Support Missionaries & Evangelists

We should always be hospitable to and support fellow Christians, especially those who have served as missionaries and traveling evangelists. The Bible tells us that we should aspire to become fellow workers for the Kingdom of God.

. . . because they went forth for His name’s sake, taking nothing from the Gentiles. ⁸We therefore ought to receive such, that we may become fellow workers for the truth. (3 Joh 1:7-8 NKJV) We should receive fellow Christians and missionaries into our homes as a way of supporting them. The Word says that by doing this, we may become fellow workers.

Here is the same verse in the New International Version:

It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. ⁸We ought therefore to show hospitality to such people so that we may work together for the truth. (3 Joh 1:7-8 NIV)

Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women, who have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life. (Phil 4:3 NIV) This verse is appealing to a Philippian friend to help and support the women who labored in furthering the gospel of Jesus Christ. Hospitality is one way of doing this. Another way was to befriend these women and stay in relationship with them.

As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker for your benefit. And as for our brothers, they are messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ. (2 Cor 8:23 NIV)

All of these Scriptures remind us to be hospitable and supportive of all those who preach the Word and share the Good News of Jesus with the unsaved. When we obey these verses, we reap blessings upon ourselves and our families. Pray for, encourage, and help those who are missionaries and evangelists. God will reward you and credit you as co-laborers with them. Now that is good to hear!

The Blessings of Fellowship

There are great blessings that result from fellowship and unity with other believers. We need the companionship of close friends and relatives who are fellow Christians. Let’s look at the Scriptures.

If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up. (Eccl 4:10 NIV)

Here the Bible reminds us that having a close companion or friend will provide us with support, help, and strength.

. . . not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. (Heb 10:25)

This passage in Hebrews reminds us that gathering regularly with other believers provides encouragement and validation of our faith as well as support.

Therefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thes 4:18)

Meeting with other believers provides us with comfort, security, and reassurance.

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. (1 Thes 5:11 RSV) Christian fellowship provides inspiration from the Bible, the nurturing of our faith and the joy which lightens our hearts. What beautiful and loving blessings from God!

Promote Peace

As disciples of Christ we’re called to promote peace in the world. Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace. (Isa 9:6)

What does it mean to “promote” peace? As servants of the Living God, we are directed to:

Encourage and support,
Sponsor and further,
Advertise,
Elevate and advance peace in every circumstance and situation.

Deceit is in the hearts of those who plot evil, but those who promote peace have joy. (Pro 12:20 NIV)

If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. (Lk 10:6 NIV)

Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. (Ps 34:14)

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. (Mt 5:9)

Just from this small selection of Bible passages we learn that:

Promoting peace brings joy—not only to us but to everyone involved;
People who sponsor peace will have peace rest upon them;
We should do good by seeking and pursuing peace; and
All peacemakers are blessed children of God. Hallelujah!

An invitation to promote peace is given to every believer in God’s Kingdom. Let us joyfully respond to this appeal from the heart of God.

Peace Between Parents & Adult Children

One area where we need to apply our faith as believers is to our relationship with our grown children.

Thus says the Lord: Refrain your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears; for your work (raising of your children, prayer) shall be rewarded, says the LORD, and they(your children) shall come back from the land of the enemy. There is hope (something that you can expect) in your future, says the LORD, that your children shall come back to their own border (place of peace and safety and well-being).” (Jer 31:16-17 AMP, emphasis added)

We as parents must always provide a place of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual peace, safety and well-being. When we fall short, and most of us fall short in some way at some time, we need biblical solutions and practical help.

And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers . . . (Mal 4:6 NKJV) The Lord is the only Being who is able to change a person’s heart. The hearts of parents should ALWAYS be in favor of and in support of their own children. Our hearts should always yearn for the best things for our children.

Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation . . . (2 Cor 5:18 NKJV, emphasis added)

As followers of Jesus Christ, our desire should always be for reconciliation in our relationships. If it doesn’t exist at the moment, it’s something that we should take to the Lord in fervent prayer.

It may happen in some families that after children have grown, they choose to disconnect totally from their relationship with their parents. In some cases, the parents may not have a clue as to why this has happened. In other scenarios, one or the other parent does know the reason. It can be the result of one parent who was harsh, overly strict or critical of the child or children as they were being raised. Or it can be as serious as some form of abuse. Whatever the situation, it can result in grown children having very painful memories and deep anger and resentment against a parent. In some cases, the adult children may be in counseling to deal with the emotional and mental pain they are experiencing and have experienced in the past.

Parents who find themselves in this situation need to scrupulously review their past behavior in their relationship with their child (or children). They must take full responsibility for their own actions, and openly admit their faults to their family.

If there is a pathway to open communication, the parent should apologize and repent directly to the child (or children) whom they have hurt. Additionally, whichever parent was responsible would need to promise to change the way that they relate to their adult child, so that in future the relationship would be based solely upon positive and healthy input from the parent. Then the parent should pray for God’s grace and help in fulfilling this goal.

Copious prayer is needed in this situation by both parents! The offending parent should ask God to correct them, give them wisdom and insight, and to reveal what their child (or children) truly needs right now. Praying for God’s peace to reign in the relationship is also key.

If there is no communication between parent and child, then the one hope and solution available to the parent is to continually pray for God to bring healing and reconciliation into the relationship between them and their child. In this case, it is also good to ask God to reveal to the parent where they made mistakes and how they sinned against their child. Repent wholeheartedly to God for whatever He reveals, and determine to change the behavior. Read books on good parenting of adult children, and seek counseling if possible. Counseling can come through licensed counselors, group counseling, pastors, psychologists, or 12-step programs such as AA.

As followers of Jesus, we must seek peace in all of our relationships. (Rom 12:18) Parents never stop being parents, even after our children are grown. So it is pleasing to God for us to continue to pray for our estranged adult children, and to ask God to bless them and to continue to protect them and to fulfill His will in their lives. It would be wisdom to also pray earnestly for healing and for reconciliation in the relationship with the estranged child or children. May God’s peace reign in your life and your family in Jesus’ name.

Encourage & Build

Have you ever heard this saying? “Be somebody who makes everybody feel like a somebody.” Such a person is an ENCOURAGER!

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. (1 Thes 5:11 NIV)

There are at least thirteen passages in the New Testament alone about encouragement. Encouragement means inspiration, reassurance, and support. Encouragement is a combination of all three. It has great potential for fostering and advancing critical moments in a person’s, a church’s, and or a nation’s history.

But command Joshua, and encourage him and strengthen him; for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which you will see. (Deu 3:28 NKJV) As this verse in the Bible demonstrates, encouragement is able to strengthen a person’s soul (mind, will, and emotions) and help them to push ahead to accomplish their goal. Thanks to encouragement and God’s grace, Joshua accomplished great things for God.

When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord. (Acts 11:23) This is when Barnabas visited the church at Antioch: He supported them in their faith in God and emboldened them to continue in it.

Here is something interesting to know about Barnabas

“Barnabas” wasn’t his birth name (it was Joseph); Barnabas was his nickname meaning “Son of Encouragement” (Acts 4:36). This rather obscure Bible character was so encouraging that it became his name.” ~ Source: https://www.leadershipresources.org/who-is-barnabas-in-the-bible-10-things-to-know.

. . . that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ . . . (Col 2:2) These words of the Apostle Paul’s are inspiration to the church of his day—as well as to us. He is nurturing our unity, our faith in and understanding of the Gospel, and our perseverance in faith.

. . . and sent Timothy, our brother and minister of God, and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you and encourage you concerning your faith . . . (1 Thes 3:2) The Apostle Paul is writing from Antioch about sending Timothy to confirm, reassure and to strengthen the faith of the Thessalonian church during persecution.

As these passages reveal to us, encouragement is powerful! It has the potential to build (develop, shape, and foster) a person’s faith in God as well as a confidence in their calling to such an extent that they are enabled to accomplish mighty deeds and to produce pivotal moments in history.

Boldly encourage someone that you care about today. Blessings upon you!

Yes & Amen

For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. (2 Cor 1:20)

This is a wonderful, blessed, and encouraging Bible verse. It means that every promise in the Bible is fulfilled through, and guaranteed by, Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.

But what does that mean, in everyday life, to a believer?

First, the key is to remember that all of God’s words are reliable. They are firm, constant, and steadfast. God cannot lie. (Num 23:19; 1 Sam 15:29; Heb 6:18; Tit 1:2)

These promises are fulfilled IN JESUS so it’s crucial to remember that Jesus never changes. (Heb 13:8) Neither will His promises nor His support of God’s Word ever change.

God is consistent and His love is consistent. That means that He, His love and His words NEVER FAIL.

But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. (Ps 13:5)

For with God nothing will be impossible. (Lk 1:37)

He gives his king great victories; he shows unfailing love to his anointed, to David and to his descendants forever . . . (Ps 18:50)

And you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spoke concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one word of them has failed. (Josh 23:14)

The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love. (Ps 33:5)

. . . so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. (Isa 55:11 NIV)

So, our question from the top of the article is what does this mean for the believer. First, here are the definitions of the words: The word Yes means “certainly, absolutely, and positively.” The word Amen means “I agree” or “Yes, indeed.”

In everyday life, this means that you may choose a Bible verse or several that you would like to come to pass for you in your life. As you meditate upon the verse (or verses) and keep it in front of your eyes, know that through Jesus, the Lord has already answered: “certainly; I agree; absolutely; yes, indeed; and positively” to your need.

How glorious! We serve the God of the impossible!

Sharing Our Burdens

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. (Gal 6:2 NIV) It’s our duty as believers to help bear each others’ burdens.

For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. ¹⁴For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Gal 5:13-14 NKJV)

The first person with whom we share our burdens, after receiving Christ as our Savior, is with the Lord Jesus. He truly removes our burdens by removing all of our sins, and by continuously cleansing us from unrighteousness.

The troubles in this life are diverse and seem unrelenting at times. In the midst of pressure and heartaches of various kinds, people can stumble. Even devout followers of Christ may worry and grieve over their circumstances—to the point of feeling crushed by them. This is why it is so very necessary for Christians to help one another with their burdens, problems and cares.

An important side note is to remember to guard our hearts and minds when supporting another person or family through difficulties so that we’ll remain nonjudgmental and humble.

We can’t always remove the stressful circumstance, but we can always provide support to our brothers and sisters in Christ. This can be done in practical ways, as well as through spiritual approaches.

PRACTICAL METHODS:

We can offer to help the brother/sister by running errands or babysitting. If prompted by the Lord, we can give a gift of cash. It’s considerate to phone the person or couple who’s in stress several times a week to let them know that we’re thinking of them, praying for them, and that we care about them. Take the person or the family out to lunch or dinner to give them a temporary relief from the stress. Or you can be more real by inviting them to your own home for a meal. Depending upon the nature of the trial a friend is undergoing, we can be sensitive to practical things that we can do to relieve some measure of pressure from their daily walk. If an emergency requires long-distance travel and the person can’t afford their ticket, we can help them to raise the money as the Lord leads us.

SPIRITUAL WAYS:

We should pray faithfully for the brother or sister (or family) that is experiencing challenging circumstances. Enlist other believers to join you in praying for the person or family in crisis. From time to time, we can send an encouraging greeting card to our brother or sister, and mention an uplifting Scripture verse in a note. We might make an appointment with our Pastor to inquire if there is any project or fundraising plan that the Church members might undertake that would assist the person or family who is in distress. We can do some research to see if there are organizations or programs available that could assist the person or family who is in trouble. If anything appropriate is discovered, we should give them the information.

Showing our heartfelt concern and support for a person or family who is experiencing stress of any form is a loving, godly, biblical way to bear one another’s burdens. It is also obeying the Scripture that instructs us to love our neighbor. God approves of our demonstrations of His love through our serving and helping our fellow believers.

Lastly, if anyone who is reading this is experiencing a calamity, please never be ashamed or reluctant to ask your brothers and sisters in Christ for help, prayers, and support.

Unfailing Love

God, alone, is capable of bestowing UNFAILING love upon a person or a group of people. Since God is love (1 Joh 4:8), we can see why this would be possible as well as understandable.

Here are three different versions of the same Bible verse about God’s love:

Because your faithful love is right in front of me—I walk in your truth! (Ps 26:3 CEB)

For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes, and I have walked in Your truth. (Ps 26:3 NKJV)

. . . for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love and have lived in reliance on your faithfulness. (Ps 26:3 NIV, emphasis added)

There are many more verses in the Word that talk about God’s precious, beautiful, unfailing love (all NIV):

In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling. (Ex 15:13)

Turn, Lord, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love. (Ps 6:4)

But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. (Ps 13:5)

See also Psalm 18:50; 21:7; 32:10; 33:5, 18, 22; 36:7; 44:26; 48:9; 51:1; 52:8; 62:12, and many more! Further research into this truth will strengthen and support your faith in all circumstances.

What I hope to accomplish here is to remind us all how very deeply and how faithfully God loves each one of His children. God’s love is unfailing, and it is unconditional. There is no love anywhere else in creation like the love of God for His people.

God’s love is dependable, constant, consistent, unshakable, and enduring. His love is more important than anyone else’s. When you are the object of His love, His love for you makes you a better, kinder, and more loving human being. His love enables you to love others in a more mature way than ever before.

Meditate upon His unfailing love. Make it a practice to have an awareness of His constant, abiding love. It will bless your life and faith immensely.

God’s Wonderful Counsel

This also comes from the Lord of hosts; He is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom. (Isa 28:29 ESV)

O Lord, You are my God. I will exalt You, I will praise Your name, for You have done wonderful things; Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth. (Isa 25:1 NKJV)

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isa 9:6)

The Lord has declared Himself, through His Word, to be our Counselor. A counselor is one who gives advice, guidance, and direction. A wise counselor also gives warning when they feel it is appropriate.

God, who our Savior as well as our Counselor, gives us:

Support,
A listening ear,
Help, and
Instruction

We receive many of these blessings through our church family in the person(s) of our Pastor, our elders, and our wise friends. This is a matchless and precious gift to each one of us. What a blessing are our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Rely upon the Lord and His Word for the best counsel that exists anywhere in creation or in the universe!

Preach on the Housetops

Good day! As a believer in Jesus Christ, what is your calling or assignment in life? Well, I’m sure it’s multi-faceted.

You’re called by God to be a loving and faithful spouse (if married); you’re called to be a loving and responsible parent (if you have kids); you’re to be a good steward of all that God has given to you; you’re to bring glory to God by being a good, diligent worker; AND you’re called to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.

As you can see, we all have multiple responsibilities to fulfill in life. Not the least of these responsibilities, as a servant of Christ, is to share the Good News of the Kingdom of God with everyone as we have opportunity. We need to stir up our resolve from time to time to actually fulfill this crucial responsibility.

Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. (Mt 10:27) When the Holy Spirit teaches us something through the Scriptures, He would like us to meditate upon it and pray over it; and then share it with others. In other words, “broadcast” it to the neighborhood.

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. (Mt 28:18-20)

We are given the assignment to preach and to make disciples of all nations! Of course, the Lord will honor our support of our church ministry both in working as a volunteer and in our financial giving. The Lord also considers us as taking part in preaching the gospel when we financially support ministers, evangelists, and missionaries who travel throughout the world sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.

It’s also a good idea to set a goal of some sort—known only to ourselves and God—of how many people we would like to share a testimony with in a given period of time (i.e., a month or a year).

Any testimony that we share with someone gives them a glimpse of the love and faithfulness of God to us. Our testimony also demonstrates that we have a strong, personal relationship with Jesus, our Savior; so it is clearly a powerful tool to use.

We’re called to preach on the housetops! Be blessed!

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Tag: support