God blessed me many years ago allowing me to work with Mark Coffey. This video goes to the heart and soul of what we believe in and practice at Vision Baptist Church and Vision Baptist Missions. It is what we would love to train you to do at the Our Generation Training Center. Watch and enjoy!
Mark Coffey Ministry Video from Mark Coffey on Vimeo.
I just finished chatting with a missionary friend in China. They are in special need of prayer right now. God is doing a great work through this young couple. Satan is upset and going to cause more trouble.
Let me kind of catch you up on what is going on. Of course it is against the law to be a missionary in China. It is against the law to start churches in China. My friend has been very aggressive and has not played the “normal missionary to China game”.
The “normal missionary to China game” means telling people in America that you are going to China to win people to Christ and then going over to China and actually being a “secret agent”. You tell no one who you are but rather hope that they see your faith and ask and get saved.
It is hard for them to see your faith because you never mention it.
My friend has started more than one church now. People are getting saved, baptized, called to preach, and trained to do the ministry. There are young men now leading the church.
They are standing on the brink of a crisis right now and need your prayers. The following will be some excerpts from our chat that just finished:
My friend wrote:
hey jefe don’t know if you’re there or not – just got a potential crisis I want to ask your opinion about
there’s a teacher at one of the big universities that is really prying students for info about our church and there’s a big chance that she’s going to pay us a visit
[10/17/09 8:55:38 AM] Austin Gardner: uh oh
hard to keep the good word quiet
[10/17/09 8:55:59 AM from my friend: she told three of our students that she was going to come because we're invading the culture and she's going to confront the students that are from her school and get them to go back with her
I don't really care what she does as long as she or anyone else doesn't call the police
Austin Gardner: well I think this one is bigger than you and out of your hands
but really I would just do the "Acts" things
ask for boldness and go on
don't hide
I hope you never have to move
but if you were doing nothing to upset hell
then you wouldn’t even need to be nervous now
[10/17/09 9:04:21 AM] my friend: we had a member get arrested down south a while ago too, I never told you
she was released after a few hours though – she was texting us from the police station and she was pretty sure she was going to be arrested
Austin Gardner: well I know that God is using you
and you are doing a good job
I can only expect that you are going to have problems
that is part of the job
but if you want to avoid problems you can become like the people you write about
what you have been doing is not stupid
it is preaching the gospel
it is affecting their lives too much
they should not really believe
or tell others
they should just go on like they are
then you would have no problems
and no real Christians
I am very proud of you
and hearing this makes me even more excited for the work
I am sorry you and your wife have to go through it
but it is wonderful
I hope you keep the pot stirred up so much that the devil takes to huyendo
fleeing
I wish I could be there and be the one doing this right now
Satan will continue to attack but he will flee
but he might get in a few punches before he does
but we always win
I hope to hear from you
I love you and am more proud of you than you will ever know
I only wish that I could be doing something so exciting and so great
right now
I know that God is going to use you and is doing so
tell your wife that I said hang in there and that I am proud of her as well
I live for this
got to be a missionary vicariously now
Well if you would like to comfort my friends and promise your prayers please leave a comment here below. Tell them that you will be praying. If you know who I am talking about please do not mention any names. Just promise to pray.
India (MNN) ― The attacks on believers in India are growing more vicious. David Shibley with Global Advance reports, “One of our pastors who has helped in the coordination of our Global Advance events in Northern India, Pastor Victor, was brutally beaten for his faith in Christ. He is now in a coma.”
Sadly, his situation is not uncommon for those who share the Gospel in India. According to Voice of the Martyrs Canada, reports of violence against believers, village churches being destroyed, and church leaders being threatened by local Hindus continue to be a daily reality in India.
At their last conference, Shibley wanted to know how many of the pastors were risking physical harm by continuing to preach the Gospel. “Of the 500 pastoral leaders who attended that conference, around 80 are presently experiencing some kind of persecution or direct threat.”
Often, their families are threatened. Other persecution faced by Christians is more subtle, as converts to Christianity often face social ostracism and are denied shelter and work. The strain of the harassment wears on a family. Often, it leads to great discouragement for the church leaders. They feel forgotten, isolated and abandoned.
Shibley urges believers elsewhere to keep the Christians in India before the throne. Keep praying for the strength of the evangelists and church leaders.
History has proven that “they’re going to respond with courage. They’re going to be faithful.” Shibley says that Pastor Victor’s church has no plans to stop ministering in their community. In fact, even though Pastor Victor remains hospitalized, “I would suspect that Pastor Victor’s church will experience pretty significant growth, if not dramatic growth.”
Pray that the Christians in India would not be intimidated, but “that they will winsomely and boldly continue to share their faith and experience the dramatic growth that we’ve seen over the last 20 years.”
Pray that militant influences in the government will continue to decrease and that freedom of religion will be recognized throughout India. Ask God to protect the pastors, evangelists and other Christian workers as they share the Good News of Jesus. Pray also that those who turn to Christ will find the means to have their needs met.
The following is a must read written by our missionary Travis Snode.
Ruth 1:19-21 So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi? And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?
When Naomi and Ruth returned from Moab to Bethlehem, the people could not believe the difference in Naomi’s countenance and appearance. They said, “Is this Naomi?” Naomi’s name meant “pleasant.” They were saying, “Is this Naomi, the lady who was always so pleasant?!” Naomi replied, “Don’t call me Naomi (pleasant); call me Mara (”bitter”) because God has deal very bitterly with me.” She said that she went out full and returned empty and that the Lord had afflicted her.
What caused Naomi, a previously pleasant lady, to be so bitter? Here is what happened. Her husband left Bethlehem in a time of famine to go to the country of Moab. Bethlehem was the place of bread; it was the place that God had given to him and his family. In a time of trouble, however, they left and went to Moab, a heathen land. Instead of trusting in God to take care of them in the tough times, they decided to take matters into their own hands. This would be a mistake that would bring them much heartache.
After some time in Moab, Elimelech died. The two boys Mahlon and Chilion married Moabite women (which they were not suppossed to do, according to God’s law). The two boys died as well. Finally, after much pain and suffering, Naomi decides to return to Bethlehem. Ruth, her daughter-in-law chooses to go with her.
Everything has changed for Naomi. Once she was happy. She had her husband and two sons. Once she was in the house of bread. Now, her husband and sons are dead. Now she is bitter against the Lord and blames Him for what has happened.
Maybe you can identify with Naomi. Maybe you feel like God has given you a raw deal, like He has dealt very bitterly with you. Maybe you feel like God has taken what you have and robbed you of everything good and joyful in your life.
I want to suggest that God did not deal bitterly with Naomi or with you. Here are some things to think about:
Elimelech left the place of God’s will for their life. At the very least, the death of Naomi’s husband and sons could have been the chastening hand of God upon them for not trusting in Him.
Death is going to come to all of us and to all of our family, if the Lord tarries His coming. No one will live forever. Death is a part of life. Even though it hurts, it should not surprise us when it happens. Death is not God’s fault. Death is our fault. We sin, so we die. God actually has made a way for us to have eternal life.
God was still good to Naomi despite the death of her family.
God gave her one daughter-in-law who was very committed to her (Ruth 1:14-18) and had dealt very kindly with her (Ruth 2:11-12).
God has spared her life and allowed her to return home (Ruth 1:22).
God gave her a kinsman (Boaz) who was very wealthy and took care of her and Ruth (Ruth 2:1-3, 3:17, 4:9-10).
God allowed her family to be in the line of the ancesters of King David and Jesus Christ (Ruth 4:17)!
The next time we begin to feel like God has dealt bitterly with us, let us stop and ask ourself the following questions:
Have I done anything to bring these problems on myself? (1 Peter 4:15)
Am I sinning or charging God foolishly in this situation? (Job 1:22)
What blessings am I overlooking by my anger and bitterness?
Am I willing to just trust God and believe that He has a purpose for everything and will work all things together for good? (Romans 8:28)
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