A Big Test

Yesterday millions of people took the KPSS test. Many people hopes and dreams rest on this test. If they score high, they have the opportunity to be a teacher in a state school or some kind of other government employee. A government job means job security in this country. Humanly speaking it is understandable that they put such value on this test. It is sad though that one test can shape the future of your life. If only people could see that if they fail this test they can always take it again. But if they fail God's test there is no second chance. God says sins must be forgiven to allow people to live with Him forever. People must put their trust in the Savior of the World who died for their sins. Getting high points on the KPSS test doesn't score you high points with God! May people put their hope in something eternal!

An atheist, agnostic, and a religious man...

Kind of sounds like I'm going to tell a joke, but it was the situation that I was in yesterday. I met up with two friends and they wanted me to come to their apartment to hang out. One of these young men is someone we have been working with for some time. A young lady was there at the apartment when we arrived and while visiting one of their friends stopped by. I believe we began talking about the orthodox churches in Mardin, an area in southeast Turkey. The next thing I know, the visiting friend and the young lady began asking me what I thought about Islam and Christianity. The other two guys had already heard what I was going to say, but since one was an atheist and the other not sure about what he believes they were in a way helping me. When given an opportunity like this I usually start out with the following....
"When I talk to you about what I believe, I'm not talking about religion like you know out. I'm talking about a way of salvation." This lead to the question, "What do you mean?" I then can explain the Gospel in a nutshell. In our conversation this led to questions on sin, the Bible being changed, the deity of Christ, fulfillment of prophecies, etc... One question which came up, which often does, was, "What do you think about Islam and Muhammad being the final religion and final prophet?" I don't know if I approached it correctly or not, but it seemed to make the young man think.

I said let's think of it like this: "God gave Moses the prophet the Law or I say the Shari'a. Jesus came and fulfilled the Law and lived a perfect life so that we didn't have to. He then gave us grace so we are not enslaved to the law. Now 500 and some years later Muhammad comes on the scene. He reveals that he is a prophet and gives us the Law again.  Did God change his mind? Was Jesus' life in vain?" This gave me the opportunity to explain what Jesus said about himself.

Sometimes God gives us very easy opportunities to share the Gospel and this was one of them. I'm thankful for the opportunity.

Miras (Inheritance Magazine)

In the picture above in the left-hand corner is the first Christian magazine that I know of to come out in Turkey. It is called Miras which means Inheritance. A good friend of mine had a lot to do with getting this magazine out. So I'm very excited for him, but I'm also excited about the possibilities that a magazine like this may offer. In this first issue there is an article written by Ravi Zacharias that has been translated into Turkish. The article deals with the question, "Is there a meaning to evil and suffering?" Very pertinent question for this country. There are also articles written about what the Gospel is and one in particular about Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the price he paid in following Christ. I'm excited to see how it will be received by those who do not follow Christ. A magazine at times can almost give people the impression that they are tolerant or cultured because they are reading it. We'll see....

Advertisement in Turkey

This month starting the day after Easter an organization called the BCC (Bible Correspondence Course) began running an ad on 45 metro buses in Istanbul and on 2 large 2 meter advertisement billboards. This is what the ad looks like.

In essences it says, "What if what we believe is false?"  The ad has been running now for 11 days. It has 11 days left to be run. The police said that they have gotten so many complaints that they are having the ads taken down. Now this is good and bad. The good thing is that what it means is lots of people have checked out their website. There is nothing right away that would lead you to believe this is a religious ad. Pray that the taking down of the advertisement would lead to even more publicity.

What we see though is that what we know to be true about the human heart is true here. The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked. (Jer. 17:9) According to the constitution there is nothing illegal about this ad. The organization is a recognized organization. There is technical freedom to do these sort of things. It doesn't change the fact that the people are blind to their need for a Savior. Whether a country is what some people term closed or open, the fact remains that the Holy Spirit must work in people's hearts. Pray that the Holy Spirit would work in the hearts of people throughout this country.

Advertisement is something that is being used to spread the Good News. Pray for genuine interest and curiosity and that lasting fruit would come from advertisements like those mentioned above and others on the internet.

1st Week Back

We have been able to hit the ground running. Since our return just over a week ago we have been cleaning house and catching up with friends and looking for rental property. We have also been able to make contact with some people who say they are interested in learning more about God's Word. What was really exciting was we had a man join us in our worship yesterday. He contacted us through our website and met with my friend prior to coming. He said that he was determined to go down this road (God's way). I preached on John 4. We talked about the fact that when we meet Jesus there are some things that we must leave behind. The woman had prejudice, pride, a past, and piety in her life. Jesus dealt with all these with her. In the end, she believed He was the Messiah and left her water pot to go bring others to Him.

It is interesting to learn the perspective of the hearers of the message. Afterwards we were talking and the man said that sometimes there might be good things in our life that we need to leave behind like our wives. I was a little shocked. I didn't think I heard him right. He was thinking about the verse where Jesus said that he who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God. (Luke 9:62) We had a good discussion with him. The bottom line is he is struggling with the fact that if he makes this decision to follow Christ he may loose his wife, family, job, etc...So he is wondering if he should just go ahead and loose it now. I shared with him about my time in North Africa and about how the believers there decided to follow Christ even though it is against the law. I pray that after counting the cost he sees that Jesus is worthy of following.

More of my notes from North Africa

Here are some more of my notes. Maybe they will be a help to some of you.

One day, my friend when dealing with the men who Lord willing will lead churches in North Africa, talked about three categories of separation:

What must a person believe to be a Christian?
What things can we believe and be members of the same church? (For example because a Presbyterian believes in baby baptism, we cannot be members in the same church.)
What things can we disagree on yet still be members of the same church? (music, end-times etc...

This is a very good study because these men will face questions like this as they come in contact with other leaders in the country.

There is a tendency to want to make it easier on people, but we are not doing them a favor if we do this. For example one of the young men that is in training plays the guitar. Not as well as 3 other people there but he plays good enough. He is not good at staying on time, but how would he learn if he didn’t play? If he doesn’t learn, what happens when the foreigners are gone?

My friend also said that he is constantly talking about Jesus. In this way, if someone doesn’t want to follow Jesus they are not going to want to hang around him.

Steps before major leadership
1. I do. You watch
2. We do together.
3. You do. I watch.
4. You do.

Since discipleship is life-on-life you begin dealing with what they are experiencing in their life.
3 main ideas to get across to new converts immediately:
The importance of the church
The importance of being daily in the Word
The sanctification process. (We must spend enough time with them that we know what sins they are struggling with and other areas where they need to grow.)
Along with these comes the teaching of eternal security and baptism....

Some Things I Learned

After my trip of a week to North Africa, I began to recall what I had seen and learned from my friend. At first, I thought there were many small principles that I had learned and nothing really monumental. Then I thought about it some more and realized that what I had seen and learned was monumental. It is a ministry philosophy that changes everything. It is something that ever since the Our Generation summer camp that I attended in 2004, I have been wanting to practice in my own ministry, but I could never really hash out in my mind or actions how exactly to put feet on this philosophy. What is it that I’m talking about? I’m talking about being men trainers. Every missionary would say, “I want to plant churches and train men.” If we focus on planting a church without being men trainers, what happens is we have people but no leader to turn over the church to. So what happens is a missionary goes on furlough and another missionary takes over his work. If we focus on training men, then from the beginning when God gives us teachable men they are growing as the church is. Then when the time comes, you have a leader ready to take over and not a church with no leader. This is really what I came away with from my trip. I saw from my friend a clear vision and a bull-dog like mindset to accomplish that vision. Sometimes leaders have to be rear-ends for the sake of the vision and the team. You can’t let someone come in and get you or the team off the goal of training men. With that said, here are some things that I noted that should keep anyone on focus when training people. With this focus in mind, you want to use all your valuable time in training the people God has given you. In the end what I saw was the Great Commission in action. Would you pray that God would give us faithful men?

Trip to North Africa

I had a great time in North Africa visiting a friend of mine. Over seven days I was able to see what God is doing throughout the country. Men are being trained, believers are gathering together, and souls are being saved. In fact, while I was there a young woman put her faith in Jesus. I'll be sharing with you some of the things that I learned. Here is a link to some photos I took. I'm not good with a camera, but at least you can see the landscape of the areas I visited.
Slideshow

Thankful for God's Protection for a Friend

Today I was able to chat with one of my friends back in Turkey. He was on his way to a city in the southeast part of the country when the bus he was riding on crashed. Because he bought his tickets late, he was in the back of the bus. I was really thankful because some people were injured and there might have been 1 or 2 deaths. All of these people were sitting near the front. I started our conversation with this line, "I saw the picture of the bus crash. I'm glad you're ok. God's hand was on you." He then said that he was not afraid to die. I told him maybe he should be afraid to die. From there we talked about how death was separation from God. I was able to chat with him over Romans 2:14&15. Then he moved on to the fact that he actually wished he would have died. He said he was tired of life. We then talked about the life that we can have when we know the Creator God. It was really an opportunity from God. I have shared the Gospel with him before, but I often wondered if he was listening. He was this time. I wanted him to think about how good God is in providing a way of salvation for mankind, and also for protecting him. I do pray that God would let my lost friends live long enough to trust Christ. Pray that God would use the bus crash to cause my friend to think about eternity.

The Summit

This June will be 8yrs. since the Lord worked in our hearts to be involved in world evangelism and take the Gospel to another country. It was a Baptist Camp for world evangelism put on by bcwe.org that God used to convict our hearts. This year we had our first opportunity to attend the Summit, put on by the same organization, in Pigeon Forge, TN. It was such an encouragement to see how God is using men and women in Peru, Chile, Argentina, North Africa, China, etc... It was just as encouraging to see the young men and women who are preparing to go into all the world. It was a conference that focused my mind on the heart of God to begin the new year. Let me encourage you to take some time visit www.bcwe.org, subscribe to the blogs of God's servants around the world, and get excited about what God is doing.

Earthquake Relief Efforts

Here is a letter from some of the Christians who have helped in the earthquake relief effort. Continue to pray for the needs in this area.

It was decided that they would focus efforts in Van and the nearby villages that have not seem significant help. 
A group of local believers, Iranian UN refugees, and others from Ankara and Istanbul have been providing food service every day for up to 700 people since October 29th. Money from gifts has been used to partially fund that(amount N/A currently).
A team of 6 from the Diyarbakir Church made repairs to the Van church and some houses, provided more tents to some needy and served wholeheartedly where needed.
Over the last week 3 doctors from Antalya(Dr. K.), Ankara and Duzce(Dr. K.) and other medically trained persons were in Van distributing medicines, and seeing patients--350 people received medical treatment.
One group from India is planning to partner with in-country workers/locals to put together up to 100 winterized living shelters.  Additional funds for this project will be needed.
Even though the main purpose of these relief efforts has not been evangelism, six people came to faith in Christ in the last 10 days

Beside those;
50 Tents were set up for homeless
70 sleeping bags were given out,
100 people received warm blankets,
250 people received clothing help.
4 believers who have served non-stop since the first earthquake have been given 800TL each to help with their needs.
A van has been purchased with relief funds(approx $10,000) for use in food and supply delivery.
2 insulated container-type living units(3mt x 7mt) have been purchased since the second earthquake(Nov.9th) left the houses of believers in Van unlivable. Their price was 14,250 TL(about $9000) including shipment and they are expected to arrive on Wednesday, Nov. 16th.

Meeting with a College Student

About a month ago I mentioned a college age girl that had contacted us and wanted to meet. Below is what my teammate wrote about the meeting. Please pray for this young girl.

My family and I traveled to a nearby city to meet with a university student there who wanted to learn more about Christianity. She said that she has been interested in Christianity for several years. When I asked her about what she believed, she told me that she was believing in Jesus Christ as her Savior. However, she was a little confused about doctrinal beliefs because her first contact with Christianity was through the Catholic Church. Since that time, she has done her own research on the internet. I explained the difference between salvation by faith and salvation by works and also talked about how Baptists and Catholics have important differences in belief concerning the Lord’s Supper and Baptism. She had brought her roommate with her to the meeting, and her roommate listened closely to what we talked about, especially the fact that Christians do good works because they are saved not to become saved. I gave the girl I met with a Bible, the New Testament on MP3, and a few Turkish hymns on MP3. She later said that she was very encouraged by the meeting.

Back in the States

Just over a week ago we made it make safely back to the states. It was a little crazy once we got to Chicago. We went through Customs and for the second year in a row I was randomly chosen to be questioned. I have no problem with this, but it caused us to miss our flight. I waited 40 minutes so I could be asked 5 questions. The whole time my wife was stuck with our three kids. One was yelling, "My stomach hurts!" for a solid 30 minutes. The other didn't want to walk and the baby was crying. It was not good for my wife. When I finally came out she cried. Thankfully there was a flight 1:30 minutes later. So we finally made it home at about 9:00 p.m. We'll be keeping you up to date on our time in the states. Right now, we are visiting a church that we feel God is leading us to. We would appreciate your continued prayers.

I'll be talking in some public schools next week in Mississippi. Pray that God would give me some creativity to think of how to weave the Gospel in to my time in the classes.

Update On College Student

Well we were not able to meet with the college student I mentioned in the previous blog. She said it seemed like her mom knew something was up so her mother made her go to another city where they had some things to do. We have chatted over the internet with her. She is definitely different from the others that we are working with. She said she believes that Jesus died for her sins. She said that she had a fear of Hell. I asked if she still had one. She said no because Jesus suffered for our sins on the cross and when we believe in Him we don't have to fear Hell. It is hard to know someone's heart without meeting them but from the way she talks she has a testimony of belief. She has a lot of questions but they don't come from a skeptical heart. I did ask her about how she fell in love with a Catholic priest without meeting him. She said since she was 12 she has been researching Christianity. It sounds like most of the information she has is from Catholic sources. She wrote to this priest for years not sure if this was before or after she ran away from home. Thankfully this priest was not in love with her. Trust me I was getting scared as she was writing me her story. I thought, "Oh no what kind of crazy mess is this." It appears that we will wait to meet with her until she goes to school, which is next week. We pray that we can discern what her relationship with God is and how to best help her.

Interesting Contact

Recently, we received an email from a college age girl. It said, "I want to be a Christian. Can you help me?" So we told her that we could help her and that we would like to talk more. It appears that her family is religious or very possessive, because she said once she goes to university she would be available to meet. Well a couple nights ago we get a message on our cell phone. It was the same girl. She wanted to know how to become a Christian. If you are a text message guru then you do know it still takes quite a bit of time to text long messages. Anyway I typed 1. Corinthians 15 where Paul tells us what the Gospel is. Then I typed out John 3:16. We messaged back and forth for an hour and a half. Anyway long story short she worked it out where she will be able to meet with us sooner than later. Please pray that nothing will hinder this meeting. Pray that she is being honest in her desire to know more. She said she will come secretly. She wants us to bring a N.T. Pray that she would be protected and that she would clearly understand how she can be saved. She said at the age of 12 she ran away from home and went to a Catholic church in the south of our country. She went here because she said she was interested in Christianity. She has been researching Christianity for some years. What's great is that she is from our city and studies in a university in a city near us. A city that we've been praying for opportunities to minister in.

Singing Away

The end of this week we had a couple different meetings. One meeting was the study that we're doing through the book The Stranger on the Emmaus Road and the other with some friends of mine. I took my guitar because the one group of guys wanted me to play the song Man of Constant Sorrow. Go figure! What are the chances that Turkish guys want to hear blue grass? They love it, though. I still have to learn it. We played hymns instead, English and Turkish. It was a great opportunity for them to see the songs we sing in worship. I also did the same at my other friends who are teaching me the baglama. It is such a privilege just to be able to do this with people. In America people would be like, "Big deal!" Here, they are like, "You sing in your worship." They want to hear it. We had the opportunity to sing songs talking about our redemption, God's love, Jesus being our Savior, etc... Sometimes when they won't listen to you talk they might listen to you sing.

An Understanding Heart

And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in. 8. And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. 9.Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? 1 Kings 3:7-9

These days I'm really thinking about Solomon's desire for wisdom so that he could make the right decisions. His main purpose was of course he was the leader of God's people. My main purpose is because of the people that God has given us to work with. They have so many questions. There are so many rocks to move and so much dirt to remove while laying a foundation. "Why is the male pronoun used for God? Is it a contradiction to God's mercy when God says he will judge the father's iniquity on the children to the fourth generation?" (Exodus 34:7) God blessed Solomon with wisdom and He has also sent us a Comforter and Guide. May the Holy Spirit guide us all in the relationships that God has given us.

Living the Gospel

Today I had a good conversation with a friend of mine here. He is teaching me the bağlama. It is a Turkish instrument used to play traditional Turkish music. He is a materialist. He asked me some good questions. He asked, "Why am I so joyful?" He also asked why I didn't take a pastorate in the states. It was a great opportunity to explain to him what God has done for me and the honor I have to live overseas and tell people about the Gospel. I must say I was convicted to really stop and ask God to help me live the Gospel. We discussed in depth what made him believe in materialism. There were a lot of things. One of the major things was all the injustice in the world. He doesn't understand if there is a God, why does he allow all these injustices? I thought about many times how I don't think about the poor in my city. I don't pray like I should for those starving to death in Somalia. So many areas that if I stop and think, I notice I'm missing some of the things in my life that Jesus regularly touched on. The early N.T. church was instructed to make provision for the poor and take care of the widows. It is so important that we shine as the lights we are supposed to be. Everywhere I go and everyone I meet has their own view of the Bible and Christianity. Only when they meet us and talk with us, do they realize most of what they know is wrong.

Prayer

Today we'll be praying especially for more laborers. John 4:35 says, "Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest." Luke writes, "Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest." (Luke 10:2) Turkey like other nations needs more laborers or maybe more of a certain kind of laborer. Jesus said this, "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:26) Be it Turkey, Peru, China, India, or America; we need biblical disciples. I assure you that there is nothing harder than moving to a new country and learning their culture and language. There is also nothing greater than being able to share the Gospel with those who have never heard. I mean never. They don't even have a foundation to build on. In this work, you'll recognize how insignificant you are and how great God is. Pray with us that God would send more laborers into His harvest fields.

God's Timing

If you were waiting on God's deliverance or guidance in a certain situation and what seemed to be a wide open door appeared not once but twice; you would probably walk through that door. I would. David didn't.

David was fleeing for his life from Saul. On two opportunities (1Samuel 24 & 26) he could have killed Saul and taken his rightful place as king. The men by his side actually said that this was God delivering Saul into David's hand. I would have said the same thing. "Kill him! This is your chance." Well David obviously had such a close relationship with God that he knew this is not what God wanted. This is another good point for why God gives us spiritual leaders. He didn't want to hurt the anointed man of God even though this man was trying to kill him. After these incidents, David would wait even longer to see God's will take place in his life.

What looks like an opportunity might not be God's perfect timing. These incidents in David's life reminded me of this.