and preach the Word of God can sometimes be concerned about all the competition we face with all of the world’s entertainment systems.  How can we compete with a multi-million dollar Hollywood production?  How can we compete with the fast action and ready access of TV?  

But whenever those thoughts crowd in and try to defeat,  we must remind ourselves that we are not teaching and preaching some great words of wisdom only … we are called and commissioned to teach/preach nothing less than The Word of God.  

1 Corinthians 1:18

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

The Word of God brings life for all eternity.  Nothing else can do that!  Preachers and teachers don’t have to compete with the world’s entertainment:  We have the Life Transforming Word of God to share!

God’s Message – preached in God’s Power – will transform lives!   What can compete with that?!?!?!?

A Word From Our National Missions Director

Good morning!

Globalization is a common buzz word in many circles today. This not a new topic or idea; Paul engages the idea in 2 Corinthians chapter 8. He writes with enthusiasm to those in Corinth, telling them how much he wanted them to get to know the church in Macedonia, and especially the “the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches.” (2 Cor. 8:1). He then emphasizes two characteristics of these brethren in a different part of the world:

•        Although undergoing severe trials, they were joyful
•        Even in the midst of extreme poverty, they were generous

Talk about radical, and counter-cultural! I can have a hard time being joyful when my life is without a trial. Even in the midst of abundance it’s not easy to be generous… What a truly wonderful work of the grace of God in those churches!

In my recent travels, I’ve had the privilege of seeing youth from Chinese churches rejoice in midst of difficulties. In Papua New Guinea, a nation with much poverty, I heard our leaders discussing ways to better care for their six missionaries sent to other island-nations of the Pacific. I’m excited about the grace of God in the small Foursquare work in the Kaxinawa tribe in western Amazon, who, only months after the arrival of Brazilian Foursquare missionaries to their tribe, prepared to send a Kaxinawa missionary to reach their cousin tribe in Bolivia with the gospel.

You and I are privileged to be a part of an amazing global Foursquare tapestry, being woven by works of God’s grace, of so many forms, shapes, colors and styles. I also get VERY excited about the Kaxinawa, or PNG, or Chinese brethren getting to meet you, and discovering the rich deposit and work of His grace that is in you, your family, and church. After years living outside the U.S., I am so grateful for this season, serving in your midst again. And recently at Connection ‘09, it was all about being enriched by His grace in each other as we connected as a family.

Thank you so much for sharing His grace in you around the world by praying, giving and going. We celebrate that! May His grace be abundant in my heart and yours this week, causing there to be joy and generosity (regardless of circumstance), just as in those days, in Macedonia! 

 

In His service,

 Jonathan Hall
Director, Foursquare Missions International

 

As you pray this week, remember the nearly 50 Ignite students, team leaders and Life Pacific College participants who have been ministering in different regions of the world and will return home soon.

Foursquare Missionary Family

Here is an example of one of our Foursquare Missionary families:  The Keans. 

Rather than me telling you about them, take a look at their website and blog.  There is music you can listen to as well.  Check it out!

http://web.mac.com/gbkean/Garry_%26_Brenda_Kean/Kean_News.html

Essential Ministries For Church Growth

While many believe that the quality of the worship and the content of the sermon are the main determining factors for church growth, countless conversations and years of experience tell me there’s critical roles played by so called  “supportive ministries.”  These ministries that take place behind the scenes—often filled each week by a faithful few—will frequently be the primary determining factor in a visitor’s decision to return again or not.

The following list outlines these critical ministries (not in any special order):

1. The Nursery

2. Children’s Ministries

                [a] Sunday School Classes

                [b] Children’s Church

3. Facilities Cleaning and Maintenance

In future posts, I will discuss the vital importance of each of these ministries.

Which Is The Best Version Of The Bible?

There are numerous very good versions of the Bible on the market today.  We are truly blessed to have them and at a low enough cost that every Christian can afford to own several.

We recommend that you consider having these versions in your library (not listed in any order):

(NLT) – New Living Translation

(NKJV) – New King James Version

(NIV) – New International Version

(NASB) – New American Standard Bible

(AMP) – The Amplified Bible

There certainly are other excellent versions of the Bible.  But we are recommending that you have these as a minimum.  You need not purchase each version in $80 top grain leather.  Paperbacks and/or hardbacks can be very inexpensive and read exactly the same.

As to the question of which one is the best one?  The one that you are most comfortable with and will faithfully read – that is the best version for you!

Prayer Request Bangladesh and Sri Lanka

Dear friends,

Please cover our Foursquare family in Bangladesh in prayer at this time!  As you are aware, cyclone Aila ripped through the Southwest part of Bangladesh last week.  This is the area where national leader Benjamin and Monica Mondal live and where many of our Foursquare churches are.  Benjamin wrote that over 200 village homes of believers were destroyed and the flood waters have yet to go down.  People are living on roads and any place they can find high ground or temporary shelter.  Food and water are scarce and many are becoming sick from the germ ridden flood waters. 

We also ask for your prayers for our Foursquare family in Sri Lanka:

Pastor George Niranjan (Foursquare Sri Lanka general supervisor) writes:

“You probably are aware of the 26 years of ethnic war which brought devastation to our nation. It ended finally on May 19th leaving many thousands dead and over 300,000 homeless. We lost a few of our believers and all the Churches in the province of Vanni in northern Sri Lanka. In partnership with the National Evangelical Alliance we are serving 3,500 people in a refugee camp.” 

 Would you please join with us in prayer asking the Lord to move in mighty way for our brothers and sisters in these nations.

 Thank you for your faithfulness to partner with us in prayer.

 Foursquare Missions International

Blind Missionary Sees God’s Purpose Clearly

Andy and Christina Opie

By: Andy Opie

I hesitated to write this not wanting to draw attention to myself. However after two years in Thailand, I have realized that as a blind missionary, my story speaks volumes to the people I serve. Students in my English class are amazed that I can teach when I can’t see. They don’t always understand how I can play Uno with them (special Braille cards), or how I am able to chat with them online.

Bangkok is not a city designed to accommodate a person with handicaps or disabilities. Buddhism looks down on handicaps as if they were a curse. Blind people in this nation often get sucked into a corrupt mafia that uses them to beg for money or something equally as degrading. Simply walking to the local 7-11 can be a daunting task for me, yet living here; I feel fulfilled and know that I am living the life God has called me to.

As my wife, Christina, and I look back with Tina on the process of how we ended up in Thailand we realized that we could have served in other countries, but they may not have known what to do with a blind missionary. Kelly Hildebrand, (missionary to Thailand) had never met me, but was willing to take a risk and invited me to come and serve in Thailand. I will always be thankful to him for that.

The calling to missions is too amazing to define or explain. Likewise, it can be equally rationalized away or never fulfilled. I wonder how many people find an excuse not to go on the field and live a life of regret. The human condition is such that we focus on the flaws we have or the flaws in the plan that can hold us back from accomplishing what God intends for us.

Living my life serving God, I have seen God’s statement to Paul in 2 Cor. 12 that, “His grace is sufficient”, to be so true and so relevant to me. It is easy to say I can’t do something or to focus on the flaws I have or see them as barriers to accomplishing what God has for my life.

It seems we can often compare ourselves to others and think how little we are accomplishing. Thankfully we can rest in the knowledge that God doesn’t always call the best and brightest, he also called a stuttering Moses, a sheepish Gideon, and a short Zaccheus. I believe He wants us to focus on Him, and in that He assures us that He is with us to fulfill our purpose.

I never really gave credence to my mission calling as a youth and brushed it off by saying God had called me as a missionary to the US. I was emboldened internally when I heard stats say that America was now receiving more missionaries than it sent. However, my heart always burned to see the mission of God achieved and for all people to receive the message of the Gospel.

Meanwhile, I entered Bible College with the goal of becoming a youth pastor. When I graduated college and met my wife, Christina, she told me that she was called for a short-term to go overseas and teach. Usually when I heard that from a girl I was interested in, I walked away and said she wasn’t for me. But I could not walk away from Christina. I had two options, I could wait for her to fulfill that calling, or join her on the field. Waiting didn’t really seem like an option, so we got married and jumped in with both feet.

Through serving God on the mission field, I have learned that if I will trust and follow God, He is faithful and will take me exactly where He has called me to go.

==
By: Andy Opie, a Foursquare Missionary who currently serves in Thailand.

The Heart of Worship

Oil and water, black and white, night and day.  These are all well known expressions to convey the thought of opposites that don’t go together.  Here, I want us to look at opposites as related to the heart of worship.

The church at Laodicea in Revelation Chapter 3, was a church wrapped up in materialism.  Their earthly labors had not been in vain; they were a church of wealth, abundance and easy living.  I have no doubt that their church was the biggest and had all the best things that money could supply.  I am sure that each member of the congregation thought they had it all together.  That their worship—with the best musicians, equipment, talent, and angelic sound—was totally pleasing to God and lacked nothing.   But the Lord Jesus rebuked their smug self-reliance, saying they were blind, naked, and ready to be vomited out of His mouth because of their lukewarm hearts (i.e., worship).

Now contrast the self-reliance of Laodicea with Moses in Exodus Chapter 33.  Here the Holy Spirit gives us a clear look into the heart of a true worshipper.   

Think of how much Moses has been in the mighty presence of God. The burning bush, the miracles in Egypt, the 10 Commandments, the Tent of Meeting, speaking with God as face to face, etc.  Yet all of this isn’t enough—he desires more! 

He hungers for more of God, his thirsting after God is unquenchable.  No matter how much Moses has experienced God’s glorious presence in his life, he is still desperate for even more! 

That is the heart of a worshipper.   That is the heart of one who will be called “God’s friend.”