Advance the Gospel

Here Is Some Advice: Be An Encouragement

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Deputation affords us the unique opportunity to learn from pastors and church leaders from all over the country.  The truth is, deputation is all about raising funds.  This is the reason a missionary goes on deputation.  We go from church to church to church sharing our hearts in hopes that God will raise the needed funds for us to plant churches on the mission field.  I can say that our time on deputation has been a blessing.  The reality is, you have some meetings that go very well and some that do not.  One pastor gave me some advice about deputation.  He said, “you will have some meetings where churches will partner with, some will not, and some cannot.  You should resolve in your heart to be an encouragement to that pastor and that church, regardless if there is a chance to partner with a church or not.  God gave you that meeting with that specific church, you called but God gave it to you.  He has you there for a purpose, be an encouragement.”  This is advice I have tried to live by.  I strive to be an encouragement in every meeting we have with every church and with every pastor.  Even though this is in context of deputation, we should really try to be an encouragement in each encounter God gives us.  Here are a few ways I try to be an encouragement with every meeting God gives us…

  • God loves and cares for you.  As in any church you don’t always know what is going on in each individual life.  But, whether in the valley or on the mountain top it is good to remember that our God loves and cares for us.  It is all about who we are in Christ.  If you are in Christ you are loved, forgiven, accepted, and saved (Just to name a few things).  The wrath of God no longer abides on you.  Your God is not out to get you.  He loves you.  You are His child.  He is not waiting for you to mess up.  He is interested in you.  He loves you. (There are many verses in the Bible that explain this, read Ephesians 1-3 to learn about our wealth in Christ.)
  • The Bible is God’s Word.  With every opportunity I am given, we look to God’s Word for encouragement.  For those in Christ, God has not only saved you, but He has a plan for your life as well.  You may have missed out on something in the past, but God still desires to use you.  If you have a pulse, He has a plan!  For those who are not in Christ, God has a plan for them as well, and that is for them to believe on Jesus for Salvation.  (See II Timothy 3:14-17)
  • In each church we are in I try to encourage them by challenging them.  The challenge is three fold.
    • World Evangelism, getting the Gospel to every soul in our generation.  (Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15, II Peter 3:9)
    • To step out by faith, believe God and step out further than you have ever before.  (Hebrews 11 is a great chapter to challenge us to live by faith.)
    • Serve others, this is in the context of the local church, but can be manifested in other parts of our lives. (See Ephesians 5:21)

There are also specific ways to be an encouragement in the lives of others.  Some people may be going through a tragedy (we have seen that), some may be going through times of uncertainty (we have seen that too), some may have lost their job, loved ones, or may be losing their health (we have seen this too).  Others may be experiencing prosperity, every life has specifics and many times there is not a way to know until you spend some time with those people.

We all need encouragement.  We all can be an encouragement to others also.  That Pastor’s advice to be an encouragement to others has stuck with me.  Who can you be an encouragement to today?

Highlighted Bible Reading: Luke 10:17-20

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Luke 10:17-20

What should we rejoice in? Maybe more appropriately, where do we find our worth? As I am on deputation to go to Argentina, it is very hard not to wrap myself up into what God has called us to do in Argentina. My success or failure is totally based on what happens when we get there. My worth will be seen through the lens of that ministry.

Jesus has something to say about this sort of thing. The disciples were so thrilled at the results of there ministry. Things were happening! Demons were even subject to them (10:17). So what was Jesus response to this? Jesus made very clear that they should not rejoice in the fact that the demons were subject to them, but they should rejoice that their names are written in Heaven (10:20). There ministry was not what Jesus told them to rejoice in, or identify themselves by for that matter. Their source of joy should not be in the fruit of ministry. There joy should be found that their names are written in Heaven, that they belong to Jesus!

October 2015 Missions Letter

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From Conference to Conference

For many churches, the autumn time of year does not only bring the change of leaves but also a special emphasis. Some dub this time of year “mission conference season”, it is a time when the focus is on what they are going to do to reach the world with the Gospel! One Pastor said it this way, “This is our annual business meeting where we decide the fate of the world in light of the Gospel.” Much of September was invested in different mission conferences, and we have a few more scheduled to be in for October. With a full schedule, we are always in a church sharing our hearts about how God is leading us to Argentina, but mission conferences are a special time in a churches calendar.

Please continue to pray for us as we continue on deputation. We are asking for God’s favor in each church service and for our support to increase. We are currently at 70%. We will leave for the field March 24, 2016.

Serving Together,

Patrick, Leslie, Lily, Piper, and Ivy Henry

 

In Argentina…

Iglesia Bautista Luz (Light Baptist Church) just celebrated their first anniversary! Pastor Esteban started the church out in an area near La Plata. I have been in this church. I saw the people, I fellowshipped with them after the service. God is blessing this church. Pastor Esteban has worked hard. He trained at Lighthouse Baptist Church. He served there before being sent out to start this church. Please pray for Light Baptist Church that they will continue to grow, that many more will be saved, that men will be trained and sent out to do the same thing that Pastor Esteban has. God is at work in Argentina, but there are many more places in need of a Light Baptist Church! Pray that God uses us to train men to do the same!

 

Here Is Some Advice: Love Your Spouse

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We are continuing our series on “Here is some advice…” It is all about the different advice I have received as we continue deputation. Today’s post will cover advice that I am given regularly. It is actually “Love your wife.” but to generalize I entitled this post, “Love your spouse” because I think it goes both ways.

“Without your spouse, you do not have a ministry.” Can God use a man who is single? Yes. Sure He can! But God’s design is that husband and wife work together in ministry. Aquila and Priscilla are a great example of this, but that is another post (one that we have touched on I might add, click here). If I lose my wife, I lose my ministry. Here are a few tidbits I’ve been given to make sure I “love my spouse…”

  • Spend time with your spouse. The ministry takes time. I remember when I first started working at my home church my Pastor told me, “The ministry is not a job that you can punch in and out on a time clock. It is always going.” In the process of ministry it is easy for everything else to take a “back seat”, including your family. Although there are times this is unavoidable, time should be made for your spouse.
  • Do ministry together. Our marriage is by no means perfect, but there is something we have always done. We have always done ministry together. I think it is because we never knew any different. We worked together in ministry before we were married. We have worked together in ministry throughout our marriage. When we had babies, they were just dragged along with us. We have worked together, and if may say so, any good thing that has happened in what I’ve done, Leslie was deeply involved in it. She truthfully makes me better. I can attest to this piece of advice, ministry should be done together.
  • Do things for your spouse. Pastors have told me the importance of taking care of my wife, of going beyond what is expected and doing special things for her. Her birthday and Christmas should not be the only times I give her gifts. Some have advised that she is the queen of our house and should be treated as such.
  • Talk to your spouse. Men have told me to tell my wife I love her and tell her often. I am encouraged to tell her how beautiful she is (and she is very beautiful!). She may know that I love her, but it doesn’t hurt for her to be verbally reminded of it regularly. Some have claimed that a lack of communication is one of the biggest problems in marriage. It is important to talk with your spouse.

There is so much more to this subject that I have been encouraged to put to practice. I remind you that this isn’t something I have come up with (although I fully agree with it), but advise I have been given by men of God as we have travelled on deputation. Here is some advice, love your spouse!

I have attached a photo that I took of Leslie last night. I must say I am a very blessed man. The truth is she is obviously gorgeous, but she is even more beautiful on the inside…

Leslie