Many churches today exist on life support. Living on the precious memories of the past. Meaning, as some have stated to me, that when they run out of God’s money, they will close the doors. Not sure about stewardship in this line of thinking? What a sad epitaph for one of God’s lighthouses, where once the life-saving light of the gospel shone bright, but now only darkness. A sickness has spread to epidemic proportions. Often, we think we have it good, with buildings and excellent air conditioning, as well as soft seats. And, yes, I would agree we have enjoyed the creature comforts in recent times. Sadly, across the board, we have seen our conversions decrease, and our baptisteries remain dry as gunpowder.
Personally, I would rather meet under a brush arbor and see souls saved, and I am sure you would too. We sing, “There is power, power, wonder-working power, in the blood…” Friends, that blood has been applied to our lives, and yes, we are to have this power flowing through us.
Most churches today have walking pneumonia. From the outside, all is well, but on the inside, there is a story too sad to tell. They look fine, yet they are teetering on disaster. Why? Because Christianity has a fever. She is sick.
She is feverish due to a lack of discipline. We, and I say we, are very undisciplined people. We overeat and we spend too much. We recreate when we should create, and we moan when we should move. We are far more punctual with our jobs or the kids’ ball games than we are about church faithfulness. We take on places of responsibility, and then we act irresponsibly. We hit and miss, we are on and off, and for some, mostly off. We are happy if everything goes our way and upset if they don’t. Listen to the words of the Apostle Paul: “I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway” (I Cor. 9:26-27).
Paul is saying I buffet my body and lead it captive. Christianity is experiencing a fever. We will see in the coming weeks that it is not only due to a lack of discipline.scheduled.
From Our Missionaries
Ebenezer, West Little Rock: Ruben Isturiz writes, “Last week we concluded the six-week workshop ‘Deep Changes.’ We taught it to three different groups each week — Tues. at 10 a.m., and Wed. and Thurs. at 7 p.m. In total, we had 13 participants, and it was a rewarding challenge for me to prepare the material for each lesson. Although it requires a time investment, seeing the impact of the workshop on the lives of the brothers at Ebenezer is a great blessing. We are already planning our next workshop for the fall, ‘Dare to Discipline.’
“I am also very grateful for the success of the ‘Baseball Chapel’ ministry from a chaplaincy perspective. Each season, it is a challenge to attract Hispanic boys to the chaplaincy. It is a unique opportunity, as baseball is a very fast-paced sport, we only have a short time to impact each player with the Word of God. During the season, some players are promoted to AAA or the Major League Baseball (MLB), while others are released. Thank God, 100% of the boys attend chaplaincy, and we always enjoy a good time with the Word of God.
“Thank you for the support you give to each missionary and for your backing in prayer. As I have told you many times, you and each missionary form one team for the glory of God.”
Faith Chapel, Flippin: Johnny Shew writes, “We had a great week at Faith Chapel! Our numbers were down, but we had a great time of worship with four first-time visitors.
“On Friday, I talked on the phone with a young man who is out of town, whose parents are members. He has been coming with them for about three years. I have had multiple conversations with him about salvation. In our last one, just a few weeks ago, he told me that he ‘mostly believes,’ but he still had doubts. Our church has been praying for him for a long time. I have even asked you all in one of my reports to pray for him, and have also asked our Jonesboro association Brotherhood to pray for him. Well, on Friday when we talked, he asked me if I would baptize him when he gets home. I said, ‘Well, first, do you know that you are saved?’ He said, ‘I do.’ I said, ‘Praise God, of course I will!’ And I can’t wait for him to get home, I baptized his parents, and now I will get to baptize him. We all love him so much, and now our prayers have been answered! Don’t ever give up and stop praying for someone to be saved. Jesus saves, not us!
“And to top off a great week, Sunday morning, one of our faithful visitors joined us by the promise of a letter from Eastside Baptist Church in Conway, and we welcome Dale to our number. Praise God! What a great week!
“We thank you for your prayers and support. God is answering them in mighty ways!”
Faith Journey, Benton: Bryan Clay writes, “Faith Journey continues to grow both spiritually and in attendance. This week we had a great turnout for the men’s and women’s Bible studies, which included a pizza fellowship. Participants are digging deeper into God’s Word and discovering how biblical stories relate to their lives today.
“The nursing home ministry also saw a strong turnout, with 52 folks joining us for Bible study. This week, our Sunday service had 20 folks in the morning and 27 in the evening. Those in attendance are mostly different groups of families in the morning than those who are coming to the evening services.
“As the mission grows, so does the sense of unity among our church family. Everyone is excited to see how God continues to move in the lives of those involved. We are constantly in prayer for one another and the direction that the Lord has for Faith Journey.”
Misión Gracia Soberana (Sovereign Grace), NWA:Roberto Marcelletti writes, “We had a very busy week in Gracia Soberana, handing out invitations around town for the garage sale on June 26. We were also able to have a food sale on Saturday to help Rosa, a woman who was diagnosed with cancer. People from the Springdale community went to church to get their food, and Patty, my wife, shared the gospel with two women. They were excited to come back.
“This week, we also began our biblical counseling ministry, and we have already been visited by a man with whom I spoke. He has a strong crisis of faith due to various things that have happened in his life. I beg for your prayers to help him.
“On Sunday, our Sunday School was full, with over 20 people attending and learning how to resolve conflicts biblically.
“In our Sunday service, we had two visitors join us. And for the first time, Sister Linda played the piano, allowing us to sing two beautiful hymns. She does not speak Spanish. But she played, and the church sang them in Spanish.”
Epic Life, Pea Ridge: Jake McCandless writes, “This past week is going to go down as one of the most impactful of my life — and over time, Epic Life will feel the ripple effects.
“Only one of our Connection Groups was able to meet this week, but what happened elsewhere was just as significant. Amanda and I had the opportunity to attend an intimate marriage retreat. Alongside four other couples, we were poured into all weekend by a seasoned couple who led us with wisdom, humility and intentionality — much like the way we aim to lead at Epic Life. They’re highly trained and deeply experienced in mentoring and coaching, and we came away with tremendous personal growth, practical tools for our marriage and some valuable insight into how we can better pour into others.
“We’re excited to put into practice what we learned — not just in our home, but in how we mentor and lead through Epic Life as well.
“This week, all our Connection Groups will be meeting, and we’re looking forward to gathering everyone together for our Collective Gathering on Sunday. God is moving, and it’s a joy to see Him at work.”
