Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
With God.
With God.
All. Things. Are. Possible.
What an astounding claim by Jesus Himself. We know that we can travel halfway around the world, join with fellow saints in a well organized outreach, tell others about Jesus Christ and, yet, none of this will result in the salvation of souls for His kingdom. It is impossible for man to be saved by human effort alone. Impossible. But...with God.....all things are possible, including the most glorious miracle of them all....the salvation of our souls!
How we celebrate the miraculous work of God this past week. How we praise Him for His mercy, kindness, compassion and indescribable love poured out on us and through us to others. How we are humbled by the God of this great universe allowing us to come alongside Him in His profound work here in Sunnyside. How we praise Him for the communion and encouragement of the saints!
We will not know, this side of heaven, the magnitude of riches gained for His glory and His kingdom through this past week or in the coming months and years as Hope Baptist Church soldiers on in this theater of war against the kingdom of darkness. But we do know that, through one of the great mysteries of our God, it is your prayers which have borne much spiritual fruit in this effort. God does not need us to work, yet He calls us to partner with Him. You who have so faithfully prayed are no less a part of this team than those of us who had the distinct joy of serving in Sunnyside. From all of us, a hearty and humble thank you.
We are home but we have left a piece of our hearts with the servants of Hope Baptist Church and the people of South Africa. If you have talked with any team member, I bet they are having a hard time putting to words all that we saw, felt, and experienced in SA. I know I am. If we can leave you with one request, it is our fervent and heartfelt plea that you continue to pray for the Body of Christ at Hope Baptist and, indeed, throughout all of Pretoria. The harvest is ripe but the workers are few. Ask God to multiply their number and grant them supernatural strength, insight, wisdom and encouragement as they persevere in this mission field where our Awesome Father has placed them. Pastors Julius and Cintia are thankful for your continuing support. Your prayers are never in vain and, in fact, matter more than ever as they follow up with each person (over 560!) who attended the glasses clinic last week.
We couldn't resist a few more photos to wrap things up so here's one of our John Herr, sporting the new cap he purchased for his granddaughter in the Jo'burg airport.....
And another of our faithful and gracious pastors at HBC, Julius and Cintia............
And finally, our very own Pastor Keith Matney, who valiantly conquered the gathering, training, leading, praying and driving (no small feat!) of our ragamuffin team to South Africa in 2015.
His godly leadership is beyond comparison. Thanks, Pastor Keith.
Expand Your kingdom, Lord Jesus, to Your great glory and Your great fame.
Amen and amen.
