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Saturday, September 30 2023
Joe Toy News at bottom. Collecting for Everlasting Life tomorrow and celebrating the Lord's Supper at 10 with Children's Church.
Sad news to share this morning, Ron Williams passed away last evening. Please keep Sally and family in your prayers. God promises to comfort those who mourn and to bring His peace and strength. Pray for me as I minister to the family today. Thurs, I visited Sally's mom, Doris Hausman (103 years old). We had a great conversation about her love for Jesus and how God is still using her to be a blessing as best she can in her situation (mostly spends time sleeping.). She sleeps cuddling a Jesus rag doll. I reminded her that soon, Jesus will be cuddling her like that. She said, "I'm ready. He is near." Now Ron is has stepped into Jesus' loving arms of welcome. And so as we mourn we can also find joy knowing we will be reunited some day soon.
Good Morning Praying Comforters! God is a God of comfort. He knows our struggles and hurts and draws near. He loves and comforts through us as well too. He is Shalom! Below is my Charles Stanley devotion for today reminding us that God does encourage us and wants to encourage and love through us. Ask Him to use you today, daily, to be His hands of comfort and peace.
TWFYT reminds us to do what God says to do? What's He saying to you right now? Don't be afraid. Be bold and courageous and follow well in faith. Step by step we walk with Jesus to our fuller potential and His plans for us. Trust, obey, listen and follow well. Earlier this year some of us gave words to work on to help us grow more fully into the people we were created to be. As I was praying through those words today and for the names attached to them, I was wondering how people are doing with that and how I might be able to help them. Words like faith, hope, boldness, courage were some of the words. We get those and get to choose how we grow in Christ when we ask for His help and wisdom. Proclaim your faith, courage, boldness and value in Christ and step out one step at a time with Jesus as we learn to live and love like Him better and bring His promises alive as we do. You are God's masterpiece and He has very good plans for you today.
ODB reminds us about all the obscure, least likely people God uses. We don't need to be superstars and high profile Christians. We just need to be ourselves. Come as you are and allow God to use you. He specializes in using the obscure, least likely people that have sold out hearts for Him to accomplish great things. We may not know it now, but someday we will be greeted in heaven by the people we impacted. Check out the UR reminder that God does miracles and uses us to comfort and encourage. We often have to just let go, trust God and He will use us as we allow Him to direct our steps. Die to self, take up cross and follow Jesus well is really learning to live and (agape) love like Jesus. What's He wanting to do through you today? Trust and obey! He does have some great things instore! Come as you are!
I'm praying for you to draw near to Gid, hear His still small voice, understand what's next for you and to follow Him well today and always. He really loves you and learning to love like Jesus is really all about just being who you are and allowing God to use what you have to be a blessing. We are very blessed, highly favored and very loved creations sent to love. May it be so Lord! have Your way with us and use us well. Thanks! Amen!
Charles Stanley:
TWFYT: (The Word for You Today)
ODB: (Our Daily Bread)
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Hollywood gives us larger-than-life spies who are dashing drivers of flashy Aston-Martins and other luxury sports cars. But Jonna Mendez, a former CIA chief, paints an opposite picture of the real thing. An agent must be “the little gray man,” she says, someone nondescript, not flashy. “You want them to be forgettable.” The best agents are those least likely to appear like agents.
When two of Israel’s spies slipped into Jericho, it was Rahab who hid them from the king’s soldiers (Joshua 2:4). She was seemingly the least likely person for God to employ as an espionage agent, for she had three strikes against her: she was a Canaanite, a woman, and a prostitute. Yet Rahab had started to believe in the God of the Israelites: “Your God is God in heaven” (v. 11). She hid God’s spies under flax on the roof, assisting in their daring escape. God rewarded her faith: “Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family” (6:25).
Sometimes we might feel we’re the least likely to be used by God. Perhaps we have physical limitations, don’t feel “flashy” enough to lead, or have a tarnished past. But history is filled with “nondescript” believers redeemed by God, people like Rahab who were given a special mission for His kingdom. Be assured: He has divine purposes for even the least likely of us.
By Kenneth Petersen
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In what ways do you feel “in the background”? What do you think might be the mission God has for you?
Dear God, please help me be ready for Your calling, for the mission You might have for me.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Rahab was a Canaanite prostitute who’d put her faith in Yahweh even before she met the two Israelite spies (Joshua 2:9–10). The New Testament commends her for her faith in God (Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25). Rahab wasn’t only delivered from death (Joshua 6:17, 22–23) but was raised to a position of honor. She married Salmon, an Israelite, and was blessed to be an ancestor of King David as well as the Messiah (Ruth 4:21–22; Matthew 1:5). Rahab was one of four non-Israelites (also Tamar, probably a Canaanite; Ruth, a Moabite; Uriah’s wife [Bathsheba], probably a Hittite) and one of five women listed in Jesus’ genealogy (Matthew 1:1–17).
K. T. Sim |
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UR: (Upper Room)
Finding A Miracle
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God. - 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NRSVUE)
When my husband was hospitalized for kidney stones, I was hoping for a miracle. I hoped the stones could be dissolved without major surgery by his drinking a lot of water or coconut water. But the stones were already very large and would not dissolve.
During that time at the hospital, God led me to comfort a patient in the next room who had burns all over his body. Nobody came to visit him because he was a migrant in our city and all of his family lived in another city. Together, we chatted, laughed, sang, and prayed. And as I comforted him, I was also being comforted by God.
Today’s reading from 2 Corinthians reminds me of the comfort that God gives. I often feel God’s comfort when I comfort others. During that time at the hospital, I hoped there would be a miracle for my husband, but he did not experience one. Rather, when I chose to comfort the patient next door, I found a different kind of miracle from God.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Dear God, thank you for comforting us in all circumstances so that we may offer comfort to others. Amen.
Joe Toy (one of our supported missionaries)
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September 2023
“Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us:”
Dear Friends,
One of my favorite quotes when out preaching at an event is, “If you come to Raleigh, you will hear about Jesus.” I am blessed to work with a great group of men who are serious in proclaiming Jesus in the harvest fields of The Triangle, which is the Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill area of North Carolina. A few weeks back, we had a group of eight men at a street festival at North Carolina State University called the Packapalooza. We were able to pass out hundreds of tracts and converse with many people. One young woman engaged in conversation with Peter Firth and committed her life to Christ, which brought much joy to Peter’s heart as he said, “It’s been a long time since I have seen someone get saved.”
Peter and I have preached at a number of Friday Night on White St. events in Wake Forest this past summer and conversed with a number of folks and passed out many gospel tracts. This event draws out a lot of teenagers who do not have much church background. It does provide some great gospel opportunities to teach Biblical truth to them. As usual, our “Are you going to Heaven? Free Test” sign draws out a lot of curiosity in them to approach us. |
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The late summer brings us to another college football season at NC State games. The first game of the season had us sitting in the SUV waiting for a thunderstorm to let up. As it finally let up, we began to walk to the stadium in the midst of some serious thunder and lightning. It had me wondering if I had made the right decision. The storm pushed away and gave Paul Infranco and I two-and-a-half hours of outreach time. As we finished up and headed back, the rain began again as we reached the car. PTL. The games provide an opportunity to get the gospel to thousands of football fans on game day.
Our second game of the season was a beautiful warm afternoon. We were blessed to give out thousands of tracts and have a few conversations. I was approached by a group of young women who asked me if I was homophobic. I asked them if they meant was I afraid of homosexuals? Their reply was, “Yes.” I proceeded to tell them that the Bible tells me to love people. This brought a big smile to their faces and opened up an opportunity to share Christ.
One young man who was tagging along stayed awhile to hear a clear gospel presentation and thanked me as he left. It is amazing how the Lord works. I have learned through the years that if we are faithful out there, the opportunities come.
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One of the things we look forward to through the summer is getting back on the college campuses, where the Lord gives us many opportunities to share Christ. I was telling our small group at church that it is also a way to reach the world as there are many international students on campus.
Both UNC and NCS had some sobering events early this semester as a grad student
shot and killed a professor at UNC and a student committed suicide on Labor Day at NCS. We saw a lot of somber faces on campus after these tragedies and a greater willingness to receive gospel literature. Already, we have seen two professions of faith on these campuses.
Recently, we had a young man named Eli preach with us at UNC. He is a student, who believes that the Lord has called him to preach to his fellow students. His passion and compassion is touching as pleads with tears for them to come to Christ. It is an honor to support him.
The Moore Square Bus Station is another one of our keys spots of ministry. The Lord has built up a good team of men who are committed to reach the needy who struggle with homelessness and drugs. We are developing a lot of good relationships with folks who trust us now. It is not uncommon for about ten or more Bibles to go out each day that we are there. Also, we are blessed with some folks who are donating water, reading glasses and Blessing bags, which helps to provide for some basic needs. Keep us in prayer. The Lord is at work. God Bless!
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