What is almost 7 billion? What is 1 Billion?

The population of the world currently stands at nearly 7 billion souls. I dare say that the vast majority of them are lost and on their way to hell without Christ. So what is 7 billion, well how about this... To reach 1 Billion... count to 100... every minute, of every day, of every week, of every month, of every year...for 100 years... Or... did you know that one billion minutes have not transpired since Jesus Himself walked on the earth... If we had no addition or subtraction to earth population at all, with our current rate of world evangelization, it would take 4,000 years to get the gospel to everyone. Peter Marshall said "May the past never be so dear as to limit the future" I cannot do all things but I can do something and so what I can do, I must do, by the grace of God - unknown With man this is impossible, but not with God...for with God...ALL things are possible...

God's Blessing on a Missionary Friend

My friends know that my last trip to the Philippines was to the Island of Cebu where a missionary named Travis Lewis (who did not know me) allowed me to be a part of his ministry, showed me great hospitality and taught me many great lessons on ministry in the Philippines.

Brother Lewis (http://www.lewisinthephilippines.com/) is on his first planned furlough after serving in Cebu for 4 years. In that time God has builded a church that is overflowing and has a whole different group of members coming on Sunday night and Sunday morning, mainly because of space. A good problem to have but it is a problem as they are finding it difficult to grow with no place to put people. This church is in Cebu City.

HERE IS THEIR LATEST PRAYER LETTER (arrived to me 7/24)

Dear Praying Friends,

The church in the Philippines continues on in our absence. We have heard great news from the Philippines thus far. In fact, many of the men have ‘stepped up’ in our absence. One of the men that had never been soul winning before said “Since Pastor is gone, the church needs more help with the soul winning”. He has been faithful ever since! We also have another man who was scheduled to work abroad but circumstances have postponed this. He has been a tremendous help at the church visiting the members and helping with the preaching. Attached to this e-mail is the picture of our 3rd Anniversary Sunday.These are just our regular church members since we do not have the space to do a major push with visitors. In fact, this group is usually divided between Sunday morning and Sunday night because we do not all fit into the building at once. For this day, we brought everyone together for one service and rented a tent outside to help with the overflow. One of the main purposes for our furlough is to raise money for property. At this point, we are renting a store front. Property in our city costs around $125 per square meter. 400 square meters would be a good start for the church at it’s present size. We sincerely appreciate the churches here in the U.S. who have given already toward this need. Currently we are at 37% of the needed funds to buy the property! God is great and mighty and He can do anything...even the seemingly impossible! The ‘Lewis Property Fund’has been set up at our regular missions support address. The church in the Philippines has been giving sacrificially toward a building. Once the property is bought, the church people will build their own building as God provides the funds. We will start with just a concrete slab, poles, and a tin roof. Over the last four months, the church in the Philippines has given $600 so far toward THEIR church building! Pray for us as we travel the roads and keep the church in Cebu in yourprayers!If you would like to contact me, my cell phone number here in the states is 512-656-8069.Travis Lewis

They are now at 42% of the money needed for the church land! God has blessed them immensely and they are rejoicing. He was just entering into New Mexico for more meetings (they are out of Texas) and look forward to seeing God provide the rest through His people so the gospel can be spread to further cities and villages. They came back to the states in May and within 3 months they have 42% of $50K to get the land and lay the foundation! The other part of their goal is to start a church in a town called Carcar. I had the privilege to see the land that was donated to them there (major blessing) a while ago and they are eager to put up a small structure to being some organized meetings there. God is moving in wonderful ways through this family and I am so glad to hear it. They will be coming to Rochester in October for a visit which we look very forward to. I know many of you who read this post prayed for this family while I was there and so it is a joy for me to share this blessing that God has given them with you.

This brother is a great blessing. He is a few months younger than I am, is fluent in the Cebuano language and is gifted as a preacher, singer and musician. Their family is a blessing and I hope that you will join me in praising the Lord for His wonderful works in their lives and in the work over in Cebu. I am thankful for having an opportunity to see what God is doing over there and look forward to being in contact with him (although a few islands away) when we get to the field!

This is a day of good tidings! - Let's not hold our peace

On Wednesday night, Pastor Bob Brado returned from his family camping trip for an evening to testify of God's work that he was privileged to be a part of for two weeks in the Ukraine with another hero of mine - Missionary Mike Ireland (http://ukrainebible.com/index.htm).

Pastor Brado spent some time showing slides of the family camp he preached there, many of the souls that God has redeemed to Himself in that country and pics of the Ireland family with greetings from them to our church family.

He then preached a message from 2 Kings 7 asking the question - Why sit we here until we die? and then answering with another phrase - We do not well: this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace. (http://www.myfbbc.info/sermons/2007/ - not there yet as of 7/27)

It was a powerful challenge to live for eternity and not for time, to recognize that we have the greatest message in the history of the world - the Gospel and yet we are often guilty of sitting on the spoil of it for ourselves rather than sharing it with others. It is clear that there is no way that we can exhaust such a treasure and there is something wrong with us if we can sit around and watch others die in misery and sin when we have the words of eternal life.

Isa 52:7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!

I am grateful for the way a short-term mission trip can encourage the missionary on the field, have an impact on souls in that country, glorify the name of Jesus Christ and fan the flames of zeal for the ones who go so they can bring that back and ignite fires back here. It was a great night, a great blessing and a great challenge. I long for the day that my family reaches the Philippines and my heart often feels as though it is there already. Until then though, the need, the message, the Saviour and the importance are just as great here. May God be glorified through hearing the body of Christ here in Rochester tell of the wondrous riches of His grace. May we use our feet for proclaim that our GOD REIGNETH rather than sitting around until we die.

The Stuff They Had Was Sufficient For All The Work...but?

Exo 36:5 And they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the LORD commanded to make.
Exo 36:6 And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing.
Exo 36:7 For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much.

The difference between the situation in Exodus 36:7 and today is that enough of the people had their hearts stirred up and they gave of their sufficiency of stuff. The question is not the sufficiency of resources to accomplish a task but the response of those who hold those resources to use them for that task.

We have enough stuff. There are enough Christians with enough spiritual gifts who possess enough technology, enough wealth and enough knowhow to reach this world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. We have the Spirit to lead, the Bible to guide, history and wonderful examples to learn from and unsurpassed freedom with which to get the gospel to these areas. We have a world filled with enough war, famine, tsunamis, earthquakes, tornados, hurricanes, volcanos, crime, disease and other difficulties and uncertainties that whereever we go there are reasons for people to consider their ways and beliefs. Rapid and diverse communication, transportation advancements and cross cultural influences around the globe are loosening the once unshakable traditions that have for so long hardened people from considering anything but what they have always known. Walls are being broken down but we are the ones that God has chosen to bring the light of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ to these people.

Our task today is not to build a tabernacle in the wilderness as the children of Israel had been commanded. Rather, as the tabernacle (the church, the body of Christ) we are to be portable (ready to move at the command of God), built up to the exact specifications of God (not our methods and reasoning, but His), filled with the glory and Spirit of God and following our cloud by day and pillar of fire by night (the Bible and Holy Spirit direction). Half of this world have still never even heard the gospel of Jesus Christ and countless others in "reached" areas have not heard it clearly, seen the demonstration of sincere Spirit-filled Christians and been invested in the way that they should. There are areas, like here in Greece, NY where there is a gospel preaching church seemingly around every corner and a thousand outreach programs trying to reach this proud, affluent and humanistic society. Praise the Lord for it, but not all societies are this fortunate.

Compare Greece to Manila, Philippines or Cebu City where there are 22-24 million people combined between the two cities and maybe (MAYBE) 50 or so solid gospel preaching churches.

Any day of the week in either of these two cities there are schools with tens of thousands of children that will allow a missionary to walk in and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ while teaching things like character building, drug avoidance and crime prevention.

There are hundreds and hundreds of communities that you can enter into and gather kids around you in swarms to teach the Bible to in extension classes. Best of all, as you are ministering to kids, the parents will either gather to you or you can go to their hut and have a warm reception because you have shown love to their kids.

There are jails and prisons all over the country that are wide open for preachers of the gospel.

There are children and families all over the streets who are homeless and hopeless unless someone brings them the message of hope through Christ.

There are men that need to be be trained to go preach and teach their own people and to go to other countries as missionaries themselves, their are hospitals to visit and government agencies everywhere that desire for someone to teach them character building and messages against corruption - and we know just the Book to teach from! Not only that but there are unreached tribal peoples and muslim people groups that need the Bible in their language and people to bring the gospel to tham in the Philippines as well. The possibilities are endless, God is willing and desirous for it to happen but like the children of Israel in Exodus 36, God is looking for people to give and to go as their hearts stir them up - for surely the STUFF we have is sufficient for the task. After all, God will always have the provision to ensure that the mission is accomplished.

No where in these chapters of Exodus do I read that everyone was on board. I dont read that it was 100% participation in the cause; but even without it - the stuff they had was sufficient...and too much! It is time for us to take the provisions that God has put in our hands through no merit of our own but in His soveriegnty and like the children of Israel with their borrowed goods from Egypt, dedicate our goods, our gifts, our lives and our every energy to spreading the gospel. If no one else will respond with a willing heart, won't you?