Category: From Our President

Yet for love’s sake I rather beseech thee, being such a one as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ.
Philemon 1:9

Paul has had an amazing ministry by the time he gets to this “aged” place in his life. We look back through the Scriptures and read of the work accomplished by this faithful servant of Christ. He is now in a perfect position to exhort the young preachers coming behind him. It is probably true that he cannot maintain the exhaustive efforts of years gone by, but he doesn’t have to with so many young preachers now hanging on to his every word. It has been my practice through my ministry to fellowship with older preachers that have gone before me. I have always loved hearing them describe the journey that the Lord has taken them on, and I have learned from their experiences. Oftentimes it has saved me from many pitfalls along the way.

There seems to be a feeling among a few young preachers today that the “aged” should be set aside. That they have somehow outlived their usefulness and are not worthy of the support of the Lord’s people. I say that the very opposite is true. If we ever needed the “aged,” it is in these years. In some ways, they can help us more than ever before. The experiences that they have had, the lessons that they have learned, the battles that they have fought, all of these things and more make them the most qualified people that we have in the ministry today. Instead of setting them aside we should give them a raise in pay. They are worth far more to us now!

To those of you that have plowed a straight furrow year after year: don’t quit now when we need you desperately. I challenge you, young preachers, to hang around these faithful servants and listen more than you speak. You will probably find that the education you get will surpass anything that you got in school.

If you are among the “aged,” and you are feeling the pinch of lost support, I will do anything that I can to help you remain in the Lord’s work if that is what you believe He wants you to do. If the Lord should lead you to retire from your present work, that is between you and Him, and it is honorable. If you believe He wants you to stay in the harness, then that also is honorable.

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 our ongoing and growing in these Christian lives that we live we have many responsibilities. With every passing day, we are constantly growing in understanding of our place in this world as Christians. Our Lord did many wonderful and amazing things during His earthly journey. However, He declared His purpose in coming. He said, “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief (1 Timothy 1:15).” Then in John 20:21 Christ said, “Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.”

It would appear that our God is supremely concerned for the souls of men, and desires that we be also interested in individuals and their need of a Savior. It seems that witnessing of the saving grace of God is a primary responsibility of every Christian, not just every pastor, missionary and evangelist, but every believer in Jesus Christ. Witnessing has been expressed in so many ways. I am not referring to “pressure evangelism.” It is God that saves sinners by the work of the Scripture, the Holy Spirit and believers that share the way of life. I do believe in “confrontational evangelism” so long as that simply references personally sharing the gospel of Christ.

With those things in mind let’s be reminded that we are indeed ambassadors of Jesus Christ. There are so many other things involved in living the Christian life, but no one can deny that Christ has commissioned us to go to every soul on earth with the good news that they can be saved. We have so many avenues through which we can share the gospel. So the question is simple: Are we doing it?

The obligation rests on the shoulders of every Christian, but it seems it is even more imperative in the lives of those that have been dispatched by the Lord to a specific people in need of the gospel message. As a missionary, you have many personal and ministry responsibilities, but you must not allow this personal responsibility to be covered under a heap of activity, even if those activities are good things.

I hope we will be fervent in our desire to share what we know. In the hope to be transparent, permit me to say that I battle this every day of my life. But we must get beyond our hesitation to be forward and press on with sharing the way of salvation.

May the Lord bless you with opportunities to be a bold and compassionate witness for our Lord.

In His service,
Danny Whetstone

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

Yes, it is true that I tend to use “amazing” and “wonderful” to describe many things. But, truth be told, there are many amazing and wonderful things. So here I go again. The Encouragement Conference in Germany was absolutely wonderful. I was so blessed by the messages, singing, and fellowship with people I seldom see. It was so encouraging to hear from the missionaries. Some of them are just starting out, while others have been in ministry a number of years. Thanks to those that worked so diligently to make the meeting a success. The office staff worked many hours on this project. A special thanks to Keith and Julia Klaus for paving a smooth road for all of us to travel. To those that gave to make it all possible, we are forever indebted.

Brother John O’Malley did a masterful job organizing our days together and then brought it all together for us each day of the conference. WWNTBM is blessed with a great team of servants that love the Lord and want to serve Him. This kind of heart comes from our Lord and has been evidenced since the formation of the mission by our founder, Dr. Bill Wingard.

A little encouragement goes a long way. Sometimes it’s just a kind word, a smile, or a handshake. Other times it might be helping to lift a burden. No matter how we give it out or it comes to us, it is a blessing. At the moment it might not seem to be much, but in time it very well could prove to be a very important experience.

The Biblical principle is simple: we reap what we sow. How would you like to receive some encouragement? Well, sow some in someone else’s life. Would you like to receive a lot of encouragement? Then sow bountifully the same. I cannot speak for others, but I can testify that everyone at the conference was an encouragement to me.

From time to time, we will inevitably be an encouragement to someone. What might it look like if we made it a daily practice in our life? Let’s accept a challenge to look for opportunities to encourage others, not looking for anything in return except the pleasure of knowing that we lifted a load for someone else for a moment. We can communicate with others all over the world today. Take full advantage of the opportunity to be a blessing.

May you enjoy a prosperous month in the service of the Lord.

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.

Barnabas is such an interesting character in the Bible. He was appointed by the church in Jerusalem to go to Antioch of Syria to help the church that was developing there.
The church leaders obviously had a great deal of confidence in him to place the responsibility for this very important ministry in his care.

Watching him throughout his ministry, it would appear that he was a Spirit-filled servant of Christ that was humble in life and ministry. He recognized that God had done a great work in Paul when no one else saw God in him. As they ministered together in Antioch, they are referred to as Barnabas and Saul, but very soon after their departure on the first missionary journey the order of prominence changes and they are called Paul and Barnabas. It would seem that as the pastor, Barnabas was listed first, but when they became missionaries, Paul would be listed first. This did not seem to trouble Barnabas. He humbly continued to serve the Lord with all of his heart. Being first did not matter. He simply wanted the Lord’s work to move forward and God to be honored.

Many other commendable attributes could be given to Barnabas, but the one that stood out above others to the church at Jerusalem was his ability to encourage others. His parents named him Joses, but the church called him Barnabas—son of consolation. It was as though his presence changed the atmosphere in a room. Where clouds of fear or doubt had gathered, they were dispersed by his presence and the sunlight of hope moved in to encourage troubled hearts. What kind of difference are we making in our world?

We are looking forward to meeting in Germany this month with the prayer that we will all leave more encouraged to serve the Lord in an atmosphere of hope. Hope, not in our abilities and talents, but hope in the goodness of God. Please pray with us that this will be a profitable time for everyone who attends. This is only the third time we have held one of these conferences. The first two were a blessing, and we have every reason to believe that this one will be the same.

Encourage those around you today in the great battle for world evangelization.

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 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.