Atlanta CPA Presents Major Tenants of Mission Work, While Calling on God for Miracles…Taking Christianity Into the World
I appreciate all of the hard work that you do to support the work of God throughout the world. We have been honored to serve Jesus Christ for the last five years in the desert of New Mexico as we serve our native Americans, the Navajo. As a Family Mission Trip I have watched families of one and families of many call on the power of Christ to change and redeem the lives of those we serve with and those we serve. When our family was first asked to lead this trip, we immediately began praying the prayer of Jabez and that God might allow us to have a dramatic impact on the reservation and in the heart and lives of the Navajo.
Be Bold In Your Faith: Call on God for Miracles
Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request. 1 Chronicles 4:10
This trip has grown from the first year to when almost fifteen of us went five times that number going this year. God has done it all. All we have done is to be obedient to His calling. I feel that as long as God calls that I should do all that I might to make sure that all “find a seat at the table.” We were uniquely blessed this past year we have had three members from the Reservation visit here, been asked to be the Godparents of one of those we serve, added adult Bible Study, deepened relationships with the seniors. expanded our construction efforts, working to develop team building with the Navajo on the reservation and watched God do much to bless our efforts both while we are there and since.
We continue to have almost daily contact with the reservation. We often meet sometimes as many as three to four times a week with members of our team to cement our love of each other, to encourage our faith in God, and to develop strategies how we can best witness to each other and to the Navajo. Just this past week we have met with several families and the predominant thoughts of our talks are our journey on the reservation. Also this past week I met with John of Bugs 4 Christ to discuss the best way we could reach the Navajo youth as well as the adult men and women on the reservation.
This year we plan to have a 5 p.m. dinner on the reservation at the Senior Center to meet on their turf, to cook out, to fellowship, to present the Volkswagen we are going to rebuild as we present God’s word, while talking about how our minds our made to conform more and more to the image of Christ. John of Bugs 4 Christ has been a Youth Minister and adds much depth and spiritual insight to ways that we plan to reach out and to touch the lives of those we serve and those we serve with.
I am reminded of the story in the Old Testament of the Bible in the book of 2 Kings. There we are told about a widow of a man who had deceased. The widow called on the Prophet Elisha for help. Elisha promptly advise her go to all of her neighbors and to ask for empty jars and not just a few and then to take all of them home. Elisha told the widow to pour from the oil in her jar at home into all the jars that she had gathered. The widow however did only partially what Elisha had told her and stopped when she felt she had “enough” jars in so doing limited God’s blessings.
Don’t Limit God
She [the widow] left him and afterward shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another one.” But he replied, “There is not a jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing. 2 Kings 4:5-6
Too frequently I believe we are like the widow and limit God. Frequently in life when we are at the precipice of our greatest victory that we begin to get afraid and tend to limit what God might want to do in our lives. I believe God calls us to live expectantly seeking all the more so that we might do more for the Kingdom.
When Nehemiah heard about how the walls of Jerusalem lay in ruins he first was still as he fasted and prayed seeking to learn what God would have him do. He did not rush out but was well reasoned and organized. After confirming God’s calling on his life, Nehemiah called out to God seeking God’s favor and blessing for his journey ahead, for which he quickly learned God was blessing his obedience. Upon arriving in Jerusalem, Nehemiah was analytical in surveying the damage to the city walls, insightful in his delegation and leadership and both wise and prudent in seeking out others of like mind.
Then I [Nehemiah] said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me and what the king had said to me. They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So they began this good work. Nehemiah 2:17-18
“He (God) Knows My Name.” This is to be our theme for this year’s mission trip. By reminding all on the reservation that the mighty God of the universe knows who each and every one of them are, giving a shirt along with these words and a Navajo style cross, we will do much to make God real in the lives of many who are not blessed to attend a church of any type.
We have also discussed and would like for the Church to consider having for all missions a month before the first mission trip leaves a 3 Day Famine for Church Wide Missions. We would like to invite the world at large to join all people going on missions to join us in this endeavor, as we prepare our minds, hearts and souls as we prepare to be the very hands and feet of Christ
This is a family trip for us and that we pour our entire hearts and soul into this trip striving to do all that we might to make it what God would have it to be. As the demands of a larger and larger group have encouraged us to seek out the godly, wise and most treasured help of our dearest friends to assist us in leading on this trip. Their insight and assistance has done much to bolster our faith, generate energy and to strive to do all that we might not to limit what God might want to do in the lives of others.
With the $3200 plus additional monies raised last year along with the higher fees this year, I believe we are still remaining revenue/expense neutral in church monies for our trip, which remains our short and long term goal. I believe this is essential as our local churches need to be able to support and encourage both the congregation and the mission field in our own backyard. I believe all mission participants should seek to raise their own support (via support letters) that this would be an advantage to others to Take Christianity Into the World as all seek to tell friends, family and others about what we are doing in His name.
We have found that in serving the Lost, the Last and the Least that God’s redeeming power is poured out again and again into the lives of those who have served. I am committed to doing whatever I need to do to ensure that not one person is discouraged or limited from being allowed to serve the Kingdom of God. I believe that all missions and in the life of our churches has done much to encourage those to walk in faith in action and indeed.
I believe that the Navajo people and more specifically the people of Pueblo Pintado are ready for a revival in God’s word that is to be sparked by us. I believe that in so doing that we will all be more of what God wants us to be, both there, and in our daily lives. For it was from small groups that Jesus poured his life into and from which we are all enjoying still the fruits of his efforts. I believe that all that we are called and should serve others. Seek God with all your heart and seek after him with all your might and call on His blessings in all that you do.
John Dillard, CPA of His CPA, PC (A Duluth GA CPA Firm), 1940 Woods River Lane, Duluth, GA 30097 Phone 770-814-9304 http://www.HisCPA.com/ http://www.John-Dillard.com/
Dare to Attempt Something so Great for the Kingdom of God that it is doomed to failure, lest Christ be in it!
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