Preaching the Gospel

FOCUS ON 

THE BLESSING OF PREACHING THE WHOLE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST 

Repentance and the forgiveness of sins

With what instruction did Jesus begin his ministry on earth? "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" 

What is the very last instruction Jesus himself left with His disciples (that includes us) as He opened the whole point of His Word to them  in Luke 24:45-49? To preach" repentance and remission (forgiveness) of sins in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem (that is in our home towns and congregations)".

And what instruction did Peter give to the crowd of people who were "pricked" in their hearts by the powerful manifestation of the Spirit in his sermon on the day of Pentecost? "Repent and be baptized every one of you for the remission of your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost!" Acts 2:38   3000 souls heard, repented, believed and were added to the Kingdom of God that day.

Do our teachings and messages regularly bring forth this central theme of the Gospel?

Faith

"For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is a gift of God: not of works lest any man should boast!" Eph. 2:8

Here we see that the most critical component of faith is God's GRACE - HIS GIFT TO US - not anything we have done or can point to of ourselves - it is only by His grace that we can believe  - lest we could boast or point to anything WE have done. This text is very clear.

Abraham's faith:  "And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness!" Genesis 15:6

"He that believes and is baptized shall be saved; but he believes not shall be damned." Mark 16:16

This brings us to the bearing question - BELIEVES IN WHAT? 

"That whosoever believes in Him (God's son Jesus Christ, who He gave to atone for the sins of the world!) should not perish but have eternal life!" John 3:16

"But as many as received Him (that is who received this gospel of atonement in the name of Jesus and through the wondrous power of His blood), to them He gave the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name."

There are millions of people on this earth who "believe" there is or was a Jesus but who have not received Him as Lord and King and Saviour who died for their sins and purchased for them the gift of eternal life.

"Do you believe that there is one God? You do well: the devils also believe and tremble!" James 2:19

SO WHO IS THIS JESUS WE BELIEVE IN?

Is he some great historical super hero?  A mega star in the religious world?  Like the earthly king the Jews tried to force Him to become?  A hyper Miracle Man? 

Where is the Man of Galilee, rejected, scorned, spit upon, humiliated and crucified for our sake?!  Who shed His own blood, died and was victoriously resurrected to release us from the power of sin, death, hell and the devil and to bring us EVERLASTING PEACE and open those glorious portals of heaven to eternal life. 

 WOW!!!!  THIS IS WHO THE REAL JESUS IS!!  Not a crutch, not an emblem or a medal, not an attractive ADD-ON to our lives!

The only condition I find in God's word for  "receiving" such a priceless gift into our lives is a true change of heart, "a broken and a contrite heart" as David puts it in the 51st Psalm.  Or like it says in John 3:3, "You must be born again"! And this is nothing but a gift of God's grace and His grace alone. This is not a repair job, a patching of something new into the old.  This is a complete transformation whereby a sinner becomes righteous in the sight of God and receives a spotless robe to cover him TOTALLY by faith.  As we also heard Peter say on the day of Pentecost he receives the gift of the Holy Spirit right then when he so believes!  So he is NOT transformed in his flesh - for that we will always carry with us on this earth, or by something he has been able to accomplish, any self improvement he is able to brag about and show off for others, but simply transformed in his heart  by that very gift!

The fascinating part of this is that even after we have believed and received this blessed Gospel of why Jesus came to earth we are STILL SINNERS.  Sinners saved by grace! So that means that there are just two kinds of sinners here on earth,  the saved and the unsaved.  Like Apostle Paul brings out so clearly in Romans 7 and 8 we are still sinners even though we who are born again but with a new heart and in the power of the Holy Spirit we strive daily to follow His word.  But often we fail. Therefore Paul puts everything in the right perspective when he says how he can only thank God that the answer to this DILEMMA is in Jesus Christ and Him alone is !  We all need Jesus - to hear His Word for us personally and to be reminded of His blessed Gospel as often as possible - to feed us, encourage us, lift us, strengthen us and give us Life and Hope daily. Especially those of us who profess his name and are leaders or members of believing congregations. THIS SAVING GOSPEL IS FOR "BOTH THEM WHO ARE AFAR OFF (outside the church) AND THOSE WHO ARE NEAR (inside the church)!"

"Hear, you who are afar off, what I have done and you that are near, acknowledge my might.  The sinners in Zion are afraid......!" Isaiah 33:13-14

To the human mind and to probably most people in this world and even to many nominal Christians the preaching of this Gospel is foolishness (1 Corinthians 1:18, 21), old fashioned and even very complicated.  But in Matthew 11:25 Jesus says, "I thank you, oh Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hid these things from the wise and the prudent and revealed them unto babes!" It is amazingly simple.

All the thief on the cross had to offer  was a repentant heart and faith - and he was instantaneously forgiven, clothed by the words of the Gospel from Jesus' own mouth with a perfect robe of righteousness and a home in the Kingdom of God in Paradise eternally!

MAY GOD OPEN FOR US MORE AND MORE EACH DAY THE WONDROUS TRUTHS AND RICHES OF THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST SO THAT IN HIS SPIRIT WE COULD TRULY FEED HIS SHEEP  AND BUILD HIS CHURCH HERE ON EARTH.

AND MAY HE TRULY BLESS OUR TIME TOGETHER HERE IN THE PHILIPPINES.

IN GOD'S PEACE,

Pastor Dennis

June FM News

Endeavoring to obey the Word of our Lord...Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. God is calling yet: As we see our world being tossed about with more and more turmoil, God is still calling out and listening to the lost and unsaved through His Holy Word.  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.   How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!  But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.  Romans 10:13-17 Your Foreign Mission prays that God would continue to also use each of us to carry forth His Word to this fallen world. At the current time, Pastors Tom Lappi and Ansten Tretten are in Guatemala for the annual ALC Convention in that country, which was this past weekend.  We pray that their visit will be an encouragement for the people in all three of our churches in that wonderful country. The picture above is of Pastor Tom delivering a sermon in Spanish during the convention.  It is wonderful that we now have at least two preachers in our federation that can have sermons in Spanish.  Tom will be having a sermon in Spanish at our US ALC convention in July, which will be translated to English by a Guatemalan / American woman named Mayra. We are also thankful for a contingent of volunteers that are working in their homes typing our Sunday School books for email distribution and translation around the world. Children need to be taught God's Word, so we are attempting to share what we use in the USA with children around the world. This work will be ongoing for some time, Lord willing. We hope to see you all at the convention in WA.  If you cannot make it, please be in prayer as nothing good will be done or said, except by the Spirit of God! May God Bless your Month! Word from the field: The below is from Kenya, where the ladies group in Sylvan Lake recently raised money to purchase some items for the poor children being helped by Pastor Charles.  God's peace brother! May God grant you long life as you look forward reaching many lost souls. So tomorrow I may bring beds, mattresses and some ten nets. I will take the picture and scan to you. Have much greetings from my wife( Mary), my church leaders and orphans. Pray for the remaining things, such us some nets, blankets and bed sheets,cloths, and shoes Pray for them to get food even although the prices are too high because farmers experienced a lot of loss due to diseases. We hope to hear from. Greet the mission board and on behalf of these children Give them their regards. Pastor Charles A new book called The Weekly Diner is available now through the FM.   It is a weekly devotional book with 52 short articles.  The suggested donation is $12. It will be available at the convention in WA, as well as at all the churches the FM administrator visits this summer,  or you can order it by clicking here.  All proceeds go to the Foreign Mission.   ALC Churches Worldwide This congregation in Kenya  is taking the long term view and building a church one piece of wood at a time as they can afford it. Just to reach these churches that are so rural with no real  roads is a huge endeavor.  But with God, nothing is impossible. Special Needs  1) Bibles, Catechisms, other books badly needed. 2) Click here is you want to donate to a special cause. Read the Word   Pastor Ansten reading the Word, as he does so often.  This time it was between sermons in Guatemala. Mother's Love You may remember from past years pictures, this faithful mother from Guatemala.  Her daughter has CP, cannot walk, and needs constant care, yet they still attended the Guat. ALC convention.  What an example of love to us all! Upcoming events > After the convention in WA there will be a special time with the Foreign Pastors on July 14 and 15. Please attend these session if you plan to come on a mission trip within the next few years, or if you have an interest in missions! .> A trip or trips to Russia is being planned for July and beyond!   Prayer and praise > We are thankful that injured, handicapped, and orphan children in multiple countries have received much help from North American Christians this month.  The help has been life changing for each one! > We are thankful for our many typing and posting volunteers! There is work in the mission for you too! > We are thankful for our faithful accountant Susan Tyni, and the key people of our newsletter Kris Matson, Alvar Helmes, and Eloy. They do a great job! >  Pray for the Guatemala ALC convention >  Please pray that the events taking place with Russia and Kenya, do not hinder mission work from being done there. www.themissionsite.com | friend on Facebook | forward to a friend  Mailing address for DONATIONS: The Foreign Mission of the ALC 1601 NW 4th Avenue Battle Ground, WA 98604 Mailing address for CORRESPONDENCE: The Foreign Mission of the ALC 63 Poor Farm Road New Ipswich, NH 03071      unsubscribe from this list | update subscription preferences

April 2014 Foreign Mission News

..preach the Gospel: This month we have all been united in the observance of Holy Week and Easter.  What a blessed time of year it is for Christians!  We were reminded and we focused once again on these most important and blessed events.  However, for all true believers, these events are not just one week per year, they are our very life and being!  What Jesus has done and accomplished for us, has become our reality, and our life! Some of the first words that Jesus spoke when He showed himself after the resurrection were: Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature.  Mark 16:15 This month the Lord has allowed us to once again go into the following places:   Pastors Robert Maki and Dennis HIlman finished up in West Africa. (Ghana and Togo).      Dennis Hilman has moved on to India where he will serve together with his wife Marilyn until May 20th.  It is nice to have them there only a few months after our larger trip to India.  They will be doing individual congregational visits, as opposed to the large gatherings and pastors seminars held earlier. At the current time, the Foreign Mission is honored to have in Guatemala, the confirmation class from the Ashburnham, MA ALC, together with some of their parents, Pastor Colin Kinnunen, and the FM country leader for Guatemala,  Pastor Scott Niemitalo.  They are serving in all three of our churches in that lovely country, as well as doing home visits and so forth. This is another testament to the fact that one does not have to be a pastor to serve in the mission field. (the picture above is this group together with others in our Zacapa, Guatemala church.)  Please feel free to join us as the Lord leads you!  Click here to begin an email conversation should you desire. May God bless all the efforts done around the world, and may we each of us be a willing servant should He choose to use us in His Vineyard! May God Bless your Month! Word from the field:   Dear Pastor John, God's Peace !!! I am sending greetings to you in the mighty name of Jesus. The Lutheran Church of Christ of Togo,The Board , all the members and the Sister Churches through this mail are sending their thanks to you ,to FMB/ALCA for the help and making everything possible for the success of this seminar in Togo. Personally I thank you within my heart in the name of Jesus.Everything went on well and all the Participants,Pastors are very happy and equipped by these Teachings and Preachings.We keep our relationship in prayer so that God help for the work in Togo. Pastor Bob and Pastor Dennis will give you the report of their wonderful seminar.We look forward to working closely for the sake of the Gospel as it is writen in Matthew 28: 18--20 and in Romans 10 : 14---15. May the Lord bless your day ,your family and all your collaborators. Thank you for your call last week. Rev DEVIGAN.   ALC Churches Worldwide The above ALC mission church is in a most wonderful location.  It is in one of the worlds largest slums in Nairobi, Kenya.   Notice the large speaker outside so the sermons are broadcasted to the countless poor people living close-by.   This year we endeavor to have many special services in this very impoverished area.   Special Needs Section All the items posted here each month are funded by your special earmarked donations, not from the FM general fund. This month the below needs were brought forth during the recent trip to Liberia. (same as last month since the needs are not met yet) 1) Motorbike for Pastor O. (to reach more people than is possible by walking) 2) Bibles, Catechisms, other books badly needed.   Upcoming events > After the convention in WA there will be a special time with the Foreign Pastors on July 14 and 15. Please attend these session if you plan to come on a mission trip within the next few years, or if you have an interest in missions! .> A trip or trips to Russia is being planned for July and beyond!   Prayer and praise > Please pray that the events taking place with Russia do not hinder mission work from being done there. > Give Thanks, Glory, and Honor to the Lord, for He is good

www.themissionsite.com | friend on Facebook | forward to a friend  Mailing address for DONATIONS: The Foreign Mission of the ALC 1601 NW 4th Avenue Battle Ground, WA 98604 Mailing address for CORRESPONDENCE: The Foreign Mission of the ALC 63 Poor Farm Road New Ipswich, NH 03071

"Come to my house."

“I want you to come to my house,” he said. I think it was the third time he had asked me. I was a little apprehensive to leave the meetings the other times. This time seemed to fit the schedule better. The young man of about 12 had got permission from his teacher to skip school in order to attend the pastors training seminars. He was very egger to learn but had to look over my shoulder at the Bible I was using, because he didn’t have his own and all three of the loaner bibles at the church were in use.

 Because of his eagerness to learn and my connection with him it seemed right to give him one of the Bibles I had brought with me from the US. I had just finished writing his name and an inscription on the inside cover when he made his request again, “I want you to come see my house.”   

 Shadrick’s father doesn’t have a job. He hunts and sells bush meat in order to support his family. Their house is a small structure made of sticks and mud, with a dirt floor. It’s night time and the family has one small battery powered LED light, and a radio. Two of the children who I thought were Shadrick’s close friends turned out to be his siblings. He has five all together. His father is impressed with the Bible I gave him. He tells Shadrick to be careful with it or someone might run off with it.

 I couldn’t understand why, if stealing bibles was so common, anyone would buy a used Bible. Wouldn’t it be obvious with Bibles being in such scarcity that no one would sell their old Bible but give it a Christian sister or brother in their church? Christians should not buy goods that they reasonably suspect are stolen. But that is not the main thing on my mind. I realized this family only has one Bible, the one that I just gave to their middle son. I do not have enough Bibles to give them anymore. Had I realized how big the family was before I might have given the Bible to their father for the family to share. All I can hope is that it doesn’t get stolen and that Shadrick does share it with his family so they can all be blessed by the hearing of God’s word.

 The need for bibles is great all over Liberia, especially the more rural areas like where Shadrick lives in Grand Gedeh County. Bibles are one thing I am told, that the Foreign Mission of the ALCA is always in need of funds for. Their Bible found in constantly depleted because the need is so great!  T
his story from Liberia is just a snapshot of that need! (email foreignmission@comcast.net if you want to donate for Bibles)

 

Ryan Kandoll

Picture is of Shadrick with his Bible and at least 3 of his 5 siblings.

THE DOOR OF NO RETURN

 

While in Ghana waiting for the Pastors seminars to begin in a couple of days and while we wait for Pastor Dennis Hilman, we, Marilyn Hilman, Verna Maki and myself, Pastor Bob Maki took a side trip to Central Ghana to a place called Cape Coast Castle. 

It is a former British military fort located on the Atlantic Ocean and was used from the 1700’s to 1843 as the place where captured Africans were brought in chains to await transportation to the slave markets in the USA, or the Caribbean or South America. They were plundered from their homes and loved ones, chained and shipped under very inhumane conditions to unfriendly and very strange to them, places and forced to work as slaves for the remainder of their natural lives in mines or plantations with no hope of ever returning to see their families. When they were kept at Cape Coast Castle, it was in dark dungeon type rooms, where they were chained together with no sanitary facilities but forced to use the floor. There were hundreds in each room enduring the extreme heat and filth.  Most would spend several months at the castle.

When the slave ships would come, the slaves would be marched in chains through a door which has become to be known as “The Door of no Return” to be loaded as cargo, in chains in the holds of the ship for the long journey to the new world. Once through that door there was no chance for them ever to return to a life of joy and fulfillment with their loved ones but only the lonliness and hopeless thoughts of an unknown future.

I considered if Jesus had never come from the glories of heaven to this sin cursed earth to purchase you and me, hopelessly lost and condemned ones, shackled and in our chains of sin, existing in darkness and filth awaiting a horrible future in an unknown place we would be even as, or worse then those poor souls described above. But we can rejoice because God has so loved us. That he sent His only begotten son to purchase us with the dearest price that could ever be paid; even His own blood so that we would not perish but we would have eternal life with Him forever. May God be praised.

Pastor Bob Maki