Pharaohs and Shopping Lists

You would think that by now that I should not be surprised.  Almost every year since Global Infusion began, we have had teams going to countries where some measure of political uprising, war, or natural disaster occurs.

• 2004:  an Asian tsunami devastated the eastern part of India.
• 2005:  Viktor Yushchenko finally took office as the president of Ukraine following an assassination attempt on his life because he was too “pro-West.”
• 2006:  over 200,000 people took to the streets for the “Democracy Movement” in Nepal, as they came against the king after he instituted undemocratic rule and martial law.
• 2007:  the streets of Juárez, Mexico turned into an official war zone with military tanks rolling down the streets.
• 2008:  the deadly Sichuan earthquake in China measured 8.0, killing over 70,000 people.
• 2009:  both flooding and persecution of Christians hit the Indian state of Orissa.
• 2010:  it was the “Red Shirt” civil revolt in the streets of Bangkok, Thailand.
• 2011:  “Chaos in Cairo” has erupted in Egypt.

There is a bigger picture to all of this, of course.  First of all, God is in control.  Regardless of how often we are bombarded with reports of devastation, He is still God.  When we hear about these kinds of events in other countries, we should be very thankful we are not living through it ourselves.  If that indeed is the case, then we should be driven to our knees in prayer.  We have to believe as Christians that it is our responsibility to reach the generation we live in with salvation of Jesus Christ, and concurrently help those who do not have the means or resources to adequately help themselves.  Both of these concepts are mandated to us in the Bible.

So now we hear there is a problem in Egypt, the land of the Pharaohs.  The country that held the Israelites captive for 430 years.   The country that hosted Jesus, Mary and Joseph in their escape from Herod.  The country where we have Christian brothers and sisters watching and waiting to see what will happen around them next.  It is time to pray.  Not just the average North American shopping list of prayer needs — the kind where we focus about ninety-five percent of our prayers on asking God for things we “need,” or need Him to get done for us so we are not continually inconvenienced.  I am certainly not implying that we do not have situations in our lives that truly need the intervention of God in a miraculous way, I am simply encouraging us (myself included) to intentionally pray for the salvation of this world, because souls are all that matter to God.  Take time right now to pray for the country of Egypt, and our contact.  Pray that the issues there will resolve peacefully, God will have His way, and many will know the salvation of our Lord.

Seed for the Harvest

The longer I live, the more I see the power and the effects of the seed principle.  I watch how people invest their time, money and energy, and then I wait — I wait to see how each of those “seeds” grow.  There is no exact formula that dictates exactly what you will get when you plant the seeds of your life, but more often than not, whatever you plant, you will someday reap in a greater form.

I have come to the conclusion that “seeds” are, in effect, decisions we make.  How we spend our time, how we spend our money, and how we spend our energy are all actual, personal decisions.  Some people decide to use the majority of their time to make more money.  There is nothing wrong with earning a living, until it becomes detrimental to your own spiritual growth (no time for Bible reading, praying, attending church regularly); or it hinders the development of your relationships (no time for spouse, children, or Proverbs 27:17 type of friends).

Jesus said, “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”  Luke 6:38 (NKJV)

Unfortunately over the last two decades, there has been a wave of spiritual leaders who have turned this verse into what they think is a method to bribe God.  Some have mislead their followers by twisting the meaning of this verse in order to satisfy their own incredible human greed.

The commodity of Heaven is souls.  Jesus knows that we have a life to live, families to raise, jobs to keep, education to complete, and trials to conquer.  However, I believe that what Jesus said in Luke 6:38 is directly related to foreign missions (of course).  If we give of our time, money and energy in the building of the kingdom of Heaven, we are investing in the one and only thing that God is concerned with — souls.  When life as we know it comes to an end, or the second-coming of Christ is in the past, the most important number of all eternity will be the number of actual souls who are “dwell[ing] in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23:6)

Over the past seven years, by the grace of God, Global Infusion has reached tens of thousands of people with the Gospel.  We have simultaneously met thousands of tangible needs including feeding the hungry, providing medicine, treatment and prayer for the sick, and much, much more.  Pray with us that this year will be our most effective year yet, as we change our generation by the power of God, and see more souls enter the kingdom of God. 

If you want to be a part of changing the world with us, there are many opportunities to get involved.

Contact us:          (865) 233-0416            info@globalinfusion.org
Visit us online:      http://www.globalinfusion.org/

The Gift of Rice

A few days ago, I returned from Asia after Global Infusion’s first triple-country mission trip.  Part of the team began in Nepal, while the other part was in Thailand.  After our work was done in these countries, we converged on the country of India together - where even there we divided up to cover more ground.  I could go into tremendous detail about the impact our team made in three different nations, and how many hundreds of souls heard the Gospel, or were discipled, or received tangible donations from GI such as food — but I am compelled to focus on one story.

Take a look at this picture.  It is not a picture of starving, orphaned or disabled children of Andhra Pradesh, India.  It is not a shot of the bizarre, yet demonically possessed followers of Hinduism in Kathmandu, Nepal.  Nor is it a graphic X-rated photo of the hedonistic streets of Bangkok, Thailand.  You see, our team ministered in all of those places, and saw all of those things — we have those pictures, but this one is something completely different.  It is a gift.

Global Infusion rarely works in the major cities or capitals of the countries we go to.  We go where nobody else wants to go.  We reach the unreached.  There is a reason people are unreached with the Gospel — they are hard to get to, and it costs a lot of  time and money to physically get to them.  I took this picture in a remote village in India where many unreached people live.  There is a small church we worked with, and this is a picture of their weekly offering.   Since the parishioners have no money, they give what little they do have.  In this case, it is food.  This gift is also the “salary” for the Pastor for the week.  He has no other job, and no other funds coming in.  He has a wife, and two children, and has willingly moved to a desolate part of his own country to reach the unreached.  This is the type of person, place, and vision that Global Infusion regularly supports through teams, donations, and prayer.

Romans 5:6-8 says, “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.  For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  Jesus is the epitome of giving everything you have so others might live.  Many times I feel helpless as I stand in remote villages around the world, and see the needs of the people.  If only we had more finances to make their earthly existence bearable.  If only we had more teams to go into all the world.  I implore you to pray with us and for us, and ask God what you can do with Global Infusion in the coming year, as we continue to reach thousands of people every year with the Gospel, and also help to meet their physical needs.

True Thanksgiving

Do you know what leprosy is? It is a horrible skin disease that basically eats away at your body until body parts fall off. If you had leprosy in biblical times, there were not any leper hospitals around to help you. If you had leprosy, you were required to stand about fifty yards away from a healthy person so they would not catch what you had. Not only that, but you were not allowed to take care of yourself. Your hair, your body, your clothes. None of it could be kept clean or washed because you were condemned to die outside the city walls. And if you ever did feel like moving among the healthy, you had to scream the word, “unclean!” everywhere you went.

Luke 17:11 tells the account of ten lepers. Jesus was walking through Samaria and Galilee one day, when a group of men stood up and yelled, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” This unruly, unkempt band of death-row inmates needed a miracle. They needed Jesus. As always, Jesus had compassion on them and ordered them to go see the priest. Why the priest? Because the only way a person could be ruled “clean,” was at the command of the priest. Jesus didn’t lay hands on them. He didn’t pray for them out loud. He simple obeyed the Spirit of God and commanded them to go and see the priest. With Jesus’ reputation well-known, these ten lepers did exactly what He said, because they knew that Jesus healed people. The moment they made a move to obey the command of the Lord, they were healed.

Think about what life would have been like to be a leper in the first century. Then imagine yourself getting healed. What would you do? Wouldn’t it seem right to go and find the one who restored your life back to you? Out of the ten lepers who were healed, only one of them showed a heart of thankfulness. He came running up to Jesus, fell down on his face, and thanked Him over and over again. Jesus was happy to see him, but then asked where the other nine were? Gone. They were long gone. They got what they wanted from Jesus and left.

How many of us often fall into the category of “the other nine.” God has saved us, healed us, delivered us, yet, we carry on in life, holding our breath until the next crisis, then go running back to Him for help. Thankfulness and gratitude require action. God gave away the one and only possession that was more important to Him than air is to us: His Son. How do we thank God?

We often show our appreciation to our friends and families by giving them something that brings them joy. What brings God joy? When another soul is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. When the orphan and widow are defended. When the imprisoned are visited. When the naked are clothed. When the hungry are fed. What we do unto the least of these, we do unto Him. Global Infusion focuses on all of the above, for the people around the world who need it the most.

Life as a candle

I have heard it said that we begin dying from the moment we are born. Nothing can stop the aging process. Our life is very much like a candle. At birth, the candle of our life is lit, and once the flame starts, there is nothing that can be done to extend the life of that candle. Slowly, steadily, over time the flame burns away the wax.

I have also heard it said that time seems to go faster as you get older. Our days fill up with more and more responsibilities. Our schedules get busier. Life may seem to go by quickly because we rarely check how much candle we have left — and the moments that we do check, we realize that a big chunk has burned away since the last time we looked.

The Apostle John begins his Gospel with these verses: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. (John 1:1-5, NKJV)

As believers, we are called to be a light in the darkness. Matthew 5:14-16 reads, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

I challenge you to examine your life right now. Is it consumed with daily busyness and distractions from the mandate you have on your life as a Christian? These verses in Matthew are not suggestions. You ARE the light of the world - without shining your light, the world will remain in darkness. The world must also see your good works so the Father will be glorified. Neither of these things will happen unless we as Christians make a conscious and proactive effort to fulfill our call to reach the world.

Global Infusion regularly goes to some very dark places in the world. America may have its problems, but many of them pale in comparison to the spiritual darkness, abject poverty, human injustice, and domination of false religions and cults in the countries where we work.

Global Infusion continually reaches thousands of people every year with the life-saving power of Jesus Christ, by spreading His Gospel of salvation as well as meeting their physical needs. You can be a light by supporting us in prayer, giving financially, or joining us on an Infusion Adventure missions trip.

It's Your Turn

(Taken from Global Infusion's 2010 Prayer Journal)

What do you think they are looking at?  What, exactly, are they waiting for?  Who, you ask?  The witnesses.   There’s a cloud of them surrounding you right now.  Don’t believe me?  Then I guess you didn’t read the verses at the top of this page.

It’s your turn.  Many people have paved the way for you to be where you are in the world right now.  Some have lived in this century, and have helped you growing up, educating you, and even helping to sponsor your trip.  Others, whom you have never met, have been spiritually plowing the tough ground on which you now stand.  Others still, have been responsible for carrying God’s Word through very dark periods of history.  Some have died for their faith.  Many left the safety of their home country, their families, or the promise of a good job or great wealth.  Many endured tremendous hardship, poor health, zero amenities, and some denied themselves the privilege and benefits of marriage to dedicate every living day to God and Him alone.  Some were Jesus’ very disciples, and they were the catalyst for evangelism and foreign missions as we now know it.  But now it’s your turn.

It’s your turn to take what you believe and answer their question.  What question is that?  It is the question that the witnesses are asking each other every day:  “What are they going to do with the product of our sacrifice?”  It is up to you to make today count for eternity.  When you lay your head on your pillow tonight (if you have one), what will the witnesses be saying.  Hopefully, they will see that they did not give up their lives in vain.  They will see that every adversity they overcame was completely worth it because someone made sure the saving power of Jesus Christ was made known today.  They will grow near to the point of envy as they watch you spend time with an orphan, deliver food to the hungry, provide medicine for a sick family, repair a home, or share your faith with a person who will ultimately make a decision to make Jesus the Lord of their life.  They will smile and rejoice because they see there are more Christ-followers spreading the Gospel in the nations of the world than ever before.

And when the days get challenging on the mission field, remember to renew your strength by “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”  (Heb. 12:1).  Today, it’s your turn.

An Amazing Day

Just a few days ago, we celebrated the seventh anniversary of Global Infusion. In the past three months, we have had 10 different missions teams on the field. Shortly before our actual anniversary date, we had an amazing day. For the first time ever, there were FIVE different Global Infusion teams on the field simultaneously — and because they were on different continents, our teams were actively reaching the lost around the world twenty-four hours a day! Teams were in the countries of Thailand, Guatemala, Ukraine, Egypt and Ghana. God has truly been faithful to us over the past seven years of our existence - the fruit of our labors are seeing a harvest.

You have probably heard a sermon preached, or read an article or book about mankind's search for significance. Last month, in the country of South Africa, the culmination of billions of dollars being spent on marketing, ticketing, merchandising, advertising, training, and travel occurred when one man from the country of Spain kicked a soccer ball into a net. A significant moment in sports history. Yet I think about how much time, money and energy was required to reach this moment -- and how many millions of people were involved in making it happen. Then I think about this one goal's eternal significance compared to our five mission teams on the field. While the world celebrates a goal, we are celebrating thousands upon thousands of people being reached with the Gospel, and also seeing physical needs being met.

Many of our teams are ministering among unreached people groups. If you are unfamiliar with the term "unreached people," the Joshua Project defines it as: "An unreached or least-reached people is a people group among which there is no indigenous community of believing Christians with adequate numbers and resources to evangelize this people group."

Global Infusion teams try to reach people who do not have a church to attend (sometimes within several hundred miles), no pastor, no access to medical care, education, or even employment. They have limited government assistance, if any at all, and rarely make demands for their rights (because they usually have none). You see, there is a reason that people are unreached -- they are hard to get to, and it costs a lot of money and time to reach them.

More Infusion Adventures (GI mission trips) are coming up in the Fall and Winter, and we are excited about how God is using our teams to help build His Kingdom. It is almost overwhelming to hear the testimonies pouring from people who have answered the call to the foreign mission field. Humble, determined Christians who are actively fulfilling Jesus' mandate to reach the world for Him. Quite incredible. Very (eternally) significant.