Headquarter Happenings

Christmas affords us a wonderful opportunity to highlight the message that we share all year long. Obviously, there are many stories, doctrines, and instructions to be dealt with from the Bible. But since Jesus Christ came to seek the lost, perhaps this is to be espoused all the time and emphasized this time of year.

Recently, I was in a service in which the preacher read from Luke chapter one concerning our Lord’s dealing with Mary, the mother of Jesus. These verses spoke to me as never before. Luke 1:28, “And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.” She was favored, the Lord was with her and she was blessed! Mary indeed was an amazing woman blessed of God. There are those who have distorted her life and purpose, but there are those who have also diminished her life as well.

The centerpiece of Christmas is certainly the first coming of our Savior; however, there are a number of individuals who were involved in that biblical and historical event. We can learn much from their lives. How did the Lord use them? Why did the Lord use them? It might offer us some insights that will not only bless us as we consider this special occasion, but it might also direct us in our own lives and usefulness in the Lord’s work.

Take some time this Christmas season to look into the lives of those who were front and center in the Christmas story. We all understand that Christ has been, is, and always will be the focal point, but why did He include those that were chosen to participate?

Now, why did He put you where you are presently serving. Why did He give you the family that you have? How can these lives in the Christmas story challenge us to do a better job in our own lives, families and ministries? I know that many of you will be far away from most of your loved ones and friends this Christmas. I pray that the manifested presence of the Lord will use those around you to fill your life with joy, contentment, and praise.

Merry Christmas to each of you.

In His Service,
Danny A. Whetstone

In a recent missions conference a young lady said, “I believe the Lord is leading me into something, and I think it is missions. I am afraid!” I attempted to assure her that this fear was coming from somewhere other than the Lord. “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7) A couple of days later she openly confessed that the Lord had indeed called her to missions work, and that she had surrendered to His calling.

It would be impossible for me to answer for everyone else, but I can speak for myself and I readily confess that there have been times when I made a step of faith with a bit of anxiety. Was this uneasiness created by the world, the devil, or my flesh? I cannot conclusively say, but probably from my own flesh. I can conclude that it did not originate with the Lord.

What does the Lord give us? Power to face whatever is in our path. Timothy undoubtedly had seen his share of persecution and perhaps had endured a measure of it himself. Paul is writing to him, and there is no question that he had known more than a normal share of persecution against him and his ministry. So now he encourages Timothy to lean on the Lord for power to overcome.

The Lord also gives us the spirit of love. The ability to put God and others before ourselves. This certainly is not natural for the flesh. Under most circumstances we will opt to satisfy our own fleshly desires before thinking of anyone else. However, the love of God shed abroad in our hearts has changed us. Through Him we are capable of loving the unlovely. Through Him we are enabled to love those who are against what we are doing in the service of the Lord.

Then Paul reminds Timothy that the Lord has also given him the spirit of a sound mind. His mind must be disciplined. He must focus on the power of God and not on his fear of the power of the persecutors. Any reasonable person is concerned about the hardships of life, but we cannot afford to be paralyzed by them. We must bring our thoughts into the captivity of Christ while pressing forward with what we know He wants us to accomplish.

Draw near to God where fears dissipate and power, love, and a sound mind originate. I pray that the Lord will give you a blessed and fruitful month in His service. We must continue to press forward until we are called up to meet our Lord in the air.

In His Service,
Danny A. Whetstone

Summer is ended! In my part of the world the green leaves will turn to a variety of colors that will dazzle our eyes. As the days pass it will get cooler, and then colder. We know this because it has been our experience year after year.

The observations of older people have always interested me. I remember a farmer once telling me that if you dug a hole for a fence post in the wrong moon phase you could put the post in the hole and not have enough dirt to finish filling the hole. On the other hand if you dug the hole in the correct moon phase you would have sufficient dirt to pack down for a firm hold. Is it some kind of magic? No, it is simple observation over a long period of time.

It appears that we too often endure the long, cold winter without seeing fruit for our labor and grow so discouraged that we fail to reap the harvest when it is all around us. A vicious cycle follows until we complain about the lack of harvest while the seed is still in the barn.

The Lord permitted those that would follow Him to catch a great many fish after they had worked all night without taking anything. When they acknowledged their amazement at what He had done, He declared that He would make them fishers of men. Jesus came to seek those that would be saved. He has invited us to join Him in His great commission to see people saved by His grace. Is it possible that we could allow this most noble cause to be buried under the rubble of daily activities? Could it be that we would permit the misuse of this calling to seek converts to cause us to neglect this sacred duty? Might it be that we fear failure should we dedicate our lives to this task to seek the lost?

I would like to find some acceptable excuses for my lack of diligence in reaching out to a lost world, but there aren’t any. It is true that evangelism is only part of the Great Commission, but it is part. As a matter of fact, it is the first part. If it was important enough for our Lord to come to earth to seek the lost should it not be important enough for us to rise to the occasion in our generation to go into the highways and hedges looking for them? If we are just too busy to evangelize we are just too busy with something that should be left undone!

We know that the gospel is “the power of God unto salvation.” We must broadcast the seed believing that it will do its perfect work if given the opportunity. The Lord is counting on us, and the world is depending on us. If we fail let it not be caused by neglect.

God bless each of us as we strive to serve Him faithfully in the coming days. May each of us be more diligent in our witness for Christ than we have ever been before.

In His Service,
Danny A. Whetstone