EXPERIENCING GOD's WILL

Romans 12:1-2 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. ²And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

  Experience God’s will. Big order. Here are three truths found in Romans 12 that might help.

     First, is the step of Presentation. “Present your bodies a living sacrifice” This is first and not last. Before you “know”, you present. Before you have any details, you present. By faith you sign a “blank check”. You trust God to fill it in. No questions, no boundries, no line in the sand saying..“until here I will follow you.” No! First step, by faith, knowing that his will is best, you present.

   Second, is the step of Transformation. God will change your heart, head, hands, whatever is necessary to do what He says. God does not call the equipped, He equips the called. You Present, God Transforms. It’s simple. It is also a command. “Be transformed!” He begins with your mind, “renewing of your mind”. You must think differently. This is a process, a “transformation”. First presentation, Second transformation…..

   Third, is the step of Experiencing. “that you may prove (experience).” “That” (i.e. ..in order that, ..so that, …so as a result that) you will experience. What do we experience? Exactly what we were seeking ... “that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” God’s will is Good. God’s will is acceptable. God’s will is perfect. I will settle for perfect.

  

  Often we want to know God’s will. Then we will decide if that is what we want to do. That is not how it works. We decide first. Having decided, by faith, we present, He transforms, and we experience. Not that complicated. Just don’t get this out of order, it will be very frustrating, in fact, it won’t work. His will, His word, His way. 

PRISON MINISTRY in BRAZIL

Brazil’s Prison Population in September 2009 was 472,482, making it the fourth highest in the world.. According to the Brazilian Government’s National Penitentiary Department (DEPEN), in June 2008 the number of people being incarcerated exceeded the design capacity of Brazil’s prisons by 40 per cent, and the number of prisoners was increasing by approximately 3,000 per month. Brazilian prisons are notorious for their overcrowding, corruption, violence and torture. For many years Human Rights groups have cited overcrowding as being the cause of many of the brutal riots in Brazilian prisons.

         Of the 17 Prisons in the state of Bahia, 7 are in Salvador.  “S.O.S Prisidio” (SOS Prison Ministry) is our ministry to these prisoners and their families. The team leader, Jesse Jane (real name) has lead hundreds of volunteers to minister, evangelize, disciple, and plant churches in every pavilion in each of these prisons. Churches and ministry centers have been started in the communities near each prison to reach the relocated families in the area.

        

To work in the high security area, each volunteer must have a background check, go through a strip search, and often be humiliated every time we go in. Is it worth it? You bet! The Pastors, deacon, etc of every prison church were justly convicted of serious crimes but Jesus Christ changed everything. These men and women are now ministering and leading other inmates to Christ. It’s a type of “Cell” church.

        Pray for Jesse Jane, The Volunteers, the Christian inmates and those we are trying to reach. Pray for continued access, safety, ministry resources, and that many, many decisions will be made to follow Christ as Lord and Savior.

THE LIFEBOAT

        Imagine you are on a sinking ship 2,000 miles from shore. You are wishing the situation was different, you are wishing for another ship, you wish you knew how to swim! Let’s say you, and the others on the ship decide to swim for shore. You say a prayer and all jump into the water. Some sink immediately, some try to turn back, and some actually start to swim. The group starts out strong. However, with time they begin to grow weary. One by one they begin to sink. Not good. The others swim on with fixed focus. More begin to sink. Not good. There are fewer and fewer. Finally there is one. Only one. He is tired. Let’s say he swims 1,000 miles. Half way. ( beyond a world record). He only lacks 1,000 miles. There is no hope. He did better than everyone imagined… only to drown in a different location.

       This is much like those that try to get to heaven by their own effort. Heroic feats, just not enough. It’s just too far. The Bible says that we have sinned (Romans 3:23), i.e. we have holes in our boat. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), i.e. the boat is going to sink. We can not save ourselves (Romans 5:8) i.e. …too far to swim. We are in a mess!

     Good News! There is a Lifeboat! A Lifeboat can save people that swim and also those that don’t swim. You see, your swimming ability is not a factor. You just have to get in the boat.  You should know however….

     It is not enough to believe that the boat can save you! You have to get into the boat. You can believe with all you heart that the boat can save you and you can drown while believing this. It is not your “faith” that saves you, it’s the “boat” that saves you.  By faith you get into the boat, but it is the boat, not your faith that saves you. This “boat” is Jesus Christ. He lived, died, rose again, and is alive to day.. to pay the price of your failures (sins).  He is your hope. There is no other. None!

    So you have a choice!

      1. Stop swimming. Get into the boat. As you would trust a lifeboat, trust Jesus Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection and payment in full for your sins. Life is good in the lifeboat. My choice is the lifeboat.

      2. Swim on. Alone, tired, no shore in sight, you are also swimming by faith you know,. ..faith in your swimming. A heroic feat that no one will remember, because it didn’t work.  

     There is room for you in the lifeboat you know. You can see a difference in those in the boat and those in the water. Don’t be an idiot, get in the boat!

Evangelism vs Discipleship

        It is interesting how many Christians think that all we need to do is “gittem saved”.  No thought on “making disciples”. Interesting that we are never told to just “gittem saved”. The Great Commission in Matt 28:18-20 is “make disciples”. Here are the facts.

     Evangelism only . If we could lead 3,000 a day to Jesus Christ, a day of Pentecost every day, how long would to take to win the 6.7 billion people in the world to Christ? Would you believe 6,119 years. That is no day off, no vacation, non-stop, everyday evangelism. And this is if no one else is born during that time. Amazing!

   Multiplying Discipleship is different. If we start with 1 reaching 1 and discipling that person for, say, a year…. that’s 2 (1st year ). If those 2 reach and disciple 2 more… that’s 4 (2nd year). If those 4 reach and disciple 4 others.. that’s 8 (3rd year ). Those 8 reach and disciple 8 others=16 (4th year).  Really slow, right?  Watch this…..

In 33 year is would be possible to Evangelize and Disciple over 8 billion people. The difference is Multiplying Discipleship. That doable! That is the only way it can happen. And, that is how Jesus said to do in the first place. …make disciples!

      2 Timothy 2:2 “and the things you have heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit these to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. “

   Making disciples is the command of Jesus. Making disciples is the only way this can happen. Making disciples will change the world one person at a time.

     Now the hard question. Who are you discipling?  If you are not discipling you are not obeying. 

FLOODING in RIO-Jan2011

The flooding that occurred last week (Jan 13,2011)in Rio has already claimed the lives of 626 lives. 13,830 were left homeless and this is only the beginning of the rainy season in the sate of Rio in Brazil. With this being the worse event of this type in Brazil in the past 100 years, many are asking what they can do.

 The most appropriate things that Southern Baptist can do now is pray. Continuous rains could result in other flooding and landslides as the ground reaches saturation levels again and again.  Here is a brief summary

1.     There is much good going on at the moment. However, there is probably just as much bad going on also. As always, there is exploitation, looting, and such, this is no exception.

2.     Many of the roads and bridges accessing the areas are gone.   

3.     There are presently multiple groups and organizations that are mobilizing to render aid to the displaced families, provide food and water, and comfort those with missing or deceased loved ones.   

4.     The two Baptist conventions in the state of Rio as well as other denominations , and organizations are mobilizing themselves by collecting food, providing places for displaced families and in general giving what ever aid that appears to be needed at the moment.

5.     The Brazilian army has been called in and is doing a spectacular job of strategically accessing and giving leadership to a situation that could have been utter chaos. Helicopters are reaching areas with medical, food, etc. Teams are organized for reaching those possibly left in dangerous situations.

6.     The media is doing their part in stirring hearts showing the worst of the situation and in general “making  news”

At the moment there is already much being done. This week our Rio missionaries will be able to access the situation and develop a well thought out plan that will not duplicate the work of others and have the greatest impact for the kingdom and real help for the people involved.
      At the present moment the most strategic thing that can be done by Southern Baptists is Prayer for ….
 

1.     The Rescue Teams on site. Pray for their safety, their strength, wisdom as important decisions are being made. Many of these rescuers are fellow believers.

2.     The Victims of this terrible disaster. Many have lost everything, family, homes, jobs, and most of all hope.

3.     The continuous rains to stop. As stated, this is only the beginning of the rainy season in this part of Brazil. Pray for no more further occurrences of flooding in the near future.

4.     The Baptist Convention, other Christian organizations, your IMB team on the ground as they develop important plans for the most important “next step” of meeting real needs when there are no cameras, media, military or government involvement to help folks put their lives back together and make sense of what happened.

People of Brazil come together at times like this. The reporter today spoke of the solidarity of people working together, sharing what they have, giving to meet needs. Many are stirred and want to do something. This often leads to badly planned, poorly executed, and “little result” projects that are more often done more to make the giver “feel good” rather then offer a well thought out help that is really needed. I am thankful for experienced missionaries and BGR (Baptist Global Response) that can see past the immediate crisis and will be on the ground to help when the dust (in this case mud) settles.

 At this moment, the greatest “Mobilization” need for Southern Baptist is Prayer

DEAF of BRAZIL

Approximately 8.6 % of Americans have serious auditory problems. Many suffer from this later in life after a lifetime of hearing. However, approx. 2.2% of Brazilians are born with little or no hearing at all. That is over 4,500,000 people. These people have never heard music, the words, “I love you”, “you are important”, “you matter”, and few will ever “hear” the good news of Jesus Christ.

                Only a small percent of the deaf know LIBRAS, the official Sign Language in Brazil. The new law passed on April 24, 2002 gives great hope that many things will change. However, many live in neighborhoods and communities with no one to work with them. Families mimic to communicate. Many are left alone in their world of silence.

Margo and Marilia

              Marilia with the Brazilian Home Mission Board and Margo our Salvador Deaf Team leader work with volunteers trying to reach this often forgotten group. Conferences, trainings, class, and countless hours of one on one with the deaf often leave Deaf workers exhausted and discouraged. The challenges are enormous. Please pray for more volunteers to reach the deaf. Pray that the volunteers will learn the language and skills needed to reach this group. This is demanding work, it does not suit everyone. Pray for more resources in LIBRAS for reaching and discipling new believers.

             Reaching the “Hidden Peoples” with the Gospel is serious business. Who are the “hidden people” in your community? Who is going to reach them? If not you, who? If not now, when?

SMALL GROUP#2 - Ministry

Where does “Ministry” take place in your church? Not just ministry to those out there… but ministry to those in the church, the body of Christ,.. to “one another”. There are over fifty things that believers are commanded to do “one to another”. These include…Pray for one another, encourage, admonish, accept, serve, teach, greet, honor, bear one another’s burdens, forgive, submit to, be dedicated to, be ready to give your life for, …just to name a few. Question. Where does this happen in your church? If you are not connected to a small group it is likely that it will not happen.

                If a member of your church misses a Sunday, has a crisis, needs encouragement, etc. who will notice? Who will go after him? If a week turns in to a month,  a year, who will notice? Who will go after them? Who’s job is this? The Pastor’s? Sorry buddy, it’s yours! Those “one another” commands are for YOU!

            A small group structure in the church keeps us connected to “one another”.  “Church” happens when God’s people share God’s love in God’s way. If there is no plan, a person can fall through the cracks. That person may be you, your aging parents, your kids, or your dear friend. 

If you are a follower of Jesus that makes you a part of His body, the church. Body parts don’t function well apart from the body. Be actively involved in a small group. We need “one another”!

SMALL GROUPS#1- Relationships

Exponential Relationships Formula: N x (N-1)

Why do churches need small groups? A lot of folks just join a Worship Service but never become a part of the church itself. They know a lot of people superficially, but do not really know anyone very deeply. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are also part of the body of Christ. We are to love one another to the point that we are willing to give our life for them. (I John 3:16). Now that is a serious relationship.

            We can only develop deep relationships with a small number of people. Here is how “group relationships” work. If there are 2 people in a group, there are 2 possible relationships. Simple. If there are 3 people in the groups, this jumps to 6 possible relationships. EXAMPLE: say.. You, Me and Bill..[(1)You to Me, (2)Me to you, (3)You to Bill, (4)Bill to You, (5)Me to Bill, (6)Bill to me]. The formula is simple but the greater the number in the groups the more complicated the group gets.  The Chart shows two columns. The number of People in a groups and the number of possible relationships.  See how the relationships grow as the group grows.

           As you can see, the greater the size of the group, the less “intimacy” the group will experience. Extremes are on both sides. We can have a few deep relationships or many shallow relationships. The key is a balance. We need time in small groups to deepen relationships and also time in a large groups to connect with others.

            Jesus spent time with the masses, but also had a groups of 12 and an even closer group of Peter, James and John. Jesus was a part of a small group.  Get involved in a small group at your church this week. It is the right thing to do.

WHO PACKS YOUR PARACHUTE?

"Insights into Excellence", by Captain J Charles Plump
Recently, I was sitting in a restaurant in Kansas City. A man about two tables away kept looking at me. I didn't recognize him. A few minutes into our meal he stood up and walked over to my table, looked down at me, pointed his finger in my face and said, "You're Captain Plumb."

I looked up and I said, "Yes sir, I'm Captain Plumb."

He said, "You flew jet fighters in Vietnam. You were on the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down. You parachuted into enemy hands and spent six years as a prisoner of war."

I said, "How in the world did you know all that?"
He replied, "Because, I packed your parachute."

I was speechless. I staggered to my feet and held out a very grateful hand of thanks. This guy came up with just the proper words. He grabbed my hand, he pumped my arm and said, "I guess it worked."
"Yes sir, indeed it did", I said, "and I must tell you I've said a lot of prayers of thanks for your nimble fingers, but I never thought I'd have the opportunity to express my gratitude in person."

"Let me ask you a question," I said, "do you keep track of all the parachutes you pack?"
"No" he responded, "it's enough gratification for me just to know that I've served."

I didn't get much sleep that night. I kept thinking about that man. I kept wondering what he might have looked like in a Navy uniform - a Dixie cup hat, a bib in the back and bell bottom trousers. I wondered how many times I might have passed him on board the Kitty Hawk. I wondered how many times I might have seen him and not even said "good morning", "how are you", or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was just a sailor. How many hours did he spend on that long wooden table in the bowels of that ship weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of those chutes? I could have cared less...until one day my parachute came along and he packed it for me.

The question here is this: Who Packs Your Parachute? Who looks out for in times of need? And perhaps, more importantly, who are the special people in your life who provide you the encouragement you need when the chips are down? Perhaps it's time right now to give those people a call and thank them for packing your chute.

BATTLE of NEW ORLEANS

The Famous “Battle of New Orleans” fought on January 8, 1815 is one of the events in American history that helped to make Andrew Jackson famous. “Old Hickory” as he was called, was known for being as hard as old hickory. Jackson was victorious over the British Army when they tried to take New Orleans in the War of 1812.  Unknown to many,… the war was actually over with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent the year before on December 24^th, 1814. The battle was fought after the war had already been won.

              Isn’t that just like so many Christians today that are fighting battles that Christ has already won.  So many things try to separate us from God’s love. Troubles, worries, being harassed, concerns about food and clothing, dangers of every sort, even violent death are some of the things that Paul mentions in Romans chapter 8 (v35). Truly there are challenges in today’s world like never before.

          
However, when a believer is “in Christ”, as the scriptures teach, has already won the war. Romans 8: 37 says “in all these things we are more than Conquerors through him that loved us (Jesus)”.

Here is some of what has already been “won”….

1.    1.  Freedom from Sin – Romans 8:1-2 “therefore now no condemnation”  We are free…

2.     2. Family for Support – Romans 12:5 “one body in Christ, and every one members one of another”  We have a family…

3.     3. Future that’s Secure – 2 Corinthians 5:17-22 “God “made him to be sin for us, who know no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (Jesus). “ We have a future of righteousness…

Stop the fighting. Enjoy the victory. The Battle of a New-Core-Means… that the battle is over. May this truth keeps marching on….

LOVE CHANGES EVERYTHING

" And you will love the Lord your God with all your heart , and with all your soul, and with all your mind and with all your strength: this is the first commandment" Mark 12:30

   When you love somebody, it changes everything. It affects everything. It touches very area of your life. When we love God, as the verse above says, how will that actually be expressed in our lives? There are obviously three areas that will change. It will change how we THINK, how we FEEL, and how we BEHAVE.

    Several years ago a guy named Benjamin Bloom developed a "taxonomy" for educational systems. It is still used today in most every public and private school system. You may be familiar with the "three domains of learning". Teachers  plan for learning in these areas: the Cognitive, Affective, and the Psycho Motor. It is interesting that when we study the Scriptures, we find that every passage has an application in at least one of these areas. Through the scriptures we learn that loving God affects how we THINK (Cognitive), How we FEEL (Heart and Soul), and how we BEHAVE (Psycho-Motor).
     The more we learn to love God the more He will change how we..

1. THINK - about Ourselves, Others, and Our things... Phil 2:5, Rom 12:1-2, Eph 3:20
2. FEEL - about Ourselves, Others, and Our things...  John 13:34, John 15:12, I John 4:7
3. BEHAVE - towards Ourselves, Others, and Our Things...Rom. 12:21, 
     "He that loveth not knoweth not God: for God is love" I John 4:8...."Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another" I John 4:11.  It 's really true,  Love really does Change Everything!
     

DR. SEUSS-Top 10

I have enjoyed Dr. Seuss since I was a little kid. . These are some of my favourite quotes.

Quote #1
You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself, any direction you choose. ~Dr. Seuss

Quote #2
Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you. ~Dr. Seuss

Quote #3
From there to here, and here to there, funny things are everywhere. ~Dr. Seuss

Quote #4
Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened. ~Dr. Seuss

Quote #5
Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So… get on your way. ~Dr. Seuss

Quote #6
If you never did, you should. These things are fun, and fun is good. ~Dr. Seuss

Quote #7
I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. An elephant’s faithful, one hundred percent. ~Dr. Seuss

Quote #8
So the writer who breeds more words than he needs, is making a chore for the reader who reads. ~Dr. Seus

Quote #9
And will you succeed? Yes indeed, yes indeed! Ninety-eight and three-quarters percent guaranteed. ~Dr. Seuss

Quote #10
Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple. ~Dr. Seuss

Dr. Seuss is often thought of as the author of children’s books. However, after researching his biography much of his writing is geared toward adults.

JOSEPH KITTINGER

On Aug. 16, 1960, as research for the then-fledgling U. S. Space Program, Air Force Captain Joseph Kittinger rode a helium balloon to the edge of space, 102,800 feet above the earth, a feat in itself.

Then, wearing just a thin pressure suit and breathing supplemental oxygen, he leaned over the cramped confines of his gondola and jumped--into the 110-degree-below-zero, near-vacuum of space.  Within seconds his body accelerated to 714 mph in the thin air, breaking the sound barrier.

After free-falling for more than four and a half minutes, slowed finally by friction from the heavier air below, he felt his parachute open at 14,000 feet, and he coasted gently down to the New Mexico desert floor.

Joe Kittinger’s own words: At 2 a.m. we began to fill the helium balloon. At sea level, it was 35 to 40 feet wide and 200 feet high; at altitude, due to the low air pressure, it expanded to 25 stories in width, and still was 20 stories high!  At 4 a.m. I began breathing pure oxygen for two hours. That's how long it takes to remove all the nitrogen from your blood so you don't get the bends going so high so fast. I wore layers of warm clothing under my pressure suit. They kept me in air-conditioning until it was time to launch because we were in the desert and I wasn't supposed to sweat.  If I did, my clothes would freeze on the way up. 

It took an hour and a half to get to altitude. It was cold. At 40,000 feet, the glove on my right hand hadn't inflated. I knew that if I radioed my doctor, he would abort the flight. If that happened, I knew I might never get another chance because there were lots of people who didn't want this test to happen. I took a calculated risk, that I might lose use of my right hand. It quickly swelled up, and I did lose use for the duration of the flight.  But the rest of the pressure suit worked. When I reached 102,800 feet, maximum altitude, I wasn't quite over the target. So I drifted for 11 minutes.

I could see about 400 miles in every direction. The most fascinating thing is that it's just black overhead, the transition from normal blue to black is very stark. You can't see stars because there's a lot of glare from the sun, so your pupils are too small.

I was struck with the beauty of it. It was more than 100 degrees below zero, no air. If my protection suit failed, I would be dead in a few seconds. Blood actually boils above 62,000 feet. I went through my 46-step checklist, disconnected from the balloons power supply and lost all communication with the ground. I stood up, turned around to the door, took one final look out and said a silent prayer: "Lord, take care of me now." Then I just jumped over the side.

I rolled over and looked up, and there was the balloon just roaring into space. I realized that the balloon wasn't roaring into space; I was going down at a fantastic rate! At about 90,000 feet, I reached 714 mph.

The altimeter on my wrist was unwinding very rapidly. But there was no sense of speed. Where you determine speed is visual--if you see something go flashing by. But nothing flashes by 20 miles up--there are no signposts there, and you are way above any clouds. When the chute opened, the rest of the jump was anticlimactic, because everything had worked perfectly. I landed 12 or 13 minutes later, and there was my crew waiting.  

Everything that day for Joe lead up to a step of faith. He trusted his training, his team, his equipment, and most importantly his God. If Joe could take that step of faith, could you take a step of faith in the God that loves you to get you safely home? Hebrews 11:6 says "Without faith it is impossible to please God". Romans 10:13 "Whosoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved". Does it make sense to trust in something smaller than God?

LIKE FATHER-LIKE SON

"CATS IN THE CRADLE" by Harry Chapin

My child arrived just the other day
He came to the world in the usual way
But there were planes to catch and bills to pay
He learned to walk while I was away
And he was talkin' 'fore I knew it, and as he grew
He'd say "I'm gonna be like you dad
You know I'm gonna be like you"

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home dad?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then

My son turned ten just the other day
He said, "Thanks for the ball, Dad, come on let's play
Can you teach me to throw", I said "Not today
I got a lot to do", he said, "That's ok"
And he walked away but his smile never dimmed
And said, "I'm gonna be like him, yeah
You know I'm gonna be like him"

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home son?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then

Well, he came home from college just the other day
So much like a man I just had to say
"Son, I'm proud of you, can you sit for a while?"
He shook his head and said with a smile
"What I'd really like, Dad, is to borrow the car keys
See you later, can I have them please?"

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home son?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then

I've long since retired, my son's moved away
I called him up just the other day
I said, "I'd like to see you if you don't mind"
He said, "I'd love to, Dad, if I can find the time
You see my new job's a hassle and kids have the flu
But it's sure nice talking to you, Dad
It's been sure nice talking to you"

And as I hung up the phone it occurred to me
He'd grown up just like me
My boy was just like me

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home son?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then 

COUNT DOWN!

Psalm 90: 9-12 " .....we spend our years as a tale that is told.....so teach is to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom". 

My how time flies..., If we only had more time...., we'll get together sometime.... Time must be wisely invested, we will never get it back.  The difference in success and failure has much to do with how we spend our time. There are three truths from the passage that we should take time to learn.

1. We Must "Count" our Days:   Every day is a gift. Now is all you have. Tomorrow is the day that never arrives, ....it is always ...tomorrow! How many days have you spent....on yourself......for others.....for God?

2. We Must Make Our Days "Count":  Ephesians 5:16" make the best use of the time for the days are evil" Romans 14:12 says that "we will give account to God". Does what you do really matter? I have never heard anyone say on their deathbed: "Wow, I really should have spent more time at the office.." Have you made your days count? ....toward yourself.....for others.....for God?

3. We Must know what "Counts": What is important to us is not always what is important to God. Isa 55:8-9 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts and my ways are not your ways. For as the heaven is higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. " Will what you do today really matter 100 years from now, or in eternity? What can you do that will "count"?

How will you spend the rest of your days? The Countdown has already started.....

REMOTE FISHING VILLAGES in Brazil's Northeast

      All along the northeastern coastal region of Brazil there are hundreds of remote fishing villages. Many of these are only accessible by boat and some a long walk in mud or shallow waters depending on the tide. These tiny communities live in simple conditions, depend on fishing, fruits, and raising Dende to make a Brazilian cooking oil. Many of these families have little health care and infrequent contact with cities and their conveniences.
           American Volunteers working with IMB missionaries and a Brazilian Mission called MEAP ( Missão Evanlgélica de Assestência aos Pescadores) have provided medical clinics in many of these remote areas. The Medical boat, complete with examining room and dental equipment has been used all across the northeast of Brazil.  Teams Leaders like Kenneth and Donna Winchester from Slaton Texas return yearly with trained medical and evangelism teams to work tirelessly in a new community each day. These committed volunteer teams have opened many doors for the gospel and planting of many churches in these remote areas.
      Donna (dentist) has been asked many times by folks in these communities, "Why are you doing this?" Donna does not hesitate to explain that God's amazing love shown in Jesus Christ's death on the cross has changed her life. That same Jesus died for them also. "The physical needs are overwhelming, even more, the need to hear of God's eternal salvation" says Donna.
    Evangelism teams Share the gospel with those waiting for medical attention, areas schools, home visits, and with fishermen as they work on their boats or are cleaning their nets.  As Jesus challenges those first disciples to leave it all and follow him, these volunteers present to same challenge to follow Jesus.
      God uses volunteers for this type of fishing. God uses fish in reaching volunteers. Jonah in the Old Testament was a Short Term Volunteer with a Bad attitude. God used him in a powerful way. What will God need to do to get your attention. Pray about being a "Fisher of men" where God has placed you today.