GETTIN' READY

Hello everyone in the blog-o-sphere! Thanks for tuning in today! It's another wet and dreary day here in Southwest VA. The entire Spring season has been this way. It's been a very cool and rainy spring to say the least.

Next Thursday, I'll be leading a team for our 4th Mission Outreach to Lutugino, Ukraine. Lutugino has about 20,000 citizens and only 300 or so are Evangelical Christians -- that's only about 1.5% of the population. This week our mission team will be fasting and praying. Please join us in praying for the lost souls in this area. Pray and ask that strongholds will finally be broken and replaced not with just a head knowledge of who Jesus is but a heart's understanding of His saving Grace!

Far too long has this area been steeped in spiritual darkness. I had someone actually say to me, "What makes you think you can go over there and make any difference?" I was floored a bit at their boldness to ask what I perceived to be a completely stupid question. The answer came easily though... The only difference I can make is to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit's direction and leading and then to be courageous enough to speak up when He directs my words. I, Ron Gibson, can't make a bit of difference, but God's Spirit can and will. I must be willing to GO, however, and be used by His Spirit so that He can cause the lost to hear and see.

There are many "church growth" models in the world today. Successful preachers will write books and make millions because preachers buy there books hoping to LEARN what it takes to make a church grow...well let me save you a ton of money and give you the BIBLICAL model for church growth...1) Be willing to be a NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH and be willing to be a NEW TESTAMENT CHRISTIAN! If all of us were New Testament Christians this world would look and behave in dramatically different ways. I could probably write an entire blog on what it means to be a New Testament Christian, but I'll save it for another day...allow that thought to challenge you however until that time.

he Bible reminds us that He is not willing that ANY should perish. ANY means the people in the deepest jungles of South America to the Ukrainians that wonder around Lenin Square with their sad eyes. ANY means that He's concerned about everyone of the billions of people of the world.

So what difference can I possibly hope to make? I hope that one of the adults or one of the kids that hear the gospel preached will put their complete faith and trust in Jesus. I hope that that person will then take this message back to their family and their friends and that they will be saved. Then I hope that these people will tell others and that they will be saved. Will we see an impact right away? Who knows but you have to start somewhere right! You change a person you can change a family, who could then change the local culture. The local culture changes and the local government changes. The local government changes and maybe the region changes. The region changes and then the country changes. To me it's that simple!

Again I plead for you to join us in prayer this week for the people of Ukraine and for our team. We, as a team are experiencing some challenges on even getting there. 1) One of our team members has yet to receive her passport and will have to make a special trip to Washington DC next Monday...just 4 days before we leave. 2) Two other team members still need a total of $2400 to go. God is never late and we trust Him to work and move in these situations to where His name will be glorified by His provision!