On a trip to China this little tyke strolled up to say “hello”
- Buildings grow tall in Kuala Lumpur
Weekly Photo Challenge: Growth
Highlights Around the Word – #7 China
We have been working in China since 2005. During that time we have seen villages, who never before had a witness for Christ, not only receive the message but establish churches. From out of their own peoples, they have raised up leaders, sending them to study theology in places far away and seeing them come home and raise up still more leaders. The gospel is spreading rapidly but the need is still great. Simply put, the sheer number of people in China make it a daunting task to give everyone a witness.
We have been privileged to work with some amazing national workers who are both fearless and faithful. One of our highlights has been holding ordination services for 2 church pastors who have started churches in rural villages. Another highlight was an unplanned meeting with a group of believers who were meeting together. We literally stumbled upon them and realized that the song they were singing was Amazing Grace. We joined in, surprising them as they didn’t realize we were in the building. What a joyous time we had praising God together, English and Chinese voices lifted together. Contacts were made and friendships formed.
We have done more work in China than any other country but cannot reveal where or what for their safety. Suffice it to say that we are so grateful for the awesome privilege of working with the amazing believers in this great country.
On the Road to Share the Gospel
Crossing Barriers to Share the Gospel
- Helping to build schools and garner goodwill
Podcast – Why Satan Attacks
Why does Satan want to attack Christians anyway? Learn what the Bible says and prepare yourself to stand firm against our adversary.
Podcast – The Difference Between Spiritual and Godly
Just because something is spiritual doesn’t make it godly. Learn how to protect yourself and your loved ones from counterfeit Christianity
Free Bible Studies
Ta Ethne’s free downloadable resources are now available. Each study will be posted in PDF format. We hope that these studies will assist you in digging deep into God’s Word. Feel free to copy and use it for our personal bible study or group study. May they help you spread the good news of God’s Kingdom throughout the world.
Dominos: A Commentary on Jude Introduction
Dominoes – A Dynamic Commentary on Jude Chapter 1 plus Study Guide
Commentary on Jude Chapter 2
Chinese Edition of Is Jesus Enough?
Highlights Around the World – #6 Rocky Boy’s Reservation, Montana
The Rocky Boy’s reservation in NorthCentral Montana is a wonderfully wild place. Beautiful mountain vistas, sweeping plains, herds of pronghorns and deer – Rocky Boy is truly a beautiful place to visit and photograph. Rocky Boy is also a place where we have a mission church. Our mission pastor for the last 12 years, who has done an amazing job, has retired. With sadness, I helped load his moving truck today as they headed off to the next adventure God has in store for them. We are now in the process of seeking another mission pastor to serve with us.
The people of Rocky Boy are Chippewa Cree, although one can find Flathead, Cherokee, Sioux, Kiowa, Crow and any number of other nationalities represented. The work here is hard, and it takes a person called by God to work with Native Americans. We have been so blessed for the last dozen years that the task of finding a new pastor for the work is daunting. Would you pray for us as we seek God’s will in finding who He wants to partner with us in the beautiful, spiritually needy place?
Free Book Offer
The first 3 donors to Ta Ethne in the month of August will receive an autographed copy of A Heart Hungry for Worship. You can donate through Paypal at our sister site: http://discernmentministries.webs.com. Use the instruction box to request your free copy. Offer may be combined with other donation offers stated in our newsletter and is valid for both new and continuing supporters.
Thank you and God bless your continued support.
Resources Coming
This month will, God willing, see downloadable resources available for our readers use. Both from this site, and from our sister site, http://www.discernmentministries.webs.com, there will be bible studies added on various topics. Sometime in the middle of August, we will make available, free of charge, a Kindle version of our newest book, A Heart Hungry for Worship for a week. When we get firm dates we will post them. If you do not have a Kindle device, you can download a PC version free from Amazon to use on your home computer or laptop. A PDF copy can be emailed also during that time to overseas friends.
More podcasts of sermons and studies will be posted also. We have been asked about posting video teachings and we will be looking into that for later in the fall. When that becomes available it will be posted on our sister site, which has the capability of storing video.
As you can see, it is going to be a busy August. Will you pray about becoming a monthly partner to help us as we grow? Donations are accepted on our sister site. Commit to praying for us and share our podcasts and resources with friends.
Thank you so much for all the support and feedback we have received. May God get the glory and have His word spread to all peoples.
Why You Can’t Disappoint God
One of the cardinal beliefs we hold about God is that He is all-knowing. That means that He knows everything that you or I will ever do. He knows this in advance from the day you were born, stretching into infinity. One of the ramifications of this is that He can never be disappointed in us. Disappointment, by definition, means to be discouraged or saddened by the failure to live up to hopes, dreams or expectations. Since God knows everything we will ever do in advance, He cannot be disappointed by our failures, simply because He isn’t expecting us to do anything other than He already knows we will do.
He knows these things, and yet loves us anyway. We can sadden Him, grieve Him, anger Him – but we will not disappoint Him. This is both exhilarating and sobering. It is exhilarating because I don’t have to carry around a false sense of guilt of causing Him disappointment. It is sobering, though, when I realize He couldn’t expect better from me because He already knew when and where I would fail.
The amazing thing of all this is that is shows God’s grace standing above all. Despite knowing my failures in advance, He still calls me to ministry. He still empowers me. He still loves me.
One of the other things you can’t do to God is surprise Him. That, though, will be a subject for another day. Praise God for His omniscience.
Highlights Around The World – #5 Uganda
Some years ago, when I was teaching at Yellowstone Baptist College, I had the privilege of having Grace Halland in my class. Grace was an exceptional student, with a passion for sharing the gospel and God’s Word. How pleased I was to learn of her plans to follow up Bible school by working with Wycliffe Bible Translators. Grace is now in Entebbe, Uganda, working with the translation teams.
This work is critical. The ability to get God’s Word into the hands of those who need to hear its life-changing message, in their own language, is priceless. I enjoy receiving Grace’s newsletter, as she not only keeps us informed of her work, but also of her life. It is rewarding to see her growth in the Lord, the maturing of her spirituality as she labors for the Kingdom. It is humbling to know that she has given her life to the people of Uganda – not just in translation work, but by adopting children and making a home there. It is satisfying to know that in a very, very small way, I was able to be part of her life, in the time God was speaking to her, calling her to this life of service.
We never know what impact we have on others. We never know how we will influence a person – not just for good or bad, but also in a large way or a small way. God takes all of those influences and works His work in the lives of His children. I am proud of Grace and the work of all Wycliffe translators. I am proud that God enabled me to meet her and spend time with her during her senior year. I do not for a minute take even the smallest part of credit for anything God has done or will do through Grace. It is I that have been influenced by her and her faithfulness.
Lift her up in prayer alongside me. Write to her through wycliffe.org and get to know this amazing person. Look around, God may place you in the path of one of His servants and the relationship you make will be eternal.
ta ethne 