Category: From Our President

by Gene Krachenfels

We all learn as we go and I am sure each of us have benefited from life lessons worth passing on to others. Many years ago, I had the privilege of serving under the leadership of Dr. James W. Crumpton while with the West Side Baptist Church and Maranatha Baptist Mission in Natchez, Mississippi. One of the most helpful things I learned from him was his description of a New Testament Church. This article is intended to summarize what the Bible says about this subject.

There are many religious organizations calling themselves a church but what does the Bible have to say about this matter? Dr. Crumpton used the following definition to answer the question, “What is a New Testament Church?”
“A church is a body of saved, baptized believers, voluntarily banded together for the purpose of worshipping the Lord Jesus Christ, propagating the Gospel, and edifying the Saints.”

This definition is made up of three phrases with each phrase containing three parts.

1. A Church Is A Body Of Saved, Baptized Believers.

Body of Believers. A person’s idea of a church may be based upon a number of viewpoints. Some believe a church to be little more than a religious entity. Others see a church as a building or place where religious services are conducted. While another group may expect a church to be a social or political organization responsible for the community in which it is located.

However, God’s description of a church involves much more than this. Scripture gives us a three-fold description of the Lord’s relationship between Himself and His Church.

• • • Christ is the Head and the Church His Body.
    • Christ is the Bridegroom and the Church is His Bride.
    • Christ is the Chief Cornerstone and Foundation and the Church is the Building.

This depicts the Church’s unbreakable relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. For the sake of this topic we are only considering the first of the three. The church, among other things, is a body, a living organism.

Colossians 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

This concept is not new to us because we often use the word body to describe a group of persons with a unifying common interest or purpose such as a legislative or student body. A New Testament church is not a dead organization but is alive in Christ, dependent upon Him, and inseparable from Him.

Saved Believers. This phrase, on the surface may seem to be redundant however, the concept of belief, who or what someone believes in, and the extent to which they believe vary greatly. However, the Bible indicates a New Testament church is comprised of born again believers. This distinguishes a church from every other public or private organization in the world. One does not obtain membership in a church simply because it appeals to them or because they like the minister, congregation, location, or some other reason. No, God’s church is for God’s people. When someone is saved, born again, washed in the blood, redeemed, or made a new creature in Christ they become a part of the family of God and He expects His children to unite with the only institution He has ordained for the purpose of their gathering together.

Acts 2:47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

Baptized Believers. New Testament church membership is not only a privilege for the redeemed but is limited to those who have obediently followed the Lord in Believer’s Baptism. There are numerous views as to which is the correct mode of baptism but we believe the Scripture clearly indicates immersion to be God’s choice as it depicts the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the believer’s new life in Him.

Romans 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

2. A Church Is Voluntarily Banded Together.

A Voluntary Collection of Believers. While the gift of salvation is available to “whosoever will” it cannot be forced upon anyone. Nor should someone be coerced to join a New Testament church no matter how sincere the intent. Throughout the ages, God has freely offered His message of hope and forgiveness to anyone willing to accept His gracious invitation. Just as a sinner willing accepts Christ as his or her Savior, so that saint willing chooses to unite with the local church of God’s leading.

Acts 2:41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

A Strong Collection of Believers. When Christians band together as fellow members of a New Testament church they form a bond which is foreign to the world because it is based solely upon love. This bond begins with God’s love for the world, is manifest through Christ’s love for us, and is demonstrated by our love for one another.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
I John 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us.
John 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

This collection of saints crosses all national, ethnic, social, economic, and educational boundaries. It is accomplished through the formation of a unique family of believers void of any bias that would hinder the unity God expects to exist in His assembly. It is not uncommon to find the ties between such church members stronger than the familial ties of one’s birth family. This truth is also evident when the fellowship of believers from New Testament churches in different communities or even different countries, upon meeting for the first time, can exist as though they have known each other for years. We are both brethren and co-laborers within the same heavenly family.

John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

A United Collection of Believers. It is God’s plan for every local assembly to reflect our future home in Heaven. For this to occur, God’s children must learn to commune, work, and worship together as the family He intends us to be. As one body in Christ, a unified group of saints can and should experience a prelude to “Heaven on earth.”

I Corinthians 1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

This unity is the direct result of a congregation comprised of likeminded believers who share not only a common faith but a common goal. Harmony such as this is the outgrowth of sound, Biblical preaching and teaching as to the role and responsibility of church members and their proper response to Holy Writ. God makes no allowance for division and disharmony in a New Testament church and demands it be eliminated from the ranks of the church’s membership.

Romans 15:5, 6 Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:
That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Philippians 4:2 I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord.

3. For The Purpose Of Worshipping The Lord Jesus Christ, Propagating The Gospel, And Edifying The Saints.

Believers Who Worship. New Testament churches, like any organization, have a specific purpose for existing. What makes a church so unique is the basis of our gathering is to worship God. A local assembly meeting for any purpose other than to worship God fails in their primary obligation to Him.

John 4:23, 24 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

As believers, we exist because of Him. He is our light, our life, our strength, and much more. We can never repay the debt of love He paid on our behalf but we can give our lives in devotion to Him. This begins with our daily worship of Him throughout our private lives and continues with our weekly public worship with those of like precious faith.

Romans 12:1, 2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Believers Who Witness. One of the greatest commands the Lord gave us is what we call “The Great Commission.” This is the task of getting the gospel of Jesus Christ to all people throughout the world. This command wasn’t given to Bible Colleges, Mission Agencies, Evangelistic Associations, Hospitals, Orphanages, Christian Businessmen’s Organizations, or any other group apart from the local church. The acceptance of the responsibility associated with this task is a telltale mark of a New Testament church. The primary role of a believer is to glorify God and a close second is to make the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ known to others. This endeavor is to be undertaken, without exception, by every New Testament church; large or small, rich or poor and it is to be accomplished both at home and abroad simultaneously. That we may know how to go about doing so, the resurrected Christ issued a different aspect of The Great Commission in each of the gospels and in the Book of Acts.

The Model John 20:21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
The Messengers Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
The Message Luke 24:47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
The Method Matthew 28:19, 20 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
The Means Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Believers Who Work. Another mark of a New Testament church is the work accomplished in and applied to the hearts and lives of every person who is a part of its membership. It would be of little use to attend church week after week and not benefit from the preaching and teaching of God’s Word. A good pastor and faithful undershepherd of the Lord Jesus Christ will give himself to prayer and study of the Word that he might be right with God and well prepared to break the bread of life to his congregation. Thus the cycle of growth is set in motion; God directs the pastor, the pastor delivers the Lord’s message to the congregation, each saint upon hearing the Word applies it to his or her life, and in turn pass what they have learned on to others that each one may grow thereby.

Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
II Timothy 2:2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

It is our firm conviction putting the word “Church” on a building doesn’t make it one. Nor do we believe linking the word “Church” with a denomination, association, organization, or individual assembly void of what the Scripture describes constitutes a New Testament church. By His design, God has always intended a New Testament church be different from every other organization on the face of the planet. Any entity calling itself a church yet failing to satisfy God’s qualifications for one is fraudulent in its claim and will, in His time, be exposed as such.

Much more could be added to further explain what a church is but we trust this brief overview has been of help to you.

“A church is a body of saved, baptized believers, voluntarily banded together for the purpose of worshipping the Lord Jesus Christ, propagating the Gospel, and edifying the Saints.”

by John O’Malley

“Twenty-five cents, plus all the promises of God!” – Hudson Taylor

Recently I read Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret. Brother Taylor wrote many letters. His words encouraged me, and I believe they will encourage you.

In a letter to a friend:

“Never has our work entailed such real trial or so much exercise of faith. The sickness of our beloved friend, Miss Blatchley, and her strong desire to see me; the needs of our dear children; the state of funds; the changes required in the work to admit of some going home, others coming out, and of further expansion, and many other things not easily expressed in writing, would be crushing burdens if we were to bear them. But the Lord bears us and them too, and makes our hearts so very glad in Himself—not Himself plus a bank balance—that I have never known greater freedom from care and anxiety.

The other week, when I reached Shanghai, we were in great and immediate need. The mails were both in, but no remittance! And the folios showed no balance at home. I cast the burden on the Lord. Next morning on waking I felt inclined to trouble, but the Lord gave me a word—“I know their sorrows, and am come down to deliver”; “Certainly I will be with thee”—and before 6 a.m. I was as sure that help was at hand as when, near noon, I received a letter from Mr. Mueller which had been to Ningpo and was thus delayed in reaching me, and which contained more than three hundred pounds.

My need now is great and urgent, but God is greater and more near. And because He is and is what He is, all must be, all is, all will be well. Oh, my dear brother, the joy of knowing the living God, of seeing the living God, of resting on the living God in our very special and peculiar circumstances! I am but His agent. He will look after His own honour, provide for His own servants, and supply all our need according to His own riches, you helping by your prayers and work of faith and labour of love.”

In a letter to his wife:
“The balance in hand yesterday was eighty-seven cents. The Lord reigns; herein is our joy and rest!”

In a letter to Mr. Baller:
“Twenty-five cents, plus all the promises of God! Why, one felt as rich as Croesus, and sang:”
“I would not change my blest estate
For all the earth holds good or great;
And while my faith can keep its hold,
I envy not the sinner’s gold.”

Fellow missionary and friend, no matter your financial estate today, your “twenty-five cents, plus all the promises of God” are enough. “The Lord reigns. Herein is our joy and rest.”

Yours for the harvest,
John O’Malley

by John O’Malley

The groom looked down the aisle; his bride made her way toward him. The hope of a thousand tomorrows beamed from her eyes. In that moment, the joy of a thousand dreams played out in his mind.

Today they pledge their love and fidelity. They clasp hands and believe they know what love means. Their vows spoke of days to come when their love may be challenged. They will learn as life’s seasons come, and their love will be challenged.

As they age, they will learn marriage teaches love’s dimensions.

• • • Love goes further.
    • Love reaches deeper.
    • Love makes the difference.
    • Love means you care when tired.
    • Love means you show up.
    • Love means you lift.
    • Love means you care again.
    • Love goes the second mile.
    • Love refuses to quit.
    • Love sees.
    • Love speaks softly.
    • Love shares.
    • Love means you listen.
    • Love means you say to each other, “tell me more.”

Showing love, giving love, and receiving love teaches the axiom,
“Love awakens love.”

In your ministry, home, and marriage, when you love the people, your love will awaken love. When you stop loving, you no longer are awakening love in others.

John’s first epistle (4:19) teaches us that Christ loved us first. His love awakens our love. Therefore, we are to love others. By loving others, we will look like our Savior.

We are never more like Christ than when we love others. John 13:34–35

Today, find someone who needs their love awakened by loving them first, loving them most, and loving them longer.

Yours for the harvest,
John O’Malley

by John O’Malley

Grace from God to man is amazing, inspiring, and uplifting. His grace gives us the ability to stand. His grace sustains us. His grace comforts us.

Man is challenged to give grace to others. When wronged, my flesh wants to speak as it wishes, act as it wants, and do as it pleases.

Paul used an interesting phrase in our English Bible. He mentioned to the Corinthians on two occasions that the grace of God bestowed on him was not in vain. He later mentioned that he did not want them to receive the grace of God in vain.

Grace must not just arrive in me, but it must also flow from me. What a shame if we got such grace and never displayed and distributed such grace with any other.

We receive grace like Niagara falls, and we let grace out by the thimble. Perhaps, some do not even show or give grace at all. When I read the Bible, I learn:
• Grace does not retaliate when our dignity is sacrificed.
• Grace does not retaliate when our liberty is threatened.
• Grace does not retaliate when our security is challenged.
• Grace does not retaliate when our property is at stake.
• Grace loves the haters.
• Grace blesses the cursers.
• Grace prays for the users and abusers.
• Grace means I love the hard ones and greet everyone.
• Grace means I look like Him perfectly in my actions
• Grace means I sound like my Father with my words.
• Grace means I look like my Father when I act.
• Grace means I sound like my Father I speak.
• Grace means I respond like my Father.

The following are examples of grace in the Bible. If you could ask the Bible characters below, they would each add to this list above in the circumstances they faced.

Abraham would say: When strife arises, unity is better than strife; give away your rights. Genesis 13
Grace says unity is better than strife, even if it costs me something. When I seek my own and not another, I lose.

David would say: When you can hurt your oppressor or pursuer, don’t. Honor them. 1 Sam 24
Grace respects the anointing of God on a man’s life, even when their prime is past.

Elisha would say: When you can help your enemy, do it. 2 Kings 6:8
Grace remembers how I treat my enemies is more important than what I could imagine I could do to my enemies.

Joseph would say: When God vindicates, love and forgive your enemies — Joseph when he kissed his brothers. Genesis 50
Grace responds with love. It does not grow bitter. When given a moment to retaliate, just love your enemies.

David would say: When your critics publish your failures, tell God and keep moving — David with Shimei.
Grace responds in silence. When my enemies publish bad news, leave it alone. Take time to rest and refresh. Let God avenge. Let him requite how he wants.

Stephen would say: When you are attacked in ministry, keep your eyes on Him; forgive — Stephen with the stoning. Acts 7:54-60
Showing grace means I keep my eyes on Him when assaulted.

When grace influences your life, your world changes, and you change others.

Yours for the harvest,
John O’Malley

By John O’Malley

“And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:” (Deuteronomy 6:6)

I can remember as a boy I owned a toy box. Inside this toy box were treasures to be rediscovered on any given day when the whims of exploration swept across my young mind. On those days of exploration, I would discover Legos, G.I. Joe men and their uniforms, puzzle pieces, binoculars, and much more. Each one had a way of evoking memories of the day I got them. I would then strive to recapture that same emotion in my playing with them again. My toy box was really a box of treasures. I knew I had these toys, but I just had not been using them for a while.

The Lord gave Moses His words. They were His statutes, laws, and commandments. Moses told the Israelites, “these words shall be in your heart.” Consider this precious truth, His word in our heart; what a precious treasure to explore! His word is a lamp to our feet. His word is light to our paths. His word in our heart is the barrier between sin and us. Oh, that we would take the time to explore His word and deposit it in the treasure box of our hearts.

When last did you have a day of exploration in the treasure chest of His word?

Yours for the harvest,

John O’Malley

By John O’Malley

When I read Philippians 2:5, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:” I ask myself, “Am I thinking one and the same with Christ?”

Asking myself this question makes me take an honest inventory of myself.

• Do I think one and the same with Christ?
• Do I feel one and the same with Christ?
• Do I respond to others one and the same with Christ?
• Do I have the presence of mind one and the same with Christ?
• Do I have a one and the same disposition with Christ?
• Do I have a conscience one and the same with Christ?
• Do I have the moral inclination one and the same as Christ?

As I read about the mind of Christ, I see three guiding principles which help me to align myself with the mind of Christ.

Principle One: The mind of Christ always chooses humility. 

There was no assignment beneath Christ. He became a servant rather than choosing the spotlight. He chose humility over honor. He chose obedience over opulence. In humility, Christ became a man and a servant.

To think one and the same with Christ means we must choose humility no matter our place and position in ministry. When unrestrained pride smothers humility in the home, the church, and the pulpit, it hurts us and those around us. Humility is to think one and the same with Christ.

Principle Two: The mind of Christ always chooses sacrifice. 

The work of His Father’s will required incredible sacrifice and death. But, Christ chose the path of sacrifice so we could be made right with God.

To think one and the same with Christ means we do not choose the path of gain. Instead, we choose the path of sacrifice. Sacrifice means something has to die. We should choose to die to ourselves to have the mind of Christ.

Principle Three: The mind of Christ always chooses submission. 

Submission is to choose the low place. The Father chose humiliation to exalt His name. Submission to the Father brought salvation to man, honor to God, and elevated the name of Christ.

To think one and the same with Christ means we choose submission of our will, desires, and aspirations to bring God glory. Submission is not the same as surrender. Surrendering is to cease resisting. Submission means I do not resist, I yield.

Do you have the mind of Christ? When we have the mind of Christ:

• We choose the Father’s will above our will.
• We choose the Father’s work above our work.
• We choose the Father’s way above our way.

Yours for the harvest,

John O’Malley

by John O’Malley

Press Play. Press Pause.

In a digital world, these are familiar terms. Whether in Eastern or Western society, these terms have meaning. Play and Pause allow us to control the timing of what we want to see and hear.

In life, we do not get to push Play or Pause; God does.

God wrote the narrative of our lives. He chose the main and minor characters for the story of our lives. He decided the context for our lives. He set us in our location on the globe. He needs us for Him to get maximum glory.

Job knew God wrote his story. (Job 23:1)

God placed Job when and where He needed him. God chose the characters who spoke in Job’s life. God chose the context of suffering for Job as the canvas on which He would bring Himself glory through Job’s responses and reactions.

Elihu said to Job, “Hearken unto this, O Job: Stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God.” (Job 37:14) When I read Elihu’s words, it is as if he calls Job to see his moment of suffering as God pressing Pause on Job’s life. Elihu called Job to see suffering as a moment to consider God’s script for Job.

It is good for everyone to see that God is working in the pauses of life.

Our context cannot and will not hinder God from working.

God wrote the script of your life. He chose you for the moment through which you are going. He even chose the Pause. Perhaps God chose your Pause for you to consider Him and what he has done, is doing, and can do.

Are you paused for the moment? Look around. Consider God’s work.

Yours for the harvest,
John O’Malley

by John O’Malley

The road of grief often feels lonely. No one gets your grief as you do. Several men and women of the Bible experienced this lonely road. 

Hagar knew grief. She thirsted. She just wanted her kid to live. She found herself in a situation not of her own making. Ishmael was given up to die, but God showed up. So many religious and racial issues could divide, but God still cared about the seed of Abraham. God said, “I see you.” God bore Hagar’s grief.

Job knew grief. He lost all. He wanted to please God, but he wanted a family. What was so terrible about that? Satan brought a plethora of trials to Job — with God’s permission. Job called his companions “miserable comforters.” God bore Job’s grief.

Isaiah knew grief. God chose him as a liaison to His children. God promised forgiveness to His people but consequences if they persisted in disobedience. They rejected God’s offer over and over. Isaiah continually received and delivered bad news. Burden followed burden. No light awaited Isaiah at the end of the tunnel. No silver lining for Isaiah’s lifetime. Yet God spoke comfort to Isaiah and told him of the coming Savior. God bore Isaiah’s grief.

Who was this Savior? A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. This Man of Sorrows wept and sweated drops of blood as He prepared to take the weight of humanity’s sin. He knew His Father would turn away from His Only Begotten. The very people He came to save would spurn Him. Our human minds cannot grasp the grief of our Savior that night.

How did our Savior respond? Surely he hath borne our griefs. Our Savior not only knows and relates to our grief but also bears it. From bearing our sins to bearing our burdens, God carries them in divine love. The rest of the verse says, “Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.”

• • • God bears your grief in rejection.
    • God bears your grief in a loss.
    • God bears your grief when it gets worse.

You are not alone in grief or any other human condition. God bears your grief.

Yours for the harvest,

John O’Malley

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

by John O’Malley

Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. Psalm 46:10

Psalm 46 comforts our souls, resets our fears, and restores our confidence.

Like you, I have taken this psalm and read it to the sick, lonely, and troubled.

I read these inspired words to find the same comfort.

Perhaps in your home, you have Psalm 46:10 on a plaque as a reminder that God will always be more significant than our storms, greater than our troubles in the world, and is Sovereign over the political climate.

Have you thought about what stillness means? Have you ever thought about God’s calling and His command to stillness?

The world is noisy. The noise creates unrest.  The world’s noise brings inner discomfort, stirs our fears, and shakes our confidence.

The Psalmist delivers God’s message with inspired clarity. God calls us to stillness. Yet, what does stillness look like? I asked myself this question and made a note of these:

• • • Being still sounds like silence.
    • Being still looks like rest.
    • Being still seems like doing nothing.
    • Being still feels like waiting.
    • Being still means listening more and speaking less.
    • Being still will not make sense to the world.
    • Being still will not make sense to the enemy.
    • Being still may not make sense to your spouse.
    • Being still means more thinking, less speaking.
    • Being still means more faith, less fear.
    • Being still means waiting without worry.
    • Being still means trusting without being terrified.
    • Being still means God can do it better without me.
    • Being still means God can do it bigger without me.
    • Being still means God can do it beyond without me.
    • Being still means God can do more without me.

As I ponder the art of stillness from Psalm 46 I conclude:

1. 1. 1. God has a plan for my situation.
      2. God has a place for me in my situation.
      3. God has a purpose for me in my situation.
      4. God has a promise for me in my situation.
      5. God has a policy for me in my situation.

Recently, I preached at my home church a message on Psalm 46. You are welcome to watch the message below.

Your leadership in the area of stillness will affect your marriage, family, and ministry.

Yours for the harvest,
John O’Malley

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

by John O’Malley

This past week, I met with nearly thirty pastors from across the Arabic-speaking world who serve in the 10/40 window.

These men will never have their names in a nationally recognized religious periodical. These men will never have their names heralded from a national religious worker’s conference platform. Instead, they serve in anonymity to man but are known to God.

These men and their families know suffering, persecution, beatings, and death, and are acquainted with difficulty.

These men serve where God called them. They serve in places few would go and where no American could easily go. They serve in their homelands.

These men bring the Gospel to places where hostility for their faith abounds from governments, culture, and religious militants.

These men will continue to serve when their churches are threatened with bombings, imprisonment, and loss of all their possessions.

These men care deeply for each other. They strive to help each other in the ministry. They are raising their families in locations we would call extremely challenging, but they call the same locations home.

World Wide missionaries Edgar Feghaly and Mike Ward work with these nearly 30 men. In fact, there are even more men with whom they work whom I did not meet. These men spoke with affection for our two missionaries and our missions agency. These dear National Partners and Associate Gospel Workers expressed gratitude for the help they receive.

These men reminded me of the unnamed people in Hebrews.

“(Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, mountains, and dens, and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:” – Hebrews 11:38–39

Indeed these dear servants of the Lord, known to our God, must be like those of whom the writer of Hebrews wrote.

Yes, some of these men are in hiding. Some serve in nondescriptive locations. These men face an oppressive religious culture, yet they figure out a method to obey the Great Commission. Their townspeople speak of how Islam kills their families, and the Islamic persecution makes them turn to Christianity. Some of these men have been imprisoned, beaten, separated from their families, lost their homes, faced humiliation, and have known personal suffering because of the Gospel.

The men I met told me how they prayed for World Wide New Testament Baptist Missions, the churches who support them, and those in our office who serve them. They asked me to remember to pray for them, their families, and their outreach.

Before the men departed, Brother Feghaly asked me to pray publicly for these dear servants. As these men knelt before the Lord and the congregation of believers, I thought, “The world is not worthy of these beloved servants.”

Dear WW family, you are serving somewhere today. Wherever you serve, remember God sees you. He knows where you are, the sacrifices you make, the distance you are away from your family, and the oppressive religious culture where you serve.

Keep your eyes on Him; His eyes are on you.

Yours for the harvest,
John O’Malley

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