Dr.
Don Bierle
"…do the work of
an evangelist…"
I dream of having a conversation in heaven with the apostle
Paul, about 2 Timothy 4:5. Paul warned that Timothy will encounter
a society which has turned away from truth to myths. Thus, he
needs to preach the Word with "great patience and careful
instruction."
I hope to ask whether this command was for him, like for me,
the "easy" part. We have the best news on the planet
to proclaim, and the Holy Spirit provides the power for conviction
and for transformation. Interaction with most unbelievers
can be invigorating and challenging (though not always–see Acts
14:19). What Paul says after this is harder for me: "discharge
all the duties of your ministry" (v. 5).
How much time did the apostle labor over his letters (for me,
newsletter articles)? Did he like fund-raising? Personnel issues?
How stressful was his discussion with Barnabas about taking
John Mark along (Acts 15:36-41)? As evangelist and president
for this ministry, I bear responsibility for hiring, audits,
government paperwork, and scheduling conflicts, and am the target
for nay-sayers. Is it significant that Paul compressed all these
under the term "duties"? For me they are much harder
than "doing the work of an evangelist."
One positive benefit of "duties" is that they help
me appreciate others-the people God has gifted differently and
called to this "team," who find "duties"
challenging and who are good at them! There are people who surround
me with prayer and who support the ministry financially. Perhaps
the apostle reflected on this when he wrote, "I thank my
God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of
you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the
Gospel from the first day until now…" (Philippians 1:3-5).
From one who loves to "do the work of an evangelist,"
to all who help with the "duties," making it possible
for me to do it: THANK YOU!
Carlos
Fernández
Touching Korean Hearts
Consider this: A middle-aged, Peruvian evangelist proclaimed
a 2,000-year-old, Middle Eastern, Greek message about a unique
Jew, in English, using a Spanish King James Bible, to a Korean
audience. A teenage girl, who had a Korean NIV Bible, heard
this message-in Minnesota-and she accepted Jesus Christ as her
Savior and Lord!
Only the Holy Spirit is capable of transmitting a meaningful
understanding of His message through all those layers of translation
into an individual heart. God be praised!
I had the opportunity to teach FaithSearch Discovery
to seventeen kids at a Korean church in New Brighton, MN. This
"rare and special privilege" became more special
than expected when after the presentation I was approached
by two girls, ages 13 and 14. They bombarded me with unusually
keen questions ("How could God be in the flesh and still
be present everywhere in the universe?"; "How could
Jesus and God be two and at the same time one?"; etc.)
Sensing authentic thirst in these two girls, I explained some
of the biblical evidence of Jesus' equality of status as presented
in the New Testament. After learning that Jesus shared the glory
of Him-who-does-not-share-His-glory (John 17:5; Isaiah 42:8);
is the One to whom every knee shall bow and every tongue confess
Lordship (Isaiah 45:21b-23; Philippians 2:10-11); and is the
Alpha and Omega, First and Last, "el Primero y el Postrero,"
the Kiuk (first letter) and Heut (last letter) of the Korean
alphabet (Isaiah 44:6; Revelation 1:17); the 14-year-old accepted
Jesus as her personal Lord and Savior (Romans 10:13; Joel 2:32).
The 13-year-old was already a believer.
I rejoice that as the FaithSearch Spanish-language
evangelist, God gives me opportunities to proclaim Him to diverse
audiences, young or old, male or female, English- or Spanish-
or Korean-speaking.
Oleg
Voskresensky
A Divine Spark
"Why do we have so many Gospels? Is one 'better' than
the other three?" Do you remember hearing or asking these
questions? What does it tell you about the one who asks?
I don't know any greater joy than looking into his or her
eyes at that moment and seeing an unmistakable, "divine
spark." Imagine a university auditorium full of senior
year philosophy students, all shining from within with that
light and shooting those questions at you. Over their voices
comes another question from their professor who sat through
the whole FaithSearch Discovery presentation:
"Why haven't we been taught this material before? Isn't
it something every intelligent person should know?"
For these moments, all the trouble of preparation, crossing
the ocean and presenting FaithSearch Discovery
makes sense. I only wish that time would stand still so I can
continue the conversation until all the questions are answered
and issues resolved. Usually the bell rings and my students
run to their next class. They walk by my desk saying thanks,
as I pray for each: "Lord, Your beautiful child has opened
his or her heart to you for a moment. Thank You for entering
with Your Spirit. Keep working there. Thank you for allowing
me to witness this amazing mystery. Amen."
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