The Agent of True Change

”All we have to do to create an unreached people group is abandon a reached one before we have discipled godly leaders to study and apply the Scripture for themselves.” - Phil Hunt - Missionary to Zambia

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”  II Timothy 2:15

In order for us to accomplish anything of lasting value in our ministry we need to have a goal that is lined up with God's will for the planting and growth of churches around the World. We must also use a method that is lined up with God's will. Unless our goal and methodology are approved by God, our work will be in vain.

While our objective may be to train men to plant and pastor churches, and help them train leaders and teachers to support those churches, we must not succumb to the notion that we need only teach the mechanics of church planting or pastoring. We must teach the church leaders, and future leaders, how to study the Scriptures and draw from them principles that they can apply to resolve the day to day issues they face in their country, in their culture, in their specific church situation. We must leave the Holy Spirit free to do His work and help the church leaders depend on Him for their needs.

We recognize that in the process of working with the Nationals some of our beliefs and practices will “rub off”. It is our desire, however, that the changes wrought in the National churches will be made through contact with the Word of God, not through contact with us. Moreover, we desire that the Nationals will be empowered to use the principles they learn from us to delve into the Word and extract principles that can be applied to needs long after we are gone.

As we prepare for our trip to the Dominican Republic, please pray for wisdom as we prepare the classes. Pray they are firmly rooted in the Word of God. Pray that the process of teaching on "Marriage and the Family" will also teach each student how to understand, interpret and apply the Bible to the daily needs in their lives.

Blessing Upon Blessing

"Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!"  Psalm 107:8
If I were to stop and give thanks to God for every one of His good gifts, I would never get anything else done.  My heart is full.  From the blessing of beautiful summer days with its profusion of green and wild flowers, offset by the blue sky with white wispy clouds floating by to the blessings of people that we have met along the way, I just keep praising the Lord for His goodness to us.

Yesterday we were in Corinth, Maine.  About twelve years ago we made our first connection with this church.  They were looking for a pastor.  We were looking for a church.  As we spent the day with God's dear people there, our hearts were united with theirs.  We thought that God was bringing our paths together.  Instead, God led us to West Hampden, and Corinth Baptist Church continued their search for God's man.  About a year later they called Kirk Mellen, and it was immediately apparent to us that Kirk and not Charlie was God's man for that job. We became friends with the Mellens and continued to enjoy good relationships with the people of Corinth.

When we walked in the door of the church, one of the men welcomed us "home".  It was good to be there again and to see the work that God is doing.  We spent the afternoon with the same couple who kept us overnight on that first trip through the snow many years ago.  Instead of revelling in their heated floor and wood stove as the snow piled up outside, we walked through the woods and enjoyed God's outdoor miracles.  (To me, it is a miracle that such beautiful green comes back every year.)  The chickens entertained us with their antics, and we enjoyed the summer afternoon reminiscing and catching up on each others' lives.

I know there will be some churches where we do not get to return again and again, but I am very much looking forward to those churches who end up supporting us so that we get to do what we did yesterday - go back and give thanks for God's grace through the years.

Macedonian Moment

“I being in the way, the LORD led me ...” (Ge 24:27b AV)

Sunday we had a Macedonian moment. We had a meeting with one church that had moved their evening service to early afternoon. Trying to use the opportunity to visit another church that evening we drove toward a church we know of. We stopped in a town along the way to check on service times and discovered they had already had their afternoon service! Afternoon services are growing in popularity as the price of gas rises. The two churches in the town we were in did not have an evening service. We wracked our brains for an opportunity to visit a church we could introduce to our ministry. We remembered a certain church pastored by an acquaintance and drove there. When we went in for the evening service we discovered the pastor we thought was there had left and a friend I had lost track of nearly a year ago was the pastor. We had a great evening and the current pastor quickly understood that IPM would be a good fit for his church. We are scheduled for an October meeting!

Like Paul we had our plan “A” and even a plan “B” and “C”. I actually had a plan “D” if the church we attended did not work out. The Lord closed those doors, but He directed our path toward His plan. That was the true plan “A” all along!

Running the Race with Patience

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,” (Hebrews 12:1 AV) 

 On the Fourth of July Joan and I celebrated in a different way from most Americans. We ran in a 10K race. We both finished, although far from the front. I am reminded of what Paul (at least in my opinion Paul) wrote to the Hebrews so long ago. 

 There was a “cloud” of witnesses. People were on their front lawns and at the intersections cheering us on. People were manning the water tables. The last mile was down Main Street Freeport, Maine and there were people on both sides cheering the runners on. There were the other runners, we were never running alone. The runners laid aside the weight of extra clothing, some even shedding items along the way. The shoes we wore were not hiking boots, but purpose built for running. Many of us had intentionally lost body weight as part of our race preparations. 

 Most reminiscent however is patience, or as the word is sometimes defined: endurance. The race started with over one mile of steady down hill course. It was easy, we were fresh, cool, adrenaline stoked. Then there was the small stream that crossed under the road, the tidal creek on the other side; and the first hill. It was short, not too steep, but it was a taste of things to come. After a few more miles of gentle ups and downs there were two short steep hills, nothing big, nothing long. Then after the fourth mile the course went up, for about one mile, with no relief, and then the longest steepest hill in the whole course. The road was heating up, the air was heating up, and the humidity had been high the whole race. This is where endurance was needed. We needed to endure the hill, endure the scream of muscles wanting to rest, endure the last mile. 

 It's not so different from our current situation. Right now we are in the easy first stage of this ministry. We are excited, financially solvent, and mostly contacting churches that we know and that know us. But the road ahead will have challenges and we know that. I had two advantages in the 10K; I had walked the course two days before and I knew exactly where the finish line was. In this ministry we don't get a look at the course before hand, if we did we might not run the race! We also do not know where the finish line is, only God knows. Yet, we are to run the race. This implies pressing forward. Trying to charge up the hills, lengthening stride down the hills. Never burning out, but always pressing forward until we hear those blessed words: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant...”

The Providence of God

Last Sunday night Joan and I went to visit a church we have fellowshipped with for many years, and we went to hear an Evangelist I have known even longer. His topic was The Providence of God. He observed that the word "providence" literally means to foresee, not to supply. I respect the man, but I had to look for myself. In the English and the Latin he was right, but did it fly in Greek or Hebrew?  Was it the root of the concept of "Providence" God is trying to communicate to you and I through the Scripture?

In the Old Testament there are a few words that are translated "providence", but every one has a root meaning of "see". One point for the Evangelist. In the New Testament there are a few words as well, they start with the prefix "pro-", a good start. One follows "pro-" with a word meaning "see", the other follows "pro-" with a word meaning "think" or "know". So, put it all together and the concept flies. The concept of God's Providence is not one of God supplying all my needs, it is God seeing, knowing, my need ahead of time and then preparing a blessing that will meet my need.

Providence is not simply the all-sovereign God selling off a few of His cattle on the thousand hills to meet my urgent financial need. It is the omniscience of God knowing I will have the need and breeding a few head of cattle to be there when the need arises!

The next time you receive a providential answer to a need, prayed for or not, consider when the answer to that need was put in motion. I think you will often find God was preparing an answer to your need before you even knew the need would exist!

I have spent some time reviewing God's answers to our needs as we started our new ministry with IPM, and I have come to the conclusion God has been preparing solutions to needs I never knew would exist! God is still preparing answers to the needs I haven't yet seen.

Philippians 4:19 - "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." And He knows that need even before you do! What a great God we serve!