The Apostle Paul states in Colossians 2:6-7,

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”

As we celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow, let us consider for a moment that last phrase “overflowing with thankfulness.”

An attitude of ingratitude hardens our hearts and destroys our relationship with God and others. Nothing turns us into bitter, selfish, dissatisfied people more quickly than an ungrateful heart. One of the Bible’s indictments against humanity, which is as true when it was written 2000 years ago as it is today, is “although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him.” (Romans 1:21)

And nothing will restore contentment and the joy of our salvation than a true spirit of thanksgiving, so below are…

5 Ways to Thank God this Thanksgiving

1. Thank God for the Material Blessings That He Gives You

• “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” (Philippians 4:12)
• “Give me neither poverty nor riches — feed me with the food allotted to me.” (Proverbs 30:8b)
• Pray that God would bless you with just the right amount – not too much that you forget to acknowledge God as the source, and not too little that you might be tempted to dishonorably acquire more.

2. Thank God for the People in Your Life

• “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. God, whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you in my prayers at all times;” (Romans 1:8-10)

 3. Thank God in the Midst of Trials and Even Persecution

• Why? Our view of God’s sovereignty
• “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance” (James 1:2-3)
• “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thess. 5:18)

4. Thank God Especially for His Salvation in Jesus Christ

• Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15)
• He did for us what we could not do for ourselves

 5. Thank God for His Continued Presence and Power in Your Life

• When we come to Christ, it is not the end but the beginning of a whole new life! He is with us, and He wants to help us follow Him and His Word.
• “…for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” (Philippians 2:13)

Blessings celebrating today our incomparable God (Psalm 40:5)!

The various crises that Cuba is experiencing have accumulated over the last 20 years, and such vital issues as food, lack of medicines, hospital infrastructure, fuel shortages, and electric energy crises have made Cuba an economically unstable and unsafe country. Discontentment among the population is widespread; they are tired of slogans and speeches and want change. Children, adolescents, and young people grow up without aspirations or hope; for them, there is only one solution: to emigrate. The most vulnerable are the elderly. Many are victims of abandonment, malnutrition, and disappointment from promises never fulfilled.

On the other hand, we cannot ignore the destruction of the social and spiritual values ​​of a people that seem to be dying out after 60 years of humanist and agnostic propaganda. In short, this is evidence of the total failure of a historic attempt to build a “new man” that is “inclusive, resilient, and better” but without God.

The values ​​of the leftist ideology, initially social-communist and currently globalist, have not withstood the passage of new generations, causing an increasing number of people to reject, protest, and, in many cases, abandon their political and ideological loyalty and militancy. The disillusioned population takes to the streets in the face of the hardships in which they live, but the forces of law and order strongly oppose them. People are weary, but they fear repression. The authorities have lost credibility and are the object of ridicule, having lost respect in the eyes of the people.

The real problem of Cuba is spiritual and pervasive, and the solution does not lie primarily in a change of government or political system. Cuba demands a radical change in its worldview and socio-cultural roots. Ironically, the only solution for Cuba is a new man, but only the gospel of Jesus Christ can do that within a culture (Romans 1:16). The hope of the nation is in the hands of the Cuban church, as only the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and the foundations of His Word can transform the hearts of Cubans. A gospel movement in Cuba is the real need of the Cuban people, through biblical churches that grow and multiply, as leaders are trained in the Scriptures, and embody the Kingdom of God.

The greatest challenges for the church right now lie beyond physical needs and hardships (hunger, shortages of basic and essential products, transportation problems, etc.). The Cuban evangelical church needs to raise up a new generation of leaders, as they have experienced a loss of 68% of mature leadership in the last year and a half. The church needs these new leaders who are grounded in Scripture, with a passion for the lost, who can break with religious and denominational norms, as well as a generation of faithful leaders with a genuine interest in the Kingdom and not in their personal ministries.

The evangelical context is very diverse, but it offers opportunities to help churches in areas such as biblical discipleship, missions, mercy work with the neediest, work with children, and, above all, the healing of the family, which is one of the most critical societal problems. These are the main reasons for prayer, in addition to the indescribable economic needs of the brethren.

Despite everything, and although it may seem difficult to believe, God continues to work on the island through faithful men who continue to care for their churches and preach the gospel in this difficult time. Let us pray for these men as well. Let us pray that the leaders connected to the network of churches that EA serves continue to grow in their biblical preparation and in their vision for Cuba, so that they can receive help to do the work that the Cuban church so badly needs. God is faithful.

Prayer Requests:

• That the Cuban church can be a living church that worships even during adversity.
• That new leaders centered on the gospel and founded on the scriptures may arise.
• For the economic and social situation of Cuba.
• For the missionaries who are being trained and who are in the field in conditions of great scarcity.
• For the situation of medicines and medical services.
• For the printing of materials for discipleship and training of leaders.
• For new opportunities to equip and empower through the Word.
• Finally, let us pray that there will be national repentance and that Cubans turn to God in humility, lower their fists (raised for years against the sky), and fall on their knees before the cross, crying out for grace and mercy from the Savior.

Fulfilling Matthew 28:19-20, until we see each other in Revelation 5:9,

Raydel Riquelme

K242 Team – Empowering Action

EA Family,

I pray this letter finds you well. I am writing to express my sincere gratitude for your generous support of Empowering Action over the years. As someone who has been with Empowering Action from its inception and witnessed God’s ongoing gracious provision and protection, I resonate with King David’s prayer, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house that You have brought me this far?” (1 Chronicles 17:16).

Witnessing our team in action in the Dominican Republic and hearing regular updates regarding ministry developments in the surrounding countries of Haiti, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Guatemala, I can assure you that your commitment to Christ, as exhibited by your partnership with Empowering Action, is having a significant impact on the lives of the thousands we serve monthly and furthering the cause of Christ.

As we continue our mission to equip the global church for greater biblical fidelity and ministry effectiveness, your ongoing financial support remains crucial. It enables us to provide biblical instruction and facilitate spiritual transformation in the communities and countries we serve so that individuals may “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Colossians 1:10).

This summer, we hosted several visiting church groups, including my home church, Immanuel Bible Church of Springfield, Virginia. In such instances, it is an immense joy to recount the story of Empowering Action, update it, and invite others to join the ongoing story. This student ministries trip included hosting a youth retreat for 100 Dominican students along with the 35 students from IBC, during which timeless biblical truth was brought to bear on contemporary issues of the day.

I was reminded of the scene in Pilgrim’s Progress where Faithful and Christian are taunted by the merchants of Vanity Fair and questioned, “What will you buy!” The pilgrims respond, “We buy the truth,” based on the wisdom of Proverbs 23:23, “Buy truth, and do not sell it; buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding.”

Every day, we are unwavering in our commitment to faithfully proclaim biblical truth regardless of the cultural currents of the day. We are laser-focused on equipping more leaders and churches through our theologically-sound programs of K2:42, Abundant Life, Genesis Family, and Church Savings Groups.

Please join us by donating today to help us continue building on what Christ has graciously done over the last 12 years through Empowering Action. Your support is truly appreciated and is having a significant impact for Christ.

Finally, we will hosting a 4-day board trip to Santo Domingo from November 7-10, where you can join members of the EA board for a weekend of fellowship and first-hand exposure to the ministry. Those interested can contact me at mpullen@empoweringaction.org

Sincerely,

Mike Pullen

Hosting visiting groups this summer was a joy for our staff. Glorifying God by sharing the ministry’s progress and partners with the team was an immense privilege and a reminder of the Lord’s provision over the past 12 years.

George Muller famously said,

“God is pleased continually to vary His mode of dealing with us, in order that we may not be tempted to trust in donors, or in circumstances, but in Him alone, and to keep our eye fixed upon Him.”

This scenario has been true of Empowering Action as well. We thank the Lord for His varying means of sustaining EA, particularly your prayer and financial partnership, and keep our eyes focused on Christ, remembering the words of King David in Psalm 37:5, “Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act.

Spurgeon said of this passage,

“The ploughman sows and harrows, and then leaves the harvest to God. What can he do else? He cannot cover the heavens with clouds, or command the rain, or bring forth the sun or create the dew. He does well to leave the whole matter with God; and so to all of us it is truest wisdom, having obediently trusted in God, to leave results in his hands, and expect a blessed issue.”

And so we leave EA’s continued spiritual protection and financial provision with Him, who can do what we cannot.

Finally, Carey and I appreciate your prayers as we grieve the reality of today sending our Molly off to her last first day of school.

1st trip to the DR (8/7/14)

1st day of senior year (8/20/24)

In Psalm 27:14, David implores us to:

“Wait on the LORD;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the LORD!”

The 17th-century theologian John Trapp remarked on this passage, “Many of the Lord’s promises bear a long date; but they are sure and infallible. Wait, therefore.”

Last weekend’s first in-person training was the culmination of a long wait.

Beginning with an exploratory trip to Puerto Rico in 2019, followed by a site visit to our Santo Domingo office in 2022, Raydel’s training was years in the making. Still, we trust in God’s providence and celebrate His provision of this opportunity to serve the body of Christ in Puerto Rico.

Thank you for your continued prayer and financial support, which is how the Lord has chosen to strengthen and sustain this ministry.

Please join us in praying for the nation of Haiti, as the depths of human depravity are tragically on full display.

In many ways, we see the embodiment of the following quote by the late theologian Francis Schaeffer (1976):

“Here is a simple but profound truth: If there are no absolutes by which to judge society, the society is absolute. Society is left with one man or an elite filling the vacuum left by the loss of the Christian consensus which originally gave us form and freedom.”

Romans 13:1-5 informs us that civil authorities are to function as instruments of God’s wrath on wrongdoers and for the benefit of society by punishing evil and rewarding good.

Proverbs 29:2 states, “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.”

Therefore, we pray for a national leadership that would be faithful to the mandate of being “God’s servant for good.” (Romans 13:4)

We pray for the transforming power of the Gospel to be faithfully proclaimed, recognizing that “the law of God has wider function than the promotion of conviction, which leads to salvation. Where it is heard and known, it acts as a restraint on sin. It speaks to the conscience of the unregenerate” (Murray, as cited by MacArthur, 2016).

We pray for the Haitian evangelical Church, sent into the world to represent Christ and serve as the last barrier between the moral implosion and utter chaos.

Finally, as Widmy’s update below attests, we can praise God that Christ’s Church is still at work for His purposes even amid the turmoil.

References

Schaeffer, F. A. (1976). How then shall we live?: The rise and decline of western thought and culture. Crossway.

MacArthur, J. (2016, June 5). Who is God’s Candidate?, Part 1. Grace to You. https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/90-489/who-is-gods-candidate-part-1

Theologian J.P. Moreland said, 

“Saint Paul tells us that the church — not the university, the media, or the public schools — is the pillar and support of the truth (1 Timothy 3:15). But you would never know it by actually examining our local church practices week by week or by observing the goals and objectives set by many parachurch ministries.”

I’m happy to say, “Not so with Empowering Action,” as it exists to serve Christ by equipping the global Church for greater biblical fidelity and ministry effectiveness.

Moreland continues…

“New Testament ministry is decentralized, and the function of pastors-teachers is to equip others to do the ministry. If we were more serious about this approach, we would do a better job of providing theological, biblical, philosophical, psychological, and other forms of training in our churches because without it, the ministers (that is, the members of the church) would not be adequately equipped to do the ministry.”

We strive to model this theology-driven methodology as our staff mobilizes over 700 volunteers monthly to minister to more than 5,000 persons across our four programs.

We are excited that we will host our first in-person training in Puerto Rico next month after last week’s meeting with Efŕain Burgos of La Red de Multiplicacion and Liga Biblica of Puerto Rico.

Please pray for this trip and our ongoing efforts in Cuba, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic to serve Christ’s Church by “establishing and exhorting” in the faith. (1 Thess. 3:2)

If you are like me, regardless of how much you enjoy Christmas, there comes a point where a house full of decorations gets old. However, one thing that never gets old for me about the holidays is experiencing the generosity of year-end donations to EA, as it represents:

• the reality of our continued service together in equipping Christ’s Church,
• obedient trust in the Lord to provide for the giver’s future needs, apart from that which was donated,
• and hearts in proper alignment with Christ-centered priorities.

King David cautioned in Psalm 62:10, “If riches increase, do not set your heart on them.”
 
One bible scholar highlighted three ways in which we can set our hearts on riches:

• To take excessive pleasure in our possessions, making them the source of joy in our lives;
• To place our hope and security in our accumulated wealth;
• To grow proud and arrogant because of our prosperity.

He cautioned,

“As a king, David ended up being a very wealthy man, though most of his earlier years were lived in deep poverty. David knew what it was to see riches increase, and he knew the foolishness of setting one’s heart on them. It is possible to hold great wealth without trusting in those riches, but it is not easy.”
 
Thank you for entrusting us with some of the provisions the Lord has supplied you (Phil. 4:19). As a result, by God’s grace, we raised $144,093 of our $200,000 goal.
 
Please continue praying for His provision, protection, and direction in 2024!
 
Carey and I would also appreciate your prayers for our eldest Audrey who left this past week for her semester in Spain as part of her Spanish major at Geneva College.

As we look forward to zealously pursuing the Lord in 2024, let us encourage and equip ourselves by gleaning four critical concepts from Philippians 4:

But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Phil. 4:10-13)

1. Beware our human inclination in the coming year. Paul had to learn contentment, as it does not come naturally to man and is counter to culture. 
2. Prioritize being a practitioner, not an academic, of your faith in the days ahead. John Owen said, “The apostle does not say, I have heard, that in every estate I should be content: but, I have learned…Paul was a practitioner. Christians hear much, but I fear, learn little.”
3. Prepare yourself now for God’s 2024 classroom. Warren Wiersbe states, “How did Paul learn? Surely in God’s classroom, the curriculum offering such classes as Discipline 101 and Tribulation 102; classes in which Paul had ample experience” (2 Cor. 11:26).
4. Rely on Christ. Paul depended on the power of Christ at work in his life to faithfully pursue God’s will and walk (Jn 15:16). As we labor FOR Christ this year, let us do so IN Christ’s strength.

Happy New Year!

As we head into the final days of 2023 and EA’s 11th year of ministry, I was reflecting this morning on Paul’s words to the church in Philippi regarding God’s provision:

But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity. (Phil. 4:10)

Ten years had passed since Paul had established the church in that city. The Philippians had generously supported Paul when he left Philippi to minister in the Macedonian cities of Thessalonica and Berea (Acts 17:1-13) and moved south into Achaia, ministering in Athens and Corinth (Acts 17:14-18:18).

Throughout the years, the Philippian church had remained concerned about Paul and his ministry, but the distance had hindered their ability to minister to him. The late theologian John Walvoord explains how the arrival of Epaphroditus with their financial support (Phil. 4:18) immensely encouraged the imprisoned apostle:

“The fact that they had gone to such effort to send him an offering by the hand of one of their beloved brethren in the church at Philippi touched Paul’s heart and gave him great encouragement in the lonely hours of his imprisonment.”

Thank you for being so supportive throughout the years! And please know that any gifts toward our year-end matching campaign will, like the Apostle Paul, greatly encourage your ministry partners pictured below.