"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?
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Preaching in Moliton
Today we wanted to share with you the outreach that Shiloh Bible Baptist Church in Punta is doing.
We'll let our sister who sent us the following papers tell it in her own words.
Enjoy!
We'll let our sister who sent us the following papers tell it in her own words.
Enjoy!
Monday, September 12, 2011
The gates of hell
As some of you may know (and everyone who reads this will find out), my heart goes out to Muslims. The predominant emotion for many seems to react to Islam in fear. But there is no reason to be afraid if you are in Christ. Greater is He that is in us than he that is in Islam. My heart goes out to the millions (perhaps billions) trapped in this false religion.
That's why I'm excited to tell you about one man in our family of missionaries. Now, I won't tell you his name, or any personal details about him for reasons which will soon be obvious. But nonetheless, this man needs our prayers.
First, let us consider something. Most of the money in the Philippines is tied up among a few families, so professionals have to leave the country to earn a solid living. They are valued all over the eastern world in many countries.
One nation where they work is Saudi Arabia. The man we are asking prayer for is one of these who works in Saudi Arabia, the cradle of Islam. While he is there, he teaches God's word to other Filipino workers, and he shares the love of Christ and the message of salvation in the most Muslim country in the world.
We are sure there are many like him. God has a way of getting His people into the places where people need the Gospel. Please pray for this man's boldness, his protection, and his fruitfulness as he storms the gates of hell with the knowledge of His word.
Thank you and God bless.
That's why I'm excited to tell you about one man in our family of missionaries. Now, I won't tell you his name, or any personal details about him for reasons which will soon be obvious. But nonetheless, this man needs our prayers.
First, let us consider something. Most of the money in the Philippines is tied up among a few families, so professionals have to leave the country to earn a solid living. They are valued all over the eastern world in many countries.
One nation where they work is Saudi Arabia. The man we are asking prayer for is one of these who works in Saudi Arabia, the cradle of Islam. While he is there, he teaches God's word to other Filipino workers, and he shares the love of Christ and the message of salvation in the most Muslim country in the world.
We are sure there are many like him. God has a way of getting His people into the places where people need the Gospel. Please pray for this man's boldness, his protection, and his fruitfulness as he storms the gates of hell with the knowledge of His word.
Thank you and God bless.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Meet our church in Dipolog City
What a joy to bring you testimonies of what God is doing in the Philippines!
The church in Punta, Dipolog City, was the first missionary church sent out by Shiloh Bible Baptist Church in Ozamis City. We are privileged to share with you some stories and photos a sister at SBBC Punta shared with us.
You will see in the JPGs that the church is praying for a bigger lot. We remind everyone, the funds the church needs are $12,000 to buy the property and take care of the legal paperwork. If you feel led to donate, please do so through Love in Action Ministries. Their contact info is as follows:
Love In Action International Ministries, Inc.
P.O. Box 85
Dothan, AL 36302
334-494-4995
Now, for the story of SBBC Punta. Note, we have preserved the language of the sister who sent us the file, but I think you can follow it pretty well. Also, the files are as large as we can run them. I hope they are readable.
The church in Punta, Dipolog City, was the first missionary church sent out by Shiloh Bible Baptist Church in Ozamis City. We are privileged to share with you some stories and photos a sister at SBBC Punta shared with us.
You will see in the JPGs that the church is praying for a bigger lot. We remind everyone, the funds the church needs are $12,000 to buy the property and take care of the legal paperwork. If you feel led to donate, please do so through Love in Action Ministries. Their contact info is as follows:
Love In Action International Ministries, Inc.
P.O. Box 85
Dothan, AL 36302
334-494-4995
Now, for the story of SBBC Punta. Note, we have preserved the language of the sister who sent us the file, but I think you can follow it pretty well. Also, the files are as large as we can run them. I hope they are readable.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Letter from a sister
It's been a while since we have updated this site. There are reasons why we are not updating as much, so we ask your prayers for this time in our ministry.
First, we want to let you know that we are now officially affiliated with Love in Action Ministries. This move has been a part of prayer for a while, and we are thankful for it.
As you are working to start a ministry, it's amazing to see how God uses people to accomplish His purposes.
I want to share with you a letter from the Sunday School leader for Shiloh Bible Baptist Church in Ozamis. God blessed us tremendously by the generous donation by the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches publishing division. The GARBC donated enough supplies so that each of the children in the Sunday School classes could have a book. The GARBC donated materials from the previous quarter, and they only charged us the shipping fee (which was not too much, considering).
Here is the letter from the leader of the Sunday School for children at this church. Some information has been edited out.
First, we want to let you know that we are now officially affiliated with Love in Action Ministries. This move has been a part of prayer for a while, and we are thankful for it.
As you are working to start a ministry, it's amazing to see how God uses people to accomplish His purposes.
I want to share with you a letter from the Sunday School leader for Shiloh Bible Baptist Church in Ozamis. God blessed us tremendously by the generous donation by the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches publishing division. The GARBC donated enough supplies so that each of the children in the Sunday School classes could have a book. The GARBC donated materials from the previous quarter, and they only charged us the shipping fee (which was not too much, considering).
Here is the letter from the leader of the Sunday School for children at this church. Some information has been edited out.
Good day!
Greetings in the Precious Name of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!I am ... from SHILOH BIBLE BAPTIST CHURCH Gomez St., Ozamiz City, Philippines. I am the Sunday school teacher in the children's department in our church. ... the recipient of the materials being requested from your good office.
i would like to inform you that the package arrived last Wednesday, Sept. 7, and would like extend our gratitude for granting us these materials. this indeed an answer to our prayers because we are badly in need of these, thank you so much. May God bless more your ministry.
Can we expect some copies of materials/lessons for the next time?
Since there are numerous young lives here who need to be ministered.
May this partnership of ours may lead more precious souls to our Lord God.
Thank you once again and God bless us more!
For His Glory and Honor,
Sis Xxxxx
Please join us in praising God for this provision. Also, please pray with us that we can provide more materials in the future. How wonderful would it be to help more children learn about God's word!
Monday, July 11, 2011
Bible Sunday
 |
| Pastor Greg (right) and a church brother set up the Bibles for Bible Sunday this past Sunday. |
What if you were a pastor who could not give his new converts a Bible? What if one day, God provided those Bibles for your church?
That's what happened this week at Shiloh Bible Baptist Church Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte, Philippines. Pastor Greg Begafria was able to purchase Bibles for his flock, and they had "Bible Sunday" on July 10. Pastor Greg had to travel about eight to nine hours one way to get the 32 KJV Bibles and 10,000 tracts in their own language. The funds for this project came from Love in Action Ministries, and we are thankful for this gift.
When you give to Homegrown Harvesters through Love in Action Ministries, this is the kind of thing you support. Praise God for the gift, and may these tracts and Bibles produce eternal fruit in the Philippines.
 |
| A church member gets his new Bible. |
Additionally, as Pastor Greg shared with us before, the church recently saw the conversion of a former convict. Pastor Greg told us more about this man, who lives in a village where the church wants to start a Bible study.
"I hope you still remember one time I have shared with you about an ex convict from prison receiving Christ as his Personal Savior and submitting to water baptism. He lives in this village. His salvation becomes a blessing to his mother and younger siblings and the villagers as well. As of now his family was a constant visitor (together with the neighbors) in the church and has been a prospect for our baptism," Pastor Greg said.
As you can see, God is working through these churches in the Philippines. Please join with us as we offer prayers and financial support for these dear brothers and sisters.
| Church members show off their new Bibles. |
Pastor Greg also told us this about those who received their Bibles, "They are also committing to read and value the Bibles in their hands."
Will you join us in working for God's kingdom in the Philippines? Please, if you feel led to give, do so through Love in Action Ministries. You can do so by using the hyperlink that keeps recurring, or you can use the contact info below. I hope your heart rejoices to see God at work among other people.
Will you join us in working for God's kingdom in the Philippines? Please, if you feel led to give, do so through Love in Action Ministries. You can do so by using the hyperlink that keeps recurring, or you can use the contact info below. I hope your heart rejoices to see God at work among other people.
Love In Action International Ministries, Inc.
P.O. Box 85
Dothan, AL 36302
334-494-4995
P.O. Box 85
Dothan, AL 36302
334-494-4995
 |
| Church members flood the altar to pray for Homegrown Harvesters and Love in Action. Will you join in their prayers? |
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Scripture fulfilled
All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. -- Psalm 22:27
How amazing it was for me to see the reality of this promise when I made my two-week and too-short trip to the Philippines. Here I was, worshipping with people whose language I did not speak and who spoke my language well but not perfectly.
I remember one night, we spent all night with a group of missionaries. They had a songbook translated into Cebuano, and they would sing hymns out of it together. One helpful pastor would always repeat the page numbers for me, as if that would help me at all, because even though I recognized some tunes and names, I didn't speak Cebuano enough to sing along.
Still, the reality of this promise was holding true. God was in this place, bringing people separated by culture, language and ocean, and we were worshiping together. How amazing that Jesus Christ understands Cebuano, English, Tagalog and every other language on the planet.
Earlier, we told you about a pastor who was unable to provide Bibles for his congregation. Our friends at Love in Action Ministries provided a generous sum for this church to be able to purchase their Bibles. This is part of an email we received from this pastor.
By Monday, July 4, I will be going to Iligan to purchase KJV Bibles and tracts that we have been long praying. On July 7, the church will be having its BIBLE SUNDAY. This whole Sunday will be dedicated to preach and school out the church members the importance of the Word of God. After the service, we will be distributing these KJV Bibles to the newly baptized believers.As soon as possible we will give you reports and pictures of this event ( Bible Sunday ).
Our brother was understandably excited about the riches our friends were able to provide. The church is far away from the place where they must get the Bibles (about a 6-hour drive one way via bus, not the safest ride one has ever taken). How amazing it is for us to see this reality! Just as God promised through David thousands of years ago, we are witnessing the turn of "all ends of the world" to God through Jesus Christ.
When you join with us, you provide the ability for these churches to continue reaching the world around them. I hope and pray you will get a vision for what God is doing in the Philippines, and for what God is calling us to do at Homegrown Harvesters.
Once again, we are praying specifically for Pastor Mario Montero's church in Dipolog City. An adjacent lot would allow the pastor and his church to expand their ministry. It will only cost $12,000 for the lot and the legal paperwork to get this land transferred to the church.
Please join us in reaching this goal. As always, our ministry partners at Love in Action Ministries are handling the funds for us. Please contact them through the hyperlink above or through the info below and designate your gift to the Philippines. We are thankful for Love in Action Ministries' help with this and other projects.
May God richly bless you in all things.
Love In Action International Ministries, Inc.
P.O. Box 85
Dothan, AL 36302
334-494-4995
How amazing it was for me to see the reality of this promise when I made my two-week and too-short trip to the Philippines. Here I was, worshipping with people whose language I did not speak and who spoke my language well but not perfectly.
I remember one night, we spent all night with a group of missionaries. They had a songbook translated into Cebuano, and they would sing hymns out of it together. One helpful pastor would always repeat the page numbers for me, as if that would help me at all, because even though I recognized some tunes and names, I didn't speak Cebuano enough to sing along.
Still, the reality of this promise was holding true. God was in this place, bringing people separated by culture, language and ocean, and we were worshiping together. How amazing that Jesus Christ understands Cebuano, English, Tagalog and every other language on the planet.
Earlier, we told you about a pastor who was unable to provide Bibles for his congregation. Our friends at Love in Action Ministries provided a generous sum for this church to be able to purchase their Bibles. This is part of an email we received from this pastor.
By Monday, July 4, I will be going to Iligan to purchase KJV Bibles and tracts that we have been long praying. On July 7, the church will be having its BIBLE SUNDAY. This whole Sunday will be dedicated to preach and school out the church members the importance of the Word of God. After the service, we will be distributing these KJV Bibles to the newly baptized believers.As soon as possible we will give you reports and pictures of this event ( Bible Sunday ).
Our brother was understandably excited about the riches our friends were able to provide. The church is far away from the place where they must get the Bibles (about a 6-hour drive one way via bus, not the safest ride one has ever taken). How amazing it is for us to see this reality! Just as God promised through David thousands of years ago, we are witnessing the turn of "all ends of the world" to God through Jesus Christ.
When you join with us, you provide the ability for these churches to continue reaching the world around them. I hope and pray you will get a vision for what God is doing in the Philippines, and for what God is calling us to do at Homegrown Harvesters.
Once again, we are praying specifically for Pastor Mario Montero's church in Dipolog City. An adjacent lot would allow the pastor and his church to expand their ministry. It will only cost $12,000 for the lot and the legal paperwork to get this land transferred to the church.
Please join us in reaching this goal. As always, our ministry partners at Love in Action Ministries are handling the funds for us. Please contact them through the hyperlink above or through the info below and designate your gift to the Philippines. We are thankful for Love in Action Ministries' help with this and other projects.
May God richly bless you in all things.
Love In Action International Ministries, Inc.
P.O. Box 85
Dothan, AL 36302
334-494-4995
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