Shall We Plead With Sinners?

One of the sad byproducts of this modern age where "tolerance is king" is that Christians have lost the  urgency of the Gospel message. We are so afraid of being criticized, ostracized, or marginalized that we oftentimes unintentionally make our presentation of Christ sound like something that can be taken or left with no consequence. I have read statements from so-called "Christian" mission organizations that went something like this: "We are not here to proselytize. We are just here to show the people love and compassion. If they choose to believe like us, that is fine. If not, that is fine too."

To be sure, there are some tactics being used in an attempt to reach people for Christ that are wrong and inappropriate. But just because there are unethical men who would try to bully or trick a person into making a "profession of faith," that does not mean that we should go to the other extreme and be tepid and timid in our presentation of the Gospel. There are times that a person hears the Gospel explained and readily agrees to believe on Christ. But what about the times that a person hears the Gospel and then sets up camp in the valley of indecision? How should we deal with fence-sitters? Should we leave procrastinators alone? Should we simply give them the message from God and then walk away? Is any amount of pressure justified? If so, how much? In other words, shall we plead with sinners?

The Worth Of A Soul

"For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew 16:26) The implication of this verse is quite stunning really. You may gain all of the wealth, riches, and treasure that this world has to offer, but if in doing so you lose your soul, then you ultimately are the loser. That is the worth of a soul to one's self. But what about the worth of a soul to God? The soul of a man is worth enough to God that He was willing to give His most precious possession, His only begotten Son, in order to redeem that soul from Hell. The worth that God places upon a soul is undeniable and undebatable. But what about the worth of a soul to you and me? I mean, how much is it really worth to us in terms of time, effort, and money to see that a soul has had every chance to not only hear the Gospel, but come to Christ?

It is one o'clock in the morning, and I can't sleep. I received word tonight that a cancer-stricken woman out in the village where we have a weekly ministry just passed into eternity. I am happy that 11 days ago she placed her faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, and I am thankful that her pain and suffering are now over. Several of us visited her this past Saturday while we out in the village, and she was in horrible pain. Since then our prayer has been specifically that God would just take her home quickly, and I am relieved in my spirit that tonight He did just that.

As I meditate upon this precious soul who has passed into eternity tonight, little memories keep popping into my mind. Little things that perhaps seemed insignificant at the time, but now in hindsight I believe they played a huge role in bringing this woman to Christ. Although I have known her for about nine years, I am unsure of her name. It is very common here in Cambodia to call someone by a familial title and not their actual name. I call her Ohm (an older aunt). Here are ten factors that I believe ultimately contributed to the salvation of Ohm's precious and valuable soul. Perhaps these thoughts will encourage someone to keep sowing the seed, keep watering the seed, and not be weary in well doing.

Come Boldly

I greatly appreciate the other Baptist missionaries here in Cambodia with whom I am privileged to work.  This morning 5 of us met for a time of prayer, which we generally do once a month. I always enjoy the prayer meetings with the other men, but was especially moved this morning by some of the testimonies of recently answered prayers.

First of all, one of the men led off with a brief challenge from the Word of God about the significance and the value of corporate prayer. Then one of the other men shared a testimony which was such a challenge to each of us that I want to share it with the readers of this blog. His testimony is relayed below:

A Special Song For A Special Occasion

The following song was written by my brother, Timothy Benefield, and sung by the Sequoia Baptist Church choir on the occasion of our commissioning service.  This service took place just one day before our departure for Cambodia, and I will never forget the depth of emotion and love displayed by our sending church that night.  I share the words to this song with you in the hopes that they will encourage you as they have encouraged me.

© Sonja_inselmann | Dreamstime Stock Photos

A Farewell Prayer

As you head for distant countries, you may feel all alone

The burdens that are coming, as yet cannot be known.

But you can rest assured, you won't bear them on your own.

For we will meet you daily in the presence of God's throne.

GO IN PRAYER, our earnest prayer.

All your burdens we will share.

At God's throne your name declare.

We will pray, so GO IN PRAYER.

As you daily face the trials, so sure to come your way,

The fears and doubts will gather, through each and every day.

But you are in His hand, just trust Him and obey.

Just find your rest in Jesus, and He'll drive the fears away.

GO IN PEACE, God's perfect peace.

All your cares to Him release.

In His hands all worries cease.

Rest in Him, and GO IN PEACE.

As you face the Devil's strongholds, the conflict will be strong.

The dangers will be many, the battle will be long.

But you are on God's side, the fight to Him belongs.

And in the strength of Jesus you will sing the vict'ry song.

GO IN POWER, God's mighty power.

He'll be with you every hour.

He's your Shield and your strong Tower.

He's your Strength, so GO IN POWER.

Travel To The Mission Field Of Your Choice Today!

© Orlando Florin Rosu | Dreamstime Stock Photos

I know that there are many Christians all around the world who pray for their missionaries, and I know that many of those prayer warriors are senior citizens.  I could tell you about an 85 year-old man in Southern California who prays for us all the time.  I could tell you about a grandmother in Northern California who for many years prayed and fasted specifically for our ministry on the first Wednesday of every month.  I could tell you about another grandmother in Mississippi who prays for us and writes us emails to tell us that she is praying.  I could tell of another man in his 80's who lives in Colorado and prays for us every day.  I'm so thankful for these praying friends.  

I got an email today from my mom, and she shared something with me that made me cry.  We have a senior citizen lady in our home church who is one of these faithful prayer partners like the ones mentioned above.  My mom prints off our email updates for her, and she gets very excited to receive them.  Today my mom told me that this dear lady keeps a list of all the names of the people for whom I request prayer, and then she crosses them off when she hears that they got saved!  She told my mom recently that as a result of reading the updates and praying for the requests, she feels like she has been to Cambodia!

That got me thinking...I wonder how many Christians will never have the privilege of visiting a foreign mission field in person.  Perhaps you are tied down with work or other commitments.  Perhaps you cannot financially afford it.  Perhaps you, like some of these seniors above, are in poor health and are physically unable to make such a long trip.  Some may even be confined to a bed or a wheelchair.  And yet, just because you cannot take a trip to the mission field in person doesn't mean you can't go there in prayer.  This precious senior saint in our church said that because of her deep interest and her daily intercession, she feels like she has been here.  And I suppose in a sense...she has.

Find a place to get alone with God and travel to the mission field of your choice today!

The Value of Prayer Partners

In the past eight months I have endeavored to greatly increase our communication with our many prayer partners around the world.  It is time-consuming to compose weekly email updates, and especially if much detail is given.  Is it worth it?  I believe it is, and here is why.  Keeping people informed of what is going on in our ministry is a key component in obtaining their regular and earnest prayers, and we know that "the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."

We have seen God's hand of blessing upon our ministry in a great way this year, and I believe it is due in part to the increased prayer which in turn is due in part to the increased communication.  I received a very encouraging email this morning in response to a ministry update which I sent yesterday.  The email was very brief, but it revealed a heart that is heavily invested in our ministry in Cambodia.  Here is the email of which I speak in its entirety: 

Tears of joy!!!  That is what I wept when I read of Sonyta’s salvation!!!!  Praise the Lord!!!!!  The ministry that God has allowed you to be a part of in Cambodia has become such a part of my life, and is becoming a great part of my prayer life.  Thank you so much for sharing the wonderful blessings so that we can be partakers of your joy.  Thank you so much for serving the Lord in Cambodia!

The sentence which I underlined is no doubt the hope of every missionary concerning his supporters back in the US or in their home country.  We do not merely desire for our partners to have a casual interest in our ministry, but for the ministry to become a part of their lives and particularly to become a great part of their prayer life.  A special thank you to the woman in Oklahoma for this great lesson in how to pray for missionaries.

I'm With Him!

A devotional thought from the streets of Cambodia

Driving in Cambodia is a challenge, but you don’t have to be here long to pick up little “tricks of the trade”.  One of the techniques which I employ often is something which I call the “I’m with him” approach.  Let me explain it.

Imagine you are on your moto trying to turn left onto a major road.  There are no traffic signals or stop signs and there are not sufficient breaks in the traffic for you to cross over and get onto your desired road.  When I say a major road, I mean 4 lanes.  But don’t confuse 4 LANES with 4 LINES of vehicles!  If all you had to deal with was 4 lines of vehicles (2 moving in each direction), that would be simple.  But considering the general disregard for lane markers AND the fact that you can fit 3 or 4 motos in one lane anyway, this 4 lane road actually has about 10 or 12 different rows of traffic at any given spot on the road.  (And it is not the case that on THIS side of the road everyone is going one way and on THAT side of the road everyone is going another way).  So…you get the picture.  Getting your little self out into the middle of the action where you need to be can at times be a bit difficult.

There are three basic ways to cut through the traffic.  One is to sit there like a good, sane, meek, law-abiding citizen, waiting for the proper break in the traffic so that you may drive across the flow of traffic while making a slow, safe, gently-curving turn onto your desired lane.  I tried that once.

The second way is to drive down the left shoulder, against the oncoming traffic, waiting for a little break in the traffic through which you may catapult yourself.  That works better than the first way, but it is a bit more dangerous than I usually prefer.

The third way is my favorite.  You look for a large vehicle (big SUV’s work well, but so do trucks and buses) that needs to make the same turn as you.  The big vehicles are not intimidated in the least by the scene that lies before them.  They just charge in, and miraculously the traffic opens up as easily as the Red Sea parted for Moses.  So the smartest thing you can do is get on the right side of the big vehicle and borrow his size and strength.  Hence the “I’m with him” technique.

Last week as I was in a swirling sea of traffic, about 12 inches off the right rear quarter panel of a big, black SUV, suddenly the thought occurred to me:  “I’m with him” is a good SPIRITUAL principle too!

Our New Theme

The 7th Anniversary of the Good News Baptist Church of Phnom Penh was the second Sunday of February; however, due to our remodeling project we postponed it.  Now that our project is 95% complete, we will be celebrating our church anniversary tomorrow.

One of the things that we do on our church anniversary is to present a new theme for the year.  I wanted to briefly share our new theme with you.  The theme for this year is:  "Prayer Is The Key!"  The verse at the bottom is Luke 11:1 which says in part, "Lord, teach us to pray."  Yes, that entire section in the smaller font is "Lord, teach us to pray."  In English, 5 syllables.  In Khmer, 21 syllables!

God has been laying this theme on my heart for a very long time.  Our church has many good points, but the area of prayer is one area which our church has much room to grow.  From the pulpit to the pew and from the pastor to the people, prayer is the key to every problem of life.  In this new year, we will be establishing some new times of corporate prayer as well as encouraging and equipping for growth in the area of private prayer.  Tomorrow night's service will kick off a 4 night revival meeting.  My good friend, Rodney Ruppel, will be preaching for three of the four nights (he had a previous engagement on Monday night, so I will be preaching that night).  Please pray for a good turnout, but more than a good crowd, please pray that God will do a work of revival in every heart, beginning in my own.  Also, please pray for Bro. Ruppel as he preaches, that God would use him in a great way.