Is there hope for me?

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

Elvio is a Pai Tavy Tera man who grew up in Paraguay. He had a rough life. Elvio had not just been a victim of violence, he also knew how to dish it out. He had a nagging question that had been troubling him: “Is there hope for me?”

“Is there any hope for peace from my past?” Elvio asked. “Is there forgiveness for a murderer? See my scars? I fought with my stepfather and he stabbed me, then I shoved the knife back into his shoulder. See this scar on my nose? It is from a fight. I have spent time in prison. My life has been one of fighting and turmoil. Is there peace or hope for someone like me?”

Don, a missionary to the Pai Tavy Tera people, knew there was only one hope: Knowing Christ. And he knew the only way Elvio would know Christ was if Scripture was unfolded for him, one story at a time, precept upon precept, so Elvio could understand it. He encouraged Elvio to come to the foundational Bible teaching lessons.

Elvio was determined to listen to the series of lessons that began with Creation. “Twice Elvio came to the Bible class with his eyes swelled almost shut from bee stings,” wrote Don. Another time only one eye was swollen shut, after his wife accidentally hit him in the face with a catfish while they were fishing. It didn’t seem to matter how painful or difficult or downright absurd his situation was. He told Don, “No matter what happens I don’t want to miss a lesson.”

He and his wife were not just listening. “We took the lesson home so we could read it over and over. We wanted to understand about God.”

When the lessons reached their climax in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, Elvio and Miria understood. He found not only the answer to his sordid past, but the hope he sought, and so much more. Elvio found the peace that he longed for as he placed his trust in The Prince of Peace.

The clear foundational Bible teaching prepared Elvio and Miria to learn and grow in Christ, and now they are teaching Bible lessons to their own people. Foundational Bible Teaching, Worldviews & Story Telling, and Biblical Frameworks are just a few of the courses taught here at the Missionary Training Center that help prepare our students to reach people such as Elvio and Miria.

Please pray for us to finish strong as we approach the end of the semester.

Bob

* * *

God is Love

One day C. H. Spurgeon was walking through the English countryside with a friend. As they strolled along, the evangelist noticed a barn with a weather vane on its roof. At the top of the vane were these words: GOD IS LOVE. Spurgeon remarked to his companion that he thought this was a rather inappropriate place for such a message. “Weather vanes are changeable,” he said, “but God’s love is constant.”

“I don’t agree with you about those words, Charles,” replied his friend. “You misunderstood the meaning. That sign is indicating a truth: Regardless of which way the wind blows, God is love.”

 

Maikol's Request

“I was amazed by what I saw,” Maikol said. “The people were reading Bibles in and around their huts.”

Maikol saw something that he desired for his own people when he visited two Hewa villages in Papua New Guinea. He wanted it so badly that he hiked three long, hard days to the Hewa so that he could ask the missionaries for help.

As he was speaking with the missionaries, Maikol reported that in one Hewa village Ken stood in front of the group and taught them in the Hewa language using the scriptures which were translated into the Hewa language. Maikol said, “I looked around and realized the people who were attending the service could hear and understand because it was in their own tongue.”

Maikol said, “I was amazed by what I saw. The people were reading Bibles in and around their huts. Not just a few people and they didn’t stop when it got dark. That evening the boys read out loud by flashlight after we ate our sweet potatoes, and the same thing was happening in the other huts. I couldn’t believe it.”

Maikol has never seen this in his years as a religious leader in his own village.

He said, “I preach from the Pidgin Bible on the weekends but since my villagers don’t know how to read and they are unfamiliar with the language of town there is little interest in God, and no change in their lives. Then I come here and see that people are not only reading the Bible in their homes but they are also completely different than other people. That’s what I want for my village.”

So far, no missionaries have been allocated to Maikol’s people. No one is available to meet this need.

Please pray that God would raise up a team of missionaries that could meet the request of Maikol and would be able to communicate the good news of Jesus Christ to these people. Also pray for us here at the Missionary Training Center as we prepare missionary candidates for the ministry of reaching those who do not have God’s Word in their own language.

Bob

* * *

Back To The Bible

1Timothy 3:15 describes the mission of the church as being the pillar and support of the truth.  Whatever else the church does, it must take this commission from God seriously.  No one but God’s church is interested in such a project – it falls on God’s people, the true church, to be the one place where truth is believed, upheld, and gloriously proclaimed.  Of course, the truth that the church has to offer has a source – the Word of God.  All the church does must emerge from the Scriptures.  Every method, program, evangelistic effort, and message the church declares must find its roots firmly planted in biblical truth.  -Selected

 

A Palawano Prophecy

The Palawano people of the Philippines have a story about an old man named Erot — whose name meant “Guide.” This story occurred before World War II. One evening Erot sat down with his children and some of the other young people of the village.

“I have something important to tell you,” he told them. “One day an American will come to you bringing a book with him. When he comes, you should believe what he teaches, because the book that he will teach from tells of the true God, and how to have eternal life.”

Nearly 40 years passed. The old man’s prophecy lingered in the minds of the clan, still unfulfilled, until missionaries from America moved in among them. They began teaching from a book that they claimed was the Word of God.

Inting wondered, “Could this be the one my father Erot spoke of?” She had to know. And there was only one way to know for sure. She asked her husband repeatedly to go listen to what the American with the book had to say.

Putek was reluctant, but he finally went. He listened and the eyes of his understanding were opened. Putek realized that this was indeed what Erot told them to wait for! This was the true story of the true God.

He listened and believed. Then he couldn’t wait to get home to tell his wife. What joy Putek had when she listened and also believed.

Years passed by. The Palawano church grew, but they did not have God’s Word written in their own language. They were still like newborn babes, dependent on their spiritual parents for truth.

Then in June of 2014 the Palawano New Testament was finished. It was proofed, printed and ready to place into the hands of the believers. A joyous celebration took place as the Palawano believers received God’s Word in their own language for the first time.

“This book is a treasure to us worth more than gold or money,” said Abil, one of the church leaders, as he held the Palawano New Testament in his hand. “We are so thankful to our white uncle that God sent to us to bring us God’s Word in our own language so that now we can read it and understand it for ourselves,” he continued as he wiped tears from his eyes. “Now that we have God’s Word we are responsible to be faithful to study it and obey it.”

Paul wrote to Timothy, “And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also (2 Tim. 2:2).” Each year faithful men and women leave here having been trained to serve as missionaries among the unreached people groups of the world. Thanks to all who help make it possible for folks like the Palawano people to have God’s Word written in their own language. Without the prayers and support of God’s people, I could not serve here at the Missionry Training Center.

Bob

* * *

The Sole Basis of Salvation
by Lance Latham (founder of AWANA)

There is something within the heart of a man which constantly presses to make a perverse addition to the sole basis of our salvation, the work of Christ on the cross. Constantly pressed by the sin of pride, the mind of the natural man is ever reluctant to admit its sinful, helpless condition.

Many who understand the gospel refuse to come to Christ because they will not admit that they lack a shred of goodness, righteousness or desirability within themselves that God can accept.

Religious leaders try to add baptism, church membership, faithful living, personal sacrifice or some other human work to the work of Christ to the hope of salvation for the believer. Such philosophies may have filled the coffers of religion but have confused the issue of salvation and thus damaged countless souls.

One who discovers the gospel will instantly realize that the sole basis of his salvation is the work of Christ on Calvary’s cross. Saving faith depends alone on the value of Calvary. All other possible sources for the assurance of salvation are counterfeit.

Using Beads to Communicate Truth

Picture this: You are working with an unreached tribal group in Papua New Guinea. Your goal is to explain to them the message of the gospel. But they do not have a clue about the awesome Creator God who sent His Son to die for them. They lack the context to understand what you want to tell them. The gospel? A Savior? God? You need months of lessons before they’ll begin to grasp those concepts. Where would you begin?

Missionaries to the Pal people in Papua New Guinea face that challenge. So to pique their interest, the team working with the Pal people used a method that many others have found effective: a string of beads. Using 200 beads out of 6000, Chris introduced the Pal people to a history record that goes beyond the years of the stories which were passed down to them from their ancestors.

Chris started by showing a length of about 200 beads. He talked about what the beads represent. Chris wrote. “As they come to understand that each bead represents a year in history, we shift the talk to moving backward in time and see what they know or can remember from 5 years ago, 10 years ago, 20 years ago, and so forth.”

“Before we get even 200 years into the past, their knowledge runs out. … We ask … do you know how old the ground is? When the sun was born? How about the moon and stars?”

The Pal reply, “We don’t know the truth. We’re waiting for you guys to tell us the truth.”

“We then pull out the 6,000-bead timeline and watch their eyes grow wide .... We say, ‘God has told us what happened at the beginning. God has told us about the middle. And God has told us about the future, all in His Word. And we’re going to share with you God’s Word so you can know it, too.’”

It’s not easy to teach the gospel to a remote people group who have absolutely no context for the message you want to share with them. Our staff at the Missionary Training Center are committed to the task of equipping students with the tools that they will need to effectively communicate the gospel message to those who have never heard the good news of Jesus Christ.

Today missionaries continue to teach evangelistic lessons to the Pal people of Papua New Guinea. It is exciting to have had a small part in that work by training those missionaries for their current ministry.

I am so thankful for all those who have supported me with their prayers and financial gifts making it possible for folks like the Pal to hear the good news of Jesus Christ. Let’s pray that God will open up the eyes of their understanding as the gospel message penetrates the hearts of these Pal people for whom Christ died.

Bob

* * *

The Value of the Gospel
by Lance Latham (founder of AWANA)

Down through the ages of history, Christianity has been subjected to a multitude of influences. There have been creative ideas, new programs, fascinating personalities, fresh approaches to theology, evangelism, missionary activity, and a myriad of other diverse developments in the ongoing mission of the church. It is probably undeniable that, with true spiritual discernment, these developments should be viewed with guarded favor, and given the opportunity to have their part in the cause of Christ.

However, that special and changeless message called “the gospel of the grace of God” must never be subject to creative ideas or diverse developments. The hope of eternal life, the central message of divine revelation, is based upon the finished work of Christ on Calvary’s cross and the offer of divine mercy which issues therefrom. The death of the Son of the living God in space and time and the meaning of that sacrifice is what constitutes this glorious message called the gospel.

Should that message ever be changed, then the door to life is instantly closed and Christianity becomes a mere humanistic religion, fascinating perhaps, but valueless. The most valuable and sacred commodity, therefore, on the face of the earth is the truth of the gospel. This is a sacred message worth living for, worth sacrificing for, and worth gladly dying for. It is the only real value on earth today; it is the truth of all truths to which the church must be dedicated to propagate and protect.

 

Communicating a Clear Gospel Message

Aaron and Lori Luse were in sitting a phonetics class here in Missouri back in 1999. Today they work with the Patpatar people of Papua New Guinea.

In 2012, Aaron shared the message of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus to some Patpatar folks who had not yet heard the Gospel message. It was on that day that their lives were changed for eternity.

Stanley, a Patpatar believer, shared his testimony with Aaron. He said, “I knew that Jesus had died on the cross, but I just never knew the reason. I had been told a long time ago that Jesus was the road, and I told others that. But that road of Jesus’ work so I could go to God wasn’t clear to me. Now that I clearly understand, I can no longer believe in fireflies, ginger, and rituals [the traditional beliefs]. It is not my works, but only the death of Jesus, the work of his death and resurrection in our place for our sins. I believe in God’s road only.”

My own experience was similar to this Patpatar believer. I went to Sunday school as a child. I knew that Jesus died on a cross. But no one ever explained to me why He died on a cross. I am so thankful that someone finally explained the gospel to me clearly in a way that could be understood.

The goal of our Missionary Training Center is to teach missionary candidates how to present the gospel in a clear and understandable way. In order to do that they need to understand not only the language but also the culture of the people that they wish to reach with the gospel message.

Dr. Charles Ryrie’s challenge to keep the gospel clear is vital to understanding this important message. He wrote: “Keep the issue clear: The issue is sin, and Who is going to forgive it. Keep the direction clear: It is from the Giver to the recipient. The gift of righteousness is given when you believe. Keep the requirements clear: It is salvation through FAITH. There is nothing more!”

We begin a new semester here in a few short weeks. I appreciate your prayers as we train our students in the principles of communicating a clear gospel message in a cross-cultural context.

Bob

* * *

A Restful Heart
by J. F. Strombeck

The alternative to a heart "established with grace" is a restless and fearful heart. That is the experience of vast numbers of believers who do not understand the abounding grace of God. Surely a believer's striving in his own power, with the accompanying failures, and the fears of possibly being lost, do not establish the heart. That causes uncertainty, distress, and fainting. But when it is seen that God's work of grace cannot fail, because it is of Him, and that back of His purpose is all His infinite power and grace, the heart does find rest and becomes established.

 

Setting the Captive Free

As we celebrate Independence Day, I am reminded of the freedoms that the Founders of our nation put into the constitution.

Thomas Jefferson wrote, “The will of the people is the only legitimate foundation of any government, and to protect its free expression should be our first object.”

A few years ago, the right of religious freedom was hanging in the balances for a remote group of people in Papua New Guinea. Missionaries had been teaching the gospel to the Dinangat people, but they were being opposed by a group of religious leaders from another village. A delegation from another Dinangat village was attempting to remove the missionary team from the area. As a result of this threat PNG police officials flew into this remote location to settle the dispute.

The delegation from the antagonistic village arrived at the airstrip as the plane carrying the PNG police was landing. The police immediately took control of the situation. The delegation was very surprised to see them and right away said that they intended no harm. The religious leaders were given the opportunity to make their accusation and demands before the floor was given to the Dinangat believers.

The police spokesman repeatedly declared that Papua New Guinea is a free country, where freedom of religion and freedom of speech are honored and absolutely cannot be denied to anyone, citizen or non-citizen. He emphasized that the missionaries had every right to be in the village and the people had every right to listen to the teaching.

About 120 Dinangats were there to testify of how God had changed their lives. Hand after hand went up from people wanting to testify but the police spokesman finally had to put an end to it. Testimony after testimony came out as believers stepped up to tell how their eyes had been opened by the hearing of the Word in their own language. Some of those giving testimony were new believers from another village who were seen running over the mountains in the morning to be there in support of the missionaries.

This event reminds me of the account found in John 8:30-32: “As He spoke these words, many believed in Him. Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’”

Only the Word of God can truly set people free.

Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed (Lk. 4:18).”

The gospel message came to the Dinangat people of Papua New Guinea as missionaries proclaimed the liberty that can be found in Jesus Christ. I am so thankful that God blessed me with a small part in training those missionaries a few years ago at the Missionary Training Center. I am also thankful for all those who have supported me with their prayers and financial gifts making it possible for folks like the Dinangat people of Papua New Guinea to hear the good news of Jesus.

Bob

* * *

Let Freedom Ring

The U.S. Constitution: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

 

Billy Graham: “The framers of our Constitution meant we were to have freedom of religion, not freedom from religion.”

 

Ronald Reagan: “Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the rule of law under God is acknowledged”

 

James Madison: “I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations.”

 

 

Breaking the Shackles of Fear

C.A. Coates once wrote:

The natural man cannot bear the thought of being searched by God; he cannot stand to think of being found out in his true condition and character. But to the truly hungry believer it is a positive comfort to be assured that God knows everything about us; He knows the very worst that can be discovered. He has searched out all that we are, and in spite of all He has thoughts of blessing concerning us. There is, therefore, no fear of anything coming to light that might cause Him to change or reverse His thought of blessing and acceptance.

Fear can be a crippling thing. But God has broken the shackles of fear through the work of Jesus on the cross.

A group of Patpatar people in Papua New Guinea responded to the presentation of the gospel in 2013. Sometime later, one of the Patpatar believers spoke about the freedom she now has in Christ. She said:

I used to be so fearful about what I was doing and what I wasn’t doing to please God. Everyone would tell me what they thought I should do and it was a heavy burden for me. I now understand that I don’t have to be afraid of God. He provided a way for me. He sent His Son and through His death, and being buried and coming alive again I am saved from my sin and my wrong. My belief is in Him and He has done it all for me. Now my burden is light. My burden is light!!

It’s exciting to see the light of the gospel breaking through the darkness of sin. Today the truth of God’s Word has been proclaimed among the Patpatar people of Papua New Guinea. But there are still many who have yet to hear the good news of Jesus Christ in their own language.

Please pray that the Lord of the harvest would raise up more laborers for His harvest field.

 

* * *

Misunderstanding Grace
by J. F. Strombeck

Many think of grace merely as the means whereby God forgives sin; and fail to recognize that grace is God's way of dealing with one who receives Christ, not only during the earthly existence, but also throughout eternity. Great harm has come from this limited conception of grace and the lack of teaching the fullness thereof. The present low level of Christian conduct is largely due to incomplete teaching of grace. All misconceptions on the part of many, that an over-emphasis on grace is a license to sin, would quickly be removed if grace were preached and understood in its fullness... It is grace upon grace that removes fear and gives assurance, stability and direction to the earthly life.

Jumping to Conclusions

Jumping to conclusions can get you into hot water. We can easily make this mistake even within our own culture. The problem is magnified when working with people of a different culture.

NTM missionaries working in Paraguay, witnessed a local wedding ceremony. They were somewhat astonished at the vows:

Do you, (bride), take (groom) to be your husband? Do you promise to cook for him and to do his laundry ‘til death do you part?’

To this, the bride shyly replied, “I do.”

And do you, (groom), take (bride) to be your wife? Do you promise to buy her soap so she can do your laundry, food so she can cook for you and to buy her a skirt if she needs one ‘til death do you part?

To which the groom responded, “I do.”

Then, you may shake the bride’s hand. You are married.

Really? The wife promises a life of hard manual labor and the man’s only promise is to make sure she has what she needs to complete those back-breaking tasks with an occasional skirt to sweeten the deal. It seems like the bride got the short end of the stick. But before we jump to conclusions, we need to consider the culture.

The local Paraguayan people highly respect young women who display their clean laundry hanging around their yard. If a young husband is forced to take his laundry to his mother, his wife will be ridiculed. Cooking is much the same. A young wife is highly thought of if her husband’s stomach is always full. When the groom promises to provide soap and food for his wife, it ensures that his bride will be accepted and praised among her people, thus saving her from great shame. In their culture, this would be true love.

It would be very easy to jump to conclusions about these people if we failed to view their vows without considering their worldview and value system.

Without a thorough understanding of the local culture, missionaries could very easily jump to the wrong conclusion. At best they might end up making a cultural blunder. At worst they might end up distorting the message of the gospel. This is why we teach our students the principles of culture investigation.

I sure appreciate your prayers as we continue to fine tune our curriculum.

Bob

* * *

The Standards of Grace
by J. F. Strombeck

To reject the law as a teacher is not to say that there are no standards set for Christian conduct. Grace also sets standards but these are on a much higher plane. Those of the law are on a high human plane; those of grace on a divine plane. Furthermore, grace supplies that which is needed to live according to these ideals. Of the Holy Spirit, who is a gift of God's grace, Jesus said, "He will guide you into all truth" (John 16:13). He is not merely a sign post that points to high ideals. He is a divine Person dwelling in the believer to guide into "all truth." This is something entirely unknown to the law.

 

Teaching Through Stories

The Lolo people of Mozambique have been listening to evangelistic teaching lessons and many are understanding the message being taught. The missionaries have taught lessons on the fall of Lucifer and the fall of man and the Lolos have been grasping these truths. The Lolos have learned that the Creator God owns and rules the world. They have studied about the Tabernacle and the sacrificial system which was God's way of covering sins. They have learned Old Testament stories about the unbelief of the Israelites and the bronze serpent. As they have studied these lessons, lights are coming on for the Lolos.

The missionaries wrote, “Praise the Lord for the understanding that they are having of the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. The men have been moved especially by the stories of the Pharisee and the tax collector, and the thief that trusted in Christ as he died on the cross next to Jesus. What a testimony of God’s grace that Christ saved the thief for believing in Him, not by anything he had done.”

Many animistic tribal groups around the world rely on oral tradition to communicate their world view from one generation to another. As a result, storytelling is a natural way of communicating truth in these cultures. Teaching by means of Bible stories is an excellent way of presenting the gospel to many of these unreached people groups. However, with all the stories in God's Word, how do you choose which ones to teach about? How do you make sure they clearly relate the truth, when viewed through a different cultural grid? How do you teach clearly, and make sure that what you are teaching is being understood? Those are crucial questions for people who want to plant a church among an unreached people group.

Our Missionary Training Center helps to answer these questions for those heading overseas to plant churches among the least reached people groups around the world. Please pray for us as we continue to improve the courses that we teach. We are currently in the process of moving from a 3 semester course to a 4 semester course. I and my team are currently evaluating our phonetics course. Pray for us as we endeavor to make our classes and curriculum both effective and productive.

Bob

* * *

Too Much Grace
by J. F. Strombeck

One who says, “I believe in grace, but I do not think it should be emphasized too much because that leads to careless living” has failed to understand God’s work of grace on behalf of all He by grace has saved from wrath.

Even among those who accept grace as the only means of salvation, exclusive of any works or merit on the part of man, there is regrettable neglect of emphasis on the fact that the spiritual life can be sustained, developed, and brought to perfection only by the operation of the same grace. Growth in spiritual life comes only by the grace of God. Peter admonished, “Grow in grace” (2 Pet. 3:18).  

The Speech of Humans Versus Animals

I watched with interest the recent debate between Bill Nye (the science guy) and Ken Ham (President of Answers in Genesis). One thing was obvious: 2 ½ hours is not nearly long enough to even begin to touch on all the issues involved in the young earth creation model.

Not long ago, I saw this post from the Institute for Creation Research:

One factor that separates us from the animals is our ability to formulate distinct words and string them together with syntax to communicate complex concepts. The barks and grunts and whistles of animals may convey meaning of sorts but certainly not abstract thought. Only the image of God in man (Genesis 1:27) can communicate directly with other humans and with the Creator of all.

Even those who hold to evolution admit this basic difference between the speech of humans and animals. An article in Popular Science stated:

The evolution of speech is a complex story, but one key feature is we humans' ability to form intricate sounds using vowels and consonants. Animals have simpler anatomy, so they can't produce as many distinguishable sounds…

Whether it is higher levels of speech dealing with things like syntax or lower levels of speech dealing with things like the forming of sounds, all are agreed that humans function at a much more complex level than animals.

Having taught phonetics for 3 decades, I can guarantee that the sounds of human speech are extremely complex. But what really amazes me is the God given ability for the human brain to sort out those sounds and make sense of them. And not only to do that for a first language but to learn other languages as well. I cannot understand out how atheists can look at human speech and say that the brain’s ability to make sense of all those sounds came about by mere chance. Where there is design, there must be a Designer!

We are currently reevaluating our phonetics course. Please pray that our Designer would give us wisdom as we attempt to design the best possible course for our students.

Bob

* * *

Our Creator and Savior
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

Our glorious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to whom we have trusted our eternal souls, is more than just a great religious teacher who was martyred for His faith long ago. He is alive on His throne in heaven, having defeated death forever. He was our great Creator, our sin-bearing Savior and will be our eternal Lord and King.

1002.42 / 19,810.28

 

The Little Tent

A few weeks ago Our Daily Bread had a devotional that caught my attention. It was titled “The Little Tent.” David McCasland wrote:

During evangelist Billy Graham’s historic 1949 Los Angeles campaign, the big tent that held over 6,000 people was filled to overflowing every night for 8 weeks. Close by was a smaller tent set aside for counseling and prayer. Cliff Barrows, longtime music director and close friend and associate of Graham, has often said that the real work of the gospel took place in “the little tent,” where people gathered on their knees to pray before and during every evangelistic service. A local Los Angeles woman, Pearl Goode, was the heart of those prayer meetings and many that followed.

In the apostle Paul’s letter to the followers of Christ in Colosse, he assured them that he and his colleagues were praying always for them (Col. 1:3,9). In closing he mentioned Epaphras, a founder of the Colossian church, who is “always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God” (4:12).

Some people are given the high visibility task of preaching the gospel in “the big tent.” But God has extended to us all, just as He did to Epaphras and Pearl Goode, the great privilege of kneeling in “the little tent” and bringing others before the throne of God.

This analogy can also be applied to the work of missions. Some missionaries are on the front lines and have the high visibility task of preaching the gospel to unreached people groups. Others are in “the little tent” supporting those on the field. Those of us in “the little tent” might have the God-given task of praying, giving or training. No matter what the job, we are part of team taking the message of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth.

Bob

* * *

God’s Universe

By J. Vernon McGee

This is God’s universe and he does things His way.
Now, you may have a better way of doing things,
but you don’t have a universe.