The Not-So-Bright Atheist

David Heckart and I dropped by the Octemberfest shindig around the courthouse in downtown Marshalltown this evening. We were passing out gospel tracts, and hoping for gospel conversations. One encounter with a couple of teenagers went like this:

Me: "Hello, ladies: did you get your tickets?"
Young Woman: "What is it?"
Me: "It is a Ticket to Heaven, or  a Ticket to Hell." (This tract from Gospel Tract Planet is printed on both sides, the one side reads "Ticket to Heaven", the other, "Ticket to Hell.")
YW: "Oh, I'm sorry I cannot take that. I am an atheist."
Me: "Why is that? Let me ask you something: what is the most compelling evidence you've found for the non-existence of God?"
YW: Stares, and says nothing
Other YW: Seeing the predicament, grabs YW by the shoulders and they beat a hasty retreat.

Marshalltown Octemberfest 2013

So I have to say, have we not been sold a bill of goods by Dawkins & Co., that these are the intellectuals, the "brights"? Not so, my friend. David, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in Psalm 14:1 states:

"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good."

As J. Vernon McGee puts it, this use of "fool" holds the meaning of insanity. Indeed it is an insane person who sees clearly the hand of an all-powerful, all-wise Creator all around them, and the witness of his moral law and conscience within, and holding all that truth in unrighteousness, denies his existence. See Romans 1:18-20.

I pray that God continues to put his people in this young woman's path, and that she would stop running away, but deal with reality. The Bible has the answers, so may we who know our God reach out and challenge those who are stumbling towards Judgment and Hell. And may this precious soul listen to the gospel, and in repentance believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, while there is time.

Bravery...NOT!

I've had several people comment on how brave I am, to stand out on a street corner with a witnessing cross, and a crate full of Bibles, DVD's and gospel booklets to give away. Or, to get up on a soap box and preach the gospel.

When someone says this, I laugh. It is not bravery, I assure you. If you do anything publically for the Lord, you will be called many things, most of which are not flattering. I'm definitely not a "Type-A" personality, and prefer not to be in the spotlight or center of attention. And, when I go out, I go in spite of my fears, which are many.

Like you, I do what I do because I appreciate what the Lord has done for me. We've been given a gift of inestimable worth, and we want to pass it on. We are:

• Thankful...for what Jesus has done for us
• Grateful...for the mercy and love God has demonstrated to us in the cross and the gospel
• Concerned...about our family, friends and neighbors
• Certain...that Jesus is the only way to escape the wrath of God and eternal Hell
• Convinced...that life is short, and we want to redeem the time God has given us

Witnessing crosses, giving away free Bibles, preaching open air: these are just some ideas that came to me, something that I thought would be a way to get the gospel out, or get people thinking about eternity. You've probably come up with other good ideas to do this. If so, thanks for serving your Lord and your King, Jesus Christ. And keep on keeping on, until he comes for us, or we go to be with him!

Saeed Abedini: 1 Year in Evin Prison for Jesus Christ

Thursday, September 26, could be the 1-year anniversary of the imprisonment of Saeed Abedini, the Iranian American Pastor held prisoner in the infamous Evin Prison outside of Tehran, Iran, for the crime of being a Christian. I say "could be", because many have been praying for his release, and if the Lord brings this about, we could well all be rejoicing on that day. Until then, I encourage all believers to lift up this brother and his family before the throne of grace. And not him alone, but all of the persecuted Church around the world.

Here in Iowa, there will be a prayer vigil on Thursday in Des Moines, at the State Capital Building on the Westside Steps from 1-2 PM.  Click HERE for a link to an article by Saeed's wife on John Piper's "Desiring God" website. There are links near the bottom of the article on where you can locate prayer vigils throughout the US and the World.

What more can I add to what many have written? For us to live in Christ. Suffering for the name of Jesus is not foreign to the body Christ. Our brother is in the mighty hand of our Lord and our God, and it is to him that we cry, and may God's will be done in his life. And in ours....

Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come;
'Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far
and Grace will lead me home.
John Newton, Amazing Grace, verse 3

"...and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name." Acts 5:40-41


1 Peter 4:12-14
Hebrews 13:3
John 16:33
2 Timothy 3:12
James 1:2-4
2 Corinthians 4:17
Romans 8:28

Private Interpretation

Was really hoping that someone would shoot me some feedback re: "Conversation with Patrick." The thing about street work...you study up & pray up, but it is a fluid situation out there in the real world. I usually pray Acts 4:29 (boldness & filling of the Holy Ghost) and Philippians 2:12-13 because I don't have the power and wisdom needed to get the job done. I am depending on God to work through me as I yield to him and go.

I save audio out on the street for a couple of reasons. One: if someone accuses me of saying something inappropriate, I want a record so I can refute it (or not, depending on what is deemed "inappropriate"). And two:  also opens  a small window of sound into this ministry, and we share it for the edification of the body of Christ.

So guess what? I have to listen to myself and do the audio editing to get something worth sharing on the website. Yep, even the cringe-worthy times when I blow it. Last Saturday I read from Psalm 90:10-12, and kept losing my place. Sheesh!  Or worse, when I am inpatient with a heckler, or when I miss a sound biblical response, like a major one I found with listening to the audio of my conversation with Patrick.

And here I thought someone would call me on it! It was when Patrick was commenting on "my interpretation" of what the Bible says regarding salvation alone in Jesus Christ. So, class, what is the Bible-Believer's response to this statement?

2 Peter 1:20- 21

Yes, taken in context, comparing scriptures with scriptures, etc. If we have anything, saints, we have God's mind regarding the way of salvation. Jesus is indeed THE WAY, and no one comes to the Father but by the one-and-only Savior of sinners, the Lord Jesus Christ.

We cannot encourage one another enough to be Bereans in these last days. Heresy and apostasy abound. The Bible is being questioned and attacked and neglected like never before. It is not uncommon for Pastors, Preachers, and other church leaders to set themselves above the flock and
make themselves un-approachable regarding what they teach and preach. Not so at Iowa Seed Sowers. We're just brothers and sisters in the Lord, and are open to questions, exhortation, and even a rebuke, if warranted (Proverbs 27:5).

Outreach with AGENTS FOR CHRIST

Wednesday night fellowship at the church I attend had guest speakers from a ministry in Oaklahoma, called Agents For Christ.  Their website is here.  Bill James and his wife, Danielle, traveled to the Calvary Chapel Pastor's conference and was headed east so they stopped at our church along the way.  They shared their story and also encouraged us in the body to share thier faith.  It was a great time of getting into Romans 12 and how we can apply what Paul was teaching in the doctrines of chapters 1-11.  They wanted to test some waters in Des Moines, so we decided to take a few people out fishing in the city streets. 

Well tonight, it absolutely poured, and doing anything outside was out of the question.  So we decided to hit Valley West Mall and do some soul-winning there.  Tony, of Saving Faith Outreach came with us, along with my pastor, his son, and Ray, a member of CCDM.  We split up and did some outreach.  Tony and I teamed up together (as usual) and hit the ground running).  We decided to go to the lower level and take the elevator.  That's when a man named Angel, with his two kids entered with us.  Tony gave him a million dollar bill tract and asked him what he thought.  Turned out he was a Mormon from Chile.  The funny thing is that I sensed the Holy Spirit wanting me to take Mormon tracts specifically.  So we used one tonight.  We spent the entire time talking with this man.  He told us he used to be Catholic, then Jehovah's Witness, then 7th Day Adventist.  He was clearly searching for truth, but in all these areas have fallen short. 

We basically spent the entire time with him, and gave out only one tract.  But please pray for Angel and his family that they would come to the truth of the gospel.  We invited him to get together so we can talk more and hope that he calls to make an appointment.  The other teams did well, and had various conversations.  Jake even faced his fears and placed a tract on a bench.  Good things are happening in Des Moines.  Pray for Bill and Danielle James along with the others of Agents For Christ as well. 

Exciting Times Lay Ahead For 2014

If you were to ask Paul, or any of my friends for that matter if I were an excitable guy, they would probably laugh.  When I met my wife she said that I reminded her of the Winnie the Pooh character, Eore.  I guess that stems from being dissapointed too much growing up.  I don't get excited about anything really.  Few have seen it to tell the tale.  So when I say that there are exciting times laid ahead for the coming year...it has to be big. 

My pastor whom I respect, has been the head of our church for over 6 years now.  During that time God has been grooming him, and equipping him for ministry.  He recently came back from the Calvary Chapel Pastors conference where the Lord really spoke to his heart through His word, and the teachings of different men.  He basically laid on his heart that it was time to ramp things up.  That my pastor was accountable for the people at Calvary Chapel Des Moines as thier shepherd.  We do some things really good, and others we pretty much stink.  One of those areas that we stink is in evangelism.  After a lengthy conversation, and an apology from him to me as not supporting me along the way (I've been feeling really discouraged for the past 10 years being the "Han Solo" at my church when it comes to evangelism) that he said things are going to change.  I can't get into the specifics of how that is going to look, but I will tell you this.  Every person that attends Calvary Chapel Des Moines will be involved in all 5 pillars of the church (Fellowship, Discipleship, Service, God's Word, and Evangelism/Outreach) on a quarterly basis.  I will be the head of the Evangelism/Outreach part of it, with an elder overseeing me.  Accountability will be key. 

This is huge being that I should be having regular teams (from my church) go with me to events, and sharing the gospel out on the streets.  Of course this will stir the pot at first, but we despritely need a healthy church and it's the only way to do it.  I will be scheduling outreach events and evangelism outings throughout the year, along with training sessions to equip and guide those who need it.  For years I prayed that the leadership would be more involved, and that my brothers and sisters in my fellowship would join me.  Praise God my prayers are getting answered. 

UPDATE: Iowa State Fair 2013

Since I got saved in 2003 I make an effort to go to the Iowa State Fair (ISF) where it all started to share the gift that I was given when I arrived here in Iowa from NJ in 2001.  Even though I didn't receive Christ at that moment, it was where I heard the gospel for the first time at the creation booth with the Noah's Ark exhibit.  So the Iowa State Fair holds a special place in my heart for the gospel. 

Tony and I spent the entire day Tuesday and Wednesday sharing with people outside of the fair.  It's more relaxed outside the fair because we need to be cautious not to draw attention and be removed from the fair.  But we have a great time especially with those who are renting spaces on their lawns.  Every year we run into many different people from all over Iowa and the world and involved with all different religions.  This year we tried to talk with a Satanist who said she worshipped Satan (which is ridiculous because Satanists would never worship anyone else but themself); people who didn't care about what the bible said cause they were right, and the bible is not; and those who are really wanting to know God. 

It was after we talked to the Satanist when I got really depressed.  Not because my feelings were hurt or the things she said to me, but for the hardness of her soul.  I can't imagine how Paul must have felt.  But it reminded me of how Paul got joy.  Paul wanted to finish the race with joy, and that nothing, whether people or situations moved him (Acts 20:24).  A soul-winners joy is a valuable weapon against the enemy (Psalm 51:12-13).  A soul-winners joy can come from:

• The Lord
• The rememberance of those who we won to Christ (Psalm 126:6, 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20).
• Those who go soul winning with us will rejoice with us (John 4:36, Acts 15:3).

It is important to know that even though we may weep now and that we may think that our conversations are wasted, we should know that those tears may be turned to joy as people are in the process of being saved and God is using us for His glory (Psalm 126:5-6).  I can't spend my time thinking of those who rejected God's word for any reason.  I had to spend the remainder of that last day just thinking of all the people we DID reach, and those who have been wanting to know the Lord and didn't know where to begin. 

Of the conversations that we had some stood out more than others.  One young man in the beginning said he was a Christian, but did not understand anything about the gospel.  At the end of our conversation he was overwhelmingly thankful and was wanting to read his bible again (which it has been months).  I shared with him the importance of making a decision for Christ now while he had time and hopefully he did that very thing later on. 

Another conversation Tony and I had with a woman who's mother had been praying for for years.  Her mother, who only knew Spanish, cried and praised God when I gave her a Spanish tract and realized that some prayers were being answered right in front of her eyes.  One which was that someone would share the gospel with her daughter and have it make sense. 

Most of the conversations we had were with people who knew of Jesus, but never took Him as Lord of their lives.  We had many conversations and pray that God will make the fruit grow in their lives for His glory. 

Conversation with Patrick

Is the Bible reliable and authoritative? Do we have the mind of God revealed to us through his word? Is Jesus the only way to Heaven, or is there some other way?

As promised, here is the audio from my conversation with Patrick, a man I met last Saturday while passing out gospel tracts at the Downtown Des Moines Farmers Market.

Click HERE to listen to the 14 minute conversation, and let me know what you think. If you would've answered differently, leave a comment.

Just some topics covered within 2-1/2 minutes of the conversation:

1. Patrick's reaction to my use of "...he's revealed in his word", in reference to God.
2. His comment, "I don't have the mind of God, so I don't know if it (the Bible) is right or wrong." We don't? That's a scary place to be. 1 Corinthians 2:16.
3. "You shouldn't judge." Yes, as a hypocrite. Matt 7:3-5; John 7:24
4. The Bible "was written by men...." Can God use men to write his word, so that we have God's communication to his creation? 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21
5. Me: "If someone dies without Christ, what's going to happen to him?" Patrick:"That's up to him (God) to decide (pause)...well, he aint gonna be walking up the stairway of Heaven."
6. Me: "There is none other name under Heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved." Patrick: "But it doesn't say flat that you're getting in...."

Wow! It's amazing how fluid these encounters can be. I pray that the Lord would give us the wisdom and understanding to know how to answer when the questions and comments are swirling like this (Colossians 4:6).

Interesting Day

The Lord allowed me to make it down to the Downtown Des Moines Farmers Market this morning. What a beautiful day here in Central Iowa. The Market was busy, but not packed wall-to-wall like it is on some weekends. There was a guy with a banner in the middle of 4th & Court Avenue, so I tried setting up on the corner of 3rd & Court. But the band at an outdoor restaurant across the way started jamming, and a saxophone on the opposite corner made it too loud to speak. I moved down to 2nd Street where there was less music, and set up on the southwest corner across from the Stam Greenhouse booth. Brent Stam is a brother in the Lord, and he's always been an encouragement to me when speaking down at the Market.

Well, I have to say it was a very interesting day. I had 4 or 5 encounters that stick out in my mind, some of which are on this part of the audio I captured from the open-air preaching. Click on the link HERE and hit the play button on the upper right of the Internet Archive screen to listen.

So here's an overview of the day:

• I encountered Jack, an angry man who has a major problem with God. You'll hear him at the 12:40 mark in the audio. Let me say that Jack has a wrong concept of what it means to be a man, and unless he repents and turns to Christ before stepping into eternity, he will remember the words he spoke today to his eternal regret.
• Three men stood to my right and listened for quite a while, and then approached me, wanting to pray for me, that I would be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. You can hear Larry and 2 young men with him around the 19:30 mark. Now, I am not of the Charismatic or Pentecostal persuasion. There is much regrettable doctrine taught and believed by these brothers. But I do pray for the Holy Spirit's power, especially when I go out to publicly proclaim the gospel. Frankly, I am scared to speak in public. I don't like to be looked at as a religious nut. But the Lord has called us to go out and preach the gospel, so I cry out to God for boldness, as the believers did in Acts 4:29. So when Larry and the other men said they wanted to pray for me, that's great. I need all the encouragement and prayer I can get.
• Patrick got a gospel tract and came back to talk about it. I'll post some audio of him later, but briefly, he's got little confidence in the Bible, does not believe we have the "mind of God" (his words), and that people in other religious practices may be saved some unknown way. I explained that we do have God's mind, according to 1 Corinthians 2:16, and that the Bible is God's mind about everything. We had quite a discussion, (as you'll hear in that future audio), and we parted well, with Patrick promising to read Romans 1:18-20 and following, regarding the fact that God has revealed himself in all men everywhere, so that they are without excuse.
• Finally, I had a very short exchange with a woman who claims that you cannot be saved unless you know the Hebrew name for Jesus Christ. I rejected her claim, and told her she was twisting the scriptures, as Peter warns as "wresting" the scriptures in 2 Peter 3:16. I can only say, may the Lord rebuke her.

All this said, our focus here is about the Lord Jesus Christ, what he has done and is doing, and not so much about me, Mary or Frank. I hope this encourages you in some way. If you are a follower of the Lord Jesus, come out and join us some time. We have our calendar of ministry events posted here on the website.

And if you cannot make it out with us, that's okay: go out into the highways, supermarkets, the gas stations, the Wal-Marts and the street corners of your Jerusalem, and hold out the offer of forgiveness and eternal life to your friends and neighbors, in the person of our Mighty Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Maranatha!

Followership

Leadership.
It is highly promoted.
Who doesn't want to be known as a great leader?
But I don't know that I've seen many books or training seminars on "Followership."
Perhaps it would be better that I focus on being a great follower of the Lord Jesus Christ.
From my daily Bible reading...

"Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."
(John 8:12)

Get A Life!

"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." (John 17:3)

"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life...
He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."
(John 3:15,16,36)

Ever have someone tell you to "get a life"? On Saturday morning, I slipped away from my weekend to-do projects, to stand at the busy Wal-Mart intersection here in Marshalltown with a couple witnessing crosses & my "Free Bibles" sign. It was actually an "evangelism interruption", a short-stop on my way to Menards and the Sears store to buy a set of box end wrenches and replacement blades for my YT3000 lawn tractor.

It was hot - 94 degrees - so there were not many cars with their windows down. I usually try to make eye contact with people who look our way, give them a wave and a smile, or a "How's it going today? How're you doing?" when possible. So when a certain sedan made the turn onto Merle Hibbs, with windows down and the woman in the passenger seat looking my way, that's what I did. But in return, I got a sneer and a "Why don't you get a life!?"

And you know, it just made me smile. Not for the hostility and contempt of this poor woman, but for the fact that I have been given the gift of eternal life through the Lord Jesus, something that transcends anything and everything I could ever have in this temporary physical life. As a joint heir with Jesus Christ (Romans 8:17), I will inherit all the things that my Lord inherits when he returns to rule and reign, and when God creates the new heaven and earth. So yes, I can smile and say, "Lady, I have a life that you would not believe, and will never understand unless you, too, repent and trust the Savior." And that gift of eternal life, with joy unspeakable and full of glory (1Peter 1:8), is why we go out into the streets with the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ, to pass it on. Hope you who know and love the Lord will do the same, until he returns.

Salvation is of the Jews

In my daily Bible reading, I am reading a second time through the gospels, and today's schedule included John chapter 4. These scriptures brought to mind my Jewish friend Joseph, who I met when preaching in Des Moines several weeks ago, about whom I've written about and posted the audio of in previous articles.

"Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews."

(John 4:21-22)

The Holy Bible is a supernatural book. About 30% of the Bible is prophecy: detailed documentation of world-shaking, world-shaping events written down hundreds and thousands of years before they happened, and the 2 major topics of prophecy are Israel and the Messiah. Most of these prophecies have already been fulfilled, proving that this Book is written by God. The Almighty took 40 men from diverse backgrounds and cultures, as you or I take a pen, and wrote 66 books of the Old and New Testaments. The Holy Bible is God's complete, perfect word to humanity.

A golden thread woven throughout the entire Bible is this: in the Old Testament book of Genesis, God promises to send a Deliverer, the Messiah who would deliver mankind from the consequences of our sin against God. In the New Testament, in God's appointed time, the Messiah arrives and completes the work necessary to atone for sin and provide a way for sinful man to be justified and accepted in the presence of a Holy God. And the name of the Messiah: Jesus of Nazareth, the Lord Jesus Christ. This is undeniable and indisputable, proven by the fulfillment of over 30 scriptures regarding his birth, life, death, and resurrection. The Bible says that salvation is only available through the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12).

So what is "salvation?" It is the fact or state of being delivered from the consequences of our personal sin against our Creator. The wages we have earned by our willful choice to sin, is death, eternal death, the "second death" (Romans 6:23; Ezekiel 18:20; Revelation 20:14-15). Look at the moral law, the 10 Commandments, to evaluate your condition in the sight of God (Exodus 20; Matthew 5-7).

How might I obtain this salvation? The Bible is clear that our works are unacceptable, and that only the finished work of the Messiah are acceptable to God. In the name of Jesus Christ is preached remission of sin, and the gift of eternal life. So you see, salvation came to Israel through the Messiah, and through Israel to the world, so salvation is indeed of the Jews. And I am so glad that the gospel call came on across these 2000 years, and around the world, until it came to a needy sinner like me (John 17:20). May we who believe be faithful to proclaim it and share it, until we go to be with our Lord, or he come to rescue us from this dying world and bring us to our eternal home in Heaven.

Here's all of John chapter 4...enjoy!

The Gospel of John

Chapter 4

1 When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John,
2 (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,)
3 He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee.
4 And he must needs go through Samaria.
5 Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
6 Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.
7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)
9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?
12  Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
15 The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.
16 Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.
17 The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:
18 For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.
19 The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.
20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
27 And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her?
28 The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men,
29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?
30 Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.
31  In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat.
32 But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.
33 Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat?
34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.
36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.
37 And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth.
38 I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.
39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.
40 So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.
41 And many more believed because of his own word;
42 And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.
43 Now after two days he departed thence, and went into Galilee.
44 For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honour in his own country.
45 Then when he was come into Galilee, the Galilaeans received him, having seen all the things that he did at Jerusalem at the feast: for they also went unto the feast.
46 So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum.
47 When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judaea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death.
48 Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.
49 The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die.
50 Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way.
51 And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth.
52 Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.
53 So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house.
54 This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judaea into Galilee.

Karen Bible YouTube Channel Launched!

We are happy to say that the Karen Bible YouTube channel has been launched. Here is a picture of Pastor Moo Thaw reading chapter 1 of the Gospel of John for the first video on the channel.

We have to fine tune the YouTube channel: the camera is working well, but I'm not thrilled with the sound levels coming out of either the camera mic or the laptop mic. I'm  trying to figure out how to customize the name of the channel, and we still need some software to edit the video. But it has started. You locate the YouTube channel by going to YouTube, selecting "Channels", and entering "Pastor Moo Thaw." Just in case you want to know, here's what the Gospel of John, Chapter 1 sounds like in S'gaw Karen:

Our prayer is that we can get the word of God to our Karen friends and neighbors. The younger ones who are in school are learning English, but many of the adults will not master English, and are unable to read their own language, S'gaw Karen. But, they speak and understand it, so we are going to put this out on YouTube and other social media, so that God may speak to them through his word in their own language. May many come to a solid understanding of the gospel, and be born-again through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:23)

As we get this channel working, we also have a desire to do the same for the Karenni people here in Central Iowa, and also to reach out to Spanish speaking people.