“And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” Colossians 1:17-19
I am so thankful for the book of Colossians. We as a church having been going verse by verse through this book over the last several weeks. The wisdom of God for a new body with new believers and lots of different views is like a poor man finding hidden treasure. Jesus Christ is the One treasure that answers all questions, fulfills every true need, and corrects all disorder. He is the only rightful Head of the Church, and I am overwhelmingly thankful for His perfect leadership and promise that He will not leave us nor forsake us. Apart from Him we would have given up a long time ago, but praise be to God we are still loving each day of service.
The church here is in the process of attaining legal status. This will allow us to do more ministry and continue to build upon what we are doing without being shut down. We want to submit to our local government as long as it does not detain us from obeying the law of God. We are thankful for this window of opportunity and would appreciate your prayers in regards to the Gospel going forth in this city. This legal status will also allows us to open a cafe downtown for the purpose of ministry. This cafe has been a dream of Paul (the other elder in our church) for many years. The goal of the cafe is to serve as a tool for the local church. It will provide a second meeting place, give us a presence downtown, and be a platform for ministry. The cafe will save NOBODY, but please pray with us that we may use it as a place to share about Jesus, the only One who can save of from our sins.
Please pray for boldness both to share about Jesus and to live for His sake. There are so many people who have heard the Gospel, guests who have come to our house, neighbors, workers, and friends and yet they have such a fear of conversion and hesitation from what is new. Please pray that God will break their unbelief and see Him as the greatest treasure and Savior.
My wife is now three days past her due date and we are thankfully awaiting our new son that God is forming in the womb. Our daughter is growing day by day and bringing much joy and laughter. We moved into a new home three weeks ago and have settled down back in the heart of the city. Our language and cultural understanding is continuing to grow and we are humbled to be sent out by God and His Church. Thank you to all of you who sacrificed more than normal over these last couple months in order for us to be able to minister in the Middle East. May the Lord bless you!