Exloring Life Eternal

A simple supra-rational summary of who I serve with:
International "Fools" for Christ.
We are one organism, but cannot organize ourselves.
Instead, the head directs our steps.

International: 2 Chronicles 16:9
Fools: Proverbs 17:24
for Christ: 2 Corinthians 4:12-13

Those who seek the face of God like David. (Psalm 27, 34)

Those who expect life from the barren & resurrection from death like Abraham. (Hebrews 11:11-12, 19)

Those who, like Paul, find a peace beyond psychology. (Philippians 4:5-8)

Those who persevere for the blessing like Jacob (Genesis 32:26).

Those who, like Moses, would see the unseen by faithfully looking to Jesus. (Hebrews 11:27)

Those who find a joy which cannot be adequately expressed in human language & is full of glory. (1 Peter 1:8-9)

Those who daily long to know the the unknowable love which is in Christ Jesus alone. (Ephesians 3:14-21)

We are those who have found the city of God, not geographically bound.
We are those who have found redemption, not with gold or silver.
We are those who have been saved, though not by ourselves.
We are those who have hope, against any human hope.

We have lost our own minds in order to gain the mind of Christ.
We have lost our own strength in order to know the power of God.
We have become as nothing that we might know the supply of the Holy Spirit.
We have become as rubbish in order to find rubies for the King's crown.

Good day to all the members of the ptap lists programme. I just want to confirm my subscription. May God bless you in the work that you are doing for the coming day of our Lord JESUS CHRIST.

A.N.

A saint shared their frustrations with the red-tape of missionary institutions.

"I am really beginning to think all these agencies are a bunch of crock! You either WANT people and are willing to deal with them or not. So these [name omitted] people seem to be the only people taking me seriously and trying to make a way for me - so I think my best bet is to persue that. It's not thru an agency or even any denom but so far they are the ONLY ones I think are truly in this for the Lord and open to using me!"

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I think that C.T.Studd, founder of W.E.C. would understand you completely.

He ended up leaving the position of leadership with WEC because he really did believe that if someone had a conviction that the Lord could use them, then the Lord would make a way & that agencies often create more problems than they solve when they try to "protect"
the weak from going overseas.

(Paul addressed these issues in 2 Corinthians, I believe. He surely must have been the "worst" missionary ever, from an agency perspective & had a penchant for getting persecuted, BUT the Lord blessed because he was -willing-. Some in those days even thought his theology was suspect ... & some still do!!)

It is comical to me: I have a history of Bipolar disorder. However, an M.D. who has watched me did not believe it for a while until I spoke with him & said, "Yes, that is my diagnosis."

BTW: C.T.Studd & E.Stanley Jones both had bipolar disorder, as it would be called today. Amy Carmichael was bedridden for much of her life. William Carey had a mad wife. Fanny Crosby was blind. The missionaries to the Vikings were captured slaves. The first black man was evangelized by a deacon who didn't even have a ride back to his home. The first witness of the resurrection was a woman who had been demonized earlier. The first Christian escapees from jail were considered ghosts. Jesus had to evangelize the whole town of Samaria to get just a glass of cold water. Paul trembled when he preached in Corinth.

"Do you love Me?" That is all He asks.
"You, follow Me," He says.

Have a blessed trip to ... BTW: If you do go, please contact me if you will be going through ... & especially if you have a layover in DBX. Perhaps you could help PTAP in a small way.

Finally, Agencies & denominations have their place & role: to point to Jesus. When they remember that & do not try to supplant the Head, all is well. When they love the lost, even better. But, sometimes he uses saints such as yourself to bless those that will otherwise end up lost. Don't be discouraged by that. You are a pioneer. You don't fit the old patterns because the Lord is doing a New Thing. Always be mindful of the Freshness of the Spirit.

Peace in Christ,
Mert Hershberger

A brother shared this note, after I indicated that all are born sinners & with evil hearts:

"culture of deception" I also would like to reflect on the apostle's words in Titus 1:12-13. [He elaborated on cultures of deceipt.]

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That is a good point. Well made & well taken. I agree that lies must be confronted. From experience, it can be painful to confront them. Actually, I believe that the boldness to prayerfully confront sin, though it may cost a friendship is exactly what David called, "I hate them with a perfect hatred" & why Jesus said "You must hate your father & mother" ... even though he clearly taught us to honor them.

I find theories which dismiss the content of the Psalms as "merely expressing the emotion of an OT saint" to be less than useful, though pleasing to a psychologically-oriented society.

Peace in Christ,
Mert Hershberger

Also, May 4 was Rhode Island Day & the National Day of Prayer.
A rather appropriate coinciding of days:

Rhode Island was founded by Roger Williams, a forebear of Grandma Doris Hibbard, as the first American colony without an established church, ie. genuine freedom of religion. However, he also was part of the first congregation of baptists in America & was baptized
on this continent after being convinced that babies didn't gain anything from being soaked, but that Jesus does deserve a clear conscience.

The National Day of Prayer is the first Thursday in May annually. It is a day for praying for the salvation of the nation. Sort of a civil religion thing ... yet also an occassion for testifying to the grace of God in Christ, & to pray particularly for the salvation of fellow countrymen.

The kingdom of God is like the woman who lost her rings.

There was a lady who lost 3 rings that each had substantial carat weight on the high-end.

She had taken off her diamond rings while cooking & put them in a paper towel. Her husband was helpful & dutifully helped clean up the kitchen & promptly took out the trash. ... She later discovered that she was missing the rings & he immediately realized his careless mistake. ... But not before the mega trash truck had hauled their trash away!

They called the trash company & found the truck. They pulled the full garbage truck off to a vacant parking lot & emptied the whole contents of trash. Then, they hand-sorted through the whole pile of
-TRASH- Looking for a paper towel with the 3 priceless gold & diamond
rings. At last, the husband recognized their family trash & the precious crumpled up paper towel. Then, he was again able to present the 3 rings to his beloved wife of many years.

And when she had the rings, the neighbors heard, indeed the whole region heard for she called the news announcers station to tell them of the treasure lost & recovered.

And so it is with us today.

Are you looking for treasure?
Feel like you are digging through trash?
Does it stink at times?
Keep digging.

Does your brother seem to be digging through a pile of rubbish?
Remind him of the Prize & dig in with him.

Perhaps sometimes the folks digging on the rubbish heaps of Cairo wonder & dream when / if they will find some rusted old box that holds someone's treasure within.

At times Bible portions have been in thrown into trash heaps & were later used for the Glory of our Lord & the salvation of souls. Some of these were ancient manuscripts, some of these were mass produced Bibles. But the Word of God did not return void.

Be blessed today,
Mert H.
"We have this treasure in earthen vessels."