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From the Desk of a Friend: No One Excluded

John 3:16; 2 Peter 3:9

God crowned His creation by giving life to the first human being and naming him Adam. Even in a perfect environment, Adam failed God by disobeying a simple command. Adam plunged the whole human race into a condemned state before our Creator by passing along a nature prone to sin. Additionally, one of Adam’s sons was a murderer. Humankind neglected our Creator so much that God saved only one family when He restarted the human race: Noah’s family.

God used some great and godly people through history. We read about them in the Word of God. We learn of men like Abraham, a friend of God; David, a man after God’s own heart; and the heroes of the faith who challenge us in the Book of Hebrews. Even these men and women fought the common problem of mankind. They sinned and needed the grace of God.

On a darker side, God recorded names that bring evil to our minds, like Ahab and Jezebel, and Judas, who betrayed our Lord. Many others in history, both ancient and current, could fit this frame: Hitler, Saddam Hussein, and many others who shocked society with their wickedness. Though these crimes and criminals are famous, we still share the common trait that we all have sinned and justly deserve God’s wrath.

One other commonality we have with every human of the past, present or future is that God loves every one of us. It is God’s will that every man’s sin is covered by the shed blood of God the Son. He loved every one of us enough to send His Son to pay our debt. As we go into the fields of humanity witnessing for our Lord, some seem to be enemies to God and us. However, we need to realize they are loved by God, the One Who loves and saves us. God is not willing that they perish and spend eternity in Hell.

What a thought to consider: There has never been a human being that God did not love and has not given His Son to save. Such amazing grace from a holy and loving God!

If Bro. Hurst’s article is an encouragement to you, please email him to let him know. You may also visit ebarnabas.org to make an appointment with him for encouragement.

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Prayer & Dates: November 2018

November Prayer/Praises and Special Dates

Click the link above to download a PDF of prayer requests and praises as well as the birthdays and anniversaries for November. Note: You will need to login to SecureCloud in order to view this document. Once you have logged in, click on Files, Shared, then Headquarter Happenings, then scroll to the month you would like to view. This step protects people with WWNTBM in restricted access fields.

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From the Memo Board: November 2018

Dates to Know

November 12 – Most US Banks will be closed for Veterans Day.

November 19 – Please contact us by this date via Signal if you will need funds in your account before Thanksgiving.

November 22-23 – The Office will be closed in celebration of Thanksgiving.

December 1 – October Financial Reports will be due.

December 10 – All prayer letters should be submitted to our staff in order for your recipients to get them before Christmas.

December 18 – Please contact us by this date via Signal if you will need funds in your account before Christmas or the end of the year.

December 24-28 – The Office will be closed in celebration of Christmas.

January 1 – November Financial Reports will be due.

January 8 – Missionaries will receive their statements of December Support Received.

January 11 – All missionaries will receive their final December support on this day, regardless of the day they normally receive support.

January 15 – December Financial Reports will be due, along with any remaining receipts or financial paperwork for 2018.

January 31 – W-2 Forms and other tax documentation for the 2018 year will be available.

Financial Status Reports

We have uploaded a Financial Status Report to your SecureCloud account. This is meant to show you the financial details that we have on file, such as your support estimate and the average amount of support you received this past quarter. This is information we provide to pastors who may call about your ministry. We ask that you update your support estimate once every four years or as your lives and ministries change. Please review this information and contact us if you have any questions or changes.

January Income Totals

During a typical month, we close the books on the 25th, and any checks received after that date are posted to the following month. Due to receipting requirements, we cannot do this in the month of December. As a result, please be aware that your December support total may be higher than normal, while your January support total may be lower than normal. Please be sure to plan ahead for this!

New Missionary Families

Wesley and Kayla Grant have been added to our missions family. The Grants are sent out of Morning Star Independent Baptist Church of Easley, SC, with Pastor David Ellenburg. Bro. Grant currently works in the medical field and is a student at Tabernacle Baptist Bible College in Greenville, SC. Their desire is to plant churches in Northwestern Montana. Please pray for them as they begin deputation.

Ayser and Fatan Mazahreh have joined our missions family. Bro. Mazahreh is currently pastoring the Faith Independent Baptist Church of Amman, Jordan, and works alongside Bro. Ghassan Haddad and Bro. Daab in the Biblical Theological Seminary as well. They have three sons and a daughter: Rae’d (23), Mario (20), Leen (17) and Matthew (9). Please pray for this family and the ministry in Jordan.

 

Uplift Podcasts

The following recordings were recently published on Uplift.com. You may access the site by entering the username: wwntbm and the password: gospel. These recordings for our missions family contain the Uplift calls in their entirety, including prayer requests and challenges to our missionaries. We hope they will encourage your heart.

God’s Faithfulness During Affliction by Ted Daub

Conveying Your Story, Part Two by Duey Whitfield

Learning to Be a Soul Winner by Byron Foxx

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From Our President: November 2018

Danny Whetstone

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.

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From the Memo Board: October 2018

Dates to Know

October 8 – Most US Banks will be closed for Columbus Day.

November 1 – September Financial Reports will be due.

November 12 – Most US Banks will be closed for Veterans Day.

November 19 – Please contact us by this date via Signal if you will need funds in your account before Thanksgiving.

November 22-23 – The Office will be closed in celebration of Thanksgiving.

December 1 – October Financial Reports will be due.

December 10 – All prayer letters should be submitted to our staff in order for your recipients to get them before Christmas.

December 18 – Please contact us by this date via Signal if you will need funds in your account before Christmas or the end of the year.

December 24-28 – The Office will be closed in celebration of Christmas.

January 1 – November Financial Reports will be due.

January 8 – Missionaries will receive their statements of December Support Received.

January 11 – All missionaries will receive their final December support on this day, regardless of the day they normally receive support.

January 15 – December Financial Reports will be due, along with any remaining receipts or financial paperwork for 2018.

January 31 – W-2 Forms and other tax documentation for the 2018 year will be available.

New Missionary

Scott and Marilee Norman have been added to our missions family. The Normans served as missionaries for 20 years in Saipan. Their desire is to be used in the area of pulpit supply and furlough replacement. They are sent out of Trinity Baptist Church in Wilson, NC, with Pastor Mike Renfrow.

New Babies

Our missions family continues to grow! We rejoice in the safe delivery of these babies. Pray for the mothers who are recovering from deliveries, and for the babies to remain healthy as cold and flu season is around the corner!

Congratulations to Joel and Noel Smothers on the birth of their firstborn, Gabriel Paul Smothers, on September 8. He was 9 pounds 6 ounces and measured 20 inches long. There were some complications in his birth as he was born chin first! He also had to have a procedure done to fix a lip and tongue tie. However, he and his mother are both recovering well! The Smothers are on deputation to go to Brazil. Pray for them as they continue raising their support.

Congratulations as well to John and Sarah on the birth of Alaina Joy on September 19. Alaina is their third child and joins her brother John Gabriel (3) and sister Eliana (19 months). Keep their family in prayer as they continue to serve overseas.

Wedding Announcement

Gerald Mosher and Marie Story were married on June 9, 2018.

Bro. Mosher has served with World Wide in Nova Scotia since 1987. His first wife Delores (Lorie) went to be with the Lord in June of 2013. Mrs. Marie Mosher is originally from Indiana. The World Wide family would like to extend our congratulations to the new couple. We wish them all the best of the Lord’s blessings as they continue to minister together. They are currently meeting with a small group of believers in a home and are praying about what the Lord would have for them next.

Financial Report Reminder

As we enter the last quarter of the year, thoughts turn to year-end tax procedures. Many people begin thinking of last-minute deductions that will affect them. If you anticipate making large ministry purchases and you desire the purchase to be a deduction in the year 2018, you may wish to make the purchase by the end of November. Because of the way our W-2s are calculated, December expenses are “reimbursed” out of January income, so the tax benefit on your W-2 would actually be considered a 2019 reimbursement. Regardless of when the purchase is made, you will still receive a tax benefit. However, we wanted you to be aware of these deadlines as you plan your expenses over the next few months.

Remember, due to changes in tax law this year, if you have previously been submitting ministry expenses through your tax preparer, you will lose that tax benefit this year. The best situation is for you to report all ministry expenses through WW, thus providing the fullest tax benefit. If you are not currently submitting financial reports we suggest you consider this option. If you have questions about this, please contact Naomi Torberson.

Uplift Podcast

The following recordings were recently published on Uplift.com. You may access the site by entering the username: wwntbm and the password: gospel. These recordings for our missions family contain the Uplift calls in their entirety, including prayer requests and challenges to our missionaries. We hope they will encourage your heart.

Soul Winning on the Road by Byron Foxx

Advocates vs. Accusers by Dwight Smith

The Dangers of Spiritual Indifference by Freeman Weems

Faithfulness by Jonathan Earnhart

Paul’s Singular Focus by Jeremy Lockhart

The Practice of Praise by Alton Beal

When God Hides the Answers by Chris Swiatocho

Crazy Schedules, Disobedient Kids, and Sergeant Dads by Jeremy Lockhart

Conveying Your Story, Part One by Duey Whitfield

The “I Wills” in Psalm 138 by David Landers

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Prayer & Dates: October 2018

October Prayer/Praises and Special Dates

Click the link above to download a PDF of prayer requests and praises as well as the birthdays and anniversaries for October. Note: You will need to login to SecureCloud in order to view this document. Once you have logged in, click on Files, Shared, then Headquarter Happenings, then scroll to the month you would like to view. This step protects people with WWNTBM in restricted access fields.

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From the Desk of a Friend: The Face of an Angel

The Church in Antioch was growing, and growth brought with it some growing pains. Some of the congregation needed special attention. Gradually, the many needs began to drain the time and apostolic work of the apostles.

The church decided to appoint some men and call them deacons (servants). These men would need to be good, strong, spiritual men. They considered the prospects. According to the listing in our text, the first name that came to mind was Stephen’s. This man was not just active in church and recognized by all the congregation, but he was not ignored in the synagogue either. He was “a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost.” No doubt the other men were godly also, but they do not receive the same comment as Stephen. This man exhibited faith and power. He is an excellent example for us to follow today.

Stephen must have been known for his heavy involvement in the Lord’s work and good spirit. He was the first named as those seven men who would have the responsibility for this duty. He was a man “full of faith and of the Holy Ghost.” The basic requirement of the seven was to have an honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom. Stephen was noted to stand above those requirements. We do not know about his physical condition or his talents. We do know from the text that he was close to God and was a servant to God.

The church and apostles selected Stephen. He received a special gift to do “miracles and wonders.” In the synagogue, “they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake” (6:10). As usual, when God’s messenger preaches the truth, the world and unbelievers get upset. The people stirred. The religious crowd arrested Stephen and took him to the council. His preaching about Jesus and the Old Testament prophets contradicted the religious people. Their wrath became so heated the Bible says that they “gnashed on him with their teeth.” Stephen never said that he could be wrong or that this was just his opinion. It was the inerrant Word of God. He considered no apology. “They saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.”

Stephen did not appeal the charges to the hierarchy. He turned to his Lord, and he saw the One that he preached about “standing on the right hand of God.” God’s servant was under attack, and it drew the attention of God and His Son. Jesus rose from His seat on the right hand of God. He stood noticing His servant’s mistreatment. (7:56) Still, we see no self-pity or wrath. Stephen followed the example of his Lord and Savior. He pled for God’s mercy on his executioners and asked God to receive his spirit. No doubt that day Stephen met his Savior that he loved so much and was blessed in His presence.

What a challenge to us Christians today! We have more Bible than Stephen had available. He just believed and absorbed what he had. He put the record of God’s dealing with the prophets in his heart. He completely accepted God’s message in his heart. He lived a life “full of faith and of the Holy Ghost.” Oh, that we would follow the example of Stephen by absorbing the Word of God and being filled with the Spirit. We may not look like angels, but the world can see much more of Jesus Christ in us if we speak in His power and behave in His manner. The world may hate us too, but our Savior is equally concerned about us as he was Stephen. That is all that counts.

If Bro. Hurst’s article is an encouragement to you, please email him to let him know. You may also visit ebarnabas.org to make an appointment with him for encouragement.

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From Our President: October 2018

Danny Whetstone

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.

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Times of Trust

Some of the most encouraging times of the week were the moments we took to share prayer requests and to pray for needs within our missions family. Prayer is a reflection of our trust in God to answer and to meet our needs. As you think of those in our missions family, pray for God to encourage them and to do a mighty work through them.

Pray for our missionaries to have strong marriages.
Pray for wisdom for our missionaries as they raise children on the mission field.
Pray for the young children in our missions family as they face unique struggles growing up often without the encouragement of believers their age.
Pray for the older children now out of their parents’ homes, that they would remain faithful to the Lord as they make decisions about their future.
Pray for the grandchildren of our missionaries to come to the Lord at an early age, and for wisdom as grandparents seek to influence future generations from a distance.
Pray for those on the field to not be weary in well doing.
Pray for those on deputation to keep pressing towards the goal.
Pray for those on furlough to be refreshed and encouraged.
Pray for the health needs of those who are serving with physical difficulties.
Pray for strength and stamina for those serving in third world countries with few daily conveniences.
Pray for the churches who support our missionaries, that they would continue to grow in faith and in giving.
Pray for the Lord to call new laborers to the field to assist those in our missions family.
Pray for the executive board members as they make decisions that affect our missions family.
Pray for the staff members as they seek to meet the needs of those around the world.
Pray for those in the application process as they begin the next steps towards the Lord’s calling in their lives.
Pray for government leaders around the world as they enact laws that have ripple effects on the spread of missions.
Pray for eyes to see the opportunities that God presents to share the gospel.
Pray for relationships to be developed both for witnessing and for discipleship.
Pray for new churches on the field as they are growing and developing.
Pray for wisdom in counseling situations.
Pray for power to preach the word.
Pray for each individual to know God and to daily strive to become more like Him.