India, 2010

As many of you know, I will be returning on a mission to India this coming March with a team from Calvary Chapel. Please take a moment to review our travel plans, so that you can deliver us up in prayer and support this work of God.

So here's the rundown...
We will be spending 2 weeks in India in March. While there, we will be doing ministry in two separate cities. First, we will be in Rajahmundry for 6 days, during which we will be involved in a number of different ministries. We will hold 2 days of pastor conferences with 300 pastors, 5 nights of evangelistic crusades, visit churches, baptize many new believers, visit orphans, and visit the mission hospital. We are preparing to be used mightily for the glory of God. Then, on the 15th or 16th, we will fly down to Chennai and stay there for another 6 days. Part of the team will be here for only 3 days, as they will be leaving early. In Chennai, we will also be holding pastors conferences with up to 200 pastors, hold 3 nights of evangelistic crusades, visit orphans, AIDS victims, homeless, gypsies, leper colonies, speak at local churches, etc. I know this sounds like a lot, but if you could see how great the need is, you would understand why we are packing so much ministry into this trip.

Here is a link to my flickr page, where you can view a variety of photo shots from our last trip. http://www.flickr.com/photos/sowingtheseed/
Also, i would like to share with you a clip put together by Living Hope Church in Vancouver. They just returned from a trip in November to the same cities and set up by the same contacts that we will be working with. What you see here is exactly what we are expecting when we go. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_KA1QLeSl4

We are in the middle of our fundraising efforts right now. The goal is to raise $20,000. This will be split between the two cities and will pay for ministry, such as, renting space for pastor seminars and for crusades, paying for lighting and stage/sound equip, pay for buses to transport people to crusades, food and medical supplies for poor and destitute, etc. The team members are all expected to raise their own airfare, so we can maximize our impact with the funds we raise.

The time is winding down for us to raise the funds for the trip. Right now, we are in the middle of our last few fundraisers. We have coin-collecting containers labeled for our trip, which we are passing out to friends, family and fellow believers, asking them to toss their loose change inside, and we will collect them in let Feb. Also, we will be selling donuts a few more times to raise funds. Lastly, we have set up a Paypal on the Sowing the Seed website and are selling raffle tickets for an iPod Touch 32g. Tickets are $10 each, and anyone can purchase as many as they like. Donations are also gratefully accepted. http://www.sowingtheseed.com/

The current economic conditions have tightened all of our spending and giving habits. Please prayerfully consider how you might partner with us in fulfilling the great commission.
If you are unable to purchase raffle tickets or to donate, please lift up this effort in prayer.

Thanks everyone,
Blessings to you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,
Billy

Initiative Evangelism

Hey guys and gals, Just wanted to share an encouraging message. Because many of us so often fall into the trap of doing nothing because "we don't feel led" or because we think "God will make it happen", I took the liberty of copying the following message so that you may be encouraged by it too.

Jeff Reiman is a member of an online fellowship of evangelists called the Ambassador's Alliance. This is a message he posted last week.

First day of the New Year and I've already failed. I've fallen short of my goal to have at least one witnessing conversation every day. The good thing about it is I won't have any temptation to be proud that ";I haven't missed a day all year!"; I'm also glad that I haven't made any promises that I can't keep - after all, this is a goal, not a vow or a sacred commitment. It's simply a goal that I ask God and others to help me with.

So why did I miss yesterday? It's simple. I didn't take the initiative. I used to pray that God would send opportunities my way to share my faith. I sort of expected some obvious ";Divine Appointment"; to happen, whatever that's supposed to look like. I hear that phrase a lot in Christian circles, and whatever it is it somehow means that one way or another God himself will take the initiative to put a person in my path, or cause a conversation to naturally start, where there is no risk of failure on my part because I didn't stick my neck out to make it happen. Oh I might do all sorts of subtle, goofy things to drop hints to people that I'm a Christian and would love to tell them about it - but for years I expected them to get the hints and take the initiative themselves. What about all the hints from a lost world that they are looking for someone to care, someone to reach out to them? What about the escapism or slow suicide of drugs and alcohol, or the arrogant boasting of beautiful people trying to convince others that they are ";living the dream";, or the loneliness of the guy reading a book in public when he could just as well read it at home? In our non-confrontational culture people simply aren't going to admit they are lost, and most don't even know they are. But Jesus tells me otherwise, and He says ";Go";.

Of all the terms for it - street witnessing, personal evangelism, outreach, whatever - I think the phrase ";Initiative Evangelism"; best describes our role. Jesus commands us to go take advantage of the opportunities He gives that are all around us, not to passively sit back and wait for the opportunities to come to us - ; ";divine appointment"; or otherwise. Wherever there are people who have a little time to talk there are opportunities, and for us as people of faith it will always mean that we must step out of our comfort zone. For me, I'm not going to consistently step out of my comfort zone without deciding on purpose to do so in advance, and so at this point in my Christian journey I need to set some sort of unnatural goal to get myself to do something that I guess should come naturally. Maybe one day it will; God isn't finished with me yet.

Jeff is right. Jesus did not call us to passivity or apathy. He has called us to be his witnesses. He has told us to be the light of the world. He has commanded us to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. All over the New Testament, we are continually reminded of the urgency of getting the gospel out to a lost and dying world.

Let us also take the challenge Jeff has, to make it our business to purposefully share the gospel with someone every day. Let us be sure that as we live out our lives, we are also about our Fathers' business.

Until the nets are full....

A Call to Action

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let me challenge you a little today. Let this challenge motivate you into action to step out in faith and begin to follow Jesus and do what he says without reservations. We live in such a safe, Americanized Christian box. We have all of our ducks in a row. We plan ahead and focus our attention and efforts on making sure our future is secure, through a number of different means. There is practical wisdom involved in these things, but all too often, especially in or culture, this kind of "prudent thinking" leads to thornbushes growing up in our garden.

What do I mean by that? Remember in the parable of the sower that it was the seed that fell on thorny ground that was choked out by the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches. What happens is that we get so caught up in trying to establish our own empire that we forget about building up the kingdom of God. Our time and effort is given over to temporal things, and we stop bearing fruit towards God.

Today let me challenge you to reverse that cycle in your life. Let me challenge you to obey the command of Jesus to "seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." We have a tendency to put the emphasis on that last half of that verse, and focus on all the wonderful things we will receive when we seek God first. But I would submit to you that anyone does so is not seeking God first, but is seeking the things that God can give to him. No, the emphasis is on the first half of the verse. We should be so in love with Jesus Christ that all the cares of life fade into the background, and the allure of wealth and material things is lost because our hearts are completely sold out and committed to building treasures in heaven. He is faithful who promised. It is impossible for him to lie. Seek him and his will for your life first, and let him take care of the rest.

I am going to include a quote from Francis Chan from his book, Crazy Love. In it, he says, "I wrote this book because much of our talk doesn't match our lives. We say things like, 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,' and 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart.' Then we live and plan like we don't believe God even exists. We try to set up our lives so everything will be fine even if God doesn't come through. But true faith means holding nothing back. It means putting every hope in God's fidelity to His promises.
Most of us use, 'I'm waiting for God to reveal His calling on my life' as a means of avoiding action. Did you hear God calling you to sit in front of the television yesterday? Or go on your last vacation? Or exercise this morning? Probably not, but you still did it. The point isn't that vacations or exercise are wrong, but that we are quick to rationalize our entertainment and priorities yet are slow to commit to serving God.
A friend of mine was speaking recently. Afterward a guy came up and told him, 'I would go serve God as a missionary overseas, but, honestly, if I went right now it would only be out of obedience.' My friend's response was, 'Yes, and...?'
Jesus said, 'If you love me, you will obey what I command' (John 14:15). Jesus did not say, 'If you love me you will obey me when you feel called or good about doing so...' If we love, then we obey. Period. That sort of matter of fact obedience is part of what it means to live a life of faith.
Imagine if you opened up a drawer in your kitchen and found twenty cheese graters but no other utensils. Not very helpful when you're looking for something to eat your soup with. Just as there are different utensils in the kitchen that serve diverse functions, God has created unique people to accomplish a variety of purposes throughout the world. That is why I cannot say in this book, 'Everyone is supposed to be a missionary' or 'You need to sell your car and start taking public transportation.' What I can say is that you must learn to listen to and obey God, especially in a society where it's easy and expected to do what is most comfortable.

Do you see what Francis is getting at? Why do we live our lives as though God were not even there? We all know God's word and His promises, but when the rubber meets the road, how often do we really step out and obey him or leave things in His hands? Why do we go ahead and make big vacation plans (which isn't wrong) but when it comes to an opportunity to do something for the kingdom, our response is, "I'll pray about it."

So let me challenge you today to think about your life. Are there any areas where you are not completely obeying? Are there areas where you are still planning things out just in case God doesn't come through? Are there commands of Jesus that you ignore because of comfort or convenience? Seriously, take an honest look in the mirror and evaluate your motives, hopes and aspirations. Are they pleasing in the eyes of God? Will they matter in eternity? You will never regret making necessary changes.

God is at work on the streets. Are you?

The Hand of God

We've all heard the stories of God's incredible hand of provision. People regularly share testimonies about how the Lord came through for them in some miraculous way in their time of need. I have a story of providence that I would like to share with you, for the glory of God.

As many of you know, I am approved as a solicitor at Walmart. This means that 14 days a year, I can stand at the front doors and hand out tracts to the customers. On the scheduled days, I usually build a team of about 6-10 people, and we hand out an average of 1,000-1,500 tracts in about a 3 hour time period.

I have been planning a Walmart tracting event with Matt Kessie and the Calvary Chapel youth group for a few months, and we finally found a date that works well, which was Friday the 20th of November. I usually never check my tract supply to make sure I have enough for big events because I almost always order more to replenish my stock right after we hand them out. But it occurred to me on Tuesday that I should double check to make sure, and to my surprise, I didnt have nearly as many tracts as I thought. In fact, I definitely did not have enough for this event. I was in serious trouble.

I called Living Waters on Wednesday morning to order more, but to my dismay, they were closed! There was no way I could order them on Thursday and get them by Friday at 3:00. I began praying for the Lord to do a miracle! I was also racking my brain trying to think of who I knew who would have a large amount of tracts I could borrow. One friend had a few hundred tracts, which was a great help. Friday morning, I was at the point where I was prepared to just show up with the kids and go for it with whatever we had.

About 10:30 my phone rang and on the other end was a man I didnt know, who immediately began raving about some new tracts he had been using. As he was excitedly going on and on about the tracts, I interrupted him and asked, "Who are you?" Somehow, he had gotten my phone number from the church and was calling me to tell me about these tracts that were so wonderful. Out of the blue, he says, "Tell you what, I just got 600 of them and I want to give them to you!" What? At first, I was a little hesitant, because I didnt want to take that many tracts, and then find out that they werent something I would personally use. And then the bell rung. DING! You dummy! Werent you just praying for a miracle?

I said, "I believe this is a divine appointment," and began explaining to him the situation I was in and how I had been praying for miraculous provision. He broke down and wept, so moved because this was obviously the hand of the Lord. We talked briefly and set up a meeting for me to get the tracts.

What an incredible confirmation to me that the blessing of God is upon this ministry! As I said last week, you can trust, every single time, that when you set out to fulfill the great comission, you are 100% in the will of God. You can see the hand of God do miracles for you when you obey the command to preach the gospel to every creature.

I dont know how many times I have stood up to preach, fully dependant upon the Lord, and watched him fill my mouth. There have been times when I have shown up with a message fully prepared, and have been told at the last second to speak about something else, and had the Lord do an awesome work by speaking to people's lives. You can experience the same thing when you determine to speak for the kingdom of God. He is faithful to deliver and to use you. You may not have eloquence or know all the answers to every question, but you will see the Holy Spirit work through you and fill your mouth. "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." John 14:26

The Lord is at work all around us. He is doing incredible miracles for those who obey him and walk by faith. Are you willing to step out and do things for Him? Will you obey his commands even when it looks uncertain? I am not talking about recklessness. Like I said, I usually order tracts right away after big events so I have enough for the next one. And when I get up to speak, I come prepared. But when the Lord says to "Go," are you ready to go even if you dont know the outcome? Just smile, trust him and say, "Okay, Lord, but you better come through here!" And he will. I know it because I have experienced it again and again. He has never left me alone. That's his promise.

Matthew 28:18-20 "And Jesus came and spoke unto them saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen"

Take him at his word. Obey the great comission, and experience the unmatched joy and fulfillment of knowing that you have been an instrument in God's hands.
See you on the streets!

Obeying the Great Commision

All of us know the Great Commission. The last mandate the Lord Jesus gave his disciples before he ascended up to heaven. Mark 16:15 "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature."

Think for a moment. This was the last time he would be meeting with the apostles on this side of heaven. His last instructions would be important. Every ear in the group was listening intently. In fact, the last commission Jesus gave should be the first and foremost objective of every one who claims to be his follower.

When it comes to the subject of evangelism, many Christians often excuse themselves by announcing boldly that God has not specifically told them they should do it. If he were only to tell them in some way that they were to share their faith, then they would obey. All the while, they have the clear command of Jesus in the New Testament that goes unheeded. If you are waiting for the Lord himself to come down from heaven and give you a divine revelation of his will for your life in regards to evangelism, you will be waiting a looooonng time. He has already done it, and you hold His Word in your hands with clear instructions. How can you ask for direction in an area you are already ignoring and expect to get an answer?

The story is told of a man who desired to go to a certain country and do mission work. He decided to pray about it for a while first, but as he was waiting, he heard the story of another man who had been praying about the same thing. He prayed and prayed and waited and waited, and eventually grew old and died. So, the first man decided to step out in faith and go, and he had a ball of a time serving the Lord.

The point of the story is that there are some things that we don't need further instruction about. If your brother or sister in Christ is in dire need of financial aid, and you have plenty of extra, you don't need to fold your hands and ask, "Lord, what's your will here?" You already have clear instructions in 1Tim6:18 and James1:15. The same goes for evangelism. You can trust, every single time, that when you set out to fulfill the Great Commission, you are 100% completely in the will of God.

The apostle Paul practiced this. We read in Acts 16:6-7, "Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, after they were come into Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit permitted them not." In other words, they were going about carrying out the great Commission, from place to place, and the Holy Spirit gave them direction as they went. You and I make our best laid plans and if the Holy Spirit has other plans, he can shut or open doors to lead us. You don't have to worry about being presumptuous about where or when you share your faith. You obediently go about your Father's business and He will be with you and lead you.

Look out upon the harvest fields. Millions upon millions in our country alone, and billions in the world, are heading to everlasting damnation. They are heaping up damnation that will be revealed on the day of wrath, according to Romans 2, and will stand open and naked before the Judge of the Universe, who will bring every work into judgement, whether it is good, or whether it is evil (Eccl 12:14) and He will punish sin wherever it is found, with no respect of persons. The books will be opened and the dead will be judged according to their works(Rev20). You hold the treasure of forgiveness and eternal life in this earthen vessel. You have been given the ministry of reconciliation (2Cor5).

How long will you hold your tongue? How long will you keep silent?
All around you, your friends, loved ones, and acquaintances are blindly marching towards disaster! You have the command of Jesus and the encouragement of the rest of the New Testament. Sadly, and to our shame, Christians are praying for direction when what they should be praying for is boldness and anointing. What about you? What are you doing for the cause of Christ? Step out in faith and see God work wonders through you. Open your mouth for the kingdom of God and reach a lost and dying world with the gospel of everlasting life. You may not have tomorrow.

If you have about 4 minutes, follow the link below and watch an encouraging video. It's worth your time. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LA_uwWPE6lQ
See you on the streets!!