Month: July 2018

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From the Desk of a Friend: Be Filled


Bro. Elwood Hurst has recently taken on the role of Missionary Mentor. He will be writing a monthly article for us to encourage and challenge our missions family. This is his first such article. If it is an encouragement to you, please email him to let him know. You may also visit ebarnabas.org to make an appointment with him for encouragement.

BE FILLED

Ephesians 5:18 “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;”

The reference above is a direct command and a simple one. But it seems frequently misunderstood.  We are in no way to exalt the Holy Spirit above the Lord Jesus Christ, but He is a vital part of our relationship to our God and Savior. Without the filling of the Spirit of God, we cannot expect the fruit that God intends us to bear in our ministry.

In Luke 24:49b, Jesus told the disciples to “…But tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.” Jesus states to the same people in Acts 1:8 that they will be witnesses, “…after the Holy Ghost is come upon you.” We realize that this is primarily referring to the Pentecostal event of the birth of the church. But, the truth still holds that we must be filled by the Spirit of God to be effective in the ministry of bearing witness of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Often, we think we can go on our own until time to deliver a message, witness to a person, or participate in an event. It is good to pray as we begin that work and seek the leading of the Spirit of God. However, we may miss that state of being “filled with the Spirit” if that is the only seeking of the Spirit we have done. That filling involves a process of our turning lose the control of the fleshly nature and surrendering to the control of the Holy Spirit. As with the alcohol drinker, he ingests several drinks before the evidence of the control is known. We need to take action to have the Spirit “filling” us.

1. In being filled, we must fill our hearts with the Word of God and allow its instructions to take hold of our hearts and lives.
2. As the Word of God washes away more and more of the fleshly controlled parts of our lives, the control of the Spirit is more and more evident.
3. We need to spend our time praying and asking God as David did to search us for the unclean areas in our lives. As God reveals those things to us, we must confess and forsake them.
4. The more His Word controls our lives, the more we will be an effective witness and servant of our Lord and the more people will see God in us.

The Spirit of God indwells all who are saved. We long to be the vessel that He not only lives in but is revealed through to others by our witness and light in the world. Could we substitute programs, education, and other preparations for time on our knees and in the Book that God would be more known in our lives instead of our nature and ideas?

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Missionary Mentor

Every missionary knows that the ministry is great! Each missionary knows with great opportunities comes great adversaries, real opposition, and many questions about how to handle the moments of ministry which leave us seeking answers. Every missionary will have moments where they wonder, “Does anyone understand how lonely I get? Does anyone know how hard it is? Does anyone grasp the toll the ministry takes when facing opposition?”

I do not know a missionary who would not like to have a personal Barnabas available to them on their field at a moment’s notice. How wonderful it would be to have on call a trusted, experienced, mission-field-qualified, battle-tested, and compassionate friend!

How precious it would be to have someone who could be on your field in a few hours time to sit across the table from and to whom you could confidentially pour out your heart!

I believe every John Mark and every Paul needs a Barnabas in their lives. No missionary should ever feel alone, afraid, or without advice. When a missionary begins to feel this way it gives Satan an advantage in his life, family, and ministry. I believe every missionary on deputation, furlough, and on the field should have their own personal Barnabas.

Our missions family needs to have available our own “Barnabas on Call.” We need someone who can counsel a missionary about any aspect of ministry. Knowing this need to have a Barnabas on Call, we asked Brother Elwood Hurst to add this aspect of ministry to his role as Mission Representative.

Brother Elwood Hurst understands every aspect of missions. He entered the ministry in 1978. He brings to every conversation a depth of unparalleled experiences. He speaks with a gracious tone and has a gentle spirit. He is a Barnabas to many. He can speak to a John Mark with gentleness. He can speak to a Paul with graciousness. He can love a missionary with a struggle or seemingly insurmountable issues.

Brother Hurst agreed to be available to you with just a few hours notice. He will use our video conference software to meet you, by appointment and at your convenience to offer advice and counsel to you. He will listen to you. He will love you. He will pray with you. He will be a son of consolation to you.

You will not have to leave your field to come to him; he will meet you virtually from his home in South Carolina. You can visit ebarnabas.org to make an appointment for encouragement with Brother Hurst. Brother Hurst will:

• Write each missionary family to check on you and your well-being in ministry.
• Write articles by email and in Headquarter Happenings to share advice and encouragement.
• Connect with you by phone or virtually at your convenience to listen, pray, counsel, and encourage you.

Elwood Hurst is a Barnabas to World Wide New Testament Baptist Missions. He is a gift to us from God. Please pray for him as encourages and brings consolation to all of our missions family.

Email: [email protected]

Visit ebarnabas.org to make an appointment for encouragement.

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From Our President: July 2018

Danny Whetstone

In Ephesians 3 Paul begins by declaring that he is “the prisoner of Jesus Christ for the Gentiles.” He is not using the title of prisoner to demean himself, but rather to make known that he is pleased to be whatever His Lord wants him to be. He is a born-again Jew with a ministry to reach out to the Gentile world with the gospel of Christ.

Note how the Trinity is involved in Paul’s work:

In verses 14-15, “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named….” Paul’s ministry was marked by respect and reverence to God the Father.

In verse 16, “That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man….” Paul also understood the source of his strength and power.

In verses 17-19, “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.” Power tempered with love is a mighty combination for a servant of Christ.

Verse 20 says, Now, with the “fullness of God,” Paul was in a position to press forward in an unbelievable way. He was of the opinion now that he could not possibly dream beyond the ability of God to provide. What do you want to see God do in your life, in your family, and in your ministry? Do we limit God with our lack of faith? Does He want to reach beyond our fondest dreams to accomplish His purpose in reaching a Gentile world with His gospel?

All of this is to be to God’s glory according to verse twenty one. What might God do if He received the glory that He deserves in the church? We have been commanded to preach the Gospel to the world. Our Lord would not have given us this task if it could not be done. Oh that we would reverence the Father, be controlled by the Spirit, and be filled with the love of Christ.

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.

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Prayer & Dates: July 2018

July 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 July. 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.

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From the Memo Board: July 2018

Dates to know

July 30 – Adjusted pay date for those who normally receive funds on the 29th.

August 1 – June financial reports will be due.

August 13 – Please contact us by this date if you will need funds in your account before August 31st.

August 20-24 – Encouragement Conference in Germany.

August 31 – Adjusted pay date for those who normally receive funds on the 29th.

September 1 – July financial reports will be due.

September 3 – The Office will be closed in celebration of Labor Day.

Mark Your Calendars

Now is the time to begin planning to attend next year’s Family Fellowship Week. We will meet June 17-20, 2019, with Pastor Tim Daniel and the New Testament Baptist Church of Kinston, NC. If you are planning a furlough in 2019, please be sure to arrange your schedule so you can attend this meeting in its entirety.  It will begin with dinner on Monday evening and end with the Thursday evening service.  Most attendees plan to depart Friday morning.  It is truly the highlight of the WWNTBM year.

Thank you!

Our Office Staff greatly enjoyed the opportunity to visit with many of you during the recent Family Week. This is our favorite week of the year because we have the opportunity to connect with you in person. Several of you were so gracious to give us gifts, including some we received marked simply as “from the missions family.” Thank you to each of you who participated in this gift. We appreciate your thoughtfulness!

25th Anniversary     

This year’s Family Week included a special recognition of John and Kim O’Malley for 25 years of service at WWNTBM.  We praise the Lord for their faithfulness and for their heart for missions.  The mission gave them a gift, and in addition Faith Baptist Church also took up a collection for them. Here is a note of thanks from the O’Malleys:

Dear Missions Family,

In 1993 when Brother Whetstone approached me about serving with World Wide New Testament Baptist Missions I did not know what the next 25 years held. But, I knew Who would hold us during the next 9,125 days. I know, as long as God gives life and His will permits, He will hold us the next 9,125 days. 
It is a joy to serve the Lord at WW. Kim and I sense your love and prayers. Your prayers and love make us thankful for you. 

Thank you for your kind and generous financial remembrance and the extravagant gift card for Starbucks. I am planning to use the funds for a getaway with Kim. 

Thank you for the privilege to serve you!

John and Kim O’Malley

SERVE Qualities

This year our staff has adopted a new mission statement.  We thought you would like to see our motto so you are aware of what we are striving for each day.  As you consider this, perhaps it is something you would like to implement in your own ministry as well. We pause weekly to remind ourselves of this goal, and to focus on staff and missionaries who have exemplified these qualities during the week.

We serve God’s Great Commission partners so that they can focus on giving and going into all the world. (God’s partners are the Laborers, Leaders, and Givers who participate in spreading the Gospel.)  We are at our best when we are:

S-Selfless
E-Eager
R-Responsible
V-Valuable
E-Exceptional

Form I-9

We have recently learned that Homeland Security requires WWNTBM to have a Form I-9 on file for all of our current missionaries (employees). Typically this form has to be completed in the presence of a staff member.  However, because many of our missionaries are not present in the Kings Mountain, NC, location, we have established a process for those individuals who cannot come to the office to complete this form. You should have received an email detailing the steps needed to submit this. Please complete this as soon as possible so we can get our records up to date. If you have questions, please contact Naomi Torberson. Thank you for your help with this urgent matter!