Thứ Tư, tháng 8 01, 2007

"Our Hope" July 21, 2007 - Philippines for Jesus

PSALM 31:24 “Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.”

PSALM 43:5 “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.”

HEBREWS 6:18-19 “God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie,
We who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as a secure anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain,

ROMANS 15:4 “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scripture we might have hope.”

Word Wealth: Hope (elpis) Hope, not in the sense of an optimistic outlook or wishful thinking without any solid foundation, but in the sense of confident expectation based on certainty. Biblical hope rests on God’s promises, particularly those pertaining to Christ’s return. So certain is the future of the redeemed that the NT sometimes speaks of future events in the past tense.

Dear Friends,
Emie and I send you warm greetings once again. We pray that God will continue to encourage & strengthen you, and bring you comfort and peace. May all of our hope and confidence in Him, grow greater and greater. “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” ---I Corinthians 1:3

WE WOULD LIKE TO EXTEND THANKS TO EACH OF YOU WHO ARE PARTNERING WITH US IN REACHING PEOPLE FOR JESUS-----On behalf of the pastors and members of 16 churches Eternal Life Ministries is helping to establish, and the street and squatter area children we have fed and shared the gospel with over the years, on behalf of the people who have heard the gospel preached in a variety of ways and the many who received Jesus as their Savior and Lord, and on behalf of many poor adults and children who have received food, clothing, medical and other help, and also been shared the gospel of Jesus Christ---- literally on the behalf of several thousands of people through the years----Thank-You and God Bless You in many special ways. “For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown towards His name, in that you have ministered to His saints and do minister.” ---Hebrews 6:10 Your prayers, encouragement, and financial investments in helping share the gospel; has been and is very important to the fruitfulness of the ministry outreaches, and is really appreciated.

Do you ever talk to yourself? I’ve heard some people say that talking to yourself is okay but be careful not to answer. However in the second Scripture on the top of the page not only is the Psalmist asking himself a question, but also he is answering himself so-to-speak. It is basically the spirit of the man encouraging his own soul to stop looking at the circumstances and start looking to God. All the top verses deal with hope---the real hope we can have in all situations and circumstances when we put our trust and confidence in God.
The verses point to a personal and loving God---who knows each of us---who really loves us----and is totally able and willing to help us in all areas of our lives. There are troubles in this world, and at times in each of our lives we will face some challenges. There is an old secular saying that when the going gets tough---the tough get going, but as a Christian I would have to say that when the going gets tough---the wise---go to God, and partner with Him. “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. –Isaiah 41:10 God will give you the victory.

We gave 51 meals to squatter area children and a few poor adults this morning.
These Saturday feeding outreaches are much appreciated by the children. Most all of them have prayed to receive Jesus as Savior and Lord. They sing songs of praise and worship, learn from stories in the Bible, and learn how to pray to the Lord for His help in their lives. This is a simple outreach, but they really look forward to gathering together and several of the kids really expressed thanks after receiving their food. “…Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for such is the kingdom of God”…Jesus “And He took them in His arms and laid His hands on them, and blessed them.” Mark 10:14b&16
I remember the songs I learned in Sunday school, “Jesus Loves the Little Children” and “Jesus Loves Me This I Know—For the Bible tells me so---Little ones to Him belong----They are weak, but He is strong.” I used to enjoy singing them as a child and knew in my heart they were true. Many of us enjoyed those songs and still do--and while we think of physically aged children when we hear these songs---it is also good to also remember, that even if we all live to be over 100 years old, we also---are still His kids, and He loves us, and He is strong.
“…I will never leave you nor forsake you.”---Jesus Hebrews 13:5b

We had 2 excellent conferences this week in Tacloban and had the pastors and some church workers from most of the 16 churches we are helping to establish come to attend. The first was a 2-day conference on Hermeneutics and Homiletics by Dr. Roy Verosa from Cebu. The second was given by Pastor Wayne Young from Florida. Both seminars were a blessing to those who attended in regards to being better equipped to interpret and preach and teach the Bible, and were also a time of strengthening and encouragement.
Earlier this month we were able to spend some time in ministry and fellowship with friends from California, Missionary/Evangelists: John and Glenda Marks. They came to evangelize and minister encouraging messages to different churches and were a blessing to many people in Leyte. Please pray for God’s blessings upon them and Dr. Roy Verosa, and Pastor Wayne Young.
During this 17th year of ministry in the Philippines and in other nations the Lord opens to us, please continue to pray for God to grant us wisdom, knowledge, fresh anointing, and clear vision for us---so we can be the most effective in all areas of ministry. Please also pray for God to give us strength, excellent health, and provide the finances needed to effectively do all the ministry outreaches He has called us to do. Prayer is the foundation for success in sharing the gospel and strengthening and encouraging the body of Christ. Genuine and committed prayer brings positive results. Your prayers are important.
“…The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails (accomplishes) much.”---James 5:16b

We thank God for the privilege of sharing the gospel and seeing new people continuing to come to know Jesus as their Savior and Lord; seeing people’s lives transformed by the Lord’s love and power; to see the poor helped in various ways as led by the Holy Spirit. We pray often for God to bless you, your families, and churches. Thanks again for helping us lead people to Jesus. We always trust God to reward you.

In Christ’s love,
Gordon & Emie

“May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel…” Ruth 2:12 NIV