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BIBLE
BELIEVERS REPORT
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II Thessalonians 2:1-2
Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and by our gathering together unto him,
That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit,
nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
On his second missionary journey,
the Apostle Paul preached at one of the greatest cities of the world of that
day (Acts
Timothy delivered this letter to
Thessalonica, and later brought back a reply to Paul. It was this reply that prompted Paul to write
his second letter to the church at Thessalonica
It is clear that Satan is already
circulating false letters and even signing Paul's name to them to cause
confusion among the brethren. As Jesus
had warned, the wolves have already begun to enter the flock. Through the inspiration of the Holy Ghost,
Paul tells the church how to deal with this problem (II Thessalonians
During the rest of Paul's
missionary journeys, the books of Romans, I and II Corinthians, and Galatians
were written. Also during this time,
Paul's fellow traveler Luke wrote his gospel.
In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul warns that the original
trap set by Satan in the garden of Eden is still at work in the New Testament
world (II Corinthians 11:2-3). The
original attack against Eve was launched with a single question, "Yea,
hath God said?". It worked so well
on Adam and Eve that the devil's been
using it on us ever since that time.
Questioning our faith in the word of God is still the devil's main
business. This is also the trap laid for
the church at
By the time of the writing of
Galatians, it has become easy to see how greatly God is using the Apostle Paul
to build up the church. The devil sees
it too and has Paul imprisoned, first at
I Timothy 1:1-2
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour,
and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope; Unto Timothy, my own son in the
faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.
Timothy, who was saved under
Paul's preaching, became a great worker in the early church. Paul wrote two letters to Timothy to
strengthen him in his walk with Christ.
Timothy was not alone is Paul's heart during his last days on the earth
either (Titus 1:1-4). Paul's concern is
not only for the large, growing churches, but also for the small ones, such as
the church at
Philemon 1:1-2
Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy our brother, unto
Philemon our dearly beloved, and fellowlabourer, And to our beloved Apphia, and Archippus our
fellowsoldier, and to the church in thy house:
Here is a church that is so small
that it meets in the home of the pastor.
The main reason for Paul's letter to Philemon is to ask him to take back
a runaway slave named Onesimus, who was saved while with Paul and now wishes to
return to his old home. Paul's last
letter shows that he cared for men's souls not simply as a group of numbers,
but as individuals, one at a time. May
we all have the heart of Paul in our dealing with those we know, one by one.
In AD 67 Nero, emperor of
II Peter 1:1
Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that
have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and
our Saviour Jesus Christ:
At the church in
II Peter 2:1-2
But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there
shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable
heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves
swift destruction. And many shall follow
their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken
of.
Now the devil is truly
enraged. For thousands of years, he has
killed prophets, priests, preachers, and all others to stamp out the message,
and still the word of God goes forth.
Now the devil sets about to destroy the word of God by destroying it at
its source. He raises up the armies of
Jude 1:1-4
Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that
are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and
called: Mercy unto you, and peace, and
love, be multiplied. Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of
the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you
that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto
the saints. For there are certain men
crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation,
ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the
only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Again comes the warning! The ungodly have already slipped into the
church! Beware of the enemy that is in
our midst! Contend for the faith that
was first given by our Lord Jesus Christ to the church! The entire book of Jude is dedicated to this
important warning to believers. About
this time, Paul's fellow-laborer Luke writes his second book about the early
growth of the church (Acts 1:1-3). In
spite of the assaults of the enemy, God's church still goes forth carrying the
message of the ages.
Revelation 1:1-2
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto
his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified
it by his angel unto his servant John:
Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ,
and of all things that he saw.
The last of the New Testament
writers is also one of the most prolific.
His writings include one gospel, three letters, and the only New
Testament book given totally to prophecy.
John was the last of the apostles
alive on the earth. He was called the
beloved apostle, not because of a special standing with God, but because he was
the youngest of the original twelve, and Jewish custom has always been to call
the baby of the family the beloved one.
John the Beloved was the pastor
of the church at
Finally John is freed from
Revelation 22:18-19
For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of
this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the
plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the
words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the
book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written
in this book.
Thus was the Bible written and
sealed. However that was nearly 2,000
years ago. What's happened to the Bible
since then? We have dozens of books today, each of which claims to be the word
of God, but which one is the real one? The devil has tried to destroy the word
of God. When that didn't work, he tried
to make people disregard it, and when that didn't work, he has tried to lose it
in a flood of corrupt copies and, in some cases, outright lies. In spite of all of this God's word has
survived and, as Jesus said,
"Heaven and Earth shall pass away, but my word shall not pass away!".
Matthew 28:18-20
And Jesus
came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in
earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all
things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto
the end of the world. Amen.
Born and raised in
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Beginning to Feel
Like a Beggar
We began Gospel for
The idea—to lay aside one dollar a day for a native evangelist—gave
us an instant handle for a program anyone could understand. I asked everyone I
met if he or she would help sponsor a native missionary for one dollar a day.
Some said yes, and that is how the mission began to get regular donors.
Today, the “Dollar-a-Day” Pledge Plan is still the heart
of our fund-raising efforts. We send the money—100 percent of it—to the field,
sponsoring thousands of missionaries each month in this way.
Since I was sending all the pledge money overseas, we
still were faced with the need to cover our overhead and living expenses here
in the
One Sunday when we were down to our last dollar, I drove our
old $125 Nova to a nearby church for worship. I knew no one and sat in the last
row. When it came time to take the offering, I quickly made an excuse to God
and held on to that last dollar.
“This is my last dollar,” I prayed desperately, “and I
need to buy gas to get back home.” But knowing God loves a cheerful giver, I
stopped fighting and sacrificed that last dollar to the Lord.
As I left the church, an old man came up to me. I had
never seen him before and never have since. He shook my hand silently, and I
could feel a folded piece of paper in his palm. I knew instinctively that it
was money. In the car, I opened my hand to find a neatly folded $10 bill.
Another afternoon, I sat grimly sulking on our sofa in Eufaula.
Gisela was busy in the kitchen, avoiding my eyes. She said nothing, but both of
us knew there wasn’t any food in the house.
“So,” said a coy voice from the enemy, “this is how you
and your God provide for the family, eh?” Up until that moment, I don’t think I
had ever felt such helplessness. Here we were, in the middle of
As the demonic voice continued to taunt me, I just sat
still under the abuse. I had used up my last bit of faith, declaring a positive
confession and praising God. Now I sat numb.
A knock came at the door. Gisela went to answer it. I was in
no mood to meet anyone. Someone brought two boxes of groceries to our doorstep.
These friends had no way of knowing our need—but we knew the source was God.
During those days our needs continued to be met on a day-to-day
basis, and I never had to borrow from the missionary support funds. I am
convinced now that God knew the many trials ahead and wanted to teach us to
have faith and trust in Him alone—even when I could not see Him.
In some way, which I still do not really understand, the trying
of our faith works patience and hope into the fabric of our Christian lives. No
one, I am convinced, will follow Jesus very long without tribulation. It is His
way of demonstrating His presence. Sufferings and trials—like persecution—are a
normal part of the Christian walk. We must learn to accept them joyfully if we
are to grow through them, and I think this is true for ministries as well as
individuals. Gospel for
Speaking engagements were hard to come by in the early days,
but they were the only way we could grow. Nobody knew my name or the name of
Gospel for
Setting up a speaking tour took weeks of waiting, writing and
calling. By the winter of 1980, I was ready to start my first major tour. I
bought a budget air ticket that gave me unlimited travel for 21 days—and
somehow I managed to make appointments in 18 cities. My itinerary would take me
through the Southwest, from
On the day of my departure, a terrible winter storm hit
the region. All the buses—including the one I planned to take from
Doing the best I could to stay warm, I put on two pairs of
socks and all the clothing I could. But even with the extra protection, I was
on U.S. Highway 75 only a few minutes when it appeared I had made a terrible
mistake. A freezing snow covered the windshield within minutes. After every mile
I had to stop, get out and scrape the windows again. Soon my feet and gloves
were soaked and frozen. I realized that the journey was going to take a lot
longer than the six hours I had left. In my worst scenario, I saw the newspaper
headlines reading “Preacher Freezes to Death in Winter Storm.” My head dropped
to the steering wheel, and I cried out to God.
“Lord, if You want me to go—if You believe in this mission
and in my helping the native evangelists—please do something.”
As I looked up, I saw a miracle on the windshield. The ice
was melting rapidly before my eyes. Warmth flooded the truck. I looked at the
heater, but nothing was coming out. Outside the storm continued to rage. It
kept up all the way to
This miraculous start was only the beginning of blessings.
For the next 18 days, I gained new sponsors and donors in every city. The Lord
gave me favor in the eyes of all I met. On the last day of the tour, a man in
I followed this pattern for the next few years, surviving from
one meeting to the next, living out of the trunk of the car and speaking
anywhere I could get an invitation. All our new donors and sponsors came from
one-on-one contacts and through the meetings. I knew there were faster, more efficient
ways to acquire new donors. Many times I studied
the mass mailings and radio/TV broadcasts of other
missions, but everything they were doing required large sums of money which I
did not have and did not know how to get.
Eventually, we moved back to
First, I felt like a beggar. It is hard on the flesh to be
traveling and asking for money day after day and night after night. It was
almost becoming a sales operation for me, and I stopped feeling good about myself.
Second, I was discouraged by the poor response—especially
from churches and pastors. Many times it seemed as if my presence threatened
them. Where, I wondered, was the fraternal fellowship of working together in
the extension of the kingdom? Many days I called on people for hours to get
only one or two new sponsors. Pastors and mission committees listened to me and
promised to call back, but I never heard from them again. It always seemed as
though I was competing against the building fund, new carpets for the fellowship
hall or next Saturday night’s Jesus rock concert.
Despite the solemn message of death, suffering and need I
was presenting, people still left the meetings with laughter and gossip on
their lips. I was offended at the spirit of jocularity in the churches: It
wounded me. So many times we went out to eat after I had just shared the
tragedy of the thousands who starve to death daily or the millions of homeless
people living in the streets of
Early in 1981—while driving alone between meetings in a borrowed
car near
With a start, I began to tremble with fear. Suddenly I
felt the presence of someone else. I realized that the Spirit of the Lord was
speaking.
“I am not in any trouble,” He chided, “that I need someone
to beg for Me or help Me out. I made no promises that I will not keep. It is
not the largeness of the work that matters, but only doing what I command. All
I ask of you is that you be a servant. For all who join with you in the work, it
will be a privilege —a light burden for them.”
The words echoed in my mind. This is His work, I told myself.
Why am I making it mine? The burden is light. Why am I making it heavy? The
work is a privilege. Why am I making it a chore?
I instantly repented of my sinful attitudes. God was sharing
His work with me, and He was speaking of others who would join me. Although I
still was doing the work alone, it was exciting to think others would be
joining with me and that they too would find the burden to be light. From that
moment until this, I have not been overpowered by the burden of heading Gospel
for
Since the work of Gospel for
By now we had rented offices in
We had hundreds of native missionaries waiting for support
by mid-1981, and I realized that we soon would have thousands more. I no longer
could communicate personally with every new sponsor. I knew we had to use mass
media. But I didn’t know where to begin.
Then I met Brother Lester Roloff.
Brother Roloff now is with the Lord, but during his life
he was a rugged individualist who preached his way across five decades of
outstanding Christian service. Near the end of his life, I approached him for
help in our ministry. His staff person, in arranging the interview, said I
would have only five minutes. To his staff’s astonishment, he gave me two hours
of his time.
When I told Brother Roloff about the native missionary movement,
he invited me to be his guest on the “Family Altar”—his daily radio broadcast.
At that time we were helping only 100 native missionaries, and Brother Roloff
announced over the air that he personally was going to sponsor six more.
He called me one of the “greatest missionaries he had ever
met” and urged his listeners to sponsor native missionaries as well. Soon we
were getting letters from all over the country.
As I read the postmarks and the letters, I realized again
just how huge the
When the answer came, it was quite different from anything
I had expected. The Lord gave me an idea which I now realize was unusual,
almost bizarre. I would ask Brother Roloff to loan me his mailing list and let
me ask his people to sponsor a native missionary.
Trembling, I called his office and asked for another appointment.
He saw me again but was very surprised at my request, telling me that he had
never loaned his list to anyone—even his best friends. Many agencies had asked
to rent his list, but he had always said no. I thought my cause was lost, but
he said he would pray about it.
The next day he called me back, saying that the Lord had told
him to give us his list. He also offered to write a letter of endorsement and
interview me again on the radio broadcast at the same time the letter went out.
Elated, I praised God. But I soon learned that this was only the beginning of
the miracle.
The list was a fairly large one, and to print a brochure,
my letter and his letter, together with the mailing, would cost more money than
we had. There seemed to be only one way to get it. I would have to borrow—just
this once—from the missionary funds. I figured it out again and again. If I
worked it just right, I could get the money to the field with only a few weeks’
delay. But I had no peace about the plan. I had always used the funds exactly
as designated.
When the time came to send the regular monies to the field,
I told our bookkeeper to hold the money for one day, and I prayed. Still no
peace. The next day I told her to hold the money for another day, and I went
back to prayer and fasting. Still no peace. I delayed it for a third day—and
still God would not release me to use the missionary support funds.
I was miserable. Finally I decided I could not break the trust
of our donors—even for the Lord’s work. I told my secretary to go ahead and
send the missionary money. I now realize we had gone through one of the
greatest tests of the ministry. This was it, my first chance to get a major increase
in donors and income—but it had to be done with integrity, or not at all.
A half hour after the check had gone to the field, the telephone
rang. It was from a couple whom I had met only once before at our annual
banquet in
After I explained the cost involved for printing and
putting out the mailing, they agreed to pick up the entire amount—nearly
$20,000. Then the printer became so moved by the project that he did it for
free! Plainly God had been testing me, and He miraculously showed that if we
were obedient, He indeed would provide.
The art work went to the printers and soon printed letters
were sitting on skids, ready for the post office. I had prepared a special
radio broadcast to coincide with the arrival of the mailing —and the broadcast
tapes already had been shipped to stations in many parts of the nation.
Timing was everything. The mail had to go on Monday. It was
Friday, and I had no undesignated money in the general fund for the postage.
This time there was no question of borrowing the missionary money. It stayed
right where it was.
I called a special prayer meeting, and we met that night
in the living room of our home. Finally the Lord gave me peace. Our prayers of
faith would be answered, I announced. After everyone had gone home, the telephone
rang. It was one of our sponsors in
“Praise God,” I said.
That mailing incident proved to be another turning point in
the history of Gospel for
In later years, other Christian leaders, like Bob Walker
of Christian Life Missions and David Mains of Chapel of the Air, would help us
in similar ways. Many of the people who joined our ministry through those
several early mailings have since helped to expand the ministry even further,
giving us a base of contacts from every state in the
God had given us a clear message for the body of Christ—a call
to recover the church’s missionary mandate. In every place, I preached this
same message—a prophetic cry to my brothers and sisters in Christ on behalf of
the lost millions in the
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This brings us to our Bible Believers question of the week. Following the death of Jesus Christ, who was the first martyr of the New Testament Church? God bless. MARANATHA!
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