Category: From Our President

by John O’Malley

In recent months, God chose for Kim and me a season which required us to set aside every plan we had to assist Kim’s mom.

Kim’s mother’s had eight surgeries in a matter of weeks to help her overcome a two-inch (five centimeters) tear resulting from a complication from outpatient surgery.

We learned lessons during this season as Kim’s mom hovered at death’s door for many days during her sixty-five days in the hospital.

When going through a difficult time, it is easy to ask questions above our pay grade. We ask God, why? Why them? Why us? Why now? Why here?

I believe asking God is okay; doubting God is not okay.

We are prone to make lists to rehearse with God the credentials of the one suffering. We do so as our objection or protest to what is happening.

Internally, we recite our concerns, rehearse our worries, and desperately ask, “God, what are You doing?” We give God our questions asking why this season of suffering came. We tell God why it should not be the one He chose for this season of suffering. Our fears inform us this suffering is not just. Our faith tells us God is always working His will.

Perhaps during the initial moments of suffering, we are reconciling our will to His will about a new season in our lives and the life of the one suffering.

Solomon, gave his heart to search out wisdom in all which takes place under heaven and to discover the sore travail God gives to men, said: “To every thing, there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

A season is an appointed time for something to occur. God has appointed times or seasons for us to live through for His glory.

When seasons come, God has lessons to learn for the individual suffering. God gives suffering to those who are strong enough to bear it.  (1 Corinthians 10:13)

Because one suffers, it does not mean the one suffering made sinful choices. Job was a perfect man who feared God and abstained from evil. Yet, God chose a seasoning of suffering for Job.

When suffering comes, nobody suffers alone. The suffering’s caregivers, prayer partners, and healthcare partners can observe and learn about God in this season of suffering.

As the son-in-law of the suffering one in our family, God gave me an observation post to this season of suffering. Below are thoughts I learned in this season of suffering.

Seasons of suffering are:

• • • • • for learning about God’s purpose. (Eccl 3:1-11)
        • for observing God’s hand and heart. (2 Chron 16:9)
        • for listening to God’s word. (Psalm 119:71)
        • for meditation and comfort. (Psalm 94:19)
        • for a greater plan. (Gen. 50:20)
        • not just for the one going through the most challenging times. (James 5:10-11)
        • for revealing friendships. (Gal. 6:2; 2 Cor. 1:7)
        • for reminding you of His presence. (Heb. 13:5)
        • for sensing God’s comfort. (2 Cor. 1:4)
        • for preparing me for the next season to comfort others. (2 Cor. 1:4)

We are better when we learn to embrace the season in which He’s placed us. In your season of suffering, whether as the participant or the observer of the suffering, keep listening; keep learning; keep trusting.

Perhaps you know someone who is in their season of suffering. I encourage you to assure the suffering you prayed for them. Remind those who suffer. You are there if they need you.

It is okay if the suffering does not ask you for any help. They know you will help when a specific need arises. Give them space in their suffering and grace when they are silent.

On behalf of Kim’s family, thank you for being here during this season of suffering. As we embrace this season of suffering, your love, thoughts, and prayers comfort us.

Thank 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.

by John O’Malley

2 Samuel 9:1-3

“And David said… Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may shew the kindness of God unto him?”

David resolved in his heart to show God’s kindness to someone of the house of Saul.

David’s mind could have been a file cabinet with folders of bitterness, bruises, blisters, and bad memories. Yet, his heart was a vessel of compassion, looking for another vessel into whom he could pour himself in the memory of his friendship with Jonathan.

David saw himself as an agent of kindness working for God. In memory of Jonathan and devotion to his God, David decided he would show divine kindness to anyone of Saul’s house. Other monarchs sought to eliminate the family of the former royalty, but it was not so with David.

David asked his servants who remained of Saul’s house to whom he could show kindness. Of the many word meanings of “shew,” one synonym stands out. It is the word “accomplish.” David wanted to accomplish kindness in memory of his friend, Jonathan.

Is there someone around you who needs to see the kindness of God today? Someone who needs you, on God’s behalf, to go the extra mile, invest no matter the cost, and sacrifice what’s dear to display the kindness of God?

David showed God’s kindness that day. Will you show God’s kindness this day?

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

The young child descended the stairs. Her heart beamed. You could see it in her eyes. Her sleepiness disappeared as she saw the present. She longed for this gift. The young girl drew pictures of the gift. She glanced at her parents. She dashed over to them to give the biggest hugs and the sweetest of kisses.

The young girl’s dream came true. She wanted a specific gift. The little girl longed for this gift. She prayed for this gift. And today, Christmas Day, her parents gave her the gift.

The spirit of anticipation during this holiday season is in children and adults. We get excited about spending time with others, sharing a favorite meal, or giving a special gift to someone.

Anticipation marks this season. It has from the very first Christmas. Angels appeared to Mary and Joseph. The Angel’s news filled Joseph and Mary’s hearts. An angel spoke with shepherds, which gave the shepherds anticipation as the shepherds heard the news. The glory of the Lord shined around them. Then, a chorus of speaking angels delivered the message the world needed to hear,

“Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace,
Good will toward men.”

Anticipation drove the shepherds to the manger scene. Anticipation brought Simeon and Anna to the temple to see the Lord’s Christ.

Anticipation marks our relationship with God. As servants of the Gospel, we serve because of anticipation. We anticipate the Lord’s return. We anticipate meeting Him who endured and is the Captain of our Salvation. We anticipate the One we only know by His written Word and His presence. We anticipate, like Job, in our flesh, we will see God.

Anticipation carries us through trials. Such spiritual hope sustains us during our absence from Him and gives us hope when the world says it is hopeless.

You anticipate meeting Him, Who is the object of our affection, the center of our attention, and the sole hope for our eternity.

Would you please allow nothing to rob your anticipation of this holiday season? You may have seasonal triggers which stir old fears, kindle suppressed anger, or place the spotlight on some lingering shame of something you still cling to from your past. Christmas is a season of anticipation.

What piques your anticipation this Christmas season?

Click the link below to tell me what this Christmas makes you anticipate.

Merry Christmas!

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

You followed the divine invitation to be right where you are in ministry. You did not know what all God had for you from the moment you submitted to His will for you. But you trusted, and he’s been faithful.

None ever had a full indication of how God would show Himself strong in their lives.

Like the three fishers of fish in the Gospels, God said, I want you to follow Me. Their obedience to follow God gave them three distinct views during their three-year ministry with Christ. Their obedience gave them an opportunity to walk with God, an opportunity to watch God, and an opportunity to work with God.

Your obedience to God’s direction for your life is identical to the three fishermen who became fishers of men. You sensed God’s nudging, and you heeded. Then God continued His work in you.

His direction gave you an opportunity to walk with God. In your life and ministry, you are walking with God. You have His presence, His promises, and His protection, no matter what you face. You have His guarantee of His expected outcome as you walk with Him — a fisher of men.

Right now, because you followed, you watch God in your ministry. Today, He is working in your heart, in the life of your family, and in the homes of your people.

Surely, the disciples took moments to reflect on the things God was doing in them.

If you have not recently taken time to reflect on watching God do His work in you, I urge you to look around and discover or rediscover what He is doing around you, in you, and with you.

As with the three fishers of men, God’s invitation to follow Him was an opportunity to work with God. These fishers worked with each other. They worked within the fishing community. These men knew a camaraderie in life, but now, this calling – His calling – to take on another occupation changed their lives. They would work with God. The same God Who spoke the world into existence will now let them work with Him.

Remember, wherever you serve, God is working. He is always working out His plan.

Yours for the harvest,
John O’Malley

by John O’Malley

I purchased several books from eBay. The seller included a free book which became more valuable to me than the books I bought. The booklet is A Foreign Missionary Workers’ Manual*.

I read this selection, and I thought of you this month where you are. I thought about the global sickness and fatigue from the pandemic, the challenges you face, the sufferings you have endured while preaching the Gospel in the place you serve.

I drew strength from a selection in the manual entitled: Onward Christian Soldiers.

A fourteen-year-old Japanese girl who had only recently found the Lord came into the missionary telling of her desire to take the message of salvation to her loved ones at home.

On inquiry, the missionary found that her home was two hundred miles away over the mountains and that the girl had no other way to cover the distance than to walk. She insisted, however, upon going and was anxious the missionary lady should accompany her.

They started, and even after a steady tramp for a long distance, the Japanese girl did not care to stop. “We must hurry,” she would say, “they might die before we get there.”

Many more weary miles were placed behind them, and noticing that the girl’s feet were bleeding and sore, the missionary insisted that the convert should go no further, without rest.

Resting but briefly, they continued the journey until finally both travelers fell exhausted on the mountainside. At the missionary’s statement, “We cannot go any farther,” the girl looked up and said, “Can’t you sing ‘Onward, Christian Soldiers?’”

The song finished, the little girl asked, “Missionary do you think that the people in America will think that I love Jesus as much as they do?” At last, the home was reached, the story was told, and the family joyfully found the Lord.

Do you, an American, love Jesus as much as the Japanese girl?

I saw these lessons from this fourteen-year-old girl:
1.   I must not lose my passion for souls.
2.   No distance is too great when it comes to delivering the Gospel.
3.   When I feel I cannot go on, I can.
4.   The people I serve have much to teach me about my walk, faith, and passion for the Gospel.

Do you have a lesson that sticks out to you? Please email me and tell me what lessons you drew from this illustration.

Yours for the harvest,
John O’Malley

*A Foreign Missionary Workers’ Manual
The Pilgrim House
Indianapolis, Indiana
Published in 1947

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

by John O’Malley

Recently, I led a team of people on a See The Harvest trip to Boston and the greater New England area. We visited several ministries, met with a dozen pastors, and delivered the Gospel in public and private settings.

As I met with the spiritual leaders in this area, they reminded me of our duty to get the Gospel to the regions beyond and the regions close at hand. I saw the vacuum of the Gospel in the region.

In your place of service, you regularly see what happens to society and culture where a Gospel vacuum exists. Yes, America, especially the areas we went to, needs the Gospel.

Where you are, the people need the Gospel.

Thank you for being where you are doing what you do. You serve in unreached places amongst an untold people. Thank you for serving the cause of the Gospel.

As I met with these church planters, they reminded me of the emotional toll the ministry can take when serving in isolation or remote from other servants. These men and their wives serve the Lord in a place where few may even remember they are there.

God remembers the place He called you. God remembers your service to Him done, perhaps in isolation, in a place where Christ is not named. You are not alone.

You are seen by the all-seeing God. You are known by the all-knowing God. You are valued by the all-loving God.

Please remember your service to Christ matters. You matter to us at World Wide New Testament Baptist Missions. You make the difference between Heaven and Hell for your community.

As we enter the last third of the year, be faithful, be strong, and be true to God’s calling.

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

Dear Missions Family,

While reading a commentary on Romans, I thought to share this account from Donald Grey Barnhouse, onetime pastor of the Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia. He was told a story by a missionary in western Africa. The account illustrates the heart of one gripped by a passion for spreading the gospel.

“It seems that an African man who had become a radiant Christian believer was also afflicted by the dreaded elephantiasis disease. This loathsome condition hardens and enlarges the flesh of the lower legs and feet so that they often appear as solid columns of flesh from the knees down, sometimes twelve to fifteen inches in diameter. It is a painful and restrictive condition, making simple walking a laborious challenge. But the man was so appreciative of the grace of God that had come into his life that he thought nothing of the pain of his condition. He went from hut to hut in his west African village, sharing the good news of the gospel, knowing that none could believe unless they heard the gospel. He shuffled and hobbled on his afflicted limbs day after day until all had heard the good news.

Once he had evangelized his entire village, he began a painful, daily trek to a village two miles distant, not being able to bear the thought that some were there who had not heard the gospel of the grace of God. He would start early in the morning and walk to the nearby village, go from hut to hut, then walk home. This process he repeated until every hut in that village had received the good news of the gospel.

With no one else to tell about Christ, he asked his pastor and the missionary about going to the next closest village, a larger village located ten miles from his own. They both discouraged him from considering the journey, given his condition. But one day, his relatives awoke to find him gone. It was not until later that the full story came out, related by the inhabitants of the distant village.

It took him until noon to traverse the ten-mile distance to the village, and when he arrived, his leathery stumps were bloody and swollen. Not wasting time even to eat, he spent the rest of the day in the village going from hut to hut telling people about the grace of God. The sun was setting when he set out for his own village. Somehow he made it through the pitch-black jungle, falling upon the missionary’s porch at midnight. The missionary, who was also a doctor, summoned help and they lifted the poor, semi-conscious man into the dispensary. The doctor related later how his own tears mingled with the salve with which he bathed the beautiful feet of this wounded gospel messenger. Without counting the cost to himself, this man lived out the word of the apostle Paul in Romans 10:14-16. Feet that in the eyes of the world could best be described as horrific had become the beautiful feet of one who brings the good news.”

When I read this account, I thought of you and your work in the gospel.

Thank you for going to the next village. Thank you for going the extra mile for the sake of the Gospel and His name’s sake. Thank you for bringing the gospel to where Christ is not named.

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

“Could you thank Me for trusting you with this experience even if I never tell you why?”

Dear Missions Family,

I read this account while studying for a series of lectures on PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).

Below is the testimony of a missionary, Dr. Helen Roseveare.

“Dr. Helen Roseveare is no stranger to terror. This medical missionary lived in the Congo for over 12 years. Then one day she experienced the trauma of her life. During a time of severe disunity between the blacks and the whites, a civil uprising erupted.

Why? Oh God, why? The why in life is the most common question of all…especially during a time of terror.

During a 10 week siege, thousands of black natives were butchered. As a result, the whites became enemies of the blacks, and 27 missionaries were slaughtered. The remaining missionaries were taken captive, and on one horrific night Dr. Helen Roseveare was flung to the ground, kicked, beaten and raped; her teeth broken, her ribs bruised, her mouth and her nose severely gashed.

On the night of her rape, she couldn’t understand why all this was happening to her. She literally wanted to die because she knew the brutality that fellow missionaries had experienced. Yet God quietly spoke to her, “Could you thank Me for trusting you with this experience even if I never tell you why?”

Helen thought, God, I thank You. I haven’t a clue why or how, but I’ll take it from You that You know what You’re doing, that You can never make a mistake. You cannot fail. Your promise must stand true. So, God I’ll thank You for trusting me with this even though I haven’t any idea how anybody could ever be helped by it.

Soon afterward, Helen received the death sentence along with the other missionaries. As they were herded away in a group, she had to lean against others to walk because her body had been so brutalized.

When the leader of the rebels spotted her, he asked, “Who made you in that mess?”

She answered, “One of your lot.”

The rebel leader responded, “You’re a liar.”

She said, “I’ll name him for you.”

So, the rebel leader called a People’s Court. However, before they assembled he instructed the tribesmen to yell, “She’s a liar….She’s a liar!” after her testimony.

The time came for her trial. She truthfully told this large assembly the details of the assault. Then something miraculous happened. When she finished, the voices of 800 men were heard weeping. They recognized that this was their doctor speaking. She had birthed their babies, cared for their cuts, and nursed their wounds. Yet, to their dismay, one of their own had raped her.

To her amazement, over the weeks and months that ensued, a spiritual breakthrough occurred for the first time in 12 years—a breakthrough that had never occurred before. People were saved…hearts were touched because finally they identified with her suffering. Even the Greeks in the area wanted to know how to come into this relationship with Jesus Christ, and they were saved.

Later, back in her native country of England, Helen was a frequent guest speaker. One evening she was led by the Lord to take the rare opportunity to refer to her rape. There were two girls still left in the auditorium after she had finished speaking. One girl asked, “Can you speak to my sister? Five weeks ago she was raped…for five weeks she has not spoken a word to anyone.”

The other girl ran, sobbing uncontrollably, and flung her arms around Helen. For three hours this young victim of rape talked nonstop about the incident. Ultimately, the two who had shared the same experience parted—both with peace in their hearts. What made the difference? The young girl simply said, “No one ever told me that I could thank Him for trusting me with the experience even if He didn’t tell me why.”

Helen’s lesson reminds us we can thank God for the experience even if He never tells us why. Yes, God brought you where you are. He brought you to a place knowing your life’s baggage and scars. God owes no explanation to His children. God is always working out His plan through us.

When heavy-hearted and lost in your thoughts of life’s difficulties, remember this, God has a plan.

“Not till the loom is silent and the shuttles cease to fly
Shall God unroll the canvas and explain the reason why.
The dark threads are as needful in the weaver’s skillful hand
As the threads of gold and silver in the pattern He has planned.”
—part of a poem given to Helen Roseveare as a teenager

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

When you were on deputation, there may have been churches which heralded you. Perhaps they gave you gifts, served you, or made you feel like you were the best thing since crunchy peanut butter.

Then, one day, deputation ended, and you got to the field.

The people on your field of service do not know you. They know nothing of your effort to get there. They know even less of the church members sacrificing every day at jobs they may not prefer. They know nothing of the people working to earn enough money to make ends meet and give in the promised offering at their church for you to be in your place of service.

When a missionary feels they deserve spotlights and fanfare, they have lost sight of servanthood.

If a church treats you well, it is grace. If a church treats you poorly, it is a grace as well. Remember, none of us deserve anything.

I am troubled when I see a missionary go to a church meeting and expect spotlights and fanfare. World Wide New Testament Baptist Missions missionaries are expected to be servants everywhere we go.

Remember, when we are visiting a church, we are not spectators; we are servants! We serve our Lord, we serve the pastor and his wife, and we serve the membership. When you go to a church, offer to help; do not seek to be helped. Offer to serve; do not look to be served. Try to be a blessing; do not wait, yearn, or expect the spotlights and fanfare.

Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. (Matthew 20:28)

Let us look like Christ wherever we are ministering. We are here to minister and give our lives for the Gospel’s sake and the sake of our Lord.

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

The phrase, I Serve Others, captures all we want to do for the Lord at WWNTBM. Over the next few months, I will write on the values we hold dear in the phrase, I Serve Others. We have already looked at the words inspire, open, tender, helper, edify, and reliable.

The phrase I Serve Others, the subject of my writing over the past year, shares the core values of being part of World Wide New Testament Baptist Missions. The last word in our acrostic phrase is Seeing.

When Hagar sat waiting at the intersection of despair and hopelessness, she learned a valuable trait of God. She learned God saw her and her son.

Hagar, though in a complicated situation and a misunderstood context, found God saw her. God could see through the cultural complications. God could see her amid her moral conflicts. God could see the fruit of her womb and Abraham’s seed, though she felt alone and outcast.

God sees. In every way, the all-seeing-God saw us in Eden, Bethlehem, Calvary, and is everywhere present with us. Yes, God sees us!

God sees you in your place of service when you feel alone. God sees you when you have made a mess of life and ministry. God sees you when you are afraid. God sees you when you wonder how you are going to make it. God sees.

In your place of ministry, you recognize people long for recognition. They need to believe they matter to someone. Your ministry helps the lost know they are found. You take the hurting to where they find healing. You teach the hopeless where to find hope. You comfort those who believe they are unseen and tell them they are seen.

Ministry is helping people know God sees them. Just as God sees, God wants us to see others. God expects us to take the love He’s displayed and act on His love. (1 John 3:18)

I want your interactions with staff and leadership to let you know we see you. We see you when you are hurting. We see you when you are in conflict. We see you when you are alone. Our staff focuses on your communication. We want every response and reply to let you know: we see you and will assist.

Today, look around your life and ministry. Who around you seems to feel unseen? What can you do to speak into their life words of comfort and consolation to let them know God sees them? What can you do to assure them you are there for them and you see them?

Yours for the harvest,
John O’Malley

P.S.: Please remember to submit your tribute to Pastor Wingard here.
P.S.S.: Please make sure you are listening to the Uplift Podcast.

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