February 2012

I have recently been reading Eric Metaxas’ excellent biography on Dietrich Bonhoeffer entitled, “Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy”. I have been encouraged again in reading of Bonhoeffer’s choices to live in the gospel by daily meditating on God’s word, and regardless of the cost, then responding in prayer and action to the challenges of following Jesus in Nazi Germany. The gospel Bonhoeffer was living and sharing had no room for “cheap grace.”

In a recent study of the religious beliefs and practices of American youth, the vast majority ascribe to being Christian. However, their definition of being a Christian is about knowing God “who is always there for you” and who makes you “feel happy.” The study’s authors describe this gospel as “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.” (See Smith and Denton, Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers) This is a very different gospel to the one Bonhoeffer lived, but not unlike the gospel that the government of his day promoted and manipulated.

As we consider what gospel we will live and share in our communities and in least reached regions of the world, we are recommitting ourselves to know and follow Jesus. This discipleship is costly, but the fruit is transformation both of our lives and the communities in which we live.

I was so encouraged to read Robert and Anne Thiessen’s recent update from their Mixtec church planting work in Mexico. The indigenous Mixtec’s have survived cultural assimilation through independence, spiritism and their remote mountainous village locations. Today, however, a new indigenous church planting movement is growing. Young pastors are enduring imprisonment for evangelism and living this costly life transforming gospel. I am reminded of Paul’s words in Colossians 1:6, “All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth.”

Ministry Spotlight:

Recent events held over the Christmas season in our Kh*u churches on the other side of the Mek*ng River have seen a response of over 120 people who have become followers of Jesus. Praise the Lord for His faithful servants spreading the Good News.

One of our teams recently mobilized to a Restricted Access Country wrote, “ People will know you really love them, and so we are in a developing relationship with some beautiful people that the Father loves and wants us to love as well.” God is connecting and reaching out to the lost – His love transcends all language and cultural barriers.

Items for Prayer:

P & M are our workers waiting for documents to be sent to them from Ind*a so they can reapply for a visa, this time through their home country in South America. They will be there from January 18-February 15 and during that time they need to get an answer from the Embassy. Pray for God’s Presence, His timing and His direction in every detail.

Pray for the Mixtecs of Guerrero, Mexico. Continue to ask God for the spread of the Gospel from village to village and the birth of new baby churches through local leaders.

Randy Friesen

 Vision for Mission