Blog Posts - The Remarkable Blog

Day 9 Accra, Ghana

8/10/2021

John 15 vss 1,5,7
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser...I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing...If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you."

Mission work demands a Desperate Dependence On God. The task is too great. The resources are too few.

Jesus said, "the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest." (Matthew 9:37-38) Jesus always prayed with expectancy "whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith." (Matthew 21:22) "ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways, will receive anything from the Lord." (James 1:6-8)
We are called to pray for laborers and to believe.

ACTION STEP: Continue to pray for our team here in Ghana! God is doing great things.

I believe in you and you need to believe in yourself.

Day 8 Accra, Ghana

8/9/2021

Matthew 28:16-20
"Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age."

Before beginning a journey one firsts looks at the map. In life’s journey we need to go to the navigator, the one who has purposed and planned our lives. Jesus said, "I am the way." "The Lord is at hand. Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Jesus Christ." (Philippians 4:5-7) "And this is the confidence which we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us." (1 John 5:14) Not only does prayer open the communication between us and God for guidance, but also enables God more fully to use us because we place ourselves in step with His purpose. "The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects." (James 5:16) Why? Because a righteous person is one who follows the leader instead of standing in the way.

ACTION STEP: Make sure that you have open door communication with God. Begin your day with prayer and ask God for guidance for your day. Get in step with God's purpose for your life.

I believe in you and you need to believe in yourself.

Day 7 Accra, Ghana

8/6/2021

Matthew 10:6
“But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

God’s Holiness compels us to go to a lost world, filled with sin.

Go to the fringes and beyond Luke 14:21-24 Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, `Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’ `Sir,’ the servant said, `what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’ "Then the master told his servant, `Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full. I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’

Evangelism isn’t part of the gospel, something we do - it is the core- the essence.

ACTION STEP: Find someone that's lost and invite them to meet Jesus so that they too, can be at the banquet table! People don't care what you know, until they know that you care. Show someone today that you care about them! We love, because He first loved us.

I believe in you and you need to believe in yourself.

Day 6, Accra, Ghana

8/5/2021

Acts 1:1-8
The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

The mission of the church is to spread the Gospel. The great commandment is that we Love God (worship) and Love others (service). Jesus’ Last words Sealed orders - marching orders - His last will and testament is the Great Commission Matt. 28:18-20 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." The time for waiting is past - receive the Holy Spirit and Go Disciples!

ACTION STEP: If you have not yet received the gift of the Holy Spirit, ask for this gift right now! Invite the Holy Spirit to come and dwell inside of you.

I believe in you and you need to believe in yourself.

Day 5 Accra, Ghana

8/4/2021

"on his way there he had to go through Samaria."
John 4:4 (GNT)

Jesus was personally involved in Missions. Luke 19:10 says, "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." So if he was so personally involved, so should we. He told us what to do in Matthew 28:18 which says, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations."

Jesus had zeal. John 14:12 says, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father." Let your prayer be that you have the same zeal that Jesus had.

The 3rd and final point is Jesus went to an unreached area. He needed to go through Samaria, because it was very dangerous. God didn't let anything happen to him. When you through tough neighborhoods to do His work, or even in your city and town, remember that God, Grace, Mercy, and The Holy Ghost go with you.

ACTION STEP: Think about how you can be involved in missions. Get excited!! Where is God asking you to go?

I believe in you and you need to believe in yourself.

Day 4 Accra, Ghana.

8/3/2021

Isaiah 65:1:
“I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me; I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me. I said, ‘Here I am, here I am,’ to a nation that was not called by my name.”
John 15:16:
“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.”
1 Corinthians 1:9:
“God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”
1 Corinthians 1:28-29:
“God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.”
Ephesians 4:4:
“There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call.”
Philippians 3:14:
“I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24:
“May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.”
2 Thessalonians 2:14:
“To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
2 Timothy 1:9:
“Who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began.”
1 Peter 1:15-16:
“But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’”
1 Peter 2:21:
“For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.”
1 Peter 3:9:
“Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.”

The picture above is a typical family here in Ghana. I hope you are following me on Facebook and enjoying what I am able to post.

DISCOURAGEMENTS: Sometimes, ministry is overwhelmingly discouraging. Over time, the mundane ebb and flow of ministry can erode the shoreline of one’s internal sense of calling and conviction to do the work. During such seasons, it’s important for missionaries to nourish their souls with the word of God. The Lord knows that we get discouraged, which is why he directly speaks to this so often. The great heroes of Scripture often got discouraged. Elijah almost gave up on ministry entirely (1 Kings 18-19).

The Apostle Paul described the hardships of ministry this way: “[W]e felt that we had received the sentence of death.” But he knows the purpose—“But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians. 1:9). Like Paul, and like Elijah, these Bible verses are meant to be a respite for missionaries in the midst of ministry discouragement.

ACTION STEP: Please keep us in your prayers. Reflect on these verses as you consider whether God is calling you to the mission field. Pray that he would open your heart to the global need that exists for faithful workers to preach the gospel and stay long enough to reap a harvest. Pray that God would show you how to participate in the great work he is doing through the gospel around the globe as you consider the rich theme of missionary work in Scripture.

I believe in you and you need to believe in yourself.

I'm here and the work has begun. Missions on location Day 3.

8/2/2021

Deuteronomy 31:6:
“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you."
2 Samuel 22:3-7:
“My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior— from violent people you save me. I called to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and have been saved from my enemies. The waves of death swirled about me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me. ‘In my distress I called to the LORD; I called out to my God. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came to his ears.”
Psalm 34:19:
“The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all.”

ACTION STEP: Becoming a missionary isn’t like becoming an accountant. God sets apart missionaries in a unique, providential way—a “calling,” if you prefer. If the gospel is the heart of the church that keeps the lifeblood flowing to its members, then missionaries are the vascular system, running that lifeblood to every organ, every appendage, every inch of skin in the world. A beating heart means nothing without the rest of the vascular system: “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” (Romans 10:14)

Missionaries can reflect on the nature of God’s call on their lives through reading Bible verses. Ask God to fill up your heart with a clear and confident sense of direction, geography, and a heart for doing a particular work in a particular people group.

Prayerfully you follow me on Facebook as I am trying to post daily. It is more difficult to do You Tube Video's here but will continue to try.

Please keep me and our team in prayer and all of our sons and daughters here in Ghana. the photo is of a typical main road here in Ghana.

I believe in you and you need to believe in yourself.

It's "Fly Day!" I am in the air on my way to Accra, Ghana.

7/30/2021

Jeremiah 1:5:
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
Galatians 6:9:
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
1 Peter 4:10:
“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

GOD’S SPECIAL PURPOSE FOR MISSIONARIES

Missions was God’s original plan for the garden of Eden: “And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it’” (Genesis 1:28). Adam and Eve were meant to expand the kingdom of God. After their fall into sin, even though the world changed, God’s vision didn’t change.

That’s why he renews his vision through Abraham: “Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed’” (Genesis 12:1-3). What is the final purpose of God’s plan through Abram? “In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Missions work has always been special to God. God has always been fundamentally driven by a missionary heart. Therefore, when he calls missionaries to do his work, he is calling people to participate in the work that has driven the history of God’s work in the world from Eden to today.

Missions work is an extension of God’s love for the world through the church to particular people, following the example of Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16)

God wants us to know—whether we are supporting missionaries, considering missionary work, or actively working on the mission field—that missions isn’t just about conversion, expansion of the kingdom, or growing the church. All of these are more basically formal expressions of God’s love to his people, and we should never lose sight of that, no matter what role we play in realizing God’s desire to bring the nations to Christ.

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ACTION STEP: Missions begins in your heart. Missions can be investing the talents that you have in your family. Making your mission to bless your family with the same wonderful loving meals you would a trip in Africa or a community in China. When you do laundry pray over the clothes of family member like you would blankets you'd be sending to Russia. Missions begins in the heart.

What are you grateful for? Write it down. Someday your grandchildren may read it and God may touch their heart and they in turn may touch the world. Look at everything you do as an investment into eternity. Then, God can take your life and sow it. It will burst forth and bring forth the fruit God needs where and when He needs it.

Bring nations to Christ!

I believe in you and you need to believe in yourself.

It's Thursday 1 day till "Friday Fly Day."

7/29/2021

Psalm 96:1-3:
“Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise His name; proclaim His salvation day after day. Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous deeds among all peoples.”

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The entire Bible is about mission—God’s and ours.There are countless verses in the Bible that speak to the missionary experience. There are many reasons you may be searching for a collection of passages on missions. Perhaps you are a supporting church looking for biblical prompts to pray for your missionaries. Perhaps you are a parent or friend of a struggling missionary, searching for a biblical encouragement to send them. Perhaps you’re a missionary yourself, and you simply need to hear from the Lord through his word.

Thankfully, whatever God calls us to do, he supplies the means for it. Just as God calls missionaries, he speaks to them all throughout Scripture.

In this post, it is our aim to unpack collections of Bible verses relevant for missionaries to encourage, clarify, fortify, and inspire gospel workers across cultures sent from the church in every age.

The Bible speaks of missions as a service to God. Declaring the gospel to the nations is always the natural fruit of Christian worship. Creation itself yearns to hear the gospel spoken. The nations, so lost that they cannot even see their lostness, deeply need God’s mercy in the form of missionaries to bring them the gospel, to bring them hope, and to bring them the message of Christ so that God can work in the hearts of their people.

Missions isn’t a vanity project, and it isn’t the janitorial work of ministry. It is the crown jewel of Christian worship—the kind of service in which David exults, which Christ commands, and for which the Apostle Paul ceaselessly labors: “For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God” (1 Thessalonians 2:9).

ACTION STEP: As you worship today ask the Lord to take you places in the Spirit Realm. Your prayers may be a sacrifice to you, but to the world it may be a refreshing cup of water, a delivered soul, a healed body and eternal life.

I believe in you and you need to believe in yourself.

Crunch day-Countdown to Accra.

7/28/2021

Matthew 28:18-20 NIV

"Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

When it comes to planning a mission trip, there are so many things to do that it can seem overwhelming… and time spent in prayer can be pushed lower down the priority list, behind passport applications, immunization records, and team-building activities. While all of those are important, asking for God’s help and blessing is foundational, especially for times of ministry or evangelism.

Whether you’re a trip leader, a team member, or a committed supporter, these ten passages of Scripture will help guide your prayers either leading up to or during a mission trip. Let God use them to call to mind specific people and situations, and look forward to seeing how he chooses to use your team.

1. Pray for Grace When Something Goes Wrong.—Because something will always go wrong, no matter how organized your schedule or how comprehensive your packing list. Only God can help you respond to a frustration by seeing it as an opportunity to trust him instead of an inconvenience. Growing up, my pastor took this a step further and prayed over mission trip teams that something would go wrong, not just for the ability to deal with it in a Christ-like way. His reasoning? Being faced with an unexpected challenge forces us to rely on God’s strength, and those are the moments when we are most able to look back and say, “That wasn’t us. That was all Jesus.”

However you choose to pray, keep in mind this passage from 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” That’s the kind of strength you want your team to have.

2. Pray for the Gathered Church to Encourage Each Other. The congregation where you meet on Sundays is part of the global Church, but when believers from different backgrounds and cultures meet together, we get a fuller picture of what it means to be the body of Christ—to love and serve in different ways and reflect the various aspects of God’s character. Pray that your brothers and sisters where you are going receive renewed joy from your visit, especially if they are experiencing a time of discouragement, and pray that you will return with a report of what God is doing in another part of his family.

When thinking of the chances the team will have to connect with fellow believers, pray for an experience like the one described in Col. 3:14-15: “And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” Our need for each other gives us so much to be thankful for!

3. Pray for Health, Safety, and Financial Provision. These seem to be “givens,” requests that seem a bit routine, even cliché. But Jesus himself dedicated part of his example of prayer to say, “Give us today our daily bread.” (Matthew 6:11) God knows what your team needs—whether it’s money, a last-minute visa, quick recovery from a bout of flu, or safe travel on dark and narrow roads—and he loves it when we take the time to ask in faith for even the simplest of things.

Make a list of the practical concerns and updates for the team, and take time each day to pray through it. Don’t forget to visit that list after the trip is over to thank God for the ways he answered!

4. Pray for the Hearts of Those Who Will Hear the Gospel to Come to Faith. This story in Acts 18:9-10 is a perfect one to pray over a ministry team, “One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: ‘Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” Even though Paul hadn’t preached the gospel yet, God knew there were people in the city who would respond to his teaching and believe. That, combined with the knowledge that God was with him, was the perfect reason not to fear—and one that’s still true for us today.

Pray in advance for those who will respond to the good news about Jesus, whether they’re hearing it for the first time or the hundredth time. Don’t forget that even some of the team members, particularly on trips that include kids or teens, may not have a real faith in Jesus. Pray for them, too.

5. Pray for the Mind of Jesus to Be Among Your Team Members.A concern I often hear about short-term mission teams is that it’s easy to go in with the wrong mindset. Sometimes, that means a bit too much self-confidence or independence, or a mistaken idea that teams should bring the Gospel plus our way of doing things—whether that’s how to conduct a kids’ program or how to build a home. Pray that God would replace this attitude with a spirit of service and Christ-like love, particularly during stressful parts of the trip.

The best description of this is in Philippians 2:2-4, “Make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” That seems like a high standard, but we have the best possible example to follow in servant-like humility: Jesus.

6. Pray for the Holy Spirit to Guide Your Words and Actions. If we really believe that God is in control of everything, that includes even the smallest interactions, conversations, and tasks. (Not just on missions trips—in our everyday lives too!) Pray that team members would listen to the Holy Spirit’s prompting on a moment-by-moment basis, and that God would give the right words to speak, whether they’re words of encouragement or an explanation of salvation.

For the hard days in particular, join with Paul in Galatians 6:9-10: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

7. Pray for the Local Church or Ministry that the Group Will Be Partnering With. A team might be short-term, but the believers in the area are not. Pastors, missionaries, and their families in particular can easily become weary with the many demands on their time and hearts. Lift them up and ask God to grant them times of refreshment and a renewed sense of purpose. Pray for members of the local congregation, that they would serve faithfully and continue to take advantage of the opportunities put before them.

Paul’s letters in the New Testament are full of prayers for the congregations that he had once visited for a short period of time. One prayer that you can use is in Romans 15:13, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

8. Pray for Anyone Who Feels Led to Consider Full-Time Missions or Ministry. Often, God will use trips like this to challenge individuals to step outside of their comfort zone. For some, that will mean increasing their giving or being more intentional about praying for the lost. For others, it will mean surrendering their carefully-laid plans to whatever God might have for them, even if it means a move, a job change, or training for formal ministry. Pray particularly for these people, that they would be obedient to the Holy Spirit’s leading, that they would have the support of those around them, and that they would find increased clarity and wisdom when considering next steps.

Romans 10:14-15 is a passage that many missionaries have looked to when praying about their future: “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’”

9. Pray for Faith that God Will Continue to Grow Seeds that Were Planted. Sometimes, the expectation of a mission trip is to return with dozens of dramatic stories of conversions or miracles. While God certainly can move in that way, sometimes a trip will simply involve partnering with a local body of believers in everyday, sometimes thankless ministry. It can be discouraging if you had half-finished or disappointing conversations or were forced to leave new relationships that had begun to form without seeing all the results of your effort.

Instead of dwelling on that, remember Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 3:5-6 when he said that he and his fellow preacher were “only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.” Maybe you’re at one of the earlier stages in the process, but when God asks for workers to bring in his harvest, he doesn’t want us to be jealous of someone else’s role. He simply calls us to be faithful to the task set before us… and to trust him with the rest.

10. Pray for the Transition Back Home and a Continued Desire to Pray for Those Ministered To.When looking back on experiences where God was powerfully at work, remember what Jesus said to the man who was healed of demon possession in Mark 5, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” While God calls some to leave their home to spread the Gospel, he calls all of us to give him glory around the people closest to us: our friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors. That’s one reason why the return from a mission trip is so important—but it can be hard too.

Pray for the ability to process any difficult emotions (or “reverse culture shock”) that can come when readjusting to cultural differences or being around people who don’t share their experience or newfound excitement. Even more importantly, pray that team members will be able to share their passion and joy in what God has done, and that their connection to the community where they served will make them even more dedicated to praying, giving, and declaring the good news about Jesus to those around them.

One More Challenge:Read through the book of Acts prior to your trip if you’re one of the team members or during the trip if you’re one of the team’s prayer warriors. Use the stories of those Early Church missionaries to guide your prayers and remind you what it looks like to be radically devoted to the advance of the Gospel. There is nothing in the world that can stop the spread of the Good News, and God has chosen to make us a part of that. What an amazing blessing!

The helps article today is written by:
Amy Green lives outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota and blogs about life, culture, and theology at themondayheretic.wordpress.com.

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ACTION STEP: Pray. Prayer is the first and most important step to doing anything with God. Notice I did not say for God. Scripture clearly states we are to be co-laborers with Christ and one with the Holy Spirit. I hope the above article helps you.

Appreciate your prayers. Please email me if you have a word or encouragement you can also reply here.

I believe in you and you need to believe in yourself.

Remember Jumonville, PA second weekend in September I am inviting you to an Intensive with me, "Being the Lion~Finding Your Roar" Raising Kings 2021. Click here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2021-raising-kings-intensive-tickets-157693478439