Category: From Our President

In June, travelers from all over the U.S. embarked on a journey. Some knew from past experiences, but others did not; this journey would be physical and spiritual.

• Scotland in need of the Gospel.
• Missionaries in need of help and encouragement.
• Travelers in need of an eye-opening cultural and spiritual experience.

These things brought us to Scotland this summer, a land of atheism and agnosticism. See The Harvest took two teams: Team Livingstone and Team Carey. Each team named after a great missionary the United Kingdom produced in centuries past.

 

The goal of Team Livingstone: get a copy of John & Romans through the letterbox (mail slot) of every home in the city of Dumfries, Scotland. Only by God’s grace and strength on our team we accomplished this goal. The goal of Team Carey: invite people to, and hold a week-long revival meeting at Solway Baptist Church, followed by a three-day kids Bible club. Though not without our adversary, Satan, trying to deter us, we accomplished this goal.

Our travelers on Team Livingstone came with determination, knowing they were the ones to hit the streets hard. Without complaint, many of them, if not all, ended up walking around 6-7 miles per day. No easy task, but our people were motivated by the Gospel and saw each door as a family that needs Christ. God can use people with a perspective like that in ways outside of our own strength. We sowed seed, knowing that was our job and our goal.

Team Carey came ready and willing to serve in any capacity needed, whether it was singing, song-leading, preaching, or teaching. Since the services were in the evening, our people participated in a variety of ministries during the day: letterboxing, stuffing literature, and street evangelism. By our group’s testimony, God used this to grow and challenge many team members. The “comfort zone” is where Godly fear goes to die. Our people spent most of their time outside their comfort zones, allowing God to influence them in unexpected ways. Along with daily ministry, travelers learned what it is like for over 15,000 John & Romans, 15,000 salvation tracts, and over 7,000 event invitations to be given out and receive little to no response. During our revival week, we had zero visitors from the community. During our Kids Bible Club, we had zero visitors from the community. This is not because of a failure on our part.

 

See The Harvest Scotland 2024 accomplished what we set out to do, and we left the rest up to God. We showed up for him, and we believe the work put in by our people was not in vain, but rather, exactly what Scotland needed. We put a physical copy of God’s word in every home in Dumfries, giving them a choice to make. I do not know anyone who trashes their mail without first inspecting it. Somebody in each home held a copy of Scripture and a road map to salvation. It could be the only one they ever receive. The United Kingdom was once the epicenter of Christianity, but no longer. We did our part in helping those bringing the light of the Gospel to such a dark nation.

• Over 15,000 copies of Scripture were given out.
• Our host family was encouraged by the fellowship and work that was put in by the team.
• Our travelers left burdened for the people of Scotland and world evangelism.

See The Harvest Scotland, 2024 was a success.

By John O’Malley

“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations” (Psalm 100:1-5).

I grew up in a ministry home. My father and mother served in church ministry and Christian education. At times, they left us kids at home as they tended to ministry duties. When they did leave, they would give us a list of chores to do before they returned. When my parents returned, they expected us to have the chores done.

There were times, as children, we would say we did not understand their instructions. Their instructions were always simple: “Do this. Take care of this. Go here. Pick this up. Handle this.” Yet we found ways not to do those tasks. Upon our parents’ return, we declared to our parents that we did not understand the assignments.

In truth, their tasks were always simple. It was just that, as children, we could be lazy. However, it did not matter if we understood the task. Our parents held us accountable for each task assigned.

The psalmist in this psalm of praise gives seven divine assignments. These assignments are simple. They are easy to understand because the Word of God is not complicated.

If the Word of God seems complicated, it is because we have tried to twist the meaning or because we used tradition to interpret the meaning. Sometimes, because we are lazy, we say the Word of God sounds complicated. The Word of God is easy to understand.

Look with me at the simplicity of these seven action words found in this psalm. The psalmist uses them in successive order: Make. Serve. Come. Know. Enter. Be. Bless.

The psalmist calls us to serve the Lord with gladness. Do you serve the Lord? If you do, do you serve the Lord with gladness? Gladness is an attitude of the heart. The psalmist in Psalm 4:7 speaks of gladness as when the farmer celebrates his harvest. In Psalm 30:11, he states that when his mourning and sackcloth were put off, he put on gladness with dancing. When you serve the Lord, do you have that kind of gladness? The gladness commanded here is first a decision; then it is an expression.

The psalmist calls us to come to the Lord’s presence with singing. How often do you come into His presence with singing? Does it seem you come more times into His presence with complaining and whining than singing? How pleasant it must be to God to hear us sing! Like serving the Lord with gladness is a choice, so is coming before His presence with singing. The darkest hours of our lives can be brightened with our choice to sing. Jesus sang with His disciples before His betrayal. Paul and Silas sang at midnight from prison. When you realize God is awake in your darkest hour and is present to hear you sing, knowing He is listening makes the choice to sing easier.

The psalmist calls on us to know the Lord is God. It seems, at first glance, too simple. You might say, “I know He is God.” But do you? Do you know He is God when the pathway grows dark? Do you know He is God when the way gets hard? Do you know He is God when sickness comes? Do you know He is God when death comes to your family? It is a command. We are to know, at all times, He is God.

The psalmist calls us to enter into His gates with thanksgiving. It seems impossible to conceive that we could be anything other than in a perpetual state of thanksgiving. However, life distracts us from thanksgiving. Doubts and fears rob us of our thanksgiving. Yet it is a command. As we enter the presence of the Lord, we are to do so with thanksgiving. Do you do this?

The psalmist calls us to be thankful unto Him. In the New Testament, Paul calls us to the same task. He wrote to the Thessalonians that in everything, we are to give thanks (I Thessalonians 5:18). The previous command of thanksgiving and this word “thankful” are the same word in the Hebrew language. When we see the word “thanksgiving,” it is an expression of words of praise. Thanksgiving is a testimony offered giving praise to God.

The word “thankful” is the internal gratitude of heart and mind. Our praise of thanksgiving comes from a disposition of thankfulness. Being thankful is a simple command. It is insufficient to just have thoughts of thankfulness when it comes to God. Our thoughts of thankfulness to God must become oral expressions. These expressions of thanksgiving are told to others, told to God, and spoken within our own hearts. Our expression of thanksgiving must come from a spirit of thankfulness. Are you thankful? Do you offer words of thanksgiving to Him?

The psalmist calls us to bless the name of the Lord. The spirit of this word means to bend our knee and express our sentiment of worship to God. The previous two commands of thanksgiving and thankfulness will produce this action. We must tell Him we are thankful. We must give thanks. His name is above every name. His name alone is worthy of our worship. When did you last follow this simple command?

Each of these action words is a task left for you to do. I encourage you to take them to heart. Analyze each command. Make a list of these seven commands. Compare these commands to your life; then evaluate your obedience to them. Ask yourself these questions:

• • Do I make a joyful noise to the Lord?
  • Do I serve the Lord with gladness?
  • Do I come before His presence with singing?
  • Do I know that the Lord is God?
  • Do I enter His gates with thanksgiving?
  • Am I thankful unto Him?
  • Do I bless His name?

John O’Malley

If this article has been an encouragement to you, you can email Bro. O’Malley to let him know.

By John O’Malley

1 Samuel 16:14:    “But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.”

Have you ever walked into a house without a single piece of furniture? Every room seems large without the usual articles that accompany a house. There is a lonely feeling to being in such a house where the owner no longer occupies. You look at it and say, “Something doesn’t look right.”

Saul is undoubtedly a house without furniture. You walk into his life through the pages of Scripture and see no furniture. “Something is not right here,” you say. Yes, it is a house, but it doesn’t look right. You get a feeling of empty loneliness when you look at him. The owner’s belongings have been removed from the premises.

Sad is the day when our sinful choices evict the Spirit of the Lord’s communion with us. The Scripture says, “But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul.”  The Spirit of the Lord was there no longer. He left. How empty the house of Saul’s life became! Today, in our churches, both in the pew and the pulpit, I have seen empty “houses of the heart” in believers. The believer’s “house of the heart” is no longer filled with the Lord’s Spirit. Many go through the spiritual motions, but they are empty personally. No wonder churches gathering for worship in the Lord’s house are empty corporately. There seems to be contentment with the emptiness.

Is the house of your heart empty today? Does the emptiness no longer plague you? Turn to Him. Evict every obstinate way from your heart and seek a fresh filling today of His presence!

John O’Malley

If this article has been an encouragement to you, you can email Bro. O’Malley to let him know.

 

By John O’Malley

1 Samuel 23:15-17 “And David saw that Saul was come out to seek his life: and David was in the wilderness of Ziph in a wood. And Jonathan Saul’s son arose, and went to David into the wood, and strengthened his hand in God. And he said unto him, Fear not: for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee; and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee; and that also Saul my father knoweth.”

January 4, 1991, the telephone rang in my home at 10:45 p.m. The news was unsettling at best. My father had collapsed in his home and was being rushed to the hospital. The next call was the news of his death. The next day, I went to be with my mother and siblings. The day following, a friend of mine, Danny Whetstone, drove over 1,000 miles to come and sit with me. For the next 48 hours, all he did was strengthen my hand in God. Those hours I needed a friend, and God sent me one.

David, the king anointed, was on the run. Saul had relentlessly been pursuing David to take his life. David represented everything Saul used to be and now was not. Recently, David had been in Keilah. When Saul learned of this, he moved immediately to attack. God confirmed in David’s heart that he needed to head to the woods of Ziph. In the woods of Ziph, God knew exactly what David needed. He sent his best friend Jonathan to him.

Odd, isn’t it? Jonathan could find David, but Saul could not. Jonathan walked into the woods and found his friend. Consider this: he forsook his king and his father’s wishes to find his friend and help him. This visit was a precious reunion. David was at a low point. He and his men had been running. Knowing this, God had allowed the heart of Jonathan to be knit to David’s heart in the early days of the palace. So now Jonathan strongly desired to see him.

Jonathan had one thought on his heart: I am going to strengthen my friend in God. Jonathan arrives with his mission clear. Strengthen my friend’s hand in God. Oh, what a transaction of encouragement! What a moment of tender friendship! Jonathan, though unintentionally, set the role of how a friend should respond to another friend’s distress. Look closely at what he did.

• • Jonathan sought to replace David’s worries with the Word of God. (Fear not)
  • Jonathan assured him that his pursuer would not be successful. (…the hand of my father…)
  • Jonathan renewed his hope in the promises of God. (…And thou shalt be king…)

Have you a friend in distress? Has his burden become so heavy that you feel it personally? Well, friend, here is your strategy. Find your friend.  1) Seek to replace his worries with the Word of God. 2.) Tell your friend he will make it.  3.) Tell him that God’s promises are sure.

You know this same David would later have a son who learned well this truth from his father. God would allow him to say, “There hath not failed one word of all his good promise.”

Find your friend today and be a Jonathan to him.

John O’Malley

If this article has been an encouragement to you, you can email Bro. O’Malley to let him know.

 

By John O’Malley

The very words, When God Needs My Help, seem silly.

God is God. He does not need my help, manipulations, or interference in His plans.

God promised Sarah he would give her a son. When Sarah saw what she thought was a delay in God’s delivery of the promise, she helped God. Sarah suggested a plan that sounded right to her.

Sarah’s impatience led her to propose a plan to Abraham, suggesting that their maid Hagar could help with God’s promise. In line with the cultural norms, Hagar became a surrogate for Sarah. However, this was not God’s plan for Sarah to have a son. God’s plan was superior. The consequences of Sarah’s impatience were evident.

Sarah’s plan did not assist God, and God did not require her aid. He needed her to trust in His timing.

We look at this and think how silly Sarah was. Indeed, God did not need Sarah’s help. Her decision to help God brought forth Ishmael. Tensions in the Middle East stem from this decision several thousand years ago.

It’s disheartening to realize that we, as a collective, still fall into this trap. When God’s response appears delayed, we rush to assist Him. The outcome mirrors Sarah’s experience. We grapple with ‘Ishmael problems’ in our lives, families, and ministries.

Could you look around your life today? Do you have Ishmael problems from your attempt to help God? Maybe it’s a purchase you made to help God. Maybe it’s a problem that stems from when you helped God. Perhaps you brought a person in your life into a relationship that you knew was wrong. Likely, you cannot undo your decision; you can only decide not to end up here again.

Remember this: God never needs our help.

Let us not forget the lesson from Sarah’s story. When we take matters into our own hands, we may end up with an ‘Ishmael.’ But when we trust in God’s timing, we receive an ‘Isaac.’

Let your prayer be, ‘God, I will wait on you. I will refrain from trying to assist you again.’

Remember, His promises are sure. His ways are perfect.

Yours for the harvest,

John O’Malley

If this article has been an encouragement to you, you can email Bro. O’Malley to let him know.

 

By John O’Malley

None would ever question our Savior’s kindness. He was kind to the blind, the lame, the stranger, the widow, and the orphan.

Jesus wanted the children to have access to Him. He wanted those the disciples wanted to send away to remain. He wanted the lepers to be able to go home. He wanted the multitudes fed.

Kindness marked His spirit and actions.

John’s epistle reminds us that our love for Him is a reflection of His love for us. Jesus’ words, as recorded by John in his Gospel, echo this sentiment: “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” John 13:35. Choosing kindness identifies me with Christ.

My kindness is not tied to someone else’s activities, attitude, or words. Kindness is a decision to obey and observe the commands in Scripture. Paul wrote to the Ephesians: “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:32

Recently, I was challenged by six rude and unkind people in a row. I judged that they lacked couth. Then, the Holy Spirit convicted me, and I began to think how wrong I was. I thought people here were rude and wrote it off to culture, but they needed Jesus.

Yes, they needed Jesus. But they also needed John to be kind first. Kindness needs no catalyst. Kindness is a choice. Kindness must be my choice.

I wondered how many times I had withheld kindness until I saw how they were going to treat me. Yet, last week, I learned that I must be kind first.

You model Christ in your place of service. Choose to be kind first.

Yours for the harvest,

John O’Malley

If this article has been an encouragement to you, you can email Bro. O’Malley to let him know.

 

By John O’Malley

God recently opened a new door of ministry for my friend. She wrote me about this opportunity and her hesitancy and feelings of inadequacy for the task.

I carefully read her words.

She did not think she was qualified. She did not believe she could do the new assignment. She felt there, indeed, was someone better suited for God’s open door.

Scripture is replete with similar moments for God’s people. Jeremiah, Esther, and Paul come to mind. Jeremiah heard God say, do not say I am a child. Mordecai told Esther, God made you for this moment. Paul’s writings tell us about open doors and adversaries (1 Corinthians. 16:9). He also spoke of open doors for preaching but knew no rest. (2 Corinthians 2:12). Later, Paul spoke of a door but mentioned his prison bonds.

God is in the door opening business. He wants His plan carried out, His purpose fulfilled, and His message delivered. The future of souls lies beyond His open door.

When I replied to my friend who wrote, I said, “God opened a door for you; you don’t have the authority to close God’s open doors.”

Like my teacher friend, you may discover that you have an open door and a heart filled with anxiety over any number of human reactions before you. Beyond the open door at which you are staggering, hesitating, or doubting, there is a God Who sees your horizon; He has prepared the way for you!

Walk. Through. The. Door.

If you wonder if you can trust Him, you can.
If you wonder if He can provide, He can.
If you wonder if He knows what’s ahead, He does.
If you wonder if His plan is better than yours, it is.
You can always trust Him.

Yours for the harvest,
John O’Malley

If this article has been an encouragement to you, you can email Bro. O’Malley to let him know.

 

by John O’Malley

Years ago, I came across a statement by Charles Spurgeon in his Morning and Evening devotional. He repeated the quote in a New Park Street Pulpit Sermons sermon.

The quote helps my mind understand inexplicable situations and human wondering. The quote from the New Park Pulpit series is:

“Remember this, had any other condition been better for you than the one in which you are, God would have put you there. He puts you in the most suitable place, and if you had had the picking of your lot half-an-hour afterwards, you would have come back and said, “Lord, choose for me, for I have not chosen the best after all.”

We, in ministry, can easily allow our minds to wonder in moments of attrition, moments of despair, and moments of difficulty. We wonder, did I miss it? Did God miss it? What is happening?

I don’t know what is happening in your ministry this week, month, or year. But I am sure, had any other condition been better, God would have put you there.

Perhaps your current affliction concerns people, physical health, or financial stability. Whatever your concern about where you are, know this: had any other condition been better, divine love would have put you there.

Yours for the harvest,

John O’Malley

If this article has been an encouragement to you, you can email Bro. O’Malley to let him know.

 

by John O’Malley

Recently, an interviewer asked me:
“What was one of the biggest changes for you as you transitioned from the mission field to directing or helping missionaries and churches in the area of missions?”

My answer:
Missions-work, Gospel-work, and people-work are not about the worker. It is about the One for Whom we work.

Changes are His decision. His changes for me meant He chose to make me better for Him, His work, His glory, and the good of the Gospel.

Phil 1:13-17 teaches two things about changes, challenges, and obstacles: hardships set our determination to the furtherance of the Gospel, and hardships establish our positioning for the defense of the Gospel.

In leadership, whether Pastor, Church Planter, or Missionary Helper, if I know God picked my context, He believes I am capable of the task. How I feel has nothing to do with my responsibility.

The big change? Practically speaking, it was nil.

Yes, geography changed. Yes, accents and culture changed. Responsibility changed. But the work of the Gospel means I am where the Lord of the Harvest placed me. If I spend all my time worrying about how change affects me and not what He is doing in me, then the change becomes my focus.

I don’t want that.

I want to be poised or set for the furtherance of the Gospel and the defense of the Gospel. I am not more significant than the Gospel. I don’t want my hardships to be my testimony. I don’t wish the way people treated me to be my testimony.

My daily questions should be, will I further the Gospel today? Did anything I faced yesterday change me in my defense of the Gospel?
Gospel work is about Him, not about me.

If we fixate on the personal impact of a context or condition, our stories supplant the Gospel. Our message is the Gospel. No matter where He puts us or what He asks us to do. Our story is what He has for all of humanity.

Big changes? My hope is I am changed more into His image and less into my image.

What is your response to change, challenges, and obstacles?
Do they strengthen your resolve?
Do you permit them to advance or further the Gospel?
Do you allow them to solidify your defense of the Gospel?
May God give us biblical responses to changes, challenges, and obstacles.

Yours for the harvest,

John O’Malley

If this article has been an encouragement to you, you can email Bro. O’Malley to let him know.

 

by John O’Malley

Is your mental and emotional state healthy enough to be an effective witness in your community right now? Are you in a good place mentally and emotionally for your family and ministry?

These are questions I ask myself from time to time.

Are you emotionally, mentally, and spiritually prepared for the Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day season? Whether there are holidays upon us or not, it is good to take such inventory.

The emotional distance between family in America and home on your mission field creates mental anxiety. This anxiety can be resolved in Christ and His word. The season between now and New Year’s Day can exponentially magnify this distance. Take heed.

In the spirit of the season of giving thanks and gifts, I urge you to find an hour with the Lord as you enter this season.

• • • Synchronize your mind with the mind of Christ.
    • Set reasonable boundaries for your time.
    • Establish a goal to do one thing with your family that demonstrates their value to you.
    • Take time for your spouse.
    • Choose a passage from the word of God to memorize.

I am concerned for you as a missionary. I am concerned for your well-being and emotional longevity. It is proper to assess how we are thinking, on what we are thinking, and our overthinking, which creates anxiety.

Please consider these matters.

Yours for the harvest,

John O’Malley

If this article has been an encouragement to you, you can email Bro. O’Malley to let him know.