This is the global Church, transformed by the power of the Gospel (Rom. 12:2), equipped “for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up,” eager to “bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal. 6:2).

And these are “the good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Eph. 2:10) as an EA family.

As we find ourselves in the closing days of 2025, EA’s 13th year of ministry, and the final hours of our matching campaign, I am reminded of the following encouragement from King David in Psalm 27:14, urging us to seek the Lord and take courage in Him.  

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

The Prince of Preachers, Charles Spurgeon, offered the following exhortation from this passage:

“Wait at his door with prayer; wait at his foot with humility; wait at his table with service; wait at his window with expectancy.”

 Let this be our posture, both individually and collectively as the EA Family, as we reflect on 2025 and contemplate what the Lord has in store for us in 2026.

As we celebrate the incarnation of Christ this Christmas, let me offer up a Christmas hymn hidden amid the pages of Paul’s letter to Timothy, in which he tasked his protégé with setting things aright in the Church in Ephesus. In doing so, he stresses the mission and message of the Church in 1 Timothy 3:14-16:

The Mission:

“I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth.”

 William McDonald states, “A pillar was not only used to support a structure, but oftentimes a pillar was set up in a public marketplace and notices were posted on it. It was thus a proclaimer. The Church is the unit on earth which God has chosen to proclaim and display His truth.”

 The Message:

“Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: ‘He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.’”

MacArthur captures the weight, brevity, and clarity of this theological statement:

“You have a hymn, six lines, that sweeps from incarnation to glorification, all the way from the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to His eternal glory. In six short stanzas, this hymn summarizes the gospel. God became man, died for our sins, triumphed over death, was honored by angels and feared by demons, and ascended into heaven. This message was preached all over the world and many believed and were saved. That is the heart of the message it is our mission to proclaim to the world.”

 Indeed, and this is what we celebrate at Christmas: Jesus Christ was born to die to “save His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21).

Merry Christmas!

I had the privilege this week of participating in a graduation ceremony for our Panorama of the Bible course. I shared the story of how I was deeply impacted by Max Anders’ book 30 Days to Understanding the Bible many years ago, then took a seminary class on the subject, and was subsequently presented with the opportunity to work alongside friends Jim Battle and John Slye in developing a Sunday School Curriculum on the topic. Jim went on to write his doctorate on the subject and worked alongside EA’s Raydel Riquelme to develop the curriculum as part of our Church Network Development Program.

I was deeply moved, as I heard one of students describe how the course’s impact was reminiscent of Jesus’ interaction with two disciples on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24, where “beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He interpreted to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures,” with their response being “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was opening the Scriptures to us?”

As we together serve Christ’s Church, the sufficiency, necessity, and authority of Scripture are foundational beliefs, echoed in the conviction of the reformer Martin Luther, who said, “I could not live in paradise without the Word of God, but I could live well enough in hell with it.”

Please continue to pray for these students, all of whom indicated a commitment to continue their involvement in EA discipleship, as well as for this vital season of year-end giving towards such impact.

We have arrived once again at that all-important year-end giving season in the life of the typical non-profit, and historically an instrumental means by which the Lord has provided financial provision for Empowering Action throughout its 13 years of ministry.

Nineteenth-century theologian A.T. Pierson stated the following, reflecting on God’s provision in the life of George Muller,

“As faith was exercised it was energized, so that it became easy and natural to ask confidently of the Lord.

After confidence in God had been strengthened through discipline, and God had been proven faithful, it required no more venture to cast himself on God for provision than in the earlier periods of the work to look to Him.

For only by using faith are we kept from practically losing it, and, on the contrary, to use faith is to lose the unbelief that hinders God’s mighty acts.”

And so, we again cast ourselves upon the Lord in providing the financial foundation for another year of serving Christ’s Church.

Please join us in prayer and financial partnership, as you feel led and are able.

And join us in praising the Lord for “His mighty acts,” noted below, that He has graciously permitted EA to play a role in this year.

The late bible teacher J. Vernon McGee stated, “There is a brotherhood within the body of believers, and the Lord Jesus Christ is the common denominator. Friendship and fellowship are the legal tender among believers.”

Carlos Pimentel recently returned invigorated from spending time with church leaders in Nicaragua, noting their passion for Christ, hunger for His Word, and their desire to be equipped for greater biblical fidelity and effective ministry.

The Apostle Paul challenged the church in Thessalonica to edify one another:

“For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him. Therefore encourage one another, and build up one another, just as you also are doing.” (1 Thess. 5:9-11)

As we enter the year-end giving season and mark Giving Tuesday today, thank you for your support, which enables our ministry to encourage and edify Christ’s global Church.