Featured Article: Paul’s Motivation for Ministry

Pastor Mike Renfrow (Trinity Baptist Church in Wilson, NC) shared this devotional in a recent weekly deputation meeting. We pray that it can encourage our entire missions family.

2 Corinthians. 4:1-18 “Therefore we have this ministry as we have received mercy.”

Paul said they weren’t going give up, let up, shut up, or slack off. The Bible has much to say about the matter of fainting.

Luke 18:1 “Men ought always to pray…”
Galatians 6:9 “Let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”
Proverbs 24:10 “If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.”

Paul suffered a lot of opposition, yet he stayed faithful to the task.

Five Things That Motivated Paul:

  1. He was entrusted with a ministry and with a message. 2 Cor. 3:6 “Who also hath made us able ministers, not of the letter but of the Spirit.” Paul realized he had been entrusted with a great task. 2 Cor. 4:5 “For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.” Paul realized his responsibility and accountability to God.
  2. Truth needs to be expounded and error needs to be exposed. 2 Cor. 4:2 “But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.” Paul realized the need for this. If we faint, truth won’t be expounded and error will prevail.
  3. Every man is a sinner and needs a Savior. Every man needs to be evangelized. 2 Cor. 4:3 “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:” Paul said I’m not going to faint because sinners need to be evangelized.
  4. He realized his enablement came from God and not from himself. 2 Cor. 4:7 “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” His strength came only from God. Our enablement is not from ourselves. That is an encouragement.
  5. His focus was not upon the material but upon the eternal. 2 Cor. 3:16-18 “For which cause we faint not…yet the inward man is…look not at the things which are seen…” Paul knew that this world was not his home. He was focused upon eternity.

Paul kept on keeping on for the Lord. We may have setbacks along the way, but we can stand up, speak up, and look up-keeping on for the Lord. As we keep these things in mind, we can be encouraged and motivated in the ministry.

Audio for this devotional can be found here.

Featured Article: William Carey’s Form of Agreement

Below are some excerpts from William Carey’s “Form of Agreement” written in October 1805. Carey and his colleagues agreed to these eleven tenets over 200 years ago. It is amazing how their commitments were foundational to their ministries, and these principles still guide us today. 

The Redeemer, in planting us in this heathen nation, rather than in any other, has imposed upon us the cultivation of peculiar qualifications. Upon these points we think it right to fix our serious and abiding attention.

  • First. In order to be prepared for our great and solemn work, it is absolutely necessary that we set an infinite value upon immortal souls; that we often endeavour to affect our minds with the dreadful loss sustained by an unconverted soul launched into eternity.
  • Secondly. It is very important that we should gain all the information we can of the snares and delusions in which these heathens are held. By this means we shall be able to converse with them in an intelligible manner.
  • Thirdly. It is necessary, in our intercourse with the Hindoos, that, as far as we are able, we abstain from those things which would increase their prejudices against the Gospel. Those parts of English manners which are most offensive to them should be kept out of sight as much as possible. [For example,] we should avoid every degree of cruelty to animals.
  • Fourthly. It becomes us to watch all opportunities of doing good. We are apt to relax in these active exertions, especially in a warm climate; but we shall do well always to fix it in our minds, that life is short, that all around us are perishing, and that we incur a dreadful woe if we proclaim not the glad tidings of salvation.
  • Fifthly. In preaching to the heathen, we must keep to the example of Paul, and make the great subject of our preaching, Christ the Crucified. It is a well-know fact that the most successful missionaries in the world at the present day make the atonement of Christ their theme.
  • Sixthly. It is absolutely necessary that the natives should have an entire confidence in us, and feel quite at home in our company. To gain this confidence we must on all occasions be willing to hear their complaints; we must give them kindest advice.
  • Seventhly. Another important part of our work is to build up, and watch over, the souls that may be gathered. A real missionary becomes in a sense a father to his people.
  • Eighthly. It is only by means of native preachers that we can hope for the universal spread of the Gospel throughout this immense continent. We think it our duty, as soon as possible, to advise the native brethren who may be formed into separate churches, to choose their pastors and deacons from their own countrymen.
  • Ninthly. It becomes us also to labor with all our might in forwarding translations of the sacred Scriptures in the languages of Hindoostan. The establishment of native free schools is also an object highly important to the future conquests of the Gospel.
  • Tenthly. That which, as a means is to fit us for the discharge of these laborious and unutterably important labours, is the being instant in prayer, and the cultivation of personal religion. Let each one of us lay it upon his heart that we will seek to be fervent in spirit, wrestling with God, till He famish these idols and cause the heathen to experience the blessedness that is in Christ.
  • Finally. Let us give ourselves up unreservedly to this glorious cause. Let us never think that our time, our gifts, our strength, our families, or even the clothes we wear, are our own. To keep these ideas alive in our minds, we resolve that this Agreement shall be read publicly, at every station, at our three annual meetings, viz., on the first Lord’s day in January, in May, and October.


From The Life of William Carey, D.D. by George Smith (London: John Murray, 1885).

From the Memo Board: April 2017

Dates to Know

April 1 – February financial reports will be due
April 14 – the Office will be closed for Good Friday
June 19-22 – Family Fellowship Week in Ocala, FL
August 20-24, 2018 – WWNTBM Encouragement Conference in Germany

Doctrinal Agreements

If you have submitted your doctrinal agreement statement, your new card for 2017-2018 is now available for you to download and print from your SecureCloud folder. If you have not yet submitted your annual agreement, please click here, or email Naomi Torberson as soon as possible, indicating that you have read and are still in agreement with our Articles of Faith. If you have questions or concerns, please contact John O’Malley.

Charitable Contributions

Charitable contributions may be carried into future years if they cannot be deducted in the current year because they exceed your adjusted gross-income limits. You may be able to deduct the excess in each of the next five years until it is used up, but not beyond that time. Details of this option are available in IRS Pub 526. We encourage you to discuss this possibility with your tax preparer, as it may be beneficial during furloughs when the Foreign Income Exclusion may not apply.

Amazon Shopping Donation

Did you know that it is possible to support the ministry of World Wide through your regular purchases from Amazon? Simply click here to begin your shopping experience at smile.amazon.com, and then link your account for Amazon to make donations to World Wide New Testament Baptist Missions Inc. Amazon will then donate a portion of their proceeds to the Office.

Vehicle Need

The Boylston’s are in need of purchasing a vehicle for use on their upcoming furlough in late September. If you know of a mini-van or similar vehicle for sale, please click here to contact them with information. Thank you for your assistance!

New Baby!

Congratulations to Michael and Nora Deatrick on the birth of Corban Matthew, who was born on March 18th. He weighed 7 pounds 12 ounces and was 20 inches long. We rejoice that Corban was born healthy and is doing well! Please continue to pray for Nora, as she is still having some ongoing medical issues. The Deatricks are nearing the end of their deputation to go to the Solomon Islands, and are praying about the timing of their departure.

A Day in the Office

These past few months have been full of unique experiences for our Office Staff. We’ve had several of our missionaries visit, and we have also had several off-site trips to visit and assist different churches. If you are ever in the area please come by and see us. We love having visitors! Here are a few pictures.

Our Office Staff with several of the wives of our board members, on a recent trip to Florida. Left to Right: Kim O’Malley, Darleen Whetstone, Boone West, Mamie Bell, Beth Daniel, Naomi Torberson, Bekah Cmaylo, Debbie Krachenfels, Emily Sanderlin

 

Some of our Staff with the Office Staff at Grace Baptist Church of Newport, NC. Left to Right: Bekah Cmaylo, Alecia Robinson, Naomi Torberson, Yuri Wells, Ada Burns, Dorothy Silvera

 

Kristin Stalcup with Baby Timmy and her mother, Connie Roberson

 

Our Office Staff with Adrian and Emma Hendricks

 

Richard and Ann Bibey

 

The Rose Family – Matthew, Rebecca, Esther, Deborah, Hannah, Lydia

 

Ayser Mazahreh & Ghassan Haddad

Prayer & Dates: April 2017

April Prayer/Praises and Special Dates

Click the link above to download a PDF of prayer requests and praises as well as the birthdays and anniversaries for April. Note: You will need to login to SecureCloud in order to view this document. Once you have logged in, click on Files, Shared, then Headquarter Happenings, then scroll to the month you would like to view. This step protects people with WWNTBM in restricted access fields.

From Our President: April 2017

Danny Whetstone

Could it be that we oftentimes do not act like Christ because we do not think like Christ? Paul speaks of three kinds of men in I Corinthians 2 and 3.

First, he talks about the natural man. In I Corinthians 2:14, he says, “…the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” Not only does the world not accept Biblical truth, but Biblical truth is foolish to them. There is no reason for us to be confused by the natural man’s refusal to accept our message if we understand that they operate from the opinion that anything they hear from us will be foolishness. Obviously, these are unsaved people that need to be saved by the grace of God.

Then, in I Corinthians 3:1, Paul speaks of the carnal man. He calls them “brethren” in verse one, indicating that Paul thought they were probably saved. He made it clear that it was his desire to feed them with meat, but because of their carnality he continued to give them milk. In this particular case, he speaks to them as carnal because they decided the direction of the church instead of good men. They would choose their favorite leaders based on their approval of the way they carried out their ministries rather than truth they espoused. Paul said that glory was reserved for the Lord, because He was the One that gave the increase.

Finally, in I Corinthians 2:15-16 he speaks of the spiritual man. Paul said that the spiritual man has the mind of Christ. He wrote to the believers in Ephesus and challenged them to be controlled by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). He follows that challenge with a description of the Spirit-controlled believer. Paul said that believer would have a song, he would have a heart of thanksgiving, and he would be submissive. When the believer allows the Spirit to control him, he can indeed have the mind of Christ. Our lives will produce fruit that can be inspected and will give evidence of who is in control of our minds.

Let’s take time to examine ourselves right now. Are we living as though we have the mind of Christ? If we are not pleased with what we see, this would be a good time to permit the Holy Spirit to take complete control of our lives and the mind of Christ will follow.

May the Lord use you this month to reach the naturally-minded man with the gospel. May He use you to reclaim the believer that is carnally minded. May the Lord help us to be spiritually minded, and to encourage all that are of the same mind.

In His Service,
Danny A. Whetstone

If this article has been an encouragement to you, you can email Bro. Whetstone here to let him know.

The Homegoing of Kari Elwart

Many of you have had the privilege to get to know Tim Daniel’s assistant pastor, Jackie Elwart, and his family at Family Fellowship Weeks over the past few years. Others of you were able to meet them as you traveled through New Testament Baptist Church (Kinston, NC) on furlough or deputation. Jackie, his wife Kari, and their three daughters, Charlotte (10), Audrey (8), & Sadie (6), love the ministry and missionaries, and their enthusiasm and joy have endeared their family to World Wide in a special way.

You prayed with the Elwart family back in 2013 as Kari fought and defeated leukemia for the first time. Then you joined with them to pray for healing again late last year when it was discovered her leukemia had returned. Our prayers for healing were answered when she entered into heaven at 5:06am on Wednesday, March 1.

In the words of her husband:

She crossed the finish line with such grace. Kari went to be with the Lord at 5:06am.

No more cancer, pain, or suffering. She has been eternally healed. We are so thankful for God’s perfect grace, IT WAS AMAZING. She went so peacefully, and she was surrounded by family.

Thank you to each and every one that has prayed for Kari, our girls, and I throughout this amazing journey. We have been so blessed, and we would appreciate your continued prayers.

“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” Psalm‬ ‭30:5



We grieve with the Elwart family and the New Testament Baptist Church of Kinston, NC, while at the same time rejoicing that Kari is with her Savior and in no more pain. Please keep their family and friends in your prayers in the coming days and weeks.

Funeral Arrangements:

  • VISITATION – Friday from 5-8pm at New Testament Baptist Church located at 126 Neuse Rd., Kinston, NC 28501.
  • FUNERAL – Saturday at 10am at New Testament Baptist Church located at 126 Neuse Rd., Kinston, NC 28501. Graveside service to follow at Westview Cemetery

If you would like to contact the family, you can email Bro. Jackie or mail cards to the church:
New Testament Baptist Church
126 Neuse Road
Kinston, NC 28501

So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

1 Corinthians 15:54-58