Exloring Life Eternal

Dear 'Abdul,'

I do so very much appreciate the new format you are using. It is so much more clear. May God bless you today.

In His love,
B. from PA, USA

More grace to the body of Christ! Prayers are ascending to the throne of mercy, for the brethren working among the Middle East [peoples] we are trusting that God will, through them, capture the entire Islamic coast, in Jesus name, AMEN.
Best regards to the brethren.

- J.A. in Nigeria

<+><
AMEN!

<>< Second Email:

Please stop sending prayer points to my mail box as I am finding it difficult to check my box regularly due to poor access. Please send the prayer booklet to me using the address below:

J.W.
...
Nigeria

Thanks for your anticipated coorporation

<+><
- email address removed. Request forwarded to Nigerian partner.
===

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!"

<><
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

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.

Yes, my brother in the Lord,

Blessed is the one who reads and does as he has read. It is the commandment of the Lord to all of us, His children. Only those who search the scripture get eternal life. Thank GOD for the testimonies. As He as always does. I promise to continue in prayers thanks and goodbye.

- F.I. - From Nigeria.

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Dear brother F.I.,

What a joy to have the Word of our Father!

Actually, it is those who have faith in Jesus Christ (Who the Holy Scriptures were written to reveal) that have eternal life.

May the Lord keep on blessing you & all those you minister to!

Peace in Christ Jesus,
Mert Hershberger

[Emails editted for clarity.]

Greetings to u and family in the name of our Lord and Saviour, Mert, join me and shout halleluya. The Lord has done it. I have found my life partner. She is interested in missions. Pray along with us as we are trusting God for numerous processes that will be involved. Trust God for us, as we plan towards the end of the year. We need a miracle.

Regards,

J.A. - from Nigeria

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Great and mighty things is the Lord doing among you, we are excited. We are also praying for more grace to you to serve effectively in His vineyard. And that souls will be added to church, the reason why I've not being able to reply, is I have a personal program with God. It is a retreat kind of program that involved fasting and prayer but thank God, I am thru, I have gotten a faithful partner who is also interested in praying for the Muslem world her name is sister O.S.E. from Abia State, Nigeria. She is a physiotheraphist by profession. Her e-mail address: --. Please tell her more about there [Arabia].

Regards, and more grace to the church in Jesus name.

J.A. - from Nigeria

Thank God Almighty for his redemptive power who calls as many He predestine for His divine will for counting us worthy to be instruments in His kingdom. Indeed, I thank Him for the testimony.

And I am very sure that the prayer request through my prayer and other brethren who are commited to this same course shall bring a great revival that will draw thousands and million to His Son Jesus even this day.

Watch out for it.

Thanks and good-bye for now.

Yours in the faith,

I.F.I.
Nigeria, Edo State

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Praise God! What an encouragement!
J.S.
USA

http://www.leaderu.com/truth/1truth22.html
Truth Journal
Contemporary Scholarship and the Historical Evidence
for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ
by William Lane Craig
William Lane Craig is a leading apologist today in the USA.

============
http://www.xenos.org/classes/papers/doubt.htm
Historical Evidence for
the Resurrection of Christ:
by Christopher Louis Lang

============
http://www.wcg.org/lit/disc/11evidence.htm
Discipleship 101
a beginner's guide to Christianity
Evidence of Jesus' resurrection
by the Worldwide Church of God
(A group that returned to "salvation by grace through faith")

==========
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resurrection_of_Jesus
This text includes arguments for & against the resurrection.

==> Also, there are numerous links at the end to various Christian apologists. I think your magazine editors would find this part of the sight most helpful!

It is very much a pick & choose sight - discernment needed! The most
value is the links. One must note though that there are more reasons listed to believe the resurrection than to disbelieve & that they present an overall argument that is fully coherent, whereas many of the others are contradictory & mutually exclusive.

Hope that helps,
Mert Hershberger

Good day M,

I haven't heard from you in a while and thought to myself if I don't receive an email I'm going to mail you. Just that morning I saw your mail came through. You got me worried for a while.
Thank you and keep well.
N.dT.

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Keep praying. I've had back trouble & am having to work twice as hard @ work because of my faith in Christ & testimony. But in the process, the place is cleaner & people are hearing the Good News. Despite some opposition, my boss did commend my work.

(I work part time in a state university cafeteria ... it is a field which is white unto harvest!)

- MJH

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My goodness, good to hear from you Mert. I thought you were doing this full time.

I remembered last night that I wanted to share something else with you also. There’s a man from our Church (In RSA and Africa we are His People Christian Church, but world-wide we are known as Every Nation)

Who is a missionary in China. I spend some time talking to him about mission work over there and also security issues. He says out of all the Countries China has the best Security in place to track down Christian emails etc. A few of their underground leaders are in prison, but he is very excited about what the Lord is doing.

There’s another thing he mentioned to me and that’s about the AP. There’s a country were some of the top officials are being discipled by some of our people and many other amazing doors that the Lord has opened.

The Lord bless you Mert. Someone at my work was murdered over last weekend, a young lady. I didn’t know what to say as she also lost her father and mother while she was younger, what the family must think.

Then it came to me how above all people in the world, the Lord loves them the most, He gave His Son for them and wants good to happen to them and not evil. The same for the AP, and the Lord knows how to work His plan.

Keep well,

N.dT.

The good Lord of heaven is your strength, receive more grace to function.

In Jesus in name,
PEACE
J.A.

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Thank God for the testimony.
I promise to pray more in all things thanks. Good-bye.
F.I.

[editted for grammar]

I think I understand a little about the contextual model of worshipping
Jesus and I have prayed with tears about this sheikh and others you have
mentioned. ...

[name withheld]

A friend shares his thoughts:

Hebrews 13:4a
"Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled"

I spent most of my life with the teaching that Celibacy (no marriage) was best, and that a wife was second best to being a priest in the Catholic Church. I was taught wrong, and believed wrong.

Requiring celibacy is a sin. Chastity is good, but the marriage bed is a holy place. That is what my God says.

==
M.O.
Psalm 91:1

Dear Abdul

Thank you for this ministry that you regularly post. I look forward to your requests and testimonies each week. I also am glad to be praying for you, as you share your needs with us. May the Lord bless you, give you wisdom and skill as you study, and fill your heart with His joy.

In Christ,
Elenore Sparks

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Dear Mr & Mrs. Sparks,

Thanks for writing!! Abdul Kalimatullah actually means "Servant of the Word of God" in Arabic & in the Quran, Jesus is once called "Kalimatullah" so to Muslims, it is intended to clearly indicate & prepare the way for a clear discussion of Jesus.

I took the liberty of adding you to the prayer letter I send out to family & friends & supporters, as you seemed willing to support us with prayer. Thanks, this means so much. While I am not always sure what is ahead, the Lord does & He is good.

BTW: I spend most of my time in the USA ... the requests that are sent are generally from the Arabian Peninsula from all 7 countries & from a diverse array of my co-laborers in the Lord.

Peace,

<+>< + ><+>
Mert Hershberger
ptap@srginc.org -- 1-800-376-5876
North American Coordinator
Praying Through the Arabian Peninsula
www.pray-ap.info

<+>< + ><+>
Ministry-related post:

PTAP
c/o Strategic Resource Group, Inc.
P.O. Box 1809
Easton, MD 21601

Corresondence for the North American Coordinator:
Address to:
Mert Hershberger

Matthew 9:36 "But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd."

When I see the news reports of angry mobs storming mosques and multitudes, angry over drawings of Mohamed I think of Jesus having compassion on the multitudes, having compassion on them - won't someone take the better way to them? Tell them of Jesus.

Pray for laborers to Muslim lands ... when will the church of the living God start praying for Muslim people?

i love you,
M.O.
Psalm 91:1

We thank you for sharing these requests and testimonies with us, Brother.
Keep up the good work! Our daughter and husband are in Kuwait.

- GC

Mert,

Thanks for your daily exhortations (Hebrews 3:13). Here is one from Richmond VA friends:

A lady, on the bus, named M., is a great reader of books. She has started on one about a defrocked Baptist preacher from Staunton, VA. Being a baptist preacher myself I was interested, I asked what sin he had committed to be defrocked. She said "Accused of adultery."

I mentioned:
King David -- guilty of Adultery and murder
Joseph, Old Testament -- not guilty
Scarlet Letter preacher -- guilty

Then I said 1 John 1:7, "... and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin."

She said she just did not understand that fact.

I said 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

I said David confessed his sin before God alone and is in heaven. I told her it had happened to me: I am forgiven of my sin.

Pray for M.

I love you,
M.O.
Psalm 91:1

====
slightly edited.

Yes, I have prayed for you and continue to do so. ...
Love you,
J.H.

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... If we have peace, we do not need to be afraid of "stepping on toes." We simply speak the truth in a loving way. Some people will try to avoid the truth. But if they are hungry, eventually they will taste & see. When they really start to digest the truth, they will be changed, as we are: from glory to glory. Kind words crush cruelty till kindness returns.

Peace,
Mert H.

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I wanted to reply to your e-mail to say it was very interested reading. You asked a question about the Muslims. I believe (this is me talking,
67 yrs. old and serving God in my own ministry of prayer warrior's.) the reason they are hard to receive Our Lord is they get under condemnation when they see the peace we have with Jesus. They have been taught all their life to hate us and yet eventually with much prayer and perseverance they eventually come to the light; as they watch you and I.

In the USA, I worked in an office and a Muslim worked there. He was an
American with high intellect. Yet, I talked to him about Christ as that
is my life and he finally had to quit and go somewhere else. Later, I knew what was wrong.

When we think we aren't touching other's for Christ, eventually we see
them wanting to know more. A little each time. We love you and are praying for you.

Sincerely,
J.H.

God bless you and give to you all blessing. And my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Please pray for sister T.J. who is very sick, she is in hospital.

Please take us in your prayers. We need more from the Lord Jesus Christ in his work for people. We need money for God's work. Please don’t forget to pray for our economy and family.

Sincerely,
Rev.P.E. & A.-K.J.
Miracle and healing ministery
Norway
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The Lord is able & He will see to it.

Peace,
Mert.
======

NDT from South Africa asked about the recent PTAP news:
- Is it wise to have Koreans / Chinese / Westerners going into the Arabian Peninsula?
- What is the best langauge to learn? Egyptian (Modern Standard Arabic is fairly Egyptian). How easy is this? For example, would a Egyptian dialect course work?

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[edited slightly]

To answer your questions:
When it speaks of partnering: this can include sending workers,
helping with finances, building Korean / Chinese prayer networks /
prayer walking teams, and other types of things. Probably there were
well seasoned workers on the field who helped in connecting the people
at the right time & right place ... without compromising the position
of those unready to meet Korean saints.

Fear of death & suffering is a potent reality only prior to when a
person has a clear view of the risen Christ.

Actually, my Korean friends indicate that Hebrew is easier to learn
than English. Since Arabic is also a Semitic language, I would guess
that Arabic would be easier for them than an English speaker. However,
to my knowledge, it was not Koreans who were in language school.
Typically, each paragraph in the news is a separate prayer item.
Throughout the region, Christian workers are coming to see that it is
better to have a multitude of proclaimers rather than a few.

Did you have a country of particular interest?

So, for you, I would not suggest using the Egyptian (Modern Standard
Arabic - MSA) language in Yemen. In the Gulf (which includes the UAE &
really most all countries except Yemen) MSA should work fine initially.
Due to historic differences & conflict, the dialect is very offensive
to ordinary Yemeni people since Egypt was a former oppressor. There are language schools or universities offering language courses which you could attend if interested in studying in various Yemeni or Gulf Arabic dialects. However, I would suggest that you first take some serious steps praying & recruiting the support of a church / churches who will pray with you about which you are called to. Dishonoring a person's language will tend to lose their hearing.

They may not do actual harm to you, but you will be able to do much
less good.

Where do you worship with other saints? Actually, if you are sensing a call to the Arabian Peninsula, I suggest that you raise up 100+ prayer partners, as the Lord enables. If you need some verses describing God's promises concerning the region or resources to learn more about it, I would be glad to refer you to works. Pray. Share your vision with the leadership of your church. Pray with them. If you still are called to move ahead, pray & share the vision & raise up as many others who will join with you (& many others in PTAP) who will praise the name of the Lord as the work is accomplished.

In the mercy of Jesus,
Mert

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Thank you very much for your insight.
- NDT

On A Late Spring Day in January (2006)

Cloudless blue canopy uncluttered by
snarling traffic here below.
Sunshine streaming fully on the
walkway as I go.
Deep desire for walking and for seeing it is so.
Reawakening of longing and reminder that I know:
For the Christian there can be summer in the January of the soul!

³And it came to pass...² This too shall pass.
Winter cannot freeze me in forever!
The cold of the frosty frigid front can¹t last
beyond a certain season. Yet how clever
of God to offer encouragement by a foretaste of the whole!

I will go through the gray and drizzly time
despite my age and the nature of the crime.
My heart still holds to Him and can this slime
defeat the purpose of my God? Summer at its prime
will be glorious! Yet one extraordinary day reminds
of the whole goal of the soul!

- Bill Hawkins, January 12, 2006