FIREPROOF is foolproof

Okay, our blog is not usually a place where you will find reviews of motion pictures, but this is an occasion for an exception. FIREPROOF is a tremendous movie that will take you on a roller coaster ride of emotions as it portrays the struggles many people and couples face every day.

I encourage you to use it as an opportunity to expose your unsaved or unchurched friends to the gospel. It is not just for married people, as those who are single will also learn biblical principles and precepts about marriage, and hear how they can have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. And it is not just for older people, as teens will enjoy it and learn from it too.

By the way, any movie that has a Prayer Coordinator in its credits is bound to be one worth seeing!

Ministries to college students are part of the great commission

Prince Avenue Baptist Church, of which WorldReach is one of its six missions ministries, is located in Athens, GA - a university town. Not only is the University of Georgia's 33,000+ student campus here, but there are a number of other public and private institutions of higher learning in the greater Athens metro area.

The international reputation of these institutions results in thousands of students and professors coming from countries around the world. In fact, the more than 1,000 Chinese students are the focus of our newly established Chinese ministry. Our Korean ministry has been reaching Korean students and professors for more than fifteen years. Our Hispanic ministry has a vision to expand their ministry to reach the international Hispanic students. Yet the overwhelming majority of the students in this area are Americans.

Years ago, PABC, through the leadership of its pastor Bill Ricketts, committed to reaching college students with the gospel, and then discipling them to be committed followers of Christ and developing them into future church leaders. The members of PABC enthusiastically support this ministry through their giving, their prayers, and their participation.

I recently read an article about the importance of ministry focusing on reaching college students. As I read it, it became apparent that Prince Avenue Baptist Church is a model of how God will use His people to reach onto the universities and colleges to transform lives for Jesus Christ.

Please be in prayer for Sky Pratt, PABC Pastor to College Students, and the leadership of this ministry as they seek to complete the task the Lord has given them.

To read the article that appeared on the web at Luasanne World Pulse click here.

God calls new pastor to Jibou, Romania area

For the past nine years we have partnered with Jibou Baptist Church in Romania to assist in areawide evangelism, discipleship and church planting. There are many area villages in which churches have been planted or in which churches have existed for years but have not had a full time pastor.

Financially, a single village church cannot usually support a pastor, so many pastors must "pastor" multiple churches. Many times, young men graduating from seminary are coincidentally called to be in the city or urban areas where the conveniences of indoor plumbing, clean water, paved roads, good schools, and central heating systems exist. In the villages, these "conveniences" are not usually available.

This past Sunday, a young seminary graduate, Benjamin Peter, was ordained to the gospel ministry and will serve three village churches in the Jibou area - Var, Surduc, and Domnin. Please be in prayer for he and his wife, Carmen, as they begin this exciting time in their life and ministry.

Left to right in the above picture from the ordination service: Dr. Paul Negrut (President, Emanuel University - Oradea), newly ordained Pastor Benjamin Peter, Carmen Peter, unknown, Pastor Adrian Tamas, Pastor Teofil Mihoc (Pastor Jibou Baptist Church).

WorldReach sends Hispanic pastors to Honduras

This past Saturday, WorldReach sent Pastor Carlos Baca, Prince Avenue Hispanic Baptist Mission, and Pastor David Cordoza, Elberton First Hispanic Baptist Church, to Guaimaca, Honduras. They are working alongside our partners at World Baptist Mission to train church leaders and pastors.

The training focuses on biblical precepts and principles - and their application to our lives as believers - utilizing the course curriculum of Bible Training Centre for Pastors/Church Leaders. This is the same course material used in our WorldReach Bible Institute. Also, leadership training is being conducted based upon Christian leadership materials.

The "text book" used for the BTCP/CL courses is the NIV Study Bible (English language). WorldReach was able to provide each "student" with the NVI Study Bible (Spanish NIV) to accompany the BTCP/CL course manuals. These men have no bible study resource materials available to them. The NVI Study Bible is one of the most complete reference and study bibles in print. This will be a blessing for these men of God.

While in the area, Pastor's Baca and Cardoza will also be preaching in the various village churches. Of course, they will not need translators! Their ministry is not only teaching and preaching, but encouragement. As leaders of Hispanic congregations in the US they are modeling the great commission for their flocks and for those with whom they are visiting in Honduras. Also, to assist World Baptist Mission in their church planting, evangelism and discipleship efforts, the pastor's delivered two cases of bibles that WorldReach was privileged to provide.

Please pray for Pastor's Baca and Cardoza, for the men who will receive the training, and for all those who will hear the truth of the gospel. Their time there is just over one week (returning Monday 29 September) but we know God will use it for an eternity.

Bible training requested in the jungles of Peru

More than twelve hours up this river in the eastern jungle province of San Martin Peru is a string of 40 villages where born again believers live, work, and worship. The churches planted in this area decades ago by the brother of martyred missionary Jim Eliot have sent word to us that they need bible training.

That's right. From the jungles of eastern Peru, through a member of our new church plant in Lima (Mison Buatista en Peru), via email to Pastor Carlos Baca in Athens, Georgia; translated and delivered to me this morning...a request to provide bible training.

God has men in Lima being trained in the WorldReach Bible Institute who He can work through to accomplish this need. All of the resources are not in hand, but we know God will provide for His purposes to be accomplished. As our faith in God leads us to go into the jungles to provide this bible training, please pray that our faith will not waver and that our obedience will be immediate!

Radio programs to podcasts

Okay, it took longer than expected, but we have been working with the staff at WMSL 88.9 FM, Athens/Bogart, Georgia to bring you the weekly WorldReach Radio program here on our blog and through iTunes as a downloadable podcast. As of today, everything is loaded and ready to go.

We use Gcast as our web enabling tool that allows you to "stream" the program when visiting our blog. Also, by clicking on the "Subscribe Free" link just below the Gcast player you can subscribe to the podcast via iTunes, have the podcast emailed to you whenever it is updated, or add it to your start page.

In addition to the recent WorldReach Radio broadcasts, we have loaded some of the archived podcasts that will give you a "flavor" for what God has been doing through WorldReach during the past year.

As always, we appreciate your feedback and comments. Please send them to us via the "COMMENTS" link just below this post. Your comments will not appear immediately, as we moderate them to prevent "spam" or inappropriate comments from being automatically posted.

We hope you enjoy this reinitiated feature of our blog as we strive to keep you informed of all that God is doing through WorldReach to mobilize and equip the church for global missions.

Attempt Great Things for Who?

"Expect great things; attempt great things." Originally spoken in his sermon to the Baptist Association meeting in Northampton, England, May 30, 1792, William Carey, the “father” of the modern missionary movement, used the citation to urge his Baptist colleagues to enter the missionary enterprise. It formed the twofold division of his sermon, framing the challenge he set before them. Today, we see the quote paraphrased often by agencies and individuals as “Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God.”

I believe this admonition is extremely relevant today. Can I get an amen? Isn’t the single-most important focus for believers today to attempt great things for the cause of Christ? There might be a hindrance, however, when we interpret this challenge from a fleshly viewpoint rather than a spiritual viewpoint. Attempting great things for God elicits the common inclination to focus on accomplishments. The pride slips in—“Look what I’ve done.” We may get impatient—“I’m doing all the right things, why isn’t something happening?” Discontentment rears its ugly head—“I thought all of this would make me happy.” Jealousy may become a factor—“Look what they did. I am attempting greater things than they are.” Even material gain enters the picture—“If we attempt this, we will certainly get more results and we can do more stuff.”

When attempting great things for the cause of Christ, let’s be careful to observe our motives and attitudes. These reveal a good deal about our relationship with the Lord and whether we are motivated spiritually rather than fleshly. Here are some wise things to consider about the things we attempt:

1. The ways of success should not be reduced to a formula. Dependence on past successes lead to an independent spirit, rather than a dependent spirit where you are looking to God for purpose and direction.

2. When we mimic the successful strategies of others, we eliminate our need to be problem-solvers, to think reflectively, and to look for solutions from the Lord. When you go on that short-term mission trip, be the person God made you to be. You are more effective when you share from your heart rather than using a formula that someone else has used with success. Have we not forgotten that we are fearfully and wonderfully made and that God knows the plans He has for us? Also, remember the Lord will help you with the words you need to share.

3. God is more concerned about our character than our accomplishments. Accomplishments are outward, character is inward. If you see someone attempting great things for the cause of Christ, check to see if it comes from inward motivation or from the desire to be in the position of being noticed by others.

4. Experiencing failure does not mean we are not accomplishing something. When we gain a holistic view of our life and when we do not compartmentalize our faith, then every component of life with its attempts and accomplishments and failures comes under the Lordship of Christ. As expressed in Romans 8:29, we are being conformed to the likeness of Christ, conformed to His image. Begin to live your life today not from the temporal, but from the eternal perspective. Expect great things and keep on attempting great things for the cause of Christ!

Baseball project in Dominican Republic needs your help

Throughout the Caribbean islands, baseball enjoys a popularity that surpasses what it enjoys in America. In Cuba, I have seen baseball diamonds in open fields littered with rocks and trash, but being used by organized neighborhood teams of all ages. If there are nine gloves available between the two teams, they share them so that each player in the field can have one. Catchers often only have a mask, and it may be rigged to use with string or cord in lieu of straps. The bat - not bats – is used by the team no matter the size of the player. To have a baseball without torn lacing is something that is often hoped for, but not available.

The Dominican Republic also holds up baseball as a national passion. But the economic situation is similar to that in Cuba. The availability of safe equipment is usually only a dream.

Enter Ron Bishop and his ministry of SCORE International. They have established an ongoing baseball ministry in the Dominican Republic. God is using it to reach people with the gospel.

In November, another SCORE International mission team will be traveling to the Dominican Republic to carry on this very fruitful ministry. As they go, there is a need for which we ask you to help.

Baseball equipment: bats, balls, gloves, mitts, hats, batting helmets, pants, shirts, belts, protective cups, batting gloves…of all sizes, are sorely needed A container is to be shipped from Athens, Georgia to the Dominican Republic in mid-October.

From now until then you can collect and bring any of the used or new needed equipment to the WorldReach offices at 2131 Ruth Jackson Road in Bogart, Georgia. For those who may be attending Prince Avenue Baptist Church, there will be an enclosed trailer available for dropping off the equipment each Sunday morning beginning September 21st.

If you have any questions, please call Carly Decker at WorldReach: 888-540-6534. We appreciate your willingness to help reach the Dominican’s with the gospel through this baseball ministry.

WorldReach Bible Institute begins new semester

On Monday September 8th, the next semester of our WorldReach Bible Institute begins. For those enrolling the first time, the foundational course Bible Study Methods and Rules of Interpretation will be offered. The professor for this class is Rev. Joel Dover, pastor of Central Baptist Church in Athens, Georgia, and doctoral candidate at Luther Rice Seminary.

WorldReach Bible Institute offers a certificate program consisting of six core courses designed for all believers who want to be used by God as He desires to work through them to touch a lost and dying world with the gospel. Even if you do not desire to complete the certificate program, the Bible Study Methods and Rules of Interpretation course will enable you to better understand how God is speaking to you through the scriptures, and the application of His truth to your life.

Classes are held on the campus of Prince Avenue Christian School and meet each Monday evening from 6-9:00 for twelve consecutive weeks. Late registration lasts through Monday September 15th.

The course fee is $60 and this includes the text books (NIV Study Bible and course guide). The curriculum used is that developed by Bible Training Center for Pastors/Church Leaders. It is a conservative, evangelical curriculum used worldwide for the development of pastors, church leaders, and born again believers who have a desire to draw closer to God through a deeper understanding of His word.

Registration can be accomplished online at the WorldReach Bible Institute website www.wbionline.us. If you have any other questions, please call us 888-540-6534. Also, feel free to email Jerry Haas at jerry@worldreach.us with any other inquiries.

Is God calling you to go?

Are you over the summer break and now sensing God is calling you to a deeper relationship with himself? Perhaps you have heard from others about mission trips they took this summer and have wondered if God could use you on such a trip as well.

As great commission Christians we always need to be open to going places God leads, even if it is not somewhere we understand how God could use us in that place. This was true for me on my first mission trip and I have talked to many people who faced the same issue. After deciding to, by faith, obey God, the blessings experienced were indescribable.

On October 27th, a WorldReach team will be traveling to Romania. We will be partnering with Emanuel University in Oradea, and Jibou Baptist Church. Some team members will have an opportunity to teach at the university, then join the rest of the team in Jibou. Others will go straight to Jibou to evangelize, disciple, and minister in the local villages and towns.

Interested but want to talk about it? Call me at 888-540-6534 or email me at jerry@worldreach.us. You may want to look further on our WorldReach web site for additional information - if so, click here and look in the "Upcoming Mission Trip" section for other links.

It is not too late to join us on this trip, but we will soon be finalizing our travel arrangments. If God is prompting, please do not delay, contact us soon.

God is at work in Romania, and His invitation to join Him in what He is doing there can be the way He will draw you closer to Himself than you could ever imagine.