As you could expect, the NET meetings over the last month were so intense that I had no time at all to blog. This, I believe, will me my last blog for Pray4NET.
God did marvelous work in our midst in the past few weeks. I keep thinking about the many ways in which we could see His hand at work, and regret too often I can't sit down to write about it, and I'll forget them. The pressure is great, and multiple decisions on a daily basis--many affecting the entire telecast, thousands of viewers, or hundreds of God-hungry people in the local site--are enough to break anyone down. In spite of that, the good Lord preserved my health and my voice. The last few weekends I've preached six times in 24-hr periods. But God was there each time. There were a number of short nights, and a shoulder pain I carry that got worse, but God provided all the way.
I've written and/or given several reports--the last to the NAD Year-End meeting at the GC earlier this week--but I've not shared what I'm about to share now. Halfway through the meetings, the local police got involved, and we had to hire local security to patrol the church premises during the meetings because there were phone and texts evidence of a death threat on my person. Details are irrelevant now, but God provided protection there as well. We traveled almost 3,000 miles that month, and again, the Lord provided.
Lisa and I returned from worshiping at our home church a few minutes ago. Six precious souls were baptized, and more will do so next week. Dwight Nelson, the pastor and my friend for years, told me more will be baptized before Christmas. We heard many reports from churches in Arkansas, California, Ontario, Ohio, Montana, Hawaii, Iowa, New Jersey, Virginia, British Columbia, Florida, Kentucky, Texas, Colorado, and many other parts of the world, such as Jamaica, Australia, Russia, the UK, that baptisms are taking place. In some places as many as 20 or 25, in some others as few as one or two. If we estimate three baptisms for each of the 650 churches participating, that's 2,000 baptisms already. In Nashville, we had 133 decisions for baptism/POF and 58 baptized as of last Sabbath.
Probably even a greater evidence of God's work has been the overwhelmingly positive response by hundreds of our church members from around the country. For many multi-generational, life-long Adventists, these meetings were a concrete renewal to their faith and walk with God. They are now convicted SDAs, ready to reach out neighbor and friend for Jesus, when before the meetings that was the farthest from their minds. Laodiceanism is curable, and the only medicine potent enough to beat such disease is God's word. That word will produce the faith and love--the gold in Rev 3--needed for character, the garments of righteousness to replace our filthy rags, and the Holy Spirit to provide the necessary eye salve needed to see things they way God does. I wish I could share the e-mails and reports with you. They are simply moving. May the Lord be praised!
All this to say THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR FAITHFUL PRAYERS! Without them, we would have had much more trouble and difficulties, and God could not have blessed like He has. Yes, I believe more could have happened--more churches, more people watching, more baptisms--but the Lord takes us little by little. Perhaps the success of this process and these meetings will open doors for similar opportunities where even a more powerful display of God's love and faithfulness can be seen by those who turn their whole faces toward Him.
To God be the Lord!
God did marvelous work in our midst in the past few weeks. I keep thinking about the many ways in which we could see His hand at work, and regret too often I can't sit down to write about it, and I'll forget them. The pressure is great, and multiple decisions on a daily basis--many affecting the entire telecast, thousands of viewers, or hundreds of God-hungry people in the local site--are enough to break anyone down. In spite of that, the good Lord preserved my health and my voice. The last few weekends I've preached six times in 24-hr periods. But God was there each time. There were a number of short nights, and a shoulder pain I carry that got worse, but God provided all the way.
I've written and/or given several reports--the last to the NAD Year-End meeting at the GC earlier this week--but I've not shared what I'm about to share now. Halfway through the meetings, the local police got involved, and we had to hire local security to patrol the church premises during the meetings because there were phone and texts evidence of a death threat on my person. Details are irrelevant now, but God provided protection there as well. We traveled almost 3,000 miles that month, and again, the Lord provided.
Lisa and I returned from worshiping at our home church a few minutes ago. Six precious souls were baptized, and more will do so next week. Dwight Nelson, the pastor and my friend for years, told me more will be baptized before Christmas. We heard many reports from churches in Arkansas, California, Ontario, Ohio, Montana, Hawaii, Iowa, New Jersey, Virginia, British Columbia, Florida, Kentucky, Texas, Colorado, and many other parts of the world, such as Jamaica, Australia, Russia, the UK, that baptisms are taking place. In some places as many as 20 or 25, in some others as few as one or two. If we estimate three baptisms for each of the 650 churches participating, that's 2,000 baptisms already. In Nashville, we had 133 decisions for baptism/POF and 58 baptized as of last Sabbath.
Probably even a greater evidence of God's work has been the overwhelmingly positive response by hundreds of our church members from around the country. For many multi-generational, life-long Adventists, these meetings were a concrete renewal to their faith and walk with God. They are now convicted SDAs, ready to reach out neighbor and friend for Jesus, when before the meetings that was the farthest from their minds. Laodiceanism is curable, and the only medicine potent enough to beat such disease is God's word. That word will produce the faith and love--the gold in Rev 3--needed for character, the garments of righteousness to replace our filthy rags, and the Holy Spirit to provide the necessary eye salve needed to see things they way God does. I wish I could share the e-mails and reports with you. They are simply moving. May the Lord be praised!
All this to say THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR FAITHFUL PRAYERS! Without them, we would have had much more trouble and difficulties, and God could not have blessed like He has. Yes, I believe more could have happened--more churches, more people watching, more baptisms--but the Lord takes us little by little. Perhaps the success of this process and these meetings will open doors for similar opportunities where even a more powerful display of God's love and faithfulness can be seen by those who turn their whole faces toward Him.
To God be the Lord!
"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, . . .
for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now."
Philippians 1:3, 5
