HOME
HOME |
      |
 Midnight Cry MessengerVolume LIV: Number 1 -- January-February-March, 2009Left: Great fellowship mailing the MCM!
Editor's LetterDear Saints, Greetings to all in the wonderful name of Jesus! Well, we are a little late again! It’s been a busy time but please accept our apologies. Also, I would like to remind our readers that this is a quarterly paper and not a monthly. This issue continues with the series, "What Does Deception Look Like?" We know that the scriptures warn us of Satan’s efforts to deceive, particularly at the end of the age, so it is very important to be able to recognize that deception. Although we are giving examples the thrust of the series is to set out principles that can help believers to recognize a particular deception as such whether it has been written about specifically or not. As never before we need to be grounded in God’s Word. I hope to continue the series on "God’s Chosen People" but for this issue chose to reprint chapter one of "Light in This Present Darkness." I believe the truth gets more and more relevant as our world gallops towards its sad destiny. Thank God for the hope we have in Christ whatever may happen down here. Much of the unusual busyness of recent days came about because of a wonderful opportunity Bro. Jimmy Robbins and I had to visit some brothers and sisters in India. For me it was a return trip and I believe it was very profitable spiritually to all concerned. We traveled in two different areas of Andhra Pradesh over a period of about 2 and a half weeks and crammed a lot of activity into that short period. What a joy it was to meet brothers and sisters in Christ in a great variety of settings and to see the light of Christ in their countenances! The most prominent activity centered around two pastors’ conferences that totaled 5 days of teaching. The Lord blessed in spite of our inability and weakness. We felt a burden to specially emphasize the biblical foundation for all we do. I’m afraid that a lot of religious "junk" has found its way overseas and to some extent obscured that foundation. There is no other foundation, no other message, than God’s eternal purpose in Christ and Him crucified. That message alone, proclaimed by men called and anointed of God, will do the job that needs doing. We enjoyed our time in both conferences and met many who labor faithfully in challenging places with a burden from God upon them. Pray for such men. They are on the "front lines" of today’s battle for men’s souls. Many other days gave opportunity to visit believers in a variety of places. One of those was a leprosy colony. Even though leprosy is basically a conquered disease there nevertheless are pockets where people are still showing its terrible effects. In India it is bad enough under the caste system to be a Dalit, or Outcast, but the lepers are outcasts to the outcasts, with few opportunities other than begging. One of the brothers we visited has felt a burden to re-open an outreach effort among them begun by a now-deceased missionary. It was a wonderful opportunity to share the love of Christ with them through the Word and also in a small way practically as well. We will long remember faces that gave us a welcoming smile despite some pretty dire circumstances. We were involved in a number of services held in church buildings ranging from city congregations to simple structures in villages, sometimes little more than sticks and mud. In every case we found smiling believers worshipping their Lord. All are precious to Him. One congregation was located very close to the border of Orissa, the state where there has been such a terrible outbreak of murderous violence against Christians. Many of those we met had walked across the border to be with us. We were blessed and humbled to see their faith and devotion. Pray for our brothers and sisters in such circumstances as well as for those laboring among them in ministry. In some cases we met with believers in tribal villages who did not yet have a meeting place beyond the space in front of someone’s dwelling. We experienced a welcome wherever we went, even among some who were homeless and just subsisting from day to day. God knows every circumstance. We just trust that in spite of us He used our visit to encourage believers there. One special blessing we experienced was seeing the fruit of answered prayer, special burdens from the earlier trip in 2005. One girl had been paralyzed, laying on a mat, yet with a wonderful smile. This time she stood before a congregation singing and worshipping the Lord! During the earlier trip we had been asked to specially pray for two sisters who had been unable to bear children. Although time only permitted us to see one of them this trip both have borne healthy boys and both are expecting again! Through this answered prayer some of their relatives have come to the Lord. It won’t be long now before it will again be convention time in Jacksonville, Florida. This year’s dates are June 24-27. We’d love to see you there if the Lord enables. Your brother in Christ, |
