2013: The Year of Simple Obedience, New Fields, and New Open Doors
From all of us at World Missions and Evangelism, Inc., we wish you a very Happy and Prosperous New Year. As I have thought about this new year, I realize that many people are filled with trepidation about what may be coming on the earth. The economy has many people walking in fear. But as I have considered the word of God, I am reminded of some great promises.
Specifically I have been focused on Matthew 6: 33- "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."
I believe that as we continue to make our daily priority God's Kingdom (His rule in our lives and our obedience to Him, as well as the expansion of His Kingdom) and God's Righteousness (Our relationship to Him through faith in His blood, maintaining a clean walk through confessing our sins (1 John 1: 7,9)) He will meet all of our needs, in this economy or any economy! This year I am standing on this verse and claiming its promise, as well as focusing on obedience to it!
To be even more specific, I am calling 2013 the Year of Simple Obedience, New Fields, and New Open Doors! I do not know what this year holds for all of us, but I know that WME stands at the beginning of this year poised to move forward into new potential fields for the advance of the Gospel. Here are some of the New Fields and New Potential Open Doors that we know of right now:
1. The Continued multiplication of churches in Honduras! In our primary project we will be continuing to train leaders and mentor the multiplication of churches. A training event is planned for this month of January in Palacios which will take us into a new department of Honduras where the project has never been before. Then there is planned the very large training event in Tegucigalpa in April. Please help us cover these events in prayer.
2. Linked to the Honduras Work, there are now current and potential open doors into Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Colombia. Pray with us that these Open Doors come into fullness so that the Honduras project will be a fully Latin American Project. In relation to that, there are 2 training events on the drawing board to cross the borders into more of Central America. We believe there will be an initial training in Guatemala in February, and a training event in El Salvador in March.
3. Our Partnership in Southern Africa is opening doors to see ongoing Church Planting Movements be enhanced, and our Botswana Missionaries, Michael and Heather Walker are taking the strategy to new tribal groups. Pray that a new CPM will result because of these efforts.
4. Troy Allen and his wife are getting ready to deploy to Brunei in order to connect with the culture and focus on 8 or 9 Unreached People Groups using the CPM/Disciple making movement strategy. Pray for them as they launch withing the next couple of months.
5. Pray for the efforts of the City of Children project in Guatemala and the Healing Projects outreach. These are helping orphans in Guatemala and China. God is continuing to touch many people to become involved in reaching to the most impoverished and needy in the world: Orphan Children in the Global South.
6. We are believing for open doors in the middle east for some facilitation work toward CPM.
7. The full work of our more than 20 affiliated missionaries worldwide can multiply, influencing many thousands for the advance of the Kingdom of God.
The fact is that we look at these 7 areas as places of new open doors....and we look for new fields for Kingdom Advance this year. And we are not limiting ourselves to these. God Himself knows what lies ahead and the doors He plans to open. Our job is simply to move forward on the trajectory we are on, and then be sensitive to Him as the work goes forward.
That is why I am also calling this year the Year of Simple Obedience. Recently a key leader who I respect very much was asked: What are your Goals for 2013?
He gave a very unusual and unexpected answer....He said, "I don't have any goals."
What he meant was not that there was no planning or direction. What he meant was that he got up each day, reading the Word of God and obeying, along the trajectory he is on, and with the open doors that are present. Simple Obedience.
Proverbs 16:9 says, "In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps."
How does God determine our steps? Of course, through his sovereign control, but also in terms of practical guidance in our lives, through our daily obedience to His Word. We can and should make plans, strategies, vision statements based on our understanding. That points us in the right direction. But the steps are daily, and they are determined by our daily, simple, literal obedience to the Word of God.
So that is our theme for the year at WME: The Year of Simple Obedience, New Fields, and New Open Doors. Our theme scriptures are Matthew 6:33 and Proverbs 16:9.
Join us on the Journey!
Specifically I have been focused on Matthew 6: 33- "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."
I believe that as we continue to make our daily priority God's Kingdom (His rule in our lives and our obedience to Him, as well as the expansion of His Kingdom) and God's Righteousness (Our relationship to Him through faith in His blood, maintaining a clean walk through confessing our sins (1 John 1: 7,9)) He will meet all of our needs, in this economy or any economy! This year I am standing on this verse and claiming its promise, as well as focusing on obedience to it!
To be even more specific, I am calling 2013 the Year of Simple Obedience, New Fields, and New Open Doors! I do not know what this year holds for all of us, but I know that WME stands at the beginning of this year poised to move forward into new potential fields for the advance of the Gospel. Here are some of the New Fields and New Potential Open Doors that we know of right now:
1. The Continued multiplication of churches in Honduras! In our primary project we will be continuing to train leaders and mentor the multiplication of churches. A training event is planned for this month of January in Palacios which will take us into a new department of Honduras where the project has never been before. Then there is planned the very large training event in Tegucigalpa in April. Please help us cover these events in prayer.
2. Linked to the Honduras Work, there are now current and potential open doors into Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Colombia. Pray with us that these Open Doors come into fullness so that the Honduras project will be a fully Latin American Project. In relation to that, there are 2 training events on the drawing board to cross the borders into more of Central America. We believe there will be an initial training in Guatemala in February, and a training event in El Salvador in March.
3. Our Partnership in Southern Africa is opening doors to see ongoing Church Planting Movements be enhanced, and our Botswana Missionaries, Michael and Heather Walker are taking the strategy to new tribal groups. Pray that a new CPM will result because of these efforts.
4. Troy Allen and his wife are getting ready to deploy to Brunei in order to connect with the culture and focus on 8 or 9 Unreached People Groups using the CPM/Disciple making movement strategy. Pray for them as they launch withing the next couple of months.
5. Pray for the efforts of the City of Children project in Guatemala and the Healing Projects outreach. These are helping orphans in Guatemala and China. God is continuing to touch many people to become involved in reaching to the most impoverished and needy in the world: Orphan Children in the Global South.
6. We are believing for open doors in the middle east for some facilitation work toward CPM.
7. The full work of our more than 20 affiliated missionaries worldwide can multiply, influencing many thousands for the advance of the Kingdom of God.
The fact is that we look at these 7 areas as places of new open doors....and we look for new fields for Kingdom Advance this year. And we are not limiting ourselves to these. God Himself knows what lies ahead and the doors He plans to open. Our job is simply to move forward on the trajectory we are on, and then be sensitive to Him as the work goes forward.
That is why I am also calling this year the Year of Simple Obedience. Recently a key leader who I respect very much was asked: What are your Goals for 2013?
He gave a very unusual and unexpected answer....He said, "I don't have any goals."
What he meant was not that there was no planning or direction. What he meant was that he got up each day, reading the Word of God and obeying, along the trajectory he is on, and with the open doors that are present. Simple Obedience.
Proverbs 16:9 says, "In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps."
How does God determine our steps? Of course, through his sovereign control, but also in terms of practical guidance in our lives, through our daily obedience to His Word. We can and should make plans, strategies, vision statements based on our understanding. That points us in the right direction. But the steps are daily, and they are determined by our daily, simple, literal obedience to the Word of God.
So that is our theme for the year at WME: The Year of Simple Obedience, New Fields, and New Open Doors. Our theme scriptures are Matthew 6:33 and Proverbs 16:9.
Join us on the Journey!
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