Exceedingly Abundantly…Nothing

22Jul

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be the glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

- Ephesians 3:20-21

Hello friends and family,

This week, we are beginning our fourth week of CSOM! We are already halfway through, and I cannot believe how quickly it is flying by.

I continue to reflect on the first night of the Calvary School of Missions, when we burned our desires and hopes for our time here in the fire. During our first week, we read Absolute Surrender by Andrew Murray, which has continued to shape my time here. Daily surrender is a necessity, and it is never something we can do in our own strength. Even to surrender to God, we need to ask Him for help.

Last week, Pastor Rob Douglass taught on what it means to have God's heart for the nations. One thing that especially challenged me was what he called a "picket fence mentality”. This is the tendency to focus only on what is inside our own world, inside our own picket fence (family, the house, pets). While caring for our families and communities is good, the Lord calls us to lift our eyes beyond ourselves and care about the need for the Gospel wherever He leads us.

Acts 1:8 has been referenced often during our time here:

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Our Jerusalem is our city. For me, that's Victorville, the High Desert, and in this unique season of my life, Riverside as well. But I am not to stop there. Whether He calls us to go or to send, His heart extends to Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth.

What is your Jerusalem?

Pastor Rob also shared a picture of a child holding their father's hand. He said, “The safest place for a five-year-old to be is with his hand in his father’s hand.” That illustration has stuck with me. The safest place for a child is with their hand in their father's hand, and the same is true for us. We cannot do the work God has called us to in our own strength. The longer I walk with the Lord, the more I realize how desperately I need Him. Praise God that He faithfully brings us back whenever we begin relying on ourselves instead of Him.

A group photo after one of our park outreaches, including CSOM, Connections House staff, and some visitors

On Thursday, we discussed the great need for God’s Word in other nations, especially among unreached people groups. I knew that with so many languages being unknown to people outside of the people groups themselves, there was a major hindrance to sharing the Gospel in their heart language, and that once the language is learned, there is still quite a long process to get the Bible translated into their language, whether it is a written or oral-only language.

We took a break from class, and I came back to the classroom to see that there were eight seats arranged at the front. In the corner were stacks of Spanish-English Bibles and copies of The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer, which we were starting for our book reading discussions.

Pastor Rob asked for volunteers to go sit in the seats, so I volunteered. Each seat represented 1 billion people worldwide. I happened to be sitting in the second of the first four seats. These four seats represented the people reached in the world. The other four were split into two groups: unreached and frontier people groups. Frontier peoples are still unreached, but are much harder to reach for many reasons.

I was asked, “When did you first hear the Gospel?” I answered, “Probably in the womb” - my dad read the Bible to me in the womb, and during my earlier childhood years, though I know I did not hear it and understand it until a few years into my life. I am sure my dad had been explaining it to me much earlier in my life than I can recall.

Pastor Rob handed me a water bottle and one to each person in the first four seats as they answered the same question. Then, rapid-fire questions came. “How many times have you heard the Gospel?” “How old were you when you got your first Bible?” “Oh, you were little when you got your first one. Did it have pictures in it?” “How many Bibles do you have?” “Have you been to Bible college?” “Do you own any Bible commentaries or any other study tools?” “Do you have access to them?” With each answered question, I was handed more water bottles, holding them awkwardly as I tried to keep them from falling. As you can imagine, they had begun to pile up.

Then, a stack of Bibles was placed on top of it to represent that many of us in the States have multiple Bibles - different translations, study Bibles, compact Bibles, etc.

It was becoming increasingly awkward and uncomfortable to try to balance flat Bibles on top of rounded water bottles and keep them from falling.

I kept looking at the other end of the row of seats. Those four didn’t have a single water bottle (Gospel presentation) in their hand. A partially empty bottle was handed to the first of those four to represent one presentation of the Gospel to that student’s people group. He was given a strip of paper representing a portion of the book of Galatians, written in his language. Eventually, the whole book of Galatians was given to him, and years later, the entire Bible. Pastor Rob asked him to try to share with his neighbor. He tried, but didn’t have much to pass on to them.

The first four students continued to hold our water bottles, Bibles, and, now, books stacked on top to represent Bible commentaries and other Bible study tools. Then, Pastor Rob placed water bottles and Bibles in the hands of the other four students to represent what should be happening in the world.

This was incredibly impactful for me. I know that I cannot fully grasp the great need there is for the Gospel to be shared and the Bible to be translated for others, especially in the countless nations I have not been to, but this gave me clearer insight into the great need for people of known and unknown tribes, tongues, and nations.

We are so blessed to have abundant access to the Word of God. It is His letter to humanity, containing testimonies of His love for us, His power, justice, grace, mercy, and so much more. It contains the Gospel, and in Western societies (especially in the U.S.), it is easy to take it for granted.

Josiah (left) represents the person who has heard the Gospel many times, knows what it means, has a Bible, access to other translations, as well as to other Bible study tools

vs.

Micah (right), the first of the four students representing unreached people groups, has heard the Gospel and has a small portion of the book of Galatians translated in his language.

The remaining students held nothing in their hands.

This weekend, we were blessed to serve alongside a local church. One of my favorite parts was being the narrator in a skit about the Romans Road. We had very little time to prepare, but Ella came up with a creative way to illustrate the Gospel, and it all came together so well!

On Sunday, I taught the 0-6-year-old Sunday school class during another church takeover. I expected to spend the morning encouraging and teaching the children the story of Jonah, but God had something else in mind. Before the lesson, my translator, Chelsea, and I had the opportunity to encourage Sylvia, the regular teacher.

As we talked, she shared her testimony and began asking thoughtful questions about Scripture, theology, and assurance of salvation. She wasn't doubting her faith. She simply had a genuine desire to know the Lord more deeply. It was such an unexpected blessing to witness her curiosity, humility, and eagerness to keep growing in her faith.

“Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”
- Psalm 46:10

Praise reports
I have been so blessed by the conversations I have had with the people we are serving and ministering to!

Our team has worked together quite well!

Prior to last week, I was praying that God would clarify what direction He would have me go. I know I do not want to be disobedient to the command of the Great Commission, so, am I to send or to go? In that waiting, praying, and continual surrender to the Lord, He reminded me every day to keep seeking Him, to keep trusting Him.

Every single day, someone said something encouraging about this, whether a guest speaker, something A.W. Tozer wrote in The Pursuit of God, a fellow student, a leader, or my parents on the phone when we were able to catch up for a short time. He reminded me daily to trust Him, to keep relying on Him. I heard countless reminders that God often doesn’t give us a five-year plan. What He does give us is the next faithful step. I was encouraged to keep seeking Him with all my heart (Jeremiah 29:13), and to “wait for the Lord, be strong, and take heart, and wait for the Lord” (Psalm 27:14, one of my favorite verses).

Prayer requests
Safe travels as we prepare to fly to help with VBS at a Calvary down south.

Continued health for our team

Healing for those who are recovering

For my voice, mind, and heart to be quieter, that I may better hear the still, small voice of God as I seek direction from Him. I have noticed His voice growing slightly louder, but I want to be still and, knowing that He is God, hold my future and any potential plans in open hands.

As always, more laborers to be sent out into the harvest.