SHOULDER TO SHOULDER #36 ---- 9/21/98
Posted by: lifeunlimited <lifeunlimited@...>
Encouraging One Another as we "Fight the Good Fight"
TITLE: "Lord, Make Me A Blessing"
Dear Friend:
WOW! Would you believe? ---- the "diet" menu got more immediate response
than anything I've written since beginning "Shoulder To Shoulder" some
ten months ago.
That says a lot!
In fact, I think it says more than I care to have it say.
Anyhow, if you still want a copy, just ask. We're still having good
success with it. Even though we each lost some ground we gained it back
this past week. That doesn't sound right, does it! By gaining a little
weight we lost ground, but by losing the weight again we gained on our
goal. In fact, Jo Ann has basically reached her goal; I'm just 18 pounds
away. It's amazing to me that I weighed 250 pounds in early April. God
is good.
REDNECK LAUGHTER:
Several letters back I included some "redneck" jokes and an attempted
definition of a "redneck". Frankly, I think it left something to be
desired. So, thanks to one of our 1996 Croatia team members Tracy West,
I'm passing the following criteria that may help you determine whether or
not you are a "redneck".
Read on.
You might be a redneck if...
...you think "loading the dishwasher" means getting your wife drunk.
...the Salvation Army declines your mattress.
...you were shooting pool when any of your children were born.
...your school fight song was "Dueling Banjos."
...your wife has ever said, "Come move this transmission so I can
take a bath."
...you've ever given rat traps as gifts.
...you clean your fingernails with a stick.
...you've ever hit a deer with your car, deliberately.
...your mother has "ammo" on her Christmas list.
...you keep a can of RAID on your kitchen table.
...there has ever been crime-scene tape on your bathroom door.
...you consider the fifth grade your senior year.
...directions to your house include, "Turn off the paved road."
...the dog can't watch you eat without gagging.
...your lifetime goal is to own a fireworks stand.
...you think the French Riviera is a foreign car.
...you prefer car keys to Q-Tips.
...you've ever financed a tattoo.
...the gas pedal in your car is shaped like a bare foot.
...you've ever bought a used hat.
...you've ever been involved in a custody fight over a hunting dog.
...you're considered an expert on worm beds.
...you think a subdivision is part of a math problem.
...your stove is on the porch and your lawn chairs are in the kitchen.
...you learned to drive in a monster truck.
...you believe books are bad luck.
...you believe all-star wrestling should be an Olympic competition.
...you believe all-star wrestling.
...you recycle motor oil by moving it from the car to the truck.
...you think a "Thesaurus" was a dinosaur.
...you like to brag you learned to fire a shotgun before you could walk.
...you think Salmonella is an entree.
Well? ---- what do you think? Do you fit the criteria?
SPECIAL PRAYER REQUEST:
As you may remember, Jo Ann and I leave this coming Friday for our
seventh trip to Croatia, and our first venture into Bosnia and the Serb
Republic. I want to give you some detail, so you can pray for us. We
really sense the need for strong prayer for this trip because of . . .
1) The nature of the conference
2) The significance of the region
3) The financial short fall we have experienced regarding this trip
4) The increased threat of terrorism
5) The venture into Bosnia and the Serb Republic for the first time
1. Dates: We leave home Friday, September 25th, and drive to
Independence, MO. Our United flight leaves at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday,
September 26th, traveling to Chicago, London, and then to Munich,
Germany, arriving at 10:30 a.m. local time. Our return is on Wednesday,
October 21st, leaving Munich, traveling to Washington D.C., Chicago, and
back to Kansas City, arriving around 7:45 p.m.
2. Purpose: To encourage, train, and minister to pastors, key church
leaders, missionaries, and other believers in the areas of Forgiveness
and developing a Nation-wide Prayer Movement.
3. Theme: "Restoring The Nations" conferences, consisting of two
intertwined seminars.
1) "Restoring A Nation Through Forgiveness", taught by Jeff Floyd of
Indianapolis, IN.
2) "Rebuilding A Nation Through Prevailing Prayer", taught by me.
4. Sites and Dates: We are doing three conferences during a three-week
period.
1) October 2-3: Sirac, Croatia. Host pastor is Franjo Spicak,
National Director of Every Home For Christ for Croatia and Bosnia.
2) October 8-10: Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzogovina. Host pastor is
Tomislav Dobutovic. Coordinator is missionary Bill Steele.
3) October 16-17: Banja Luka, Yugoslavia. Host missionary
coordinator is Aaron Byrd.
5. Activities and Format: During the conferences, Jeff and I will be
"tag team" speaking back and forth on the two subjects to specially
invited Christian leaders with the intent of ministering to their own
personal needs and also helping to equip them to minister in the same
realms of forgiveness and prevailing intercessory prayer in their
churches and communities.
Our immediate goal is to identify men and women whom God burdens with one
or both of our subject focuses and who will make a commitment to become
leaders in their communities and countries for long-term training,
development of a movement of forgiveness and prevailing prayer, and
utilization of long-term availability from us through future trips and
advanced training resources.
Jo Ann will also be speaking to women's groups in some or all of these
locations.
And, we will be speaking in churches on Sundays and evenings during the
week, ministering through food and clothing distribution, meeting with
civic leaders, traveling to other sites for possible future ministry, and
ministering to pastors and families on a one-to-one basis.
6. Addresses: If you care to write to us, here are some e-mail
addresses through which you can reach us at specific dates. Put our name
in the Subject line so your letters can be directed to us.
1) September 27-30: <[email protected]>.
2) October 7-12: <[email protected]>.
3) October 14-18: <[email protected]
7. The Reason We Do This: Jo Ann and I made our first trip in February,
1995, as part of a four-week trip in which we taught at St. James Bible
School in Kiev, Ukraine, conducted a prayer retreat for missionaries,
made contacts in Budapest, Hungary and Vienna, Austria, and then
ministered at the Life Center in Crikevenica, Croatia to 41 refugees and
victims of the Croatian/Bosnian War, which was still being fought as near
as Bijac, Bosnia, 100 miles from where we were located.
We have averaged a trip every eight months since then. Apart from local
church meetings and this encourager letter, that aspect of our ministry
consumes an extraordinary amount of our time and resources.
Then, in 1997, God opened four passages of His Word to our hearts, and
confirmed this ministry more surely than ever before. Today we are
driven by this ministry, and not a week goes by but what we think of the
work, the need, the suffering, and the many dear friends in that part of
the world.
One of those passages was Psalm 67:7 ---- "God blesses us that all the
ends of the earth may fear Him."
WHY DOES GOD BLESS US:
Have you ever wondered about that? ---- why God blesses us so much?
He doesn't have to, you know.
And, frankly, it certainly is not because of our own merit as a nation,
no matter how honorable and divinely intended our origins.
It is, in fact, a question most people never ask. Those who do, usually
don't take time to hear the answer.
Those who do search for an answer, often arrive at some type of cliche'
or at an extremely superficial answer ---- like, "God blesses us because
we're His children" (which is true), ---- or "God blesses us because He
loves us" (which is also true").
However, I propose a more significant answer. It is the answer God gave
Jo Ann and me in 1997 for why we are involved in eastern Europe.
Frankly, I believe it is the answer for every American.
Why does God bless us? For Americans, at least, I believe the answer is
the same one as for the question, "Why was America founded?".
And, I believe the same can be said of all the western nations.
Why does God bless You?
Because you deserve it? Because you're nice? Because you were born in a
certain place, in a certain status, or to a certain family?
Why does God bless You?
For the same reason God blesses us all; for the same reason God blesses
nations.
Let me share some passages of scripture that I believe answer that
question.
PSALM 2:8.
I was stunned when I saw that passage through the eyes of revelation ----
It is in God's Heart to give the nations to His Son as His inheritance.
"Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Thine inheritance, and
the very ends of the earth as Thy possession."
That verse, however, is preceded by 1. the identification of a question,
2. three conditions that exist, and 3. two divine responses. It is then
followed by, 4. an amazing concluding truth.
1. The Question: It's a question I have asked many times as I have
looked at places like Northern Ireland, Cambodia, Viet Nam, the Korea's,
the former Soviet Union, the ex Yugoslavia . . .
"Why are the nations in an uproar, and the people devising a
vain thing?" (1).
G-o-o-d question!
Well, while I don't have time nor space to develop this the way I have in
my syllabus I'll be teaching in Croatia on developing a nation-wide
prayer movement, I believe it's safe to say . . .
1) God scattered mankind and created nations when man decided it was
time to . . .
A. Do something apart from God ---- "bake bricks and build a city"
B. Have something apart from God ---- "have a tower that reaches
into heaven"
C. Be somebody apart from God ---- "make a name for ourselves"
2) God has allowed nations ("ethnos") to try all their attempts at
fulfillment, using all forms of governing processes; ----and all end up
flawed in some way, and all ultimately fail. God's creation just can't
function properly through man's methods, no matter how sincere. The
creature still cannot tell the Creator what to do.
3) God has also set in place a system of consequence for man's
initial rebellion and subsequent failed attempts to meet His standard.
2. The Conditions that exist are identified (2-3).
1) Arrogance ---- "The kings of the earth take their stand, and the
rulers take counsel together . . ."
2) Independence ---- " . . . against the Lord and against His
Anointed."
3) Rebellion ---- "Let us tear their fetters apart, and cast away
their cords from us!"
There is a natural sequence found here ---- arrogance leads to an
attitude of independence, which leads to the action of rebellion. That
is always the course taken by someone who has chosen to bake bricks,
build his own city, construct a tower that reaches to heaven, and make a
name for himself.
Those characteristics exist today in rampant activity among the nations.
You need but read the latest headlines to see the clamoring for some form
of supremacy and one upsmanship between political entities and ethnic
groups. And, we are soon heading for a showdown.
3. The Divine Response is exhilarating, humorous, but also very
frightening (4-8).
God's Response to the Nations:
1) "He Who sits in the heavens ---- L-A-U-G-H-S !"
2) "The Lord ---- S-C-O-F-F-S at them!"
3) " . . . He will S-P-E-A-K ---- in His A-N-G-E-R . . ."
4) He will " . . . terrify them in His Fury:"
5) And says, " . . . I have installed MY King upon Zion, MY holy
mountain."
God's Response to His Son:
1) "Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Thine
inheritance,
2) "And the very ends of the earth as Thy Possession."
4. The Concluding Counsel is then voiced (10-12).
1) " . . . show discernment, O kings!"
2) "Take warning, O judges!"
3) "Worship the Lord with Reverence" (rather than mock Him).
4) "Rejoice with trembling."
5) "Honor the Son, lest He become angry, and you perish in the way."
6) "His wrath may soon be kindled."
7) "How Blessed Are All Who Take Refuge In Him!"
VERSES FROM REVELATION:
I don't need to comment on these passages. I ask you to imagine yourself
standing high on a balcony overlooking the expanses of heaven as people
of all nations gather around the Throne of the Lamb of God, the One to
Whom God promised the nations as His inheritance.
Listen . . . . .
"Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Thy Name? For Thou alone art
holy; for all the Nations will come and worship before Thee, for Thy
righteous acts have been revealed'." (15:4)
"And they sang a new song, saying, 'Worthy art Thou to take the book, and
to break its seals; for Thou was slain, and didst purchase for God with
Thy blood men from Every Tribe and Tongue and People and Nation. And
Thou hast made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will
reign upon the earth'." (5:9)
"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the
first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the
holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready
as a bride adorned for her husband. . . . And the Nations shall walk by
its light, and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory into it."
(21:1-2, 24)
"He showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from
the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. And on
either side of the river was the Tree of Life, bearing twelve kinds of
fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were
for the healing of the Nations."
GOD'S INTENTION FOR NATIONS:
"Ask of Me, and I will surely give the Nations as Thine inheritance."
(Psalm 2:8)
"And He will lift up a standard for the Nations, and will assemble the
banished ones . . . and will gather the dispersed . . ." (Isaiah 11:12)
"For God so loved the World, that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For
God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the
world should be saved through Him." (John 3:16-17)
"It is expedient for you that one man should die for the people, and that
the whole Nation should not perish." (John 11:50)
It is obvious that God's heart for the nations is filled with much more
love and compassion that is ours. May it be that somehow we can capture
God's heart for the nations, rather than be so self preserving, building
our own little kingdoms in our own little towns.
GOD'S INTENTION FOR THE CHURCH:
"And I searched for a man among them who should build up the wall and
stand in the gap before Me for the land, that I should not destroy it,
but I found no one." (Ezekiel 22:30)
"If My people, who are called by My Name, will humble themselves, and
pray, and seek My face, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their
sins, and will heal their land." (II Chronicles 7:14)
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the Nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit," (Matthew 28:19)
My friend, one of the great failures of the Church as a whole, and the
Western church in particular, is that we have failed miserably to receive
the compassion of God for the Nations. We have forgotten that not only
is the Gospel of salvation for the individual, but it is for the whole
World.
Because it is in God's heart that none "should perish, but that all
should come to repentance", it must also be in our hearts as well. If it
is not, something is drastically wrong with our theology or our vision
---- or both.
With you or without you, it is God's intention that the Gospel will be
preached to every Tribe, Nation, and Kingdom in the world before the
final chapter ends. I would hate to think that you and I were not an
active part of that world wide process of proclaiming the news of
redemption.
"And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the Whole World for
a witness to All The Nations, and then the end shall come." (Matthew
24:14)
"But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him,
then He will sit on His glorious throne. And All The Nations will be
gathered before Him;" (Matthew 25:32)
PSALM 67:1-2, 7:
We can quote the first verse of this Psalm sometimes from memory ---- and
even teach or preach from it. Some churches even use it as a scriptural
benediction to their worship services or for weddings and funerals. Yet
---- I wonder just how seriously we take it ---- or if we even understand
it in the first place.
And, have you ever noticed how easy it is to quote it ---- or pray it
---- totally from a personal perspective ---- inevitably selfishly?
"God be gracious to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us
. . ." "Oh, Lord! Bless us, please!
"We are a needy people ---- we need a blessing!"
"We are a desirous people ----We want a blessing!"
"We are a faithful people ---- We deserve a blessing ---- Your blessing!
Go to it, Lord!"
I really think it's time to read on! Doing so will put that verse in
it's proper frame of reference; for, you see, the writer was not calling
on God to bless him just for the sake of being personally blessed because
he desired it or deserved it. Rather there was a far higher motive in
his heart.
Let's read it in context: "God be gracious to us and bless us, and cause
His face to shine upon us ---- That Thy way may be known on the earth,
Thy salvation among all Nations!"
"Let the peoples praise THEE [not us!], O God; let all the peoples praise
THEE.
"Let the NATIONS [not us!] be glad and sing for joy; for Thou wilt judge
the peoples with uprightness, and guide the NATIONS on the earth.
"Let the peoples praise THEE, O God; let all the peoples praise THEE!
"The earth has yielded its produce; God, our God, blesses us.
[Listen to this!] "God blesses US, [Not so we can be blessed, feel good,
or have an experience ---- or even a testimony] ---- but that . . .
"ALL THE ENDS OF THE EARTH . . . MAY FEAR HIM!"
My friend! God does not bless you and me just because we are His
children, or because we need it, ask for it, or feel we deserve it.
WHY HAS GOD BLESSED YOU?
For one simple reason. It has nothing to do with His love for you or
your performance as a Christian.
Remember? ---- we are called "Stewards"? ---- "house distributors"?
Yet many of us have acted like we own the place!
The whole of the Christian message is not one of only receiving, but also
of giving. Any message of salvation or Christian living that does not
incorporate the sense of duty, action, and obedience is an imcomplete and
highly flawed message that, if followed, will produce a church roster
filled with "pew potatoes" and "bless me club" members who are far more
contented With the Gospel than they are constrained By it (II Cor 5:14).
If that happens, the work of the Great Commission will be carried out
primarily by the pastor, staff, and a few faithful souls who do it by and
large out of loyalty to the pastor, or a sense of guilt and condemnation
if they don't.
The result will most likely be condemnatory and manipulative preaching
from the pulpit, a discouraged and/or angry pastor, a calendar filled
with programs designed to motivate people to involvement and display a
picture of false spirituality and life, and a bevy of members who are
either exhausted, guilt-ridden, or burned out folks who are abandoning
the activities and life of the church to pursue their own interests.
Then the cycle expands ---- the pastor and staff get angrier, the
faithful get wearier, the guilty feel guiltier, and the abandonment
escalates.
Finally, the anger turns to discouragement ---- and even despair. The
pastor resigns the church, hoping for better days, looking for greener
pastures and more productive fields; or ---- he leaves the vocational
ministry altogether, and pursues other things to soothe his pain, provide
for his family, and find some semblance of fulfillment and purpose for
his life.
When the new pastor comes, the honeymoon begins ---- lasts for a few
months, ---- and then the cycle begins all over again.
Friend, is it any wonder that a self-centered, self-protecting,
self-serving approach to God's blessings produces such a consequence? It
should not surprise us in the least.
Have you ever noticed? ---- just how many of the Biblical illustrations
of salvation, life, and fulness of the Spirit are more horizontal than
they are vertical? Our life in Christ is not so much like a container to
be filled as it is a channel to be a conduit.
It's not so much a matter of letting others have the spill over as it is
letting others get the full force of God's love and power like a fire
hose. Jesus described it not so much like a cistern, reservoir, or
containment well, but rather as a Fountain, a River.
WHAT ABOUT MY "JERUSALEM" THOUGH?:
You may be saying, "Bob, I agree with you, ---- But ---- not all of us
can abandon our "Jerusalem" to go to "Judea", "Samaria", and the
"uttermost" ---- not physically, or financially.
"But ---- we WILL be glad to pray! ---- give (if it isn't too much and
doesn't undermine or local programs), ---- and send someone else, of
course."
Having been both a staff member and a pastor, I know full well just how
protective we can be of the resources of time, energy, and money God has
given us, and how we tend to harness most of it into our local programs
and projects.
And, I've heard all the worn-out cliche's ---- "we must build a strong
home base first in order to reach out in world missions" ---- "what about
the people here in our own town [or state, or nation]? We can't abandon
those needs." ---- "God doesn't call everyone to be involved in world
missions." ---- ad infinitum, ad nauseum.
Frankly, since I've personally used those and many more, I feel I can say
---- HOG WASH!
While there certainly may be an element of truth in such statements, that
in no way releases us from the fact that we have been blessed so the
nations of the world will hear the Gospel, and there is absolutely no
argument or excuse that will nullify that fact.
The issue of neglecting Jerusalem by going to Judea, Samaria, or the
world, just doesn't wash. It is not an issue of "either/or" ---- of "one
or the other" ---- and it never was.
Jesus simply said that the starting place of world witness is the logical
place ---- where you are. What better place to begin than in your
Jerusalem? That's a no brainer. After all, the people nearest you and
dearest you are the logical ones to whom you should minister and witness
---- especially within the first six months of your salvation.
But ---- He never did say that we wait there until Jerusalem is saturated
or stabilized, and then we go on. Nor did He ever say that we abandon
Jerusalem for other parts.
It's not a matter of "either'/or" ---- it's a matter of "AND".
This idea that we make a choice between "Jerusalem", "Judea", "Samaria"
and "the uttermost" is another of those intellectualized charicatures and
demonic perversions of the Gospel.
We are to be involved in "Jerusalem" ---- AND "Judea" ---- AND "Samaria"
---- AND "the uttermost"!
The late Dr. Oscar Thompson, professor of evangelism at Southwestern
Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, had the idea. He wrote his
book *Concentric Circles Of Evangelism* perhaps 20 years ago in which he
described this Scriptural concept like a target with a bulls eye and
subsequent rings outward from there.
His final conclusion was that, if we are going to take the Great
Commission seriously, we must see the entire target and must be involved
in every ring. That's what the Great Commission is all about.
"UTTERMOST" IS UTTERLY IMPOSSIBLE!:
You may say, "Bob, it can't be done."
I say it can ---- because I've done it, ---- both as a pastor, as an
evangelist, and as a missionary. It can definitely be done. To think
otherwise is to under estimate the resources of God, the message of
Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit.
A personal example: I went to pastor a small church burdened with a
heavy building debt, and blessed with a small group of faithful diehards
who refused to give up. However, the church had a pretty narrow and
localized view of the Gospel and the work of the Church. Oh, they
believed in missions, but it was purely seasonal and connected primarily
with special denominational emphases.
It came time for one of those special offerings. In the past, the most
they had given was just under $500. This particular year, I began
challenging the people about trusting God to enable them to give in such
a way that it would take a miracle for them to be able to do it.
We set an unprecedented goal ---- $4,000. Some said it was beyond the
possible.
When all was said and done ---- and lots was done ---- 47 people gave
$5,490.00! Up front! Cash on the barrel head!
Following that incredible experience, we started doing things that most
churches five times our size would never try ---- world mission
conferences where we brought in five or six missionaries to speak, food
pantries, giving a complete Christmas to over 40 families one year
(including food, a tree, decorations, and gifts), sending students off to
mission trips, and so forth.
You know what happened? Did our local ministry suffer? Did our budget
collapse?
Not on your life!
When that little group of people saw what God enabled them to do, they
suddenly saw God's miraculous power and His never-failing promises become
real.
And, our local ministry began to flourish. The first thing that happened
was that attendance increased. So did the finances. Then the church set
a goal to get out of debt ---- and reached the goal more than a year
ahead of schedule. Home groups and various forms of hands-on ministry
began to develop. The attitude of "come to us" was buried under the
attitude of "I'll come to you, friend".
Friend! Helping your people develop a world view of the Gospel is not
only Scriptural, but it will put zeal, excitement, momentum, and purpose
in your church, and will put substance to the words and work of localized
ministry!
I believe with all my heart that it's not the local ministry that gives
foundation to world missions; rather, it's a world view of world missions
that gives foundation and substance to your local work!
If you're not using the blessings of God to create a world-wide view of
the Gospel, then your credibility to the local unbelievers will be in
question. You've got to practice what you preach, my friend!
Try it!
Now, you may look at this approach the way some people have viewed
contemporary Christian music, especially scripture songs and praise
choruses. But, ---- when I led my people to learn to worship the Lord
through new and fresh praise songs and scripture songs, I discovered an
unexpected and unanticipated blessing ---- the great old hymns of the
faith suddenly became alive and vibrant to them again, and they sang them
with joy and vigor.
Then ---- all Heaven broke loose! And, when our people learned to truly
worship, God showed up in His power and glory. (That IS what the Bible
says ---- "God inhabits the praises of His people.").
So it will be with a world view of the Gospel. If you'll turn your
people loose to follow you into a world perspective of the kingdom of God
instead of a little localized or denominationalized plot of territory, it
will change the attitude ---- AND the course of history ---- for your
church and your ministry.
Take my word for it ---- I know it will.
So ---- dear friend, Begin praying: "Lord, bless us, that Thy way may be
known on the earth, Thy salvation among all nations!"
"Lord ---- bless us! ---- AND make US a blessing to others!"
LORD, MAKE ME A BLESSING!
That, above all else, should be our prayer ---- NOT "Lord, bless me", but
rather, "Lord, make me a blessing!"
It is certainly true, friend, that, no matter what else you and I
experience in life, God truly does bless us ---- beyond all imagination!
And, ---- He "blesses us that the nations of the world may fear Him."
True, you cannot physically be everywhere all the time doing all things
that need to be done. The need always exceeds our abilities and
resources.
However, you CAN do something ---- You can pray; ---- you can give;----
you can send; ---- you can go.
Just because you can't do everything, don't do "nothing"! (bad grammar,
but genuine exhortation!)
Remember these words? I remember them from my childhood, listening to my
mother's rich contralto voice lifted heavenward, and my Dad's rich high
baritone harmony undergirded by his piano artistry as they led that
little congregation in Springfield, Illinois in this incredible prayer of
servanthood and ministry written by Ira B. Wilson:
"Out in the highways and byways of life,
Many are weary and sad.
Carry the sunshine where darkness is rife,
Making the sorrowing glad.
"Tell the sweet story of Christ and His love;
Tell of His pow'r to forgive!
Others will trust Him if only you prove
True, ev'ry moment you live.
"Give as 'twas given to you in your need;
Love as the Master loved you!
Be to the helpless a helper indeed,
Unto your mission be true.
Refrain: "Make me a blessing. Make me a blessing!
Out of my life . . . may Jesus shine.
Make me a blessing, O Savior, I pray.
Make me a blessing . . . to someone today!"
Dear friend, invest some of God's blessings somewhere in the world
outside your Jerusalem. If you will, I guarantee you that God will bless
you. And when He blesses you, it will again be for the exclusive purpose
of His ways being made known on the earth, His salvation among all
nations, and all the ends of the earth coming to know, revere, love, and
follow Him.
Isn't that what you want for yourself? For your church?
If it isn't, then I would ask, "Why is it not?"
If it is, then I would ask, "What is your next step?"
May God bless you above and beyond all you can ever ask or imagine, my
friend.
A FINAL THOUGHT:
My next letter, Lord willing, will come to you while I'm in Salzburg,
Austria, and enroute to Croatia. I look forward to sending it your way.
I thank God for you, and pray that you will prosper in all you do because
you sought the Lord. I pray that you will be a person that has the
nations in your heart.
In Christ's Bond,
Bob Tolliver ---- Rom 1:11-12
Copyright September, 1998. All Rights Reserved
Life Unlimited Ministries
E-mail: [email protected]
Ph: 417-275-4854
Fax: 417-275-4855
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Hang in there! I'm with you!
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