Getting Creative During Covid-19

 The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted all aspects of ministry. Many churches have been shut down across the country, and also even more going virtual doing Facebook Live church services and having board meetings with Zoom calls. So far, all of our evangelism events this year have been cancelled, including St. Patrick's Day parade, Des Moines Farmers Market, and the Iowa State Fair. It was a huge loss for us Evangelists, and I think most of them would agree, that we all feel a little lost because of it. 

One of such evangelistic outreaches that took a hit this year was the Gideon's International, which I am a part. Each fall we look forward to reaching the major college campuses across our state distributing Gideon New Testaments to thousands of students. Many of these students have never owned a copy of God's Word, and even more come from all over the country, and even the world, to study in Iowa. But this year all but one college distribution were cancelled. 

That one distribution was hampered by many social distancing restrictions, including placing testaments on tables for students to take one instead of handing them out, talking through a mask, and staying over six feet from where students take the book. So how were the results? Last year at this particular campus, 2147 New Testaments were handed out, and in 2018 we distributed 2115. This year, unfortunately, we passed out an all time low of 259. 

We wonder if making arrangements with campus staff, adhering to the COVID rules, and the time and effort it took to lug those boxes across campus, for only 10% of previous years, was worth it all. I believe it was. It could be that 259 students are now seeking a life Christ, understanding the gospel, and surrendering to His will. More than likely this distribution was even more fruitful because those who took a testament had to possibly conquer their own fears and pick it up themselves, not just take it out of guilt, as some do. But even if one person comes to a saving faith in Jesus, what a celebration! Our job is to be obedient and faithful to the call and the distribution of God's Word. 

In the past several months, we Gideon's have had to get creative in sharing God's Word with those around us, without the ability to do mass distributions. This past month, members of my camp met to fill care packages to First Responders in Central Iowa. So, if you think about it, if it wasn't for the pandemic, this new group may have otherwise never been able to hear the gospel. Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." All things work together for good. Even pandemics. 

This year I decided to try something new and was accepted to become a Staff Writer for Got Questions Ministries, answering personal questions about God's Word, Christianity, cults, etc. This has been a huge blessing to the point where I am considering removing my other blog site, Honest Answers.  I have also been sharing Christ on a one-to-one basis having bible studies with unbelievers over the phone. One in particular made it through the Gospel of John without dying [I have studied the Gospel of John with several people, all of whom have died before finishing it]. 

As Christians, we must be willing to change with the times and paradigm shifts to share God's Word. We must be open to try new ways to reach people with the gospel, without compromising Scripture. For God's Word says to be ready in season and out of season (2 Timothy 4:2). If you have any suggestions on how to share Christ during this pandemic, or if you have tried anything in this off-season, please comment below. We would love to hear from you. 

Born Again

The message of the gospel is that a man must be born again (John 3:3)..."born from above" into the family of God by turning to God as a sinner and trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of  sin through the finished work - the "paid in full" sacrifice - of Jesus on the cross, which was the purpose for which he came into this world (John 12:24-27).

I was encouraged recently by this beautiful song by Keith Green. They say it was released a number of years after his death, and it does sound like the type of songs he was writing later in his young life: more focused on God's grace and his power to keep us despite our failures as Christians. It sure ministers to me some days.

 

 

 

I do want to say that Keith's emphasis on God's love in this song can give the impression that we are born again by that love. That is not the case, though: God's love is beautiful and powerful, and I don't want to take anything away from the wonder that washes over us when we think of God's love for us. Rather, God's love motivated him to do something about the problem of sin, and that is why Jesus came to dwell among us and to bear my sin upon himself at Calvary. God's love motivated him to make a way for sinners to be justified. You can check out my post from last year on this topic, and listen to the public preaching message from the Farmers Market at this link: The How & Why of God's Forgiveness.

 

So it is not God's love that covers me; it is the precious blood of Jesus shed for me (1 Peter 1:18,19) because of his love. Thank you Father, that you sent the Son to be the savior of the world. Thank you Lord Jesus for enduring the cross, despising the shame, for the joy that was set before you.

 

Reader, I hope you are blessed by this song. I hope you know the love of God demonstrated in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If not, trust in him today. You won't be sorry.

 

Paul.

Steve Mitchell of FBC & Persecution in the Life of a Christian

I found out today that a brother in the Lord Jesus, Pastor Steve Mitchell, passed from this mortal life on Friday, September 25 into the joy-filled and glorious presence of our Lord (1 Peter 1:7).

Steve was an Elder and teaching Pastor with Fellowship Bible Chapel, and his teaching ministry was an encouragement to me. I have to exercise daily to help manage my COPD and keep my lungs functioning as well as possible, and I try to redeem that time by listening to Bible teaching and preaching via the internet. 

I stumbled upon FBC 3 or 4 years ago, and I typically watch their teaching videos a couple of times a week. This summer, Steve along with Dr. Tim Kennedy started a video discussion series, 'The Last Hour "Entities and Effigies"' that I found really interesting, and was looking forward to the next installment in the series. God had other plans.

I saw today that Steve's next-to-last message on the FBC YouTube channel was on the topic of persecution. I'm putting the link here, and I hope you listen to it and are strengthened by it for the days ahead, however many or few they may be:

https://youtu.be/C0MmVFUkWw0

Persecution came up in my daily Bible reading today as well. I am in Acts 4 in the New Testament, where we see how the Apostles of Jesus Christ were persecuted for teaching and preaching about Jesus and the good news of the gospel. Steve commented on this in the video teaching above.

Over the years of reading through this historical account, specifically vs. 15 through the end of the chapter, I have come to believe this about what happened:

Acts 4:15-21 

15) But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves,

16) Saying, What shall we do to these men? for that indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it.

17) But that it spread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name. 

18) And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. 

19) But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. 

20) For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. 

21) So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people: for all men glorified God for that which was done. 

I can't be dogmatic, but I wrote this in the margin of my Bible: "They probably threatened them with the same fate they bestowed on the Lord Jesus...crucifixion!"  

These religious leaders had just scored a "victory", they thought, although the missing body of Jesus, the curtain in the Temple being rent asunder, and the reports of dead saints being raised put a little rain on their victory parade. How better to threaten Jesus' followers than with his fate? Whatever it was, this persecution of the followers of Christ led them to cry out to God for safety, good health, prosperity.... No, they cried out for boldness to do what he had commanded them to do: proclaim the word of God with boldness! For the power to obey God's will in the face of persecution. Oh how we need that today, and as Pastor Steve mentions in the video, how we will need that in the very near future.

Steve Mitchell has run his race. Amen. I will miss his Bible teaching. Pray for God's comfort for his wife, children and church family. 

We who have trusted in Jesus Christ and are still in this world are still running our race. Paul says "run to win" (1 Corinthians 9:24). As a Christian I pray I may finish well. I want to finish well. But so often I stumble and fall, and I am weary of stumbling and falling. Jesus Christ deserves so much more from my life. But I get up, by God's grace, and get back in the race, following our Shepherd. I think that is a good way for us to pray for one-another especially now: pray for God's children to run the race and finish well. 

Let's do that, and we'll celebrate around the throne of God one day, with Steve and all our other brothers and sisters in Jesus who've gone on before. Paul.

New Seed for Sowing

Finally, my latest batch of Bibles arrived from Christian Book Distributors. I ordered these back in early April, but the Wuhan Coronavirus crisis shut down their Massachusetts warehouse the day after I placed the order.

So thanks be to God we have some fresh seed to sow in our little corner of the harvest field. In these troubling times it is the word of God that people need. What we see happening in our country is the outworking of sin in the hearts of men: the problem is not the color of a person's SKIN, the problem is SIN. This sin is rooted in the hearts of men, and it works its way out in various forms. Jesus said,

"And he (Jesus) said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man."  Mark 7:20-23

What we need is to be delivered from our sin, and that is why we give out the word of God. Everyone needs to hear & understand the gospel, God's "vaccination" for the sin disease, if you will. When a person believes the gospel, trusting in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins, the Holy Spirit of God moves in and begins a work in the heart of man, changing him on the inside that eventually works its way out in his mind (how he thinks) and his actions (how he lives).

Want to stop racism in America? Share Jesus Christ with everyone around you. If you don't know Jesus and are not born again, get in touch with us (see "contact us" in the header bar above). If you do know Jesus, get busy sowing the seed of the gospel: be a "seed sower" here in Iowa or wherever you live in this world! If you want ideas to help, you may get in touch with us as well.

Maranatha!
Paul

These Promises

In my Bible reading today, I was reading in 2 Corinthians 7. I find the first verse is a good thought provoker. So what I'm writing today is really just my thinking out loud over this portion of scripture.

 

"These promises" refer back to the previous verses from chapter 6, that God will dwell in us - those who have turned to the Lord Jesus and trusted in him as Savior: He will be our God, and we will be his people.

In light of this, Paul exhorts us to do something: "...let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh...." This seems perfectly clear to me: we should not live like we used to, loving our sin, enjoying the pleasures of sin this world offers. We are called to live differently when we are born again. For example, see the scriptures in Ephesians 4:22-23 and 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, among many others. So this is understood.

But Paul goes on to speak about the , "...filthiness of ... the spirit...." This is for me the thought provoking part. I wonder, does filthiness of the flesh speak to actions and deeds, and filthiness of the spirit speak to the thoughts and intents of our hearts, what we imagine in our minds or ponder in the secret chambers of the heart? Or, might this refer to improper worship, idolatry, etc.? As I think about this, I get the sense that it is more pointed toward the former rather than the latter. Certainly we need to have our minds renewed, as Paul speaks about in Ephesians 4:23, and also in Romans 12:1-2.

"...,perfecting holiness in the fear of God." The battle is in the mind, and I need the Holy Spirit to use the word of God to change my thinking and take captive thoughts that exalt themselves against God (2 Corinthians 10:5). And I need to let the fear of God, which is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge, to cause me to practice walking in holiness, which is not acting religious or pious but rather separated or set aside as God's personal property. I belong to God now. Jesus Christ bought and paid for me on Calvary's cross, and I am now not to live for myself but for him (2 Corinthians 5:14-15).

I say "practice" because of something Mark Cahill taught me regarding witnessing: he said that anything we are good at takes practice. He got good at basketball because he spent hours practicing basketball. If I want to get better at witnessing and sharing the gospel, I'm going to have to practice. Believe me, I remind myself of this often because there are times I walk away from a witnessing opportunity and feel woefully inadequate.

Same goes for holiness: if I want to live a more holy life as Paul is telling me above, I need to practice. And I think this means, as I yield to the Holy Spirit to lead in my life; as I read & feed on God's word; as I pray to grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18); God will work in me and through me to bring holiness to perfection. And no, I am not tallying about reaching some peak of sinless perfection. Just that Paul by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit challenges me to perfect holiness, and I should take that seriously. Knowing it is not in me to do this, but the God gives the "want to" and the power, according to Philippians 2:12-13.

"Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."

Well, that's what I was thinking about this morning. May God work in our lives so that we might live fully for the Lord Jesus in this life, looking forward to that life that is to come. Let's encourage one another to perfect holiness and let the Holy Spirit lead, guide and empower us to this end.

Maranatha!
Paul

Right Side Up!

Just a quick thought on this Saturday before Resurrection Sunday. My Bible reading plan (that you may download from our Iowa Seed Sowers website) took me through Acts 17 today. Acts 17 is jam packed with really powerful historical fact, but I wanted to share a simple verse and a thought.  The unbelieving Jews set the city of Thessalonica on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring out Paul & Silas to the people (vs. 5). And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also; (vs. 6).

Now, I write notes in my Bible, sometimes just a thought I had when reading; sometimes a quote from a sermon message or from someone's commentary. Someone reading these may not find them significant, but they've been an encouragement to me over the years. The little marginal note (above picture in the small red box) is the thought I wanted to share. It reads, 

"No! This lost world is already upside-down. Jesus Christ turns things right side-up!"

Jesus Christ turns everything right side-up, in our minds as we read and understand God's word; in our lives as we yield to the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us. How many things we believed, thought about, or did in our life before Jesus Christ can we look back on and wonder how in the world we could have thought that or did that? For me, plenty!

Hope that encourages you today.

Maranatha...Paul.

Changes

"...Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God." 

(Psalms 55:19)

This being a leap year, I realized that my daily Bible reading plan goes from February 28 to March 1. So in reading some of the past few days scriptures, I read Psalm 55, and was curious to understand the latter part of Psalm 55.

Adam Clarke writes of this verse:  
"Most of those who have few or no afflictions and trials in life, have but little religion. They become sufficient to themselves, and call not upon God." (Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible).

I started writing this little note on March 1st, 2020. Today is March 20th. How could I have known then that:

• We are face-to-face with a medical crisis in our family
• The world would be gripped with fear regarding the spread of the Chinese coronavirus (Novel Coronavirus or COVID-19) that came out of Wuhan province in China

Maybe I can write more about these later. But for now, like many of you I can attest that I am not sufficient to myself, as Clarke puts it. Afflictions and trials drive me to call upon my God and to rest in his grace. As the Lord Jesus told the Apostle Paul:

"My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness." 

(2 Cor. 12:9)

May our all-sufficient God give you and I his all-sufficient grace as needed; strengthen, comfort, and sustain us as we walk through this life. Amen.

Paul.

 

Warren B Smith - Standing Fast in the Last Days

I really enjoy listening to Warren B. Smith teach, especially on the New Age, so I thought I'd just share a link from one of his YouTube videos. Enjoy.

Warren B Smith - Standing Fast in the Last Days (Calvary Chapel Pastors Conference)

Every

As I was driving home from work last night, listening to a message by Mike Fabarez (Focal Point Ministries) on 91.5FM. A thought occurred to me that I needed to write down. I did so on a yellow sticky note so I would not forget it. Turns out I came down sick in the middle of the night with a fever, so I must have picked up the flu that is going around my workplace. So I am out of commission from work today, and with the Ibuprofen kicking in for a few minutes, I wanted to put it down here. 

Every:

• Failure in my plans, my hopes or my conduct
• Disappointment
• Unexpected or unplanned expense
• Storm of life
• Aggravation
• Betrayal by a friend, or when I fail someone else
• Faithless act, intended or not
• Time something "bad" happens...

...is an opportunity for me to trust God. And so often, I don't. Or at least I go through a pity-party or a temper-tantrum and it takes me a while to recognize what a fool I am. 

Howard McNear was a talented actor on radio and television. I can pick out his voice in old radio shows like Gunsmoke, and Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar. He was  hoot on The Andy Griffith Show.

 

When Floyd the Barber looks into the mirror and declares he's a miserable deceitful wretch, its funny. When I fail to trust God when hit with something; God who has proven Himself over and over again as trustworthy & faithful: I end up looking in the mirror of my heart, and say about the same thing. Only its true, and not funny at all. 

Thank God for grace. And that God's mercies to us are new every morning (Lamentations 3:23). Today I get a new chance to do what I know is God's will for me. He tells me in His word:

"In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."  1 Thessalonians 5:18

Those were the thoughts that went through my mind last night, and that is what I wanted to share.
Maranatha - Paul.
 

Dead People Live

I heard Ravi Zacharias recently in an interview on The Rubin Report on YouTube. Dave Rubin had asked him in a roundabout way how he had come to faith in Jesus Christ. I've hear Ravi tell his story before: how he'd tried to commit suicide by poison when he was 17, how that failed, and he lay in a hospital bed. A man brought him a Bible, and the words of Jesus brought him to saving faith. In this particular interview I heard Ravi say the following, and it is so good it bears repeating. He said something like this:

"People think that Jesus Christ came to make bad people good. But that's not true. Jesus Christ did not come to make bad people good; he came to make dead people live."

 He Came To Make Dead People Live!

What an interesting difference! We do get this wrong, and perhaps that is the difference between mere religion and being born from above. This was the portion of scripture that God used to bring Ravi to that place of repentance & faith: 

 "Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also." 

John 14:19

Mary had an interesting comment: this must be a reference to both the spiritual life we receive when we are born-again by faith in Jesus, as well as the promise that we have of receiving a new physical, eternal body some day in the future; one that will not get sick, grow old, or wear out. In Jesus prayer to the Father he defines what eternal life is:

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

 John 17:3

Here is the link to this particular interview:

https://youtu.be/V8bD7ovxIuc