Pages

Sunday, November 18, 2007

A Ministry That Has Stolen My Heart



Won't you please pray for these dear people, and give to help, if you can?



I am ever humbled by the way that God works through Gospel for Asia. I look so forward to meeting Dr. Yohannan and his wife in heaven one day!

You know, there are parts of Scripture where the Apostle Paul tells those he is discipling to follow the example that they see in him. Can you imagine telling anyone to follow your example, if they want to be sure to be a faithful Christ follower?

Dr. K.P. Yohannan is someone whose example I hunger to follow. When I read his books, my heart is pierced through!

I read recently, in his book "The Road to Reality", that God had convicted him about the SOAP that he used...showing him that if he'd just choose one that didn't have a certain scent that he liked, that it would allow him to save $4 a month (or something close to that), and that he could send that $4 to the mission field to help the native missionaries in India.

In juxtaposition, I hear other pastors telling us that God wants us to have

"Your Best Life Now". Prosperity. Big cars. Big houses...everything we could possibly want to feed the desires of our flesh...but, of course, they don't talk about the flesh....they don't talk about sin, or the blood of Jesus, or hell.

Only, our best life now.

It just doesn't equate. Jesus said that whoever wanted to save his life would lose it, but whoever would lose his life for Jesus' sake, and the Gospel, would save it.

I'm attaching an urgent prayer request that I received today from Dr. Yohannan. We have brothers and sisters in Asia who are not living a life that any of us would want...in fact, they are living in desperate need...all in order to reach the lost with the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Won't you pray for them today...and not only for them, but for their countrymen and women on whose behalf they labor?


Would you please seek God and ask Him if He would have you give to help them?

The thing I LOVE the most about Gospel for Asia is that 100% of what you give is sent to the mission field. They don't take even 1% out for administration costs! That's unheard of!

They trust the LORD for a separate account for administration costs, and He faithfully provides!

So, if you sponsor a child through Bridge of Hope, their ministry division to the Dalit children in India, you can KNOW that 100% goes straight to support your child.

I think even the way that we do ministry in the U.S. needs to be revamped. So often, the heads of ministries live much more glamorous lives than those who labor long and hard to send even a few dollars to the ministry do.

I believe that grieves God's heart in a BIG way!

Whether you support the ministry work of Gospel for Asia, or you support the missionaries in prayer...for either, or for both..I thank you.

In Him,
Jesica


GFA Seeks Prayer for Victims of Bangladesh Cyclone

-----------Nov. 18, 2007------------------------------------------------------

Dear Friend in Christ,

The people of Bangladesh--including hundreds of our believers there--have been dealt another devastating blow and desperately need our prayers to sustain them.

Still recovering from the worst floods to hit their South Asian country in 30 years, Bangladesh was devastated by Cyclone Sidr on Thursday, leaving more than 2,000 people dead at last count. In some areas, 95 percent of the rice crop was destroyed. And for these simple farmers, that means they are literally penniless and without hope for the future.

That's why our GFA native missionaries are already on the scene, ministering to the victims and bringing them the hope found only in Jesus.

But even as our missionaries, pastors and Compassion Services volunteers are moving to bring help to the victims, they have reported that in one district, more than 100 homes of GFA-related church families have been destroyed by the Category 4 storm--the most destructive to hit Bangladesh in a decade.

"Many people are thought to have been killed when trees fell on their houses," reported one GFA observer.

I am asking that pastors around the world bring this situation to the attention of their church members on Sunday morning, and that all Christians will join me in praying that God's grace will be poured out on those who have lost so much.

I also ask that you please pray with me about how God would use you to bring relief to the victims. Any gift you can send today will make a difference!

Please also remember our church members who are suffering as a result of this storm, and those who are working around the clock to bring relief in Christ's name to the victims.

Thank you for standing with us as we minister to those whose lives have been so devastated. Click here to make a gift to help the victims of this storm.

Please pray with me that God will use this situation to bring many into His kingdom of grace and love.

Yours for the lost of Asia,
K.P. Yohannan Founder & President

P.S. So that you can continue to pray with us, we will be bringing you updates on this situation in the coming days on http://webmail.west.cox.net/do/redirect?url=http%253A%252F%252Flinks.mkt561.com%252Fctt%253Fkn%253D4%2526m%253D889973%2526r%253DNTcxMDkxNTczNgS2%2526b%253D0%2526j%253DOTUwMTUwNTYS1%2526mt%253D1
_______________________
::: About Gospel for Asia: http://webmail.west.cox.net/do/redirect?url=http%253A%252F%252Flinks.mkt561.com%252Fctt%253Fkn%253D5%2526m%253D889973%2526r%253DNTcxMDkxNTczNgS2%2526b%253D0%2526j%253DOTUwMTUwNTYS1%2526mt%253D1

5 comments:

Dscplmkr said...

You don't need to post this comment I just wanted to let you know I will definitely be praying and wanted to recommend "An Army of Ordinary People", it is a quick read, a great encouragement for anyone starting a church. My pastor always said "Your church is never more than the people that fit in your living room" I am now involved with a rather large church but the principle is the same. So my initial/continuing prayer is that you grow in intimacy even more than in wisdom and knowledge - a tall order with Precepts as your model :)
Alan

Jes said...

Hi Alan,

I hope you won't mind that I went ahead and published your comment after all. If you do, let me know and I'll delete it.

I just thought it held such rich wisdom, and so that's why I chose to publish it....that, and the fact that I was hoping you'd read my comment and agree to send me another note...I am really interested in knowing what has formed your opinion that growing in intimacy with God is a tall order with Precept as our model.

I don't ask it to be argumentative..not in the least...I'd just really like to understand where you're coming from on it.

It's often that Precept leaders hear people say that Precept is too hard, but I've never heard anyone say that it makes it tough to grow in intimacy with God..and I'd really like to understand.

Thank you SO very much for your prayers as we move forward...we need them!

In Him,
Jesica

Dscplmkr said...

Blessings Jesica,
Sorry for the confusion.
What I meant by that statement was Precepts is such a good study method that to match the increase of wisdom and knowledge it brings with an even greater increase in intimacy is a noble and lofty goal.

Alan

Dscplmkr said...

Blessings Jesica,
Sorry for the confusion.
What I meant by that statement was Precepts is such a good study method that to match the increase of wisdom and knowledge it brings with an even greater increase in intimacy is a noble and lofty goal.

Alan

Dscplmkr said...

Blessings Jesica,
My internet connection dropped in the middle of publishing my reply and I don't know if it got through or not.

Sorry for any confusion. Precepts is a wonderful ministry/method.
What I meant by my statement was that Precepts is such a good method. That to mate the increase in wisdom and knowledge it brings with an even greater level of intimacy is a noble and lofty goal.
Recognizing, of course that Precepts done properly should lead to greater intimacy.
Alan