In culture today, the term love has been redefined as wanting for others what they want for themselves, often irrespective of how harmful it may be.

Conversely, believers recognize loving God as the greatest commandment and the context in which the exhortation to love others must occur (Matt. 22:36-40).

Therefore, loving others biblically means wanting what God wants for them, based on what He has revealed in Scripture.

Recently in Hato Mayor another class of the Abundant Life Program graduated, representing 60 hours of biblical instruction and a desire to know personally and share faithfully God’s revealed will for humanity.

A.W. Tozer wrote,

“Our desire for moral self-preservation should dictate that we come over immediately onto God’s side and stay there, even if (as is likely) it may result in our being out of accord with man’s philosophies and man’s moral codes. 

We cannot win when we work against God, and we cannot lose when we work with him.”

This past week board member and licensed counselor Dennis Zulu traveled to Santo Domingo to serve as the keynote speaker at the Genesis Family Ministry Conference, where he equipped the lay counselor graduates on how to study and apply Scripture in the field of Christian counseling.

The Psalmist declares how God’s Word counsels the mind, stating,

Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes,
And I shall observe it to the end.
Give me understanding, that I may observe Your law
And keep it with all my heart. (Ps. 119:33-34)

All followers of Christ are to walk in the truths of Scripture (Ps. 86:11).

However, the Christian counselor, in particular, takes counsel from the counsel of God, recognizing that the Spirit of God uses the Word of God to do the work of God in the people of God, conforming them to the image of the Son of God.  

Please join me in praying for the Genesis program lay counselors Paul’s affirmation to the church in Thessalonica regarding the inspiration, authority, and power of Scripture,  

“For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.” (1 Thess. 2:13)

In the Old Testament, the nation of Israel followed a pattern of drifting from the Lord. Contemporary ministries such as Empowering Action can as well if they are not mindful.

Dr. Guy Saffold writes in his book, Strategic Planning for Christian Organizations:

A Christian institution is usually born when God convinces a key leader that a new venture could meet an important ministry need. With great faith and sacrifice, the new enterprise is launched and, perhaps after some initial struggles, enters a youthful period of growth and expanding ministry. As years pass, it matures, adds programs, and gains in reputation. As still more time passes, the now mature organization enters the prime of its life, a period of maximum ministry effectiveness. Eventually it begins to show its age…Eventually the institution dies or merges with another organization. Perhaps it senses the need to make a drastic attempt to survive through departure from the godly ideals that motivated its founding. In this latter case, even if it survives in name, it has effectively died as a consecrated Christian ministry.

As we enter a new decade of ministry, the leadership of EA commits to walk with the Lord regardless of the circumstances (Isaiah 43:1-2) and as long as He asks us to keep our hands to the EA plow (Luke 9:62).

FB Meyer reminds us of Christ’s sustaining power and presence on this journey, stating,

In all our lot, God is willing to be our partner and companion. He has called us into fellowship with his Son, and in his faithfulness He will see us through. The waters rise, the night is dark, the crossing is hard to find, and footing is insecure; but He is at hand, steadying the feet, and keeping the head above the floods.

In his book, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, Phillip Keller vividly describes a delinquent neighbor whose indifferent management led to his neglected sheep:

In my memory I can still see one of the sheep ranches in our district that was operated by a tenant sheepman. He ought never to have been allowed to keep sheep. His stock were always thin, weak, and riddled with disease or parasites…He was not concerned about the condition of his sheep. His land was neglected. He gave little or no time to his flock, letting them pretty well forage for themselves as best they could, both summer and winter. They fell prey to dogs, cougars, and rustlers…Every winter there was a shortage of nourishing hay and wholesome grain to feed the hungry ewes. Shelter to safeguard and protect the suffering sheep from storms and blizzards was scanty and inadequate…In their thin, weak, and diseased condition these poor sheep were a pathetic sight… Had they been able to speak, I am sure they would have said, “Oh, to be set free from this awful owner!”

In contrast to the lush green fields Keller’s flock enjoyed, the unfaithful shepherd’s herd was forced to gnaw away at bare, impoverished pastures and drink from polluted streams, leaving them sickly, weakened, and vulnerable to prey.

This is the American evangelical Church at present: impoverished from years of theological neglect, having undiscerningly wandered into a toxic field of cultural ideology.

Church leadership has been entrusted with both examining themselves to ensure that their teaching and doctrine are pure (1 Timothy 4:16) and shepherding the flock through faithful oversight (1 Peter 5:1-2). Irrespective of increasing cultural pressure that seeks to push Christ’s Church to accommodate its biblical message and mission to prevailing societal norms, church elders must faithfully lead their flocks past toxic fields of unbiblical teaching both within the Church and the prevailing culture to the pasture of spiritual discernment found in faith study of God’s Word.

I just wanted to pass along a brief word of thanks and encouragement. First, we are so grateful to the Lord for the tremendous outpouring of support for our end-of-year campaign, where we far surpassed our expectations, exceeding 100% of our goal for a total of $179,326.

Now on to the encouragement…Robert Morgan writes in his book The Jordan River Rules,

The Almighty has a unique plan for each of us that involves leaving a legacy with an echo chamber that will reverberate until Christ returns. Don’t underestimate how the next stage of your life will influence generations yet unborn.

I have noted the impact George Muller’s life has had on me personally and the ministry of EA over the past ten years. However, Muller’s influence is only part of an ongoing legacy of reverberating ministry. 

The service to Christ’s Church that God has graciously allowed us, as an EA family, to have over the past ten years is a continuation of devoted Christ-followers inspiring others to service (Heb. 10:24). 

Morgan explains that Martin Luther’s impact through the Reformation in 1517 inspired Philipp Spener’s efforts in the Lutheran revival in 1670, which profoundly influenced an eager young man named August Francke, who in 1695 established an orphanage for poor children to receive schooling in Halle, Germany. A hundred years later, in 1826, a German university student named George Müller enrolled at Halle University and resided in Francke’s orphanage. He was so profoundly moved by the work he saw that seven years later, in 1833, Muller established a similar ministry for homeless children in Bristol, England. And, as we all know, the story of Müller’s life inspired countless Christians throughout history, including the team that founded EA in 2012. 

Scripture promises that God will not forget our service for His glory (Heb. 6:10). In fact, our work here on earth for Christ goes with us to heaven (Rev. 14:13). But our service to Christ also leaves a legacy that will outlive us on earth, continuing a ripple effect of ministry inspiration (Ps. 112:1-2). 

One final word of encouragement as 2022 comes to a close and we approach the end of our 10th Anniversary Matching Campaign.

Raydel passed along this update last week:

To continue sharing what is happening here, I am attaching a photo from today in the community of Alta Gracia. God continues to work, and although we are on “vacation,” it is difficult to say no to a group of young people who want to use their own vacation to learn from the Word.

I told him this could be the caption to the photos:

Psalm 119:20 – “My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times.”

The theologian Albert Barnes provided the following powerful description of the psalmist:

The desire to know more of the commands of God acted continually on him, exhausting his strength, and overcoming him. He so longed for God that, in our language, “it wore upon him” – as any ungratified desire does. It was not the possession of the knowledge of God that exhausted him; it was the intenseness of his desire that he might know more of God.

The world desperately needs evangelical leaders who are hungry to personally comprehend and effectively communicate the life-changing truths of Scripture.

Thank you for your partnership in this endeavor.

Happy New Year!

We have reached the final week of our year-end matching campaign. Your financial partnership with Empowering Action supports church leaders such as Pastor Kelvin Rosario in Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic, whom I met earlier this month as his church hosted a regional meeting of Abundant Life Program leaders.

In the picture above, the pastor explained his vision of planting several churches in his region with the desire to implement the Abundant Life Program at each new church.

Hearing his strategic vision for his community reminded me of the Apostle Paul exhorting Titus to “Set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city.” (Titus 1:5). Paul recognized that ministry vitality and longevity are tied to structure and oversight, tasking Titus to establish governance within the churches of Crete.

History indicates that Titus faithfully stewarded that trust, spreading the gospel into the neighboring islands, eventually dying at the age of ninety-four; however, not before the Lord used him significantly in service to Christ’s Church.

Thanks for your continued prayer and financial support in 2023 as we partner to equip church leaders to faithfully steward their biblical trust in service to Christ’s Church.

We’re pleased to have Carlos and Raydel with us in Washington, D.C., for the EA Christmas and 10th Anniversary party this Sunday. (There’s still time to RSVP if you’d like to join us).

As we were catching up this morning, they both indicated that serving Christ’s church was a life-long calling, not simply a vocation.  

We’re blessed to have an entire team with a deep concern for Christ’s Church like that of the Apostle Paul (2 Cor. 11:28), who labored and prayed that the churches would:

• Be firmly rooted in Jesus Christ, not wavering from the faith (Eph. 1:16-17).
• Experience all of the benefits of being a child of God: the wisdom, knowledge, and power available through the Spirit within them (Eph. 3:16-17).
• Live up to their calling as Christians, producing good works so that Jesus would be honored (Col. 1:10).

Just a reminder, here are ways you can join us in celebrating EA’s 10th Anniversary:

1. SUPPORTING OUR YEAR-END MATCHING CAMPAIGN

 A generous EA supporter is sponsoring a special Year-end General Fund Matching Campaign (up to a total amount of $80,000) until Dec 31st.

Click HERE to give.

2. SUBMITTING A SHORT VIDEO

We are creating a celebration video which will be a great encouragement to all who have been a part of the Lord’s journey for EA over the past decade.

Click HERE to record your video.

3. ATTENDING OUR CHRISTMAS AND ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

Please join us on Sunday, December 11th for dinner, a time of worship and highlights from 10 years of ministry.

RSVP HERE for the party.

A surprising fact and a great opportunity on Giving Tuesday:

Fact – Evangelicals Favor Secular Charities

A 2022 survey revealed that while 84% of evangelicals stated that they preferred to support Christian organizations to non-Christian ones, only 46% of evangelical donors indicated a faith-based organization as their preferred charity. Furthermore, only 5% of evangelical donors donated exclusively to ministries, such as Empowering Action, engaged solely in Christian work of preaching, teaching, or missions.

It is true that through common grace God demonstrates that, without renewing the heart, He can exercise such influence that even the unsaved are enabled to perform good deeds toward their fellow man. However, surprisingly 12 of evangelicals’ top 19 organizations were also found in non-evangelicals’ top 20 organizations. And in some instances, evangelicals might be shocked by those entities’ values and activities, which are incongruent with a biblical worldview.

Opportunity – Year-End Matching Campaign

On this Giving Tuesday, Empowering Action reiterates our commitment to giving the truth of the Gospel and the life-changing precepts of Scripture. Our current Year-end General Fund Matching Campaign allows you to commemorate our 10th anniversary and partner with a ministry that strives for biblical fidelity in both belief and behavior.

For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. – 1 Cor. 2:16

Source:

The favorite charity: Evangelical giving priorities. Infinity Concepts & Grey Matter Research & Consulting (2022).

As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, a holiday designated as “a day of public thanksgiving and prayer,” let us find inspiration in the commentary of Charles Spurgeon below on Deuteronomy 8:3-6 regarding humanity’s propensity to forget God’s mercies:

We trace our joys in the sand, but we write our afflictions on marble.

 We forget the streams of mercy, never ceasing, which flow so continually parallel with our pathway.

 If we thus, ungratefully forget, it should cause us serious reflections when we see that God does not forget.

Here in this Book He brings to His people’s memories all the mercies they have received, because they were always present before His own mind.

 The child may forget the kindness of its mother, but the mother does not forget what she bore, and what she has sacrificed for her child.

 The friend may forget what he has received, but it is not likely that the benefactor will forget what he has bestowed.

 If God’s memory, therefore, records all that He has given me, let me be ashamed to let my memory suffer these things to slip.

 What God counts worthy of His Divine recollection let me record on the pages of my memory, and often let me peruse the record.

Let us give thanks to the LORD for His faithful love and His wonderful works for all humanity! (Psalm 107:31)