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| Training on Kokoyah Road |
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| Students studying together on Kokoyah Road |
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| Testing on Kokoyah Road |
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| Map of Kokoyah road with each pastor's name written in blue |
Kokoyah Road:
Last month, we continued training and testing pastors and church leaders on Kokoyah Road. Our students will be taking their final exam for Romans in April. To pass the test, they will have to retell the message of Romans chapters 1-8 by memory using only the pictures we have created. After passing, each student will receive copies of all the material so they can make disciples on Kokoyah Road. Please pray for Kokoyah Road. Pray that we will see a healthy church in every town and village.
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| Our House |
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| Our House |
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| Our House |
We are adding onto our house:
Thank You for blessing our family! We are adding a 25' by 30' room onto our house with a large front porch to use for discipleship. This addition will truly be life changing for us! Thank you! The 25’ by 30’ room will contain a kitchen, living area, and dinning area for our family. On behalf of our whole family, thank you! We hope this project will be completed within a month.
Last week, a well drilling team was at our house, looking at the possibility of adding a well to our property. They normally do not drill private wells but they may be willing to make an exception for our family. Please keep this in your prayers. Currently, our water source is about a 1/4 mile from our house.
Trip to the States:
It is hard to believe that it has been a year since we left the States. We are beginning to make plans for another visit home. We hope to be in the States from June to August. We look forward to spending time with you.
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| Here are a few of the children you are sponsoring |
School Sponsorship for 2017-2018 School Year
Last year, we were able to sponsor over 260 impoverished children's schooling. Your sponsorship not only provided for their tuition but also their uniforms and full coverage health insurance. Last year, you also completed an addition to Mount Sinai School. Our children received a nutritious meal every day at school. On behalf of many children, thank you! Yesterday, I paid the last bill of $4,870 for this school year. Due to the fact we will be in the States during the start of next school year, preparations are already being made for the 2017-2018 school year. Thank you for your faithful giving that enables us to love on so many children.
School Construction:
We are wanting to start the construction of a new school in a community in Gbarnga called "Chief Compound." We are working in partnership with an excellent Christian school in Monrovia whose academic standards are so high that missionary children have chosen to attend in the past. The school in Monrovia will provide oversight for the training of teachers and the day to day operations of the school. The children in the pictures above are some of the children we would be seeking to assist through this school. We hope to begin construction soon so the school will be up and running by the start of this coming school year. Thank you for your giving toward this project!
Special Needs Orphan Care:
Our ministry is working together with a ministry called His Safe Haven to help raise 20 orphaned special needs children. These children's disabilities require full time care. We are in the process of closing on 15 acres of land here in Gbarnga where we will build a training center and a village for these special children. Our heart's desire is for these children to be raised by families and not by an institution. We will use the training center to train doctors and nurses along with parents, how to care for special needs children. The training center will also have a therapy room that will be used by the village we are building and by others we assist. A well will be drilled for the village yet this month. We hope to begin construction on the training center this month as well. Soon, we will begin constructing 8 houses for the families who are currently raising our children. As this ministry expands, we will build more houses and expand our beautiful special need's village. Thank you for partnering with us in this project!
Training the Illiterate:
Last month, we continued translating the Bible into pictures for the illiterate. Currently, we are working on the four Gospels. When this project is complete, we will have pictures for every event of Jesus' life. While painting, our community often gathers to hear the stories behind each picture. I often hear them saying things like, "Jesus is black, this is not just white man's religion..." This September, we will begin using these paintings on Kokoyah Road to train pastors and church leaders. They will in turn take them to the various towns and villages. Our goal is to create a picture Bible for African oral cultures. Each Bible story will be recorded orally in Liberian English and other Liberian dialects. These recordings will be distributed using micro memory chips that fit in their phones.
Roman's Devotional #15: Storing Treasures or Storing Wrath:
3. Do you suppose, O man - you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself - that you will escape the judgment of God? 4. Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 5. But because of your hard and impenitent heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed" (Romans 2:3-5).
Did you know you have an account in heaven in which you are, moment by moment, making deposits by your good and bad deeds? You are either storing treasures in heaven or God’s wrath. Perhaps you have thought about storing treasures but have you thought about storing God’s wrath?
Storing Treasures in Heaven:
"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:19).
By God's grace, some people are storing treasures in heaven. Matthew 10:42 says, "Whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means loose his reward." Though no one deserves to be rewarded, those whose sins have been forgiven will be rewarded for even the smallest good deed they did on earth (Matt 6:4; 6:6; 6:18). Are you storing treasures in heaven?
Storing God's wrath in Heaven:
The focus of today's text is not the bank account in heaven that is being filled with treasures but the one that is being filled with God's wrath.
Today, you will learn the dreadful consequences for your sins. I am screaming from the mountain top, if you have ears to hear, listen to what the Lord has to say to you from His Word. In Romans 1:18 we learned about God’s wrath against sin. God’s desire is to destroy sin and save the sinner. Romans 1:19-32 described different sins “they” were given to as God tried to convince “them” that sin will never satisfy. God does not want to destroy you but the truth is, God’s wrath will ultimately be applied towards Your life. Either His wrath will be poured out against your sins (Romans 1:19-32) or His wrath will be poured out upon you (Romans 2:5). In chapter 3 we will learn how and where God poured His wrath out against sin. Today, we will be studying God’s wrath being poured out against you if you to not repent and turn back to God.
God wants you to know that He is perfectly just. Here on this earth you can say, "life is not fair" but in heaven the scores will all be settled and justice will reign. God will not let any sin go unpunished. You will get exactly what you deserve.
The wrath of God is HELL! Do you get it? You are actually storing HELL for yourself. Because of your stubborn and unrepentative heart, God is going to give you HELL! God will reward you according to your evil deeds.
So, what is Hell like? There are many words the Bible uses to describe the place of God's wrath. The purpose of this study is not to define each of these words but to give you a clear picture of what God's stored wrath will be like. Let me briefly describe hell for you.
Hell's Fire:
Mark 9:49 tells us hell is a place where you will be "salted with fire."
I had an experience in Liberia that helped me understand what it means to be salted with fire. When we first arrived in Liberia, we had no clue how to survive in the bush. We slept on small mats on the floor. Our windows had no glass and no screens. Our ceiling were nonexistent which meant that every creature that was in the bush was also in our small house. There was no electricity, no running water and no inside bathrooms. We used outhouses, cooked over fire, and bathed under the stars. Our first year in Liberia was characterized by perpetual sicknesses as we learned to live in this country.
I distinctly remember the first day that I tried to start a fire in my coal pot for cooking. I have started numerous fires in the States so I thought this task would be easy but boy was I wrong. I took wadded paper, placed it under the coal and lit the paper on fire. To my surprise, the coal did not start. While doing everything that I knew to do to to start the fire, a crowd of Liberians stood in the distance laughing at the white man who didn't know how to start a fire. To my shame, a little girl came and asked if she could help me. The young girl took a plastic bag, tied it in a knot and lit it on fire. After setting the coal around the burning plastic the coal was lit.
The next morning, I went outside to start my coal pot again. I thought to myself, "I got this today." That day, my neighbors were quick to notice the white man coming out of his house. After greeting me, they watched to see if I could start my fire. I think our family's struggle to survive was the most entertaining thing they had seen in a long time. I loaded my coal pot the way the little girl had taught me. I took a plastic bag and tied a knot. I grabbed matches and to my delight, the bag was lit by the first match. "Success," I thought. I held my burning bag in the air to make sure it was good and lit before placing it in the coal. I learned a very important lesson that morning that I have never forgotten. Just so you know, if you ever find yourself in the bush trying to light a coal pot, plastic bags drip molten, burring plastic when they are held in the air. You know where I'm going with this story don't you? As I held the bag in the air, the bag began dripping burning plastic on my bare feet. When the fire hit my feet, I gasped for air while looking at my feet which had been salted by fire. Every drip was on fire on my feet. Needless to say, I gave my neighbors another good show. Those who are in Hell are being "salted" by fire.
Let me tell you more about Hell's fire. Hell's fire is different than earth's fire in at least two ways. First, Hell's fire is dark while earth's fire gives off light. Matthew 22:13 describes Hell as a place of "outer darkness." Have you ever been in complete darkness? Though you wave your hands directly in front of your face, you see nothing. Hell is a place of complete darkness. You will feel Hell's flame but will not be able to see it. Second, Hell's fire is also different because Hell's fire will not consume. Revelation 20:10 describes those who are in hell being "tormented day and night forever and ever."
Hell's Worm:
Mark 9:48 tells us that there are worms in Hell. Have you ever examined an animal that has been killed on the road as it decomposes. If you look closely, you will see worms going in and out of its nose, mouth, ears, and eyes. Hell is more than a place of fire it is also a place where the worm rules. Like Hell's fire, Hell's worm does not consume. While in Hell, you will feel worms in your ears and eyes. They will go in and out of your nose and mouth. You will frantically try to pull them out of your body but they cannot be stopped. In and out they will go.
Bottomless Pit:
Revelation 9:1-2 describes Hell as a bottomless pit. Have you ever experienced an earthquake. During an earthquake, the very thing you think is unmovable becomes shaken. It is a strange feeling when the very ground you are standing on becomes unstable. During an earthquake, no place feels secure. Hell is worse. Hell is a place where you will never be grounded. You will never be able to gain your balance. It is a place of constant, perpetual instability.
Thrown into Hell:
Matthew 5:29 describes how you will enter Hell. You will not enter Hell through a door. You will not be lowered into Hell. You will be violently thrown into Hell.
Weeping and gnashing of teeth:
Luke 13:28 teaches that there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth in Hell. Imagine standing before God on Judgment Day and hearing God say, "I never knew you; depart from me, you worker of lawlessness" (Matt 7:23). The Bible tells us that God's words are living and active (Heb 5:13). God's words alone are what will carry you to Hell. There is no need for an angel to assist. His spoken words are powerful. You will feel your body being lifted and thrown at unbelievable speeds into the bottomless pit by the very words of God. Upon entering the pit, you will feel Hell's fire envelope you. You will gasp for air. As you breathe in, hell's flame will enter your mouth and fill your lungs. In torment you will exhale flame. In and out the flame will go. Though you open your eyes, you will see nothing. You will spend eternity in complete darkness. You will feel the worm coming with force upon you. It will enter and leave your eye sockets, nose, ears, and mouth. While exhaling fire, you will frantically pull at the worm trying to get it out of you. Never will you feet touch ground again, you will be in a perpetual state of instability. While struggling, you will notice your teeth grinding in torment. On and on the days will go, never ending.
Mark your Bible:
- Next to Romans 2:5 write, "Stored Wrath."
Application:
My friends, this does not have to be your future. God reveals His amazing grace in chapter 3. As I have already said, God is going to pour His wrath upon you in one of two ways. Either His wrath will be poured out against Your sins resulting in their destruction or His wrath will be poured out upon you if you stubbornly refuse to turn to Him for the forgiveness of sins. I leave you with one question, are you storing treasures or wrath in heaven? It is not too late. Confess your sins to God and ask for His forgiveness. Receive His gift of salvation.
Prayer to Pray:
Father, I confess that I am a sinner. Please have mercy upon me. Please forgive my sins. Thank You for dieing on the cross for me. I receive the gift of Your salvation. Please fill me with Your Spirit so that I may walk in Your ways.
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