Being Thankful!

Looking back on eight months of deputation, I must say we have a lot to be thankful for!  November was an incredible month for us, as were in 13 meetings that were spread across Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Texas, North Carolina, and Georgia!  We have travelled over 4500 miles!  In all of this, God protected us, keeping us safe all along the way and we had churches partner with us this month as well!  There is so much in all of this to be thankful for!  On top of that our 2015 calendar is continuing to fill up!  God is leading the way as we continue deputation.

I would like to thank all of our supporting churches.  We are so blessed to partner with you in the challenge of spreading the Gospel of Jesus to millions who have never heard!  While we are thankful for God’s blessings, we are burdened for the masses who just don’t know the Truth!

Merry Christmas!

 I have a missionary friend who recently lost his father.  This was a big surprise, as his father was only in his 50s.  This Christmas season, I hope that you make the most of the time you have with your family!  As we are always traveling on deputation, we don’t get to see our families as much as we did before.  I look forward to the different family Christmas parties  that will be going on all this month!  Most of all, I look forward to the conversations and testimonies about our Savior with loved ones we do not have the opportunity so see that often.  We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!     ~ the Henrys

Serving Together,

Patrick, Leslie, Lily, Piper, and Ivy Henry

We have been looking at characteristics (or attributes) that key missionaries in the Bible had in common.  Each of these men were different.  Each of them had different backgrounds, different “mission fields”, different results.  At the same time, each of these missionaries had things in common.  Today we are going to be looking at love.  Love should be the driving force of every missionary.  It is not the love for people (although that is important), but love for God that should propel the believer to the mission field to proclaim salvation in Jesus!  Although I think that most don’t need examples of this, here are a few…

•  Paul
  • Paul spoke of love in 1 Corinthians 13.  The word in the KJV is charity, it simply means “love”.  The  Greek word “agape” (in one form or another) is used 258 times in the New Testament.  The word means “a sacrificial love in action”.  This is best exemplified in Jesus (more on that later).
  • “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.  And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.  And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:1-3
  • Paul speaks to the Corinthian church about love.  He explains that if he had all sorts of spiritual gifts, but did not have agape love, he was nothing more than a “tinkling cymbal”.  Spiritual gifts are wonderful, but do not take the place of love.  Paul went on to explain that good works and great acts of sacrifice is worth nothing apart from love.
  • Paul showed the love of Christ to people who believed, to people who would turn on him, to people who rejected the Gospel, to people who maliciously sought to kill him!
• Jesus
  • Jesus spoke of love many times.  In fact, the “agape” word was used by or about Jesus in the Gospel records 49 times!
  • Here are a few examples…
    • “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
    • “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” John 13:35
    • “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”  John 15:13
    • “But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.” Luke 6:35
  • One of the first attributes of God that comes to mind is love.  Jesus has great love for the Father and great love for the world!

Again, there are many different examples of this, these are just examples.  How can we be missionaries, ambassadors on the behalf or our God is we are not filled with, motivated by, and driven by love?  Our God is love.  God loves His children.  God loves the lost!  We should be filled with this same love!

When studying the Biblical attributes of a missionary, there are some things that immediately come to mind.  Other things are not as obvious.  For this post, we are going to look at submission.  This is in context to the recognition that they are not their own, they are bought and belong to God!

“What do you want to do with your life?”  This question is asked in different ways throughout life.  When a youth graduates from high school or college, this is a prominent time for this kind of question.  For the Christian, it doesn’t matter what they “want” to do with their life, because it is not their own.  They have been bought with a price.  The verse that comes to mind is 1 Corinthians 6:19, “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?”  Paul is reminding the Corinthian Church that they do not belong to themselves, they belong to Jesus.  The Biblical missionary realizes that his life is not his own.

I think Paul would have much more desired to work with his own people.  The Jews were on his heart.  Paul says in Romans 9:3, “For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh.”  I think that if he had his choice, he would have given his life to reach his brethren the Jews.  But Paul didn’t make the decision, he submitted himself to his Master!  Paul’s desires were put away as he submitted himself to God and God’s plan.  By doing this, Paul gave his life as the apostle to the Gentiles.

What about Jesus?  Jesus clearly submitted Himself to God the Father.  There are many clear instances of this, I will highlight just one.  In John 5, the Jews wanted to kill Jesus for healing an invalid on the Sabbath Day.  Jesus’ answer, “The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel. For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.” John 5:19-23.  Jesus is God in Flesh, even so He willingly submitted Himself to God the Father.  Are they co-equal?  I believe so.  So why would Jesus willingly submit Himself under God the Father when they are equal?  The answer is because it was necessary.  This was the Father’s plan and so Jesus submitted Himself.

Are you submitting yourself to God?  Remember, you are not your own, you are in Christ, you are bought with a price!  Live in light of the Truth that your Master wants to use you today.  Submit yourself to God!

Back Home, Back On The Road!

October was a wonderful month!  We had been out on the road for seven weeks and arrived to our house in Atlanta, but we didn’t stop there.  This month we have travelled 4,000 miles and have been in 15 scheduled services!  We have been in Ohio, North Carolina, Mississippi, Tennessee, South Carolina, and our home state Georgia.  In all of this we have had churches partner with us!

We continue on this month to be in scheduled meetings in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, Illinois, North Carolina, and Florida.  Please pray that we will be used of God to be a blessing to the people God has us with and that God will give us favor with each church family.  We are at 25% after seven months of deputation.  We are gaining ground and look to see God give us the increase each service we have the opportunity to present.

Serving Together,

Patrick, Leslie, Lily, Piper, and Ivy Henry

 

Blessings Along The Way

As we travel on deputation, we have the blessing of meeting people along the way.  We meet pastors in different stages of life and ministry.  We meet brothers and sisters in Christ who have unique testimonies of how Jesus has worked in their lives.  It really is a blessing for us!  This past month, I was with a pastor who had been a pastor longer than I have been alive.  I love it when they share their wisdom with me!  I was with a pastor who
had just taken the church a year or so ago.  I am encouraged to hear the man’s zeal and vision of where he sees the church going!  All along the way, I am challenged and encouraged by brothers and sisters in Christ who are serving the Lord!