Friday, November 25, 2011

God Pleasers


The Bible declares, "without faith it is impossible to please God." (Hebrews 11:6). The sole ambition of every Christian should be to bring pleasure to God. When living to please the Lord, He becomes the center of a person’s life. Now that we are living in the last days, the church is proclaiming a heretical message.

Take time
On Sunday morning before going to church, scan the channels on your television. Listen to the many sermons that focus on man’s pleasure and good rather than God’s pleasure and good. Let me say it plainly, people are looking for health, wealth and prosperity; seeking the gift rather than the giver.


Life is all about "ME!"
People shop for churches looking for what pleases them not where God would have them serve. As a pastor, very few people have ever come to me asking “where can I serve the Lord in the church.” Most are interested in the church’s activities, the worship style and friendliness of the congregation. Is it wrong to want to know these things? No! But this is where it begins and ends.

The church has been shaped by the world’s message: Pamper yourself—treat yourself—you deserve it—only the best for you…. The point is this: If our existence on this planet is to please God, then we must abandon our wills and our pleasure and live to please Him—Die to live!!

I am motivated to please God by the fact that He gave all to me through the great sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ. What could possibly move us more toward a life dedicated to please the Lord than embracing the fact that He tasted death for every man.

Back to the question at hand; what is the greatest way to bring pleasure to God? In fact, what is the only way that a man can please the Lord? According to Hebrews 11:6 the only way to please Him is by FAITH.

God loves PEOPLE OF FAITH...GOD PLEASERS.

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What is the cost of discipleship? "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:26)
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Prayer Requests
Pray for a harvest of salvation in every land, that the lost millions will hear the name of Jesus and believe in Him.
Pray for solid discipleship and Bible training for the thousands of new believers in India. 
Pray that we as a Mission will keep our vision ever before us and that all our activities will be geared towards fulfilling that vision.





Asia International Mission is an IRS approved 501(c)(3) non-profit ministry. 
All gifts are tax-deductible and 100% of donations are used as designated

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

As Our Thoughts Turn To Thanksgiving



... we want to express our gratitude for all of you. We appreciate your faithfulness in ministry, even when it's tough, and we celebrate your passion for outreach. It's a privilege to stand with you in the great task of the church!


"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."   (Colossians 3:17)





Monday, November 21, 2011

How to find God's will


So many people are afraid to do anything because they might miss the will of God. They pray and pray and He never seems to answer.

What's going on?

Is finding the will of God like reading a map, make a wrong turn and you can end up in a dead-end? Or is it like a big broad highway with guardrails on it?

I say it's like the latter, there's less of a penalty in life for making well-intentioned mistakes than we realize. We need to ease up on ourselves, take time to pray, and then take action. If your heart is right, there is no wrong. When trying to figure out the will of God, if your heart is right, it's hard to mess up.

Here's the deal: On so many issues in life, God has already expressed his opinion. Sometimes he's given us a clear command as in "love one another," or "Go into all the world and make disciples." And other times he would really prefer that we put ourselves in motion and then allow him to help us course-correct as we go along. The Bible tells us, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." (Prov. 3:6)   

When my wife and I first set foot on the plane for India, we did so trusting in God’s goodness as we moved out in faith, believing we were in his will. We felt we were being totally committed to an unknowable future. It was waaay outside our comfort zone as we tried to be radically obedient to God. We thought it would be easier, more comfortable, more peaceful, but this took us nose-to-nose with our fear. We were so close to it, we could see the pores on its face.

I was reflecting on the face of fear this morning in prayer and I felt God saying, “Your fear will not serve you where I want to take you.” I realized I would have never seen it if I hadn't committed to an unknowable future."
You can take bigger risks with God than you may be taking. He's waiting for you to test his goodness.

If you need some kind of a formula, these steps by George Mueller are as good 
as you'll find:
1. Get your heart right. This is 90% of the task of finding God's will in an issue.
2. Listen to the Spirit and check the Bible.
3. Pay attention to how He may be speaking through circumstances.
4. Ask God to show you his will.
5. If your mind is at peace after several petitions, take action. 

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This month is a time of Thanksgiving.  As you go into the holiday season, remember to thank our Lord Jesus Christ for all that He has blessed you with. I thank God that I am able to continue serving Him through AIM, and for each of you that makes that possible. Also, consider giving a special gift this year to help those less fortunate by donating Here.

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name." (Psalm 100:4)

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Prayer Requests
Pray that the Holy Spirit will speak clearly to the people and that many will turn to the Lord.
Pray that young people will respond to the challenge of missions, and fan out to various parts of the nation with the Gospel.
Pray for the spiritual growth of our new believers and seekers who are facing indirect opposition from their own community.


Pray for the Unreached Arora of India
Population: 3,582,000
World Popl: 3,597,000
Main Language: Hindi
Main Religion: Hinduism
Bible: Complete
Status: Least-Reached
Christ-Followers: Few, less than 2%



 
Asia International Mission is an IRS approved 501(c)(3) non-profit ministry. 
All gifts are tax-deductible and 100% of donations are used as designated.