ta ethne

Resources Coming

/ taethne

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

/ taethne

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

/ taethne

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.

FreeJesusMovie.com offer from Voice of the Martyrs

/ taethne

VOM Presents: Jesus He Lived Among Us

In the days of the Apostles, it was dangerous to follow Jesus… Today that danger remains.

Now, in an unprecedented effort to reach the world with the message of the Gospel – and dangers facing today’s persecuted church… The Voice of the Martyrs is offering their feature-length animated movie, JESUS: He Lived Among Us.

This story of Jesus unfolds through the eyes of His last surviving disciple, John the Beloved. Banished to the Isle of Patmos, the Apostle John recounts the incredible and often dangerous story of what happened when Jesus lived among us!

Please help us reach the world with this unique presentation of the Gospel.

Sign up your church today for a FREE DVD copy of
JESUS: He Lived Among Us  FreeJesusMovie.com

PLEASE FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO YOUR FRIENDS

VOM Presents: Jesus He Lived Among Us

Repentance, Replacement and Ministry

/ taethne

In repentance, a person is not only moved by godly sorrow over actions that offend and displease God to confess them, asking forgiveness, but to also turn from those sins. The New Testament talks about replacing those ungodly actions with their godly opposites. Beyond that, though, the New Testament command us to begin ministering in Jesus’ name in that same area. For example, Paul tells those who are guilty of stealing to not only stop stealing but to work for what they want. Then he goes further and commands them to work until they have an overabundance so that they can share with others who are in need. In another example, we are told to let no unwholesome or ungodly, corrupt speech come from our mouth. Then we are told to replace it with what it is good, giving praise and glory to God. Beyond replacing bad speech with good, we are told to use our speech to edify or build up our fellow believers.

This is the essence of true repentance. Merely feeling sorry and confessing isn’t repentance. Neither is simply replacing the bad with good. It is going beyond and changing habits, starting new ones that advance the cause of Christ that show repentance has taken place. When that occurs we get off the merry-go-round of confessing, crying, promising to do better and spending next week confessing, crying and promising the same old things. We are now doing something positive for God’s Kingdom, ministering to others, changing our lifestyle to reflect that of Christ.

How repentant of your sins are you?

Highlights Around the World – #4 Philippines

/ taethne

One ministry we have had the privilege of corresponding with is that of Berean Bible Baptist Church in Binalbagan, Negros Occidental, Philippines. From youth camps to world missions conferences, this ministry reaches out constantly to people who need to hear the gospel. Under the leadership of Pastor Janel Nemeno, they have grown to be shining example of faithfulness. Last year we cried with them as their building burned to the ground. The photos can be seen here: http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/207486_210905172268735_7362425_n.jpg

We rejoiced with them this year, seeing a new building rising from the ashes, due in part to generous donations from fellow believers all across the globe. Pictures of their new building can be seen here: http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/c100.0.403.403/p403x403/560415_414485561910694_2010413349_n.jpg

This ministry never lost a beat during the loss. Services and ministries continued to grow and God has blessed them greatly. A Christian academy and a bible college are just 2 of their many ministries. They have sent out missionaries to start many churches throughout the region from the very beginnings of their church. You can read more about this church here: Janel Nemeno – Info – Overview  Would you continue to pray for this ministry? Lift up this pastor and his family and pray the Lord’s blessings on their commitment to not only sharing the gospel, but also on their commitment to training Christian leaders and the sending out of missionaries.

Companies Ministering

/ taethne

Here at Ta Ethne we salute companies that see their work as a ministry for God rather than for making profit. Not that making profit is wrong. After all, if one doesn’t make a profit, one cannot stay in business. We salute those who see the reason for their business as being a vehicle or platform to extend works of mercy and ministry in God’s name to others. One such business is DaMory Diapers (www.damorydiapers.com). This small business does big Kingdom work. They manufacture cloth diapers, which are good for the environment and for babies. More than that, though, is the fact that they give away new diapers to local crisis pregnancy centers, give discounts to clergy families and discounts to those in financial need. Many times they donate almost as many diapers as they sell in a month. The reason – by sharing with those in need, it builds relationships and opens the door to sharing the gospel.

When a company or business sees itself as an instrument of God’s Kingdom, God blesses them with the ability to continue to impact others. Let us know of other businesses that see themselves as ministers of the gospel so we can salute them too.

Changing a Church’s DNA

/ taethne / 1 Comment

One of our missions here at Ta Ethne is helping churches to change from being missions-minded to becoming missions-active. To that end, one of the resources we offer is The Quest – a handbook that walks a church through the transition process. The Quest has been a huge success, but surprisingly in Great Britain rather than the United States. Could it be that churches in England recognize the problem more clearly than American churches? Or, maybe, are English churches less prideful and more willing to admit their problems and ask for help. Here in the US I run into church after church that believes they are active missionally, only to discover that they mean they give monetary support or take a “missions” trip once a year. A church that is truly missional is active 24/7, 365 days a year in ministering to people all over the globe. They sacrifice, sweat and pray. They change their priorities and their funding to be less about themselves and more about God’s Kingdom. They aren’t worried about adding staff, buildings or making cloned copies of themselves over multiple campuses. They are committed to making disciples across the globe. They are as concerned about people and events in Laos as well as Lincoln, as at home ministering in Florence as in Florida. They look and act different because they are different.

If your church is tired of playing and dreaming of being used by God to actually impact the entire world for Christ, please contact us to schedule a consultation or a seminar. Check out The Quest on Amazon as a starting guide and help to change your church’s DNA.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Quest-Missions-minded-Missions-active-ebook/dp/B0057H30JE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1342717250&sr=8-2&keywords=the+quest+herndon

Newsletter Coming Soon

/ taethne

Work has begun on a newsletter to keep subscribers informed of opportunities Ta Ethne is receiving. This will be a new venture for us, as everything to this point has been funded in house, along with proceeds from the sale of our books, paying for travel overseas, discipleship training materials, etc.  For us, we have reached the point where we will begin soliciting subscribers to a monthly (possibly in the future bi-monthly) newsletter, print or electronic. This will enable us to act on requests from India, Philippines, China and other countries who want us to come and share with them.

We are also setting up on-line donations through PayPal, accessed from our website, http://www.discernmentministries.webs.com.  The website is also undergoing transformation, with an easier book store page and navigation tools. We will also be actively looking for translators for our books and bible studies. We have had such success with translating Is Jesus Enough? into Chinese that we want to branch out into Hindi, Spanish and other languages.

Continue to keep us in prayer as we follow God in this exciting time of transition. Who knows, maybe you will join us as a partner holding the ropes or going with us overseas. With God, all things are possible.