Lesson in a mini session at the Summit
Be absolutely sure of your own salvation
II Peter 1:10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:
II Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
Be an ardent student of the word of God
Fall in love with the church
Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Luke 22:27 For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth.
Become a discipling machine, if you do not disciple now you will not do so then either, “remember you will only be more of tomorrow whatever you are today!”
Learn to cross the street and find new people and witness to them and get them in church
Read missionary biographies
Get real training for the mission field
Develop personal convictions so that you can stand no matter what others do or think
Become a disciplined and self motivated person
Notice what I didn’t say
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Last night here in Derry, Northern Ireland one of the men read the following in the World Evangelism Conference. I wonder what God is doing in your heart today. As you read this article I want you to prepare to hear about what men and women are doing to get the gospel to the world and it is often unappreciated!
In 1915, twenty-eight men were alone, trapped in the ice-covered waters of Antarctica’s treacherous seas. “Frozen,” as one man put it, “like an almond in the middle of a chocolate bar.” These were the men of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition in the coldest climate on earth. They suffered frostbite, gangrene, hysteria, starvation, all for the glory of being the first ones to cross the Antarctic continent from sea to sea, the greatest polar journey ever attempted to date. The leader of the expedition, Sir Ernest Shackleton, had put an ad in the newspaper that read:
“Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages. Bitter cold. Long months of complete darkness. Constant danger. Safe return doubtful. Honor and recognition in case of success. Ernest Shackleton.”
And 5000 people applied.
Why?
They wanted some great purpose and passion in their lives. Samuel Zwemer, missionary to the Muslims said that “so many young people’s minds and hearts are occupied by weak things, by inconsequential things. Their eyes have never been illumined by a great vision, their mind has never been gripped by unselfish thoughts, their hearts have never been thrilled with the passion for the lost, their hands have never grown weary and strong in the lifting of a great burden.”
If you want to be gripped by a cause greater than yourself…I present you with the cause of the Christless millions and the call to leave houses and lands and family and friends…and find some pocket of people who haven’t heard the Gospel, like gypsie nomads, urban businessmen, or isolated mountaineers.
Would you give up your life? Would you go?
This week three of our men went where few men are willing to go and did what nearly no man is willing to do. They were giving out Bibles in a Muslim country where it was against the law. They go blindly into towns looking for people who have asked for a Bible over the Internet. They always know that they might encounter danger. Someone, a spy, the police, could be watching and arrest them.
Just this week three men were in a remote village in Northern Africa. They were meeting a man that had asked for a copy of the Bible. Two of the men were Americans, one was a northern African believer. The man came to the bus station. He met the North African believer and preacher at the bus. Turns out that he was a policeman.
His son had requested a Bible. One of the Americans and the North African were arrested. The American was held for about 10 hours. We were praying all over the world concerned about what was going to happen. After 10 hours our American friend was freed.
Not only was he freed but all the incriminating evidence was turned over to him. The police didn’t even look at it. They had many Bibles, a computer, a video camera with them. It would have been horrible if the police had looked but God closed their eyes.
Still for over another 12 hours the North African preacher was held in custody. He is an unbelievable man. He is one of my heroes. He didn’t not back down. He didn’t try to deny who he was or what he was doing.
He went through the plan of salvation at least two times starting with Adam. He told them why he loved Jesus.
I just want you to know that God is still at work. Great and wonderful God things are still happening everyday. God is being magnified. He is still protecting His people and answering prayer.
Some of my friends think that you will criticize this effort or maybe it will make you afraid to serve God. My answer to them and you is that you have yet to grasp the importance of what God is doing in the world. You have not yet realized the power of a life totally surrendered to God.
Maybe no one today will recognize what happened. Maybe no one will honor them but our God does.
I am just thankful that I know men of God like these today.
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In Northern Ireland with the Snode family enjoying the snow and different climate. The sun comes up at about 8 am and goes down at about 4:30 right now. It is snowing at a rate of several inches an hour right now. It is beautiful. I wanted to take a picture so you could see it but I can’t get it to show you the snow falling like I should.
I am enjoying seeing what God is doing in the Snode’s lives. I believe that great things are just around the corner for their ministry here. Lord willing we will look at a different location for the church today. Their lease is up in July and they will need to move.
This family loves God. He is using them. I believe that things are about to break loose for them. I hope you will pray for them and all that God is doing here.
I will be preaching again tonight in the World Evangelism Conference. I am excited to see that our daughter churches have as much heart to get the gospel to the world as Vision does.
Thanks for all you do as a church that allows us to impact the world from home!
Today I will be leaving to visit with two of our member missionaries and two strategic partners. I want to ask you to pray for me that God will use me as I travel.
I will be going to Northern Ireland first.
Our missionaries there are Travis and Teri Snode. God is using them greatly. I will be preaching a World Evangelism Conference from Thursday through Sunday nights.
It snowed there yesterday morning about 6 inches during the morning service. So pray that we will be able to have the meeting.
On Monday morning at 4:30 AM I will leave for the airport in Belfast and fly to Malaga, Spain. Lord willing I will meet up with Tyler and Gretchen Masters who are also members of Vision. They serve God in North Africa.
We will spend some time with new believers in North Africa and two of our strategic partner missionaries, AB and CC. Please pray for us that God would work in the time we have there.
Lord willing, I will give you some update posts that will help you pray better for these great servants!
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Vision Baptist Church Baptists Committed to World Evangelism
