Author: 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.

Just because you read it doesn’t make it so! I was recently reminded of this in a Facebook post. Someone assumed something to be so because a video was posted. The truth was that there was no truth to the message. The message was being sent to and fro as though it was absolutely true and was, therefore, spreading like wildfire across the internet.

Sadly, this is not restricted to the world. We hear or read something and assume that it’s true because it is coming from what we believe to be a reliable source. But where did they get it? Many things that we hear or read are not worthy to be repeated to begin with, but if we are going to repeat it we should check it out first. Lives have been ruined with a rumor that had no basis in truth. Taking the time to memorize I Corinthians 13 would not be a waste of time for any of us.

Charity suffereth long, and is kind;
charity envieth not;
charity vaunteth not itself,
is not puffed up,
Doth not behave itself unseemly,
seeketh not her own,
is not easily provoked,
thinketh no evil;
Rejoiceth not in iniquity,
but rejoiceth in the truth;
Beareth all things,
believeth all things,
hopeth all things,
endureth all things.
Charity never faileth:

There are few things in this life that never fail. If we find one we should cling to it with all of our heart. It is a sad thing to see a child of God become an investigative reporter spending hours every day trolling the internet looking for something to condemn. We can find something better to invest our lives in. Being a busybody is not glorified in Scripture.

Very soon we will meet at Faith Baptist Church in Shelby, North Carolina for Family Fellowship Week, and then in August, a good number of us will be meeting in Germany for a few days together. I hope all of you in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East will be able to join us for that conference.

May the Lord bless you beyond your dreams as you serve Him faithfully this month.

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.

In recent days, I have been encouraged to see teenagers who are showing a real interest in the Lord’s work. This is a good thing even if the Lord does not call them to a full-time ministry. Perhaps they will maintain that interest as they assume the responsibilities in their local church.

Let’s be reminded that these teens are among those that read our prayer letters when they are posted. If you haven’t been writing with this in mind, please consider injecting something from time to time that exposes your interest in seeing others serving in your part of the world. Around the world, there are great needs, and there is no one more qualified to share those needs than you. Thank you for being a wonderful example for others to learn from in the service of the King.

We are expecting a great meeting with Pastor Goodman and the Faith Baptist Church in Shelby, North Carolina, next month. Family Fellowship Week is my favorite meeting to go to every year. Some of you have not been to the meeting for a number of years. Please look ahead and make plans to get together with us in the not-to-distant future. Brother O’Malley always puts together a theme and sessions that speak to the heart. It is always the third Monday of June and goes through Thursday night. There are sessions in the morning, time off in the afternoon, and a service in the evening. By the way, we eat too!

Pray for those who are preparing to speak at Family Week. We want the morning sessions and the night services to be an encouragement to continue faithfully in the work of our Saviour.

Thank you again for another month of faithful service to the Lord. We pray that the Lord will bless you abundantly with fruit that will remain. If there is anything that we can do to help you, your ministry, or your family please do not hesitate to bring it to our attention.

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.

It has been my pleasure to sit in on many interviews with missionaries through the years. As a result, we have gone through small changes in the questions that are asked, but most of the interview has remained the same. At the end there is one final question that is always asked: “If you change your mind about any of these things will you let the mission know?” We realize that most of the missionaries going to a field for the first time are still developing their thoughts about certain doctrines and practices.

World Wide New Testament Baptist Mission exists to assist Independent Baptist missionaries to get to and serve in the place that the Lord has called them. We are unapologetically Independent Baptist. We do not think that we are the only ones going to heaven, but we are here to serve a very specific group of missionaries. We raise our support from Independent Baptist churches, and we work with missionaries that are going to establish Independent Baptist churches. If, for any reason, you see fit to change your position on this matter you are duty bound to bring it to the attention of the mission.

With all due respect for John Calvin, we are not Calvinists. All of us have friends who have come to that position; however, it is not the position of this mission. Many of us have read the material, and we simply do not believe it. Everyone is asked, “Are you a Calvinist?” Everyone that has ever been accepted as a missionary with WWNTM has answered no. How do I know that since I have not been to every interview? I know that because no missionary who answered yes would be accepted.

We do not agree on every single issue, but on some issues we must be in agreement. Only two are being singled out in this article because they seem to be two of the three issues that are constantly on the front burner. The third issue is the King James Version of the Bible.

Those of us that work with this mission live to serve you, but two cannot walk together if they are not in agreement. Please give yourself to study, pray and serve the Lord in the place that He has called you.

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.

Everyone should be aware that we are having two conferences this summer. If you are going to be in the States in June please make plans to be with us at Faith Baptist Church in Shelby, North Carolina. We met with Pastor Goodman and the Faith Baptist Church some years ago and they did a fantastic job hosting the meeting. We will have a wonderful time of fellowship. There will be great preaching and very good food. Now what else could an Independent Baptist hope to have?! There have been a number of new missionaries accepted with World Wide. Those on furlough and deputation will have an opportunity to get to know one another. Please pray that each speaker will be used of the Lord to help everyone attending the conference.

The second conference will be held in Germany. The last report I saw said that we had sixty-seven people signed up to be there. We have held a European conference a couple of times before, and those times were a blessing. This time we will have people coming from the United States, Europe, The Middle East, and other places hopefully. This will be an opportunity to get to know each other, enjoy services together, and have the pleasure of sightseeing in Germany. We are so grateful to Keith and Julia Klaus for their hard work preparing for the conference. Brother O’Malley is putting the conference together. Pray that the Lord will bless everyone that will journey to this meeting, and that everyone will be encouraged in the Lord’s work.

I want to thank each of you who are faithfully serving the Lord in regions beyond. Some of you have recently started your ministry with great dreams and expectations. Others of you have labored for many years in the work that God called you into a long time ago. Each of you is a blessing and encouragement to so many of us that watch your progress in the Lord’s work.

God is faithful and is capable of doing greater things than we are able to even dream. By the grace of God let us always press forward into the darkness with the Gospel of our Lord Jesus 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.

In June of 1976, I was invited to become an Executive Board Member of World Wide New Testament Baptist Mission. What I knew about missions had very little to do with personal experience. There was no way for me to know what the years to follow would mean to me. The board was, and still is, made up of men that sincerely had a burden to help missionaries get to the mission field. It was the beginning of my understanding of missions, and I was learning from some of the very best. My mentor, Pastor Bill Wingard, began shaping my vision of New Testament missions. Perhaps he did not understand during those days the impact he would have on my life in this amazing journey. Pastor Wingard has not only shaped my understanding of missions, but he is the very heart of WWNTBM. These many years have afforded me so many wonderful years of memories. We certainly have not done everything right, but, once we’ve recognized our mistakes, we have done everything possible to correct them and learn from them.

This year will mark twenty-five years that Brother John O’Malley has served with World Wide. We have great hopes for the future of this work. I have the joy of being in meetings almost every week with some of our missionaries. I have never been more proud of these faithful servants of the Lord. Brother O’Malley is the General Director of WWNTBM. He is doing an awesome job of taking the ministry into the future. Many things have changed through the years. I can remember when it would oftentimes take two to four weeks just to get support to some of our missionaries. Now almost all missionaries can have their support in a day or two. In the past, pretty much everything was done by hand rather than with a computer. However, though many things have changed over the years, many things have not changed. We are still committed to maintaining the policies and practices that we started with in 1971.

I want to say thank you to each missionary, staff member, board member, and supporter for not only making World Wide what it is, but also for propelling it into the future with a determination to change when needed and stand fast on those things that make us who we are. May we all be challenged to be a strong link in the chain that has been forged through the years, and pray with us that the days ahead will be filled with faithful servants through this ministry.

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.

Here we go, working through another year. I hope we all will set things before us to accomplish over the next twelve months. Do you have a plan for reading and studying your Bible this year? Have you targeted some books to read in the weeks to come? Do you need to refresh your prayer list to assist in your daily prayer before the Lord? I’m sure that other things will come to mind that the Lord has put on your heart. We will hit no higher than we aim. Let’s aim to do our best for Christ in all that we do.

Imagine what might happen this year. People who maybe we would never give a second thought to might very well accept the Gospel. There certainly will be people that will trust Christ. There will be baptismal services this year. Among the mission family, there will be new churches established that will take the gospel to the generations beyond us. The possibilities are beyond our ability to think. Think big! Then dream bigger!

Plans are being made for two events that will take place this year. The third Monday in June will be the Family Fellowship Meeting. If you will be in the States that week please put it on your calendar and plan to be with us there. We are also planning to have a conference in Germany beginning August 20. If you are in Europe or the Middle East please make plans to be with us for a few days of wonderful fellowship. We are also hoping that there will be a number of couples coming from the States for those days.

Darleen and I have a very aggressive schedule for 2018. That means that we will again be with many of the churches that support your ministry. Pray with us that we will be used of the Lord in these many services. We desire results that would be to His glory. I pray that the Lord will bless your labor of love.

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.

I pray that you have had a prosperous 2017. This has been a very busy year for us and for that we are grateful to the Lord and His people. This is an appropriate time to reflect on just how good the Lord has been to us, our family, and our ministry. Surely we do that on a regular basis anyway, but there is just something about another year passing that gives us pause to look back while planning ahead. As you consider 2017 did it turn out as you had planned? If it did not, what could you do to make things better in 2018? Give some time to consider your prayer time, Bible study, witnessing, and family time. Even if the past year was all that we wanted it to be, it should only be a step forward to help us grow in the year before us.

Sometimes failure will motivate us to press on to be victorious. Don’t permit discouragement to stop you, but rather commit yourself from this day forward to strive with more conviction to give God your best. Also, success can, at times, make us so satisfied that our dreams for the future are diminished. It could very easily cause us to rest in the past instead of pressing ahead expecting greater things from the Lord. Success could also cause us to think we have reached the apex of God working in and through us without considering that He can reach beyond anything that we can ask or think. May we press on for God’s glory and the good of those we minister to.

It is my sincere prayer that you will have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Enjoy some special time with your family during the holiday season. This time of year would be no more special for us than any other month, but this is the time that we set aside to thank the Father for sending Jesus Christ to die for our sins. He can easily be buried under an avalanche of activity if we are not careful and mindful of the significance of these very special days.

May your ministry in 2018 be as fresh and wonderful for you as it was when you first dreamed of following the Lord into it. The days ahead of you were unknown, but with fear and excitement, you pressed forward. You certainly understand more now than you did then. Ask the Lord to give width and depth to your vision for the future and dream beyond what you can see.

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.

Brother O’Malley and I spend much of our time encouraging church members to give tithes and offerings to the Lord. We emphasize Faith Promise missions in particular. An offering cannot be given to the Lord until the tithe is first given. Malachi chapter three promises that God will open the windows of heaven and bless if we are faithful to give tithes and offerings to the Lord.

I intentionally attempt to never let a day pass without thinking of the hundreds of hard-working people that make my ministry possible. Sometimes I wonder what they would purchase for themselves if they had that money in their bank account. With the exception of my first few years of marriage the Lord’s people have financed my family. The funds that they give me are actually their gift to God.

Your faithfulness to Christ is so commendable that words fail me to express my admiration for you and your ministry. However, I feel the same about those that “stay by the stuff” so that we can press forward with the light of the Gospel of Christ. It is easier for me to be reminded of this multitude of amazing church members because I am with them much of the time. Electricians, nurses, attorneys, mechanics, housewives, doctors and many more support our work. A few can certainly afford what they give, but the vast majority give up something to give willingly to the Lord. In turn, that wonderful gift is passed on to us for the support of our families and ministries.

I want to challenge us to think about them often. Pray that indeed the windows of heaven will be open to them that they might be blessed abundantly for their love for the Lord and His servants.

One question before I go. Do you give tithes and offerings to the Lord? It would be so wrong for us to live and serve on the gifts of others and then be unfaithful in our own giving to the Lord. I’m not referring to paying school bills or ministry expenses. I mean do you tithe and support missions with your money through a local church? God bless you if you do and shame on you if you don’t. You see, the servants of the Lord can rob God also. May it never be said of us.

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.

We hear so many various views about happenings around the world and, especially it seems, in the United States. My guess is that we will have to have more discipline in the future than ever before to keep our minds on the most important thing in our lives. God has given us a specific call to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth. We will always have an opinion about what is happening in our world, but that opinion must never keep us from doing our best in the Lord’s work. When the Lord met with His followers just before His return to heaven He gave them a reminder of their task. They were challenged once again to take the way of salvation to the world. The angels appeared to them with the question, “Why stand ye gazing?” It seems their message was that the disciples knew what to do, now they were to go and do it.

I am not attempting to say that we should not be concerned by what is going on in the world today. But I am saying that our primary interest while we are in this world should be to fulfill our responsibility to carry out the Great Commission at every given opportunity. Many things are going on that could very easily anger and frustrate those of us that hold to Bible truth; however, anger and frustration will not advance the Gospel to anyone. Let’s guard our minds and our tongues as we face the ever-increasing changes with which we are confronted. More often than not arguments drive us to extreme positions.

Go back to God’s call in your life. Ponder the days after He initially unfolded His purpose in your life. Remember how exciting it was to imagine that hundreds of faithful Christians would support your family so that you could carry out that dream. If you find yourself off track, get back on track. If you find that you are still on track, determine that you will fix your heart and mind on completing the path that the Lord has set before you.

We are blessed indeed to have the opportunity to spend our earthly existence sharing the Word of God with a world that seems to be “fainting and scattered abroad.” Find those who are searching for an answer and give that answer to them. Give every effort to avoid getting tangled up in the affairs of this world.

May God bless you, your family, and your ministry as you serve Him faithfully.

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.