B.A.S.I.C. NEWSLETTER #170

B.A.S.I.C. NEWSLETTER #170

I Cor.. 16:9  ‘For a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.’
June 15, 2010

Called Home
This  comes from Martin Essien, the son of Pastor E.E.Essien of the NCLC in Nigeria.
“””With gratitude to God for giving him a chance to spend 97 years here on this planet most of that as a servant of His Gospel, I announce the passage of my father Pastor Effiong Ekong Essien Umana Akpan Ekpap  yesterday June 7, 2010.
Funeral service will be announced in consultation with NCLC and the family.
Martin Effiong Ekong Essien
Efa, Nigeria”””
Rev. 14:13 Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord henceforth.  Blessed indeed, says the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!
We thank the Lord for having Pastor Essien serve for so many years on this earth and may the family be comforted with the joyful expectation of the resurrection.
John 11:25  I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.

Prayers
Pastor Paul Panpani of the CLCEA had to go to the hospital after a recent evangelism trip. We pray for his continued recovery. He works among the Masai. His is the Kajiado District of the CLCEA. He has had to go through the churches to combat false teachers who came to draw away the people. We remember how the apostle Paul had to contend with the Judaizers. Pastor Panpani uses a bicycle. Pray the before long he will have a motorcycle.

Take the Task He Gives You Gladly
In the CLC Holy Cross in Phoenix has called its assistant pastor, Michael Gurath, to serve as a missionary in East Africa for a period of six to thirteen months.
As agreed to with the CLC Board of Missions, Michael Gurath would be going as part of the Mission Helper Program.  His base of operation is to be Moi’s Bridge, Kenya.  Nearby is a village, Emmaus Milimani, where a group of people desires to establish a church and school affiliated with the CLC, and Pastor Gurath is to help in this effort.  (Currently 100+ adults assemble for worship on Sundays. They listen to worship services from Holy Cross.  150 children attend Sunday School.)
He will also be available to travel to and serve at other CLC affiliated congregations and schools in East Africa as well.
Pastor Michael Gurath has accepted this call. We thank the Lord for this service to the Lord among our brothers and sisters.

Do the work of an evangelist

(part  2)

We need always to keep Christ in sight as the focus and example.

Is. 42:2 “He will not cry or lift up His voice, or make it heard in the street,” was a prophecy of how He would be humble. We need this humility which was in Christ. This passage does not mean we cannot do open air preaching. Our Lord did that on the mount, on the plain, in the boat. He even tells us we are to proclaim upon the housetops. Mt. 10:27

We seek to have the mind in us which was in Christ Jesus on humility. This is granted to us by His Spirit as we pour over the Scriptures. Jesus did not take glory to Himself, but gave glory to His Father. He was not doing His work for mere show, but to fulfill all for us and to demonstrate who He was for our comfort. He sought not to attract some following in a social or political manner.

He warned of the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees in that they did things to be seen by men. Mt. 6:5 They would go into the streets trumpeting themselves that they might be praised by men. We follow Christ’s example of humility not seeking a following for ourselves. We must decrease, but He must increase. If we look at the two lengthiest evangelizing incidents with the woman at Jacob’s well and with Nicodemus, we see He sought them to know Him as their Redeemer for heaven’s home, not for earthly glory.

As we evangelize let us have this mind of humility in us with Christ as the focus of the proclamation and as the example of the proclaimer. Phil. 2:1-11

Evangelizing Points to Ponder in Prayer

These that follow are in no way exhaustive of all that we should consider. May they act as stimuli to get us more to thinking and praying.

• Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. Lk. 19:10 This is stated after the conversion of Zacchaeus. Would we have considered him one on which to focus? How often today don’t we spend so much time on those already in the fellowship, while those outside – how much effort is put toward them? Remember the parables of the lost coin, lost sheep, lost son.
• Reaching out means to reach out. When Andrew went to his brother Peter, Peter did not know what Andrew knew. Brother to brother.Jn. 1:35-42  When Philip went to Nathanael, Nathanael did not know what Philip did. Jn. 1:43-51 Think also of the reaching out to strangers, would-be enemies, and people you just would not think of or want to reach out to – Lydia, Jailer at Philippi, Cornelius. In I Peter 3:15 we are reminded that the seed is to be broadcast to all. Make a defense to anyone. And how will they call you to account for your faith unless you first have broached it with them?
• We have a great goal put down by Paul as he wrote to the Romans. He did not want to build on another man’s foundation. 15:20 This goal gave expression as he referred to Spain. ‘New ground’ was sought to reach the unreached.
• And then there is Love. We are to love in word and deed. I Jn. 3:18 What greater love can be given that to proclaim the precious Good News of a Savior slain and risen again for our deliverance. And when we talk to people are we interested in them? Do we seek to have points of commonality and contact that we might have a thorough discussion? Do we look for the windows of opportunity to speak? In II Cor. 5:14 we see that Love is the motive that impels, drives, controls, moves us. It is His love for us that we in turn show to others.
• When we proclaim, do we pray before and after speaking? We do all within our power to convey the saving message to others. Like Paul we seek to persuade. Acts 18:4, II Cor. 5:11 We get personally involved with anguish in our heart over people. Rom. 9:2 And we pray that God would work on their heart.
• Are you concerned about making an intentional effort to win(as Paul says) for Christ? In I Cor. 9:19-23 the very use of the words ‘win, save, or gain’ show us the intentional effort.
• In Acts 5:42 with the every day in the Temple and at home not ceasing to teach and preach Jesus as the Christ reminds us that it is a daily thing whether in a formal setting or in an informal setting. In Acts 5:28 it was said that the apostles “filled Jerusalem” with their teaching. At every opportunity and in seeking forums the evangelizing went on and could not be stopped.
• Do we seek a response? Peter said “repent and be baptized”. Paul said “believe”. This is surely evidence of a response desired. Do we carry on as if we seek a response?
• In our evangelism do we expand our opportunities and go on to yet other individuals. The history of the church is one of expansion. From Acts on it continues: 6:7 “And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.” 12:24 “But the word of God grew and multiplied.” 19:20 “So the world of the Lord grew and prevailed mightily.” When we view the history of the church, it gives us confidence to move on.
• We know that God gives the increase. I Cor. 3:5-9 This causes us to commit all to the Lord in prayer. While we do all we can, it is God who produces.

We want to be proclaiming His Good News in season and out of season. There is nothing so great as the Good News of what our Jesus has done. May God allow each of us to do the work of an evangelist.

Apples of Gold in a Setting of Silver (1)
While we would not equate the quotes below with inspired Proverbs, these are gems. Why missions? World evangelism has advanced with inspiring missionary slogans and quotes like these:

“I have but one candle of life to burn, and I would rather burn it out in a    land filled with darkness than in a land flooded with light” — John Keith Falconer“God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supply” — Hudson Taylor

“God isn’t looking for people of great faith, but for individuals ready to follow Him” — Hudson Taylor
“The Great Commission¹ is not an option to be considered; it is a command to be obeyed” — Hudson Taylor
“If I had 1,000 lives, I’d give them all for China” — Hudson Taylor
“God uses men who are weak and feeble enough to lean on him.” — Hudson Taylor, missionary to China
“Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God” — William Carey, who is called the father of modern missions
“To know the will of God, we need an open Bible and an open map.” — William Carey, pioneer missionary to India
“Is not the commission of our Lord still binding upon us? Can we not do more than now we are doing?” — William Carey “The spirit of Christ is the spirit of missions. The nearer we get to Him, the more intensely missionary we become.” — Henry Martyn, missionary to India and Persia
“He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose” — Jim Elliot, missionary martyr who lost his life in the late 1950’s trying to reach the Auca Indians of Ecuador

Pastor Koenig