"Then Jesus beholding him loved him..." Mark 10:21
The scripture above comes to us from Jesus' encounter with the rich young ruler. It stands out to me because it shows the heart of our Savior, even for those who reject Him. There are some who will try to tell you God loves only the elect and despises the unsaved, but here, Jesus clearly loves a man who rejects Him.
It is very interesting that Mark makes this point, because he was the "transcriber of Peter," our Lord's most intimate disciple. Peter knew Christ's heart for this man. Jesus loved him. Yet, the man rejected. How intense must have been Christ's sadness. He saw what blessings and grace were offered to this man, and he saw the future this man had chosen instead. Christ offered him blessings for eternity, but this man chose the pleasures of this life for a season.
Even so, we lost a member of our ministry. The woman who inspired this ministry has abandoned it and chosen a sinful path. It grieves us greatly. We bear no anger toward her, but we are saddened to see someone turn away from a chance to help churches reach their part of the world. Yet, even as Christ continued in His work after this man whom He loved spurned grace and its blessings, so must we.
So, after a few months of trying to deal with some issues, we are returning to our work. We are so thankful for Love in Action's work as we were away, and we are excited about continuing our work together.
We are praying about some specific ministry works to be done. One that we are especially excited about is the possibility of providing scholarships for the children of Shiloh Bible Baptist Church missionaries. These pastors begin their work with no support at all, and they often have very little money to take care of their families. So, when it comes time to send their children to college, they are often at the mercy of others.
So please pray about this part of the ministry. We also want to start monthly support for missionaries and help with building projects.
Please check back with us, follow us, like us on Facebook and join with us in prayer and support. We can still help our brothers in the Philippines reach their nation with the Gospel. Will you join us?
