Please Share

[WellWithMySoul]

It is such a wonderful blessing to hear or read the testimonies of others!  It's such a joy to see our God working in the lives of others.  There's a lot of dialogue about doctrine...which can be very illuminating, and there are lots of salvation testimonies too...which is such a delightful thing to rejoice in!  One thing that I truly miss though, is the sharing and testifying about the "relationship" different ones have with the Lord now.  I'm not referring to our position in Christ being accepted in the beloved, and I'm not speaking of the knowledge and understanding we have of scriptural matters.  Just as we have a relationship with loved ones on this earth, we also have a personal relationship with our precious Saviour.  How is that relationship faring?  What are our struggles in our individual walks with Him?  Are we comfortably able to pray without ceasing?  Do we sense His presence, and know His leading in our lives?  Are you finding that there are times that the Lord seems to be being very still, and we long to "hear" from Him?  At times do you catch yourself trying to "explain" things to the Lord or "defend" yourself to Him?  Do you have times of doubt and times of not fully surrendering to Him?  Do you KNOW that the Lord is working in your life and progressively transforming you more and more into His likeness?  Can we testify of the wondrous gifts and His workmanship of victory over faults and weaknesses and fears that we have?  Is our relationship with Him truly active or are we tending to live life a bit on the "automatic" relying on what is familiar modes?  Are we being sensitive to the blessed Spirit's gracious leading? Is there a struggle to intimately KNOW the love our dear God has for each of us?  Can we truly and honestly say..."it is well with my soul" regardless of the circumstances in our lives?

I love....I LOVE...to share what the Lord is doing for me, and oft times I can truly be a "motor mouth" because it's so very exciting to walk with Him!  How can any of us ever become apathetic or lackadaisical about Him?  If we are growing in Him, how can our zeal ever be dampened?  Is our faith small or are we struggling to trust Him?  Do we "forget" to not only put off the "old man" but to also "put on the new man"?   Can we speak of those times that the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak?  

There are so many aspects to our earthly journey and we truly need to "edify", exhort, and encourage one another in Him.  We also need to see the "benefits" of forsaking pride and being truly and simply honest with Him first, and then with one another.  We need to be available and sensitive to the needs of others around us, and be desirous to be a blessing to them in the bearing of burdens as the Lord leads.  

Again, I long to hear from others how the Lord is personally working in their lives! Please share!  A brief testimony would be such a blessing and encouragment to me!

[Alan]

One of the blessings that the Lord has given to us (our children, my wife and I), is that He has enabled us to not only enjoy the ministry among the people that He has called us to (the Chinese), but that they enjoy having us among them. This friendship was very apparent in a church activity last week. It has been a real blessing in our lives in having the Chinese accept us as their friends. God does lead, and bless, as we walk with the Lord through life.

The Alan Family

[Rosie]

I feel the Lords' presence.. I feel Him very near to me... I am a prayer warrior, I feel that is part of my ministry... I have 2 friends who are having health issues and the doctors are fearing cancer... I am praying and fasting much for them.. will you join me.. Carol and Nancy..

[WellWithMySoul]

Both of your simple, yet profound testimonies brought tears to my eyes!  The very Spirit that indwells my heart also abides in yours.  Everytime I read the epistles,  I'm blessed by the love and appreciation expressed amongst the beloved brethren.  Thank you for sharing your ministries that are led by that very same glorious Spirit as those that walked with God so long ago.

[Rosie]

isn't it just amazing that we as well as the Christians in the past have/had the same Holy Spirit all of these years to guide us to serve the same God the same way.. 

[Invicta]

One of the blessings that the Lord has given to us (our children, my wife and I), is that He has enabled us to not only enjoy the ministry among the people that He has called us to (the Chinese), but that they enjoy having us among them. This friendship was very apparent in a church activity last week. It has been a real blessing in our lives in having the Chinese accept us as their friends. God does lead, and bless, as we walk with the Lord through life.

The Alan Family

We have a friend who is missionary pastor of a mainly Chinese church in Manila. When he became pastor it was a sub church of a larger Chinese Church. The language of the Chinese is English.  Gilbert was expecting the Lord to open a work amongst the Chinese, but that didn't happen and instead a work has opened in a nearby town amongst the Phlippino people in the Tagalog language. As Gilbert finds Tagalog hard, and he has a junior minister who speaks Tagalog, and he leads that work and Gilbert's wife who speaks the language has a ministry among the women and children.  Gilbert and Emily have a daughter they adopted in Manila. They wanted to have the adoption recognized in the UK so they came to Scotland for six months to get it recognised.  Although they were told that it needed 12 months residence, Emily and Clare only had a six month visa, the adoption was granted about after they had been there just over 5 months. 

While in Scotland, Gilbert was offered 3 temporary pastorates, when he arrived, two had called pastors which left Wick.  Gilbert said the last place he wanted to go was Wick.  It is about as far north in Scotland as you can go without falling into the sea.  Because of its remoteness the air fare from London is not far short of the fare from London to manila.  The church in Wick is a baptist mission church with five members mostly or all, elderly, but they have a keen desire for gospel outreach.  Now Gilbert is back in Manila, he has asked his church to release him to take the pastorate at Wick, the last place he wanted to go.  Gilbert is Scottish but moved to Kent when he was six, but he still has a strong Scottish accent. 

 

 

[Ukulelemike]

We have a friend who is missionary pastor of a mainly Chinese church in Manila. When he became pastor it was a sub church of a larger Chinese Church. The language of the Chinese is English.  Gilbert was expecting the Lord to open a work amongst the Chinese, but that didn't happen and instead a work has opened in a nearby town amongst the Phlippino people in the Tagalog language. As Gilbert finds Tagalog hard, and he has a junior minister who speaks Tagalog, and he leads that work and Gilbert's wife who speaks the language has a ministry among the women and children.  Gilbert and Emily have a daughter they adopted in Manila. They wanted to have the adoption recognized in the UK so they came to Scotland for six months to get it recognised.  Although they were told that it needed 12 months residence, Emily and Clare only had a six month visa, the adoption was granted about after they had been there just over 5 months. 

While in Scotland, Gilbert was offered 3 temporary pastorates, when he arrived, two had called pastors which left Wick.  Gilbert said the last place he wanted to go was Wick.  It is about as far north in Scotland as you can go without falling into the sea.  Because of its remoteness the air fare from London is not far short of the fare from London to manila.  The church in Wick is a baptist mission church with five members mostly or all, elderly, but they have a keen desire for gospel outreach.  Now Gilbert is back in Manila, he has asked his church to release him to take the pastorate at Wick, the last place he wanted to go.  Gilbert is Scottish but moved to Kent when he was six, but he still has a strong Scottish accent. 

 

 

My dream was always a calling to Scotland. But here I am in the Northern California desert. Woke up this morning to a big black widow above my bed. Yay. But I still love it, (though I might give it up if I was called to Scotland!)

[Invicta]

Gilbert was pastor o a Baptist Church in Dundee till he was called to the Philippines,  where he originally taught Greek and Hebrew at an academy to train pastors. The Chinese mainly look down on the Filipinos as they regard them as servants,  Non christian families are very disaproving of the church members getting involved with them.

Filipinos, I spelled it incorrectly before.

 

[Rosie]

Mike if you really want to go to Scotland you could volunteer.. just surrender and go

[Salyan]

Mike if you really want to go to Scotland you could volunteer.. just surrender and go

I don't think that's how it works... if God has told you to be somewhere, it would be disobedient to go somewhere else!

[Invicta]

I think God calls some for a life work, some for a limited period, otherwise pastors would all be called for life. 

An American Baptist missionary pastor we know, Pasteur Baughman who is pastor of the Bible Baptist Church in Laon, France, has been in France over 30 years and in Laon over 20, I believe. and in a wheelchair for over 10 years.  He used to conduct an adult Sunday School at 10.00am followed by a service at 11.00 am, but due to suffering sleep apnea and the drugs he is on, he was falling asleep while preaching, so has had to cut it down to one.  

After all these years he has only one regular, a lady who has been at the services most times when we have been there.  But his ministry is mainly among asylum seekers.  There is an asylum processing centre near and the get a number from there.  They are mostly from places like Burundi, Rwanda and Congo. They are mainly women as the husbands have either been killed or sent their wives away for safety. They are in the centre for three years, and then they are either deported or moved on or settled elsewhere.  

Pastor is nearly seventy and was recently asked what plans he has to retire, and he answered "None, Ther is no-one to replace us.

Pastor said there have been a number of conversions over the years. We met a delightful family.  Carine and her three children.  The youngest is Samuel aged 8,  and his twin brother and sister.  I think Samuel said they were 12 but they looked older to me They did tell me their names but I could not grasp them, nothing easy like Samuel.  The church had run a summer camp in Belgium,  together with other churches.  The twins both said they had turned to Christ and gave their testimony at the service.  

Edited October 15, 2015 by Invicta

[Jordan Kurecki]

I feel the Lords' presence.. I feel Him very near to me... I am a prayer warrior, I feel that is part of my ministry... I have 2 friends who are having health issues and the doctors are fearing cancer... I am praying and fasting much for them.. will you join me.. Carol and Nancy..

Pray for me would you? I am a young 23 year old man called to preach and preparing for full-time gospel ministry.

 

[Rosie]

I will pray for you Jordan... 

[2ndTimothy]

The Lord blesses me so much more than I can even express. Each day I learn a little more of what God wants me examine in  order to bring Him more glory by letting Him live through me. I can see His working every day. I praise Him for His being loving full of grace and mercy. ........ more later.

[WellWithMySoul]

It has been a few months since this thread was posted in, and so I was wondering how you all are doing in your individual walks with our Lord?  Once again I will say that I absolutely love sharing what the Lord is doing for me...but at present I must keep my sharing to a minimum because I'm having to type one-handed.  I slipped on some snow covered ice in December and broke my arm/wrist.  Just briefly I will share my thanksgiving to my precious Lord that my fall didn't have more serious ramifications!  A couple of xrays were taken at the ER and it was found that I have an advancing case of osteoporosis.  I was amazed that it was obvious on a simple xray because usually a bone density cat scan is taken to determine that diagnosis.  I could've broken my hip or even my back or hit my head!  Instead the Lord was merciful to me and I ended up with a clean break, and a good warning to be even more careful in my activities.  As my husband drove me to the hospital I began asking the Lord what I could learn from this opportunity.  Was the Lord chastizing me?  Was this a time to be still and just rest in Him?  Was this injury allowed so that I could share my Saviour with someone I might normally not come into contact with?  Was this a time to be reminded that humility is Christ-like?  Was this maybe just a big warning from the Lord to be aware of the osteoporosis?  Perhaps the answers to all of the above are true!  The Lord didn't respond to my questions to Him by singling out anything in particular....but regardless I shower Him with gratefulness that indeed He is working in my life granting me many opportunities to learn more about Him, and to grow in Him by His workmanship, and to love others even more by sharing the vast love that He has for me and for them.

As the Lord leads, and when my arm/wrist is healed I look forward to sharing my personal testimony here...both of my salvation and of my walk with my dear Saviour.  Please be encouraged to be thankful both in and for all things...we have a very gracious God!