Day 14 Mission to Minister to the Persecuted Church

Cairo, Egypt Teaching Stand Firm Pastors Conference

Time: October 27 10 am – 4:00 pm Egypt time (3:00 am – 9:00 am CDT)

Pray For Egyptian Christians

It is wonderful being in Cairo. There is so much history of the world and for the Christian Church that is related to Egypt. On Tuesday October 27th we have an opportunity to encourage Egyptian Christians by teaching our Stand Firm Seminar to a group of pastors and church leaders.

We haven’t had much time to see Cairo or Egypt yet. We’ve been here a little over 24 hours and have gotten a taste of delicious Egyptian food and traffic. It seems that Cairo has an abundance of both. Today we spent the day in the offices of MELTI (Middle East Leadership Training Institute). They have a delightful staff that is very active in pastoral and general church training. We met and spent some time with our translator for the week, Mr. Momza Job. He was kind enough to walk us back to the guest house where we are staying, about a 20 minute walk from the MELTI Office.

Walking and talking with the Momza was very informative. We came to a corner with sandbags piled high. As I looked more closely I saw this.

I thought we were at an embassy or something. I was quite surprised when Momza told me that it was a police guard for a church. As we turned the corner we saw this church.

Caleb noticed that just inside the entrance is a metal detector.

Momza told us that almost all Christian churches have armed police guards! Can you imagine going to church with an armed policeman on guard outside and having to go through a metal detector to enter the building? Please pray for God’s blessing upon Egyptian Christians, our brothers and sisters in Christ!

Also, please pray for me as I teach Stand Firm tomorrow. I’m posting this the night before because by the time you wake up on Wednesday I’ll be well into the teaching. Whenever you read this please pray that God enables me to be clear, effective and encouraging in my teaching.

Thanks so much!

The post Egyptian Christians Need Our Prayers appeared first on To Every Nation Ministries.

Day 2  – Mission to Minister To The Persecuted Church

Schedule: Travel from Abu Dhabi to Chennai, India

Time: Depart Oct 15th at 5:50 AM CDT arrive Oct 15th 10:40 AM CDT  (9:10 PM India)

Expect Opposition to The Gospel and Christianity

Acts 13 describes how Paul and Barnabas left from Antioch on their first missionary journey. When you read the biblical account it’s important to realize that God’s word doesn’t doesn’t tell us every detail about everything that happened on that journey. There are many details that are left out. The details that are included are important. In this first story God emphasizes that we should expect opposition to the Gospel.

The first stage of their journey is briefly described in Acts 13:4-12. They traveled to Cyprus and proclaimed the Word there. It doesn’t appear that they had a very successful beginning to their journey. The main thing that’s highlighted in the text is that they faced opposition. There was a man named Elymas who opposed them. Here’s what the text says,

6 When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. 7 He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith.

It shouldn’t surprise any of us to think we will be opposed when we try to do things for God. The world hated Jesus and killed Him, we should expect no less John 15:18. Christians in the two countries where we are going on our missionary journey face strong opposition. India is considered a hostile nation to Christianity and Egypt a restricted nation. Click here for more information.

Things turned out well for Paul and Barnabas but we can’t do what Paul did when we face opposition (He made Elymas blind). It’s probably a good thing we can’t do that. A majority of the country of India might be walking around blind if we had the same power as Paul had!

We can still learn from what happened. Here are three things we can learn about opposition to the the Gospel ministry from this story.

3 Observations About Opposition To The Gospel

1. Even if God leads you to do something, you may still face opposition.
2. Opposition to the Gospel is intentional. Some actively try to prevent other people from believing.
3. There is nothing to be afraid about regarding opposition.

Do you face opposition for being a Christian? Don’t stop what you’re doing. Press on!

Most Christians in the USA don’t face opposition. We are spoiled in the USA. Opposition hasn’t been as overt as other countries. It is growing. We need to expect it and not let it slow us down at all. And of course, we need to be praying for our brothers and sisters who are suffering right now from opposition to Christianity.

Prayer requests for me and Caleb:

• safety in travel
• adjusting to the Indian time zone, 10 ½ hours ahead of the USA.

I am writing this from our airplane somewhere over Greenland!  I love technology!

If you have a question or comment or just want to say “Hi” please do so below.

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Trials Don’t Have To Be Obstacles To Joy

One of the things I had to get used to when I traveled to India was cold showers. It isn’t that India doesn’t have hot water, it’s just that we didn’t have it everywhere we stayed. It wasn’t something I liked but quickly got used to doing. I didn’t have a choice, if I wanted to take a shower. Taking a cold shower was a trial. It was an uncomfortable, negative experience that I wish I could have done without.

How surprised do you think I was last month when I happened upon an article entitled “Benefits of Cold Showers: 7 Reasons Why Taking Cool Showers Is Good For Your Health.”  Perhaps you’ve read the article or one like it and knew the benefits. I hadn’t and was genuinely surprised. Each time I was taking a cold shower in India I was doing something that was really good for me. But I didn’t know it. This, too, is just like a trial. It was for my good.

Trials are one of the most misunderstood aspects of the Christian life. It’s easy to prove this. Do you understand James 1:2?

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds.

Raise your hand if this is one of your least favorite verses in the Bible. We read this verse and we say “Yuk! How can I count it joy when I’m sick? You want me to be joyful that I broke my phone and can’t afford to buy a new one? Who has joy when their child is far from God? What part of losing your house to foreclosure is joyful?”

I get it and I’ve been there, too. This is one of those times when we have to ask ourselves if we really believe God’s Word? If we do then this verse is true. We need to align ourselves with God’s Word and not try to align God’s Word to fit our lives.

When most Christians experience a trial their joy disappears in the blink of an eye. Trials are so misunderstood that many think they’re spiritual attacks. But they aren’t. They’re negative events God allows in our lives to make us stronger. The next two verses in James say,

“for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” James 1:3-4

• Trials are within God’s control.
• Trials are a test of our faith.
• Trials make us stronger.
• Trials take us to full maturity in Christ.

[Tweet “We don’t choose trials but we do choose how we go through them.”]

Trials happen to us. They don’t control us. We cannot choose if a trial occurs but we can choose how we feel about the trial. Here’s how.

1. Decide once and for all trials are not the enemy.
2. Remember God allows trials and they will test your faith.
3. Realize if you trust God through it you’ll be stronger in your faith.
4. Choose either to be joyful or miserable through the trial. You’re still going to go through it.

[Tweet “We’re either joyful or miserable through trials. It’s our choice.”]

You will have trials today. Right now choose joy and be ready!

Do you have a question or comment? I’d love to hear from you.

The post Trials Are Obstacles To Joy [Unless You Decide Otherwise] appeared first on To Every Nation Ministries.

Knowing The Obstacles To Joy Can Help Us Deal With Them

Every Christian has at some point experienced what the King James Version of 1 Peter 1:8 describes as “joy unspeakable and full of glory.” If you have experienced that joy you know just what I’m talking about. We all wish we could have it every moment of every day!

Of course, we can potentially have joy every moment of every day. The Scriptures don’t teach this but my experience is that there are different degrees of joy. Most of the time when I am in fellowship with the Lord I have what a pastor friend of mine describes as a deep inner rejoicing. It’s not a bubbly or ecstatic joy but a general feeling of happiness. Then there are intermittent times when the joy is much greater and seems to overflow from our hearts.

For now let’s think about the deep inner rejoicing that I believe is accessible to all Christians all the time. My question to you is,

“Do you have that joy right now as you read this?”

If so, then give thanks to the Lord! If not, the next question is,

“Why not?”

Obstacles To Joy

The joy we’re talking about is from the Spirit as part of the fruit that He produces in our lives Galatians 5:22-23. There are three types of obstacles to joy that interfere with the joy from the Spirit.

1. The obstacles of sin. These are the most obvious obstacles or at least should be. The Bible describes sin as quenching the Spirit 1 Thessalonians 5:19 and grieving the Spirit Ephesians 4:30. Sin is a barrier we erect that blocks the Spirit from working in our hearts.[Tweet “Sin is a barrier we erect that blocks the Spirit from working in our hearts.”]
2. The obstacles of trials. These are a bit more difficult to understand. None of us instinctively like trials. The natural response to any trial is to be grieved 1 Peter 1:6. When you get sick or your car breaks down or you lose your job it’s a trial. When you get bad news or someone treats you unfairly it’s a trial. Life is full of trials. Trials can steal our joy but they don’t have to.[Tweet “Trials can steal our joy but we don’t have to let them!”]
3. The obstacles of spiritual attacks. The flesh, the world and Satan with his followers attack us with evil desires that invade our hearts. When this happens we don’t feel joy. It might still be there but it’s overwhelmed by the attacking evil impulses.[Tweet “The attacks from our spiritual enemies can overshadow our joy.”]

Let’s get back to the question,

“If you don’t have joy right now, why not?”

The answer is one of these three obstacles above. Can you identify the reason you don’t have joy right now? We have to start with that and then we can deal with it. In the next posts we’ll see from the Scriptures what our responses need to be.

Joy is important. Right now I pray for you as Paul prayed for the church at Rome.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.  Romans 15:13

Do you have a question or comment? Please leave it below.

The post Obstacles to Joy [Three Things That Steal Our Joy] appeared first on To Every Nation Ministries.

God’s Discipline Isn’t Punishment

When a man or woman enters the military service they go through a rapid transformation within a short period of time. The only way that can be accomplished is by a rigid system of discipline. The goal of Army Basic Training is to change a civilian man or woman into a soldier who is in good physical condition and who conforms to the standards of the military. Stories abound as to how hard it is and how severe the consequences are of making mistakes.

When we think of “discipline” two ideas come to mind. One is punishment and the other is training. This may give you pause when you learn that God the Father disciplines His children. However, it’s important to note that God’s discipline isn’t punishment. That doesn’t mean it isn’t painful but it’s not punishment. Gods uses discipline to train us in godliness.

The reason we can be sure God’s discipline isn’t punishment is because of Romans 8:1. It says,

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

When Jesus died on the cross He paid the penalty for all our sins, past, present and future. He took our punishment upon Himself for us. When we believed in Him as our Savior the Father accepted Jesus’ death as the punishment and payment for all our sins. Each of us who are Christians are in the wonderful position of being declared righteous by the Father.

[Tweet “God’s discipline isn’t punishment. It’s God trying to get your attention.”]

Yet there are times when our condition, how we act, doesn’t match our position. When that happens the Holy Spirit is grieved Ephesians 4:3. We then feel the guilt that comes from disobedience. The proper response to that is to confess that sin 1 John 1:9 and be restored in fellowship with the Father, Son and Spirit.

When we don’t do that, when we allow sin a place in our heart and stop paying attention to the Spirit, the Father steps in and disciplines us. Hebrews 12:5-11 is a key passage in the Bible about God’s discipline. This passage tells us six things about God’s discipline.

6 Aspects of God’s Discipline of His Children

1. It proves we’re His child. Hebrew 12:5-8
2. It’s for our good. Hebrews 12:10
3. It results in eternal life Hebrews 12:9
4. It enables us to share God’s holiness Hebrews 12:10
5. It produces peacefulness Hebrews 12:11
6. It produces righteousness Hebrews 12:11

[Tweet “God’s discipline is painful but the goal is restoration.”]

The good news is that there’s a simple, straightforward way to stop being disciplined. Confess your sin and obey God. If you’re facing adversity and there’s sin in your life it may be discipline. Get right with God. He will forgive and restore you.  If you’re going through adversity and do not have unconfessed sin then it is probably one of the other types of adversity. Here is a post to read on the seven kinds of adversity we all face.

I’d love to hear from you. Please leave a comment or question below.

The post Discipline From God Shows We Are His Children appeared first on To Every Nation Ministries.

Trials Challenge And Strengthen Our Faith

Trials are the most common and the most misunderstood type of adversity we face as Christians. They’re painful, negative events so some confuse them with attacks from the enemy. The enemy does attack us but he’s interested in attacking our mind, not our circumstances 2 Corinthians 11:3. The truth is God allows trials in our lives for our good.

[Tweet “Trials are the most common and the most misunderstood type of adversity we face as Christians.”]

4 things the Bible tells us about trials.

1. Trials are general, challenging circumstances of life. 1 Peter 1:6
2. Trials are allowed by God. 2 Peter 2:9
3. Trials strengthen us as we go through them. James 1:2-3
4. Trials happen to Christians and non-Christians. Matthew 13:21, James 1:2

Here is a definition:

Trials are life circumstances that challenge and build up our faith.

[Tweet “Trials are life circumstances that challenge and build up our faith”]

Trials include but aren’t limited to:

• sickness
• things breaking down mechanically
• difficult people in our lives
• accidents
• mistakes
• general hardships

3 Facts About Trials To Help Us Get Through Them:

1. Realize you’re in good company when you experience a trial. Even Jesus Luke 22:28 and Paul Acts 20:18-19 endured trials.
2. Ask God to help you through the trial. Ask for wisdom and grace to endure it James 1:2-8.
3. Understand God knows how difficult it is for you. It’s okay to pray that He rescues you from the trial 2 Peter 2:9. God cares for you enough to reward you for going through it well James 1:12.

All trials are challenging.  Some are a nuisance and some are devastating but they are still trials. You may be facing a challenge with a difficult problem at work and another person is going through the trial of being out of work. You may be going through the challenge of allergies and another person is going through the challenge of cancer. You may be going through a trial of negotiating to buy a house and another family is going through the trial of being homeless. Sometimes perspective helps us through our trials.

Our loving Father understands exactly what we’re going through. I can’t imagine going through a trial alone. The only way to make it through any trial is knowing the Father is with you, loves you and will give you the strength to get through it.

[Tweet “When you go through a trial and feel alone turn to the Father. You’ll find He’s with you.”]

How has God used a trial in your life to build up your faith? Please leave a comment or question below.

The post Trials – They’re Not Our Enemy, Even Though It Feels Like It! appeared first on To Every Nation Ministries.

The Father Prunes All His Children

In the last few hours Jesus spent with His disciples He taught them that the Father prunes His followers. In John 15:1-11 Jesus lays out these elements of the pruning process:

• Jesus is the vine.
• The Father is the vine dresser.
• Jesus’ followers are branches.
• Branches are to bear fruit.
• The Father prunes branches to produce more fruit.

There isn’t a lot of detail in this passage as to how this works. Here are two things we can be sure of:

1. To prune is to take away.
2. The goal is more fruit.

Here’s my story of how God pruned me.

I started in the ministry at age 30. Over the next 17 years I served as a senior pastor, seminary business manager, missionary, administrative pastor and Bible teacher with Walk Thru the Bible (WTB).

At the age of 47 I was in part-time ministry and working full-time for a computer company. My ministry was teaching WTB Live Events on weekends. The majority of my time was spent in business. My walk with God was great. I was seeing fruit in my Bible teaching ministry but my main focus was not on my call and passion.

A friend summed it up, I was too competent to fire and too comfortable with the income to quit. So the Father took out His pruning shears. The company I worked for had one customer that provided 80% of its business. One day we lost that account. The next day my job was eliminated. I understood from a business standpoint why it happened. It took me a while to understand spiritually how the Father prunes us.

[Tweet “The Father pruned my job from me to refocus me on my ministry calling.”]

The company didn’t lose the customer just because of me. It had other managers and the owners could have kept me if God wanted me there. I lost my job because the Father pruned it from my life.

The next few months were difficult in many ways. Margaret and I prayed and sought the Lord. Soon I knew I needed to return to full-time ministry. But where and doing what?

It was then, in 2001, that the Father gave me the vision for this ministry I have now. As I was praying an idea came to mind. I realized I could reach the world through the computer even back then. So in 2001 I registered the domain www.toeverynation.com that I am using now. It took 12 years and a couple of detours but I’m doing what the Father led me to do. If the Father had not pruned that job from me, I might still be working for the computer company.

If you’re walking with God, producing fruit and struggling because you’ve lost your job or had to move or something else has been taken out of your life, it may be the Father is pruning you. Only you will know if it is pruning when you get through it.

[Tweet “When the Father prunes us it is a painful path that leads to greater fruitfulness.”]

If you want to read a good book on how the Father prunes us get the little book Secrets of the Vine.

Do you have a story to share about being pruned? Please share it or a question below.

The post The Father Prunes Us To Produce More Fruit [A Personal Example] appeared first on To Every Nation Ministries.

God’s Pruning is Difficult to Go Through but Profitable

Spring officially started yesterday!  Woo hoo! It means warmer temperatures, beautiful flowers and new growth appearing on plants, shrubs and trees. It’s also the time for pruning many plants. Pruning is done to remove the parts of a plant that are no longer useful to improve a plant’s overall health. For fruit trees pruning is important to increase the quantity and improve the quality of the fruit.

In John 15:1-5 Jesus teaches that the Father prunes His children for the same reason as a gardener does fruit trees. To produce more fruit. It may be that you are in a pruning season of life. Let’s see what this is all about. First, Jesus says there are four types of fruit-producing Christians.

1. Those who produce no fruit.
2. Those who produce fruit.
3. Those who produce more fruit.
4. Those who produce much fruit.

The Father’s expectation is that all Christians produce fruit Ephesians 2:10. If you’re not producing fruit, something’s wrong. In John 15:2 Jesus says the Father “takes away” those who don’t produce fruit. Since Jesus says “every branch in me” He isn’t talking about a Christian losing his or her salvation. It’s likely that God’s discipline is in view here. Bottom line, you don’t want to be this kind of person.

Then Jesus addresses Christians who are producing fruit. They’re doing good things with eternal consequences for God. If you’re producing fruit, God wants you to produce more fruit.  Makes sense.  This is where pruning comes in.

and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

Pruning people is compared with pruning grape vines. There are parts of every vine that don’t produce fruit and take energy away from the fruit producing part of the vine. Some things we do produce fruit for God.  There are also things we do that keep us busy but don’t contribute to our spiritual fruitfulness.

[Tweet “God prunes us so that we make His priorities our priorities”]

When God prunes us, He takes things out of our lives to focus on fruit-producing tasks. This can be things like a job, where we live or even people in our lives. The reason God prunes us is to stimulate us to be more productive for Him.   When this happens we’re free to focus on three things.

1. Why God made us as He did. It helps us rediscover our passion.
2. What our future potential is. We will develop fully as God intended us to do.
3. What our legacy is. We have an opportunity to leave a lasting legacy of fruit for the Lord.

[Tweet “God’s pruning is often painful and misunderstood but results in fruitfulness”]

Pruning only happens when you are producing fruit. If you are walking with God and going through a difficult time such as a loss of job, friends or some other loss, don’t take it as God’s discipline. Ask God to help you through and make you more fruitful. The goal of more fruit then much fruit is worth it!

In my next post I’m going to share a personal example of when I went through a time of pruning.

Have you experienced pruning from God? Please leave a comment or question.

The post Pruning Season [It’s Not Just For Plants] appeared first on To Every Nation Ministries.

Tests Are Part Of God’s Plan For All His Children

I didn’t play baseball growing up but you don’t have to play to know it’s hard to hit a curve ball. I’ve seen excellent hitters look really bad when they swung at and missed a curve ball.  Of course, if the batter expects a curve ball he may whack it out of the park. For that reason good pitchers save their curve balls for when they’re least expected.

The phrase, “to throw someone a curve ball” has become a part of our common vocabulary. It means to do something unexpected.

I often hear people blame Satan for all the adversity in their lives. For some people that seems to be the default reaction when something bad happens. My hunch is Satan does that much less than people think. Something many of us don’t consider is that sometimes God brings adversity into our lives to test us. Yes, sometimes God throws us a curve ball.

[Tweet “At times God intentionally brings adversity into our lives to test us”]

What’s more, God does it regularly to His children Psalm 11:5. Here are 7 times God tested people in the Bible and how He tested them.

7 Tests By God in the Bible

1. Abraham to believe Him for his son’s life Genesis 22:1.
2. Israel to trust Him for their most basic need of water Exodus 15:25.
3. Israel to trust Him when they faced opposition Judges 3:1.
4. Israel to see if they would trust Him when they were afraid Exodus 20:15.
5. King Hezekiah to trust God even though he was powerful and rich 2 Chronicles 32:31.
6. Jesus tested His disciples by challenging them to do something really big John 6:6.
7. In the future He will test some Christians by allowing Satan to persecute and kill them Revelation 2:10.

[Tweet “God tests us to see if we will obey Him and trust Him”]

Let’s take this list and imagine what those tests might look like today. Here are ways God might be testing us to trust Him today:

• when our child is seriously sick
• for our finances
• to help us deal with difficult people in our lives
• when we’re afraid of something in our life
• when all our needs are met and don’t need to trust Him
• when we have a dream to do something that seems impossible
• when our faith is seriously challenged

A metallurgist tests gold by putting it through a fire. The fire gets rid of impurities and makes the gold strong. If gold could talk, I think it would tell us it doesn’t like going through fire. But the fire doesn’t destroy it. It makes it stronger. So will God’s tests make me and you stronger! Job 23:10

The key to passing a test from God is simple but not easy. Don’t give up on God. Trust Him, stand firm!

[Tweet “When God give us a test there are two correct answers. 1) Trust God 2) Obey God”]

I’d love to hear from you. Please leave a comment or question below.

The post Tests [When God Throws Us a Curve Ball] appeared first on To Every Nation Ministries.

All Christians Should Expect Persecution

Just over a month ago the world learned of the tragic deaths of 21 Egyptian Christians on a beach in Libya. Persecution of Christians goes on all over the world. It has for as long as there have been people of faith Deuteronomy 30:7. Yet there was something different about what happened in Libya. It was so brazen. The perpetrators filmed it and posted in online for people to see. Where was the international outcry? What did world leaders do to address this abuse of human rights? Nothing.

How have we who are Christians who heard about it responded? We were shocked and saddened by it. But now, just one month later it’s a fading memory.

We are so blessed in the USA that we don’t experience this kind of violent persecution. (There are other kinds of persecution we experience that aren’t as violent but just as real.) How should we respond to this? Here are 5 things the Bible teaches us about persecution.

[Tweet “May the blessing of not being persecuted compel us to pray for those who are being persecuted”]

5 Things Christians Can Do To Prepare For Persecution

1. Expect it 2 Timothy 3:12, Luke 11:49. All Christians experience persecution at some point in their lives.
2. Remember persecution is in God’s control Proverbs 16:4.
3. Purpose to be content when persecuted. We can, for the sake of Christ. 2 Corinthians 12:10
4. Believe God is with us when we’re persecuted 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, Romans 8:35.
5. Plan to pray for those who persecute us Matthew 5:44. If it’s in your heart to pray for your persecutor before it happens, you will do it when it does happen.

There is one more thing we should do. Pray for our brothers and sister who are being persecuted right now!  We should pray for them every day. Pick a country and pray for the believers there. Find the name of someone who is in prison for Jesus and pray for him or her every day. It is such a small thing for us to pray, but it matters.

There are many resources on the internet with more information. Here are four Christian organizations that will give you information: The Voice of the Martyrs  Prayer for the Persecuted Church  Open Doors Christian Freedom International

And we should also pray God saves those who are doing the persecuting! Jesus tells us to.

[Tweet “God changed the worst persecutor of the early church. Let’s pray He does it again!”]

I’d love to hear from you. Please leave a comment or question below.

The post Persecution: It’s Time To Take It Seriously appeared first on To Every Nation Ministries.