GCI Media – Page 77

Mission trip to Mexico

Generations Ministries’ mission organization Crossing Borders (CB) recently completed its 23^rd mission trip into Mexico. CB’s missionary team (pictured below) spent eight days building relationships, accomplishing tasks, and living and sharing the gospel.

CB chose “encouragement” as the theme for this summer’s trip—the goal was to bring encouragement to CB’s ministry partners in Mexico who face various crises and other sources of discouragement including illnesses, decreasing church attendance, defection of leaders, property thefts, tight finances, government corruption and threats from drug cartels. To bring encouragement, the CB team devoted one-on-one time to their Mexican ministry partners—listening to their stories and needs, letting them know they are not alone, and praying with them.

For a long time, one of the Mexican pastor’s wives had been saving small amounts of money hoping one day to be able to cover the concrete floor of their humble home with tile. She had finally accumulated enough money, but then her husband had opportunity to be able to make a trip to some very poor churches several hours farther into Mexico to deliver shoebox gifts to the children. Nora donated her floor tile savings so the children could receive the gifts. As it turns out, some CB supporters had donated some funds with the instruction to use them when a fitting opportunity arose—and this was the opportunity. CB replaced Nora’s funds so she could tile her floor, and left-over funds were used to bless their congregation with much-needed supplies.

In another instance, CB became aware that Sister Juanita, the senior-citizen director of a children’s home that CB has “adopted,” had only one door on her 4-door car that would open from the inside (due to broken handles). She had to crawl over the front seat into the back seat, and then exit through the rear passenger door. CB was able to help her get the handles working again. CB also was able to buy supplies for the children’s home, and took Juanita on a shopping trip for clothes and other personal items for herself (she never spends money on herself; always on the kids). In addition, CB purchased and installed new plumbing fixtures, three ceiling fans and three hi-velocity floor fans (there is no air conditioning in the children’s home).

During the trip, the CB team helped out at a “church in the park” for homeless people (pictured above); painted walls and fences at a Christian youth school (the painters are pictured below); visited two children’s homes; purchased items that were distributed during a church outreach event; conducted a Vacation Bible School for 50 children; and lots more.

A highlight of the trip was hosting CB’s 15 ministry partners at an “encouragement luncheon” at a restaurant (see picture below). This was the first time CB’s ministry partners had been together—the joy and friendship was amazing as life stories were shared over the meal. CB team members gave encouraging messages to the group along with bags full of gifts for all.

We are grateful that through CB’s ministry in Mexico, the love of God is being shared, the gospel message is being lived and spoken, and lives are being transformed—the lives of CB’s missionaries and the lives of those being served.

CB’s next mission trip to Mexico is scheduled for December 8-11, 2017. For information go to www.cbmission.org, or call CB director Lee Berger at 903-746-4463.

Death of Bob Persky

We were saddened to learn that retired GCI Pastor Robert Persky died at home early Sunday morning, July 23. Bob was 72 years old.

Born to Arthur and Sadie Persky in 1945, Bob (pictured at right) first heard the World Tomorrow program in 1959, then began attending the Radio Church of God in Houston, TX, in 1960. He was baptized in 1963. After attending the University of Houston, Bob transferred to the Texas campus of Ambassador College, graduating in 1969. He then married the love of his life, Kay Hyde. Shortly thereafter Bob and Kay started a family with the birth of twin sons Ted and Neal. Later they were joined by daughter Livia and a third son, Bradley.

In 1969, Bob entered the employed ministry of WCG, serving first as a ministerial trainee in Indianapolis, IN. Following ordination, he was transferred to pastor a church in Ohio, followed by pastorates in Wisconsin, Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Florida and last in Texas. In 1996, Bob was named a District Superintendent, serving first in Kentucky, then Florida, followed by Texas.

In 2013, Bob retired from the employed ministry of GCI after 49 years of dedicated service as a beloved pastor of churches and a pastor to pastors. In his spare time, Bob enjoyed fishing, hunting and spending time with his family. The study of theology was one of his passions in life.

Bob was preceded in death by his parents and his son Ted. He is survived by his wife Kay, his daughter Livia, his sons Neal and Bradley, his children’s spouses, and his six grandchildren. For information about the funeral in the Dallas, TX, area on July 27, click here.

Prayer is requested for Kay (who has her own health struggles), their children and grandchildren.

Cards may be sent to:

Kay Persky
129 Star Point Lane
Weatherford, TX 76088-6409

Theological alignment seminar

This announcement is from Greg Williams, Director of GCI Church Administration and Development.

We’re looking forward to seeing many of you at the upcoming Denominational Conference in Orlando. Our theme is “We are GCI.” You will hear reports and stories from around the globe that will inspire and inform you about what the Lord is up to in our fellowship. To launch our time together, all pastors and interested members and friends are invited to a pre-conference seminar conducted by Dr. Gary Deddo titled “Theological Alignment.” It will be held on Tuesday, August 1 at 1:00 to 4:00pm in the conference hotel.

In the seminar (which includes time for Q&A), Gary will summarize the significant work he has been doing over the past year at the request of GCI President, Dr. Joseph Tkach, leading to the publishing of two essays: “The Church and Its Ministry” and “Clarifying Our Theological Vision.” From my viewpoint, these essays help us to be more aligned in our theology, doctrine and ministry practice. As is says in Psalms 133:1, “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity.”

So that you can familiarize yourself with the content of Gary’s essays, they are posted online as PDF documents at https://www.gci.org/2017/theologybooklets.

Trip to Papua New Guinea

GCI-Australia pastors Rod Dean and Mark Latham recently returned from a visit to our brothers and sisters in Papua New Guinea (PNG). What follows is Rod’s report.

The trip to PNG took months to prepare to maximize the time there while allowing for the unexpected. Our trip was interrupted by a political demonstration and after arriving we expreienced a severe earthquake. Despite these disruptions, it was a wonderful trip.

Our biggest emphasis this trip was youth and children who make up the majority of the Mt. Wilhelm congregation (pictured above). For the growing number of youth, we introduced our first speaking club (Life Club) with 35 teens and five adults attending. The club is part of an effort to motivate our youth to improve their English and think about their future. This program accompanies our ministry at the high school, youth meetings and talent shows.

The children’s class has been challenging. We have around 70 children on our rolls, and the coordinators and teachers have decided that we need to raise the standards, especially as children approach the age of our study center. We put together a curriculum for the rest of the year and held a meeting with middle school (grades 6-8) parents to encourage them to learn English and read with their children. At present, the middle school has 150 students up to grade 3 and they will be adding a new grade every year, perhaps up to grade 8. Of the 150 students about 80 are disadvantaged and 20 are orphans living on site. There are still clothing needs for the disadvantaged children, and the school is $25 a day short of nutritional food. We plan to bring a supply of clothing on our next visit and the focus of our Ulladulla Charity Appeal will be on the school’s food needs.

I spent the remainder of the trip with the congregation’s leaders and worship team, giving an ACCM preaching intensive, a worship intensive, and a talk on how to approach the Bible. I also introduced reading materials I brought with me, among them, GCI’s Discipleship Series, sermon notes, and Speaking of Life transcripts. Lastly, we had the annual pastoral advisory council meeting in which we shared the importance of accountability. We audited the books and encouraged appropriate counting and storage of money. While I met with the pastoral team, Mark coordinated various work projects, which necessitated walking over the mountain range about five times! Mt Wilhelm now has running water for the showers and flush toilets in the orphanage.

Mark and I are very aware that we were accompanied on the trip by the prayers of the church. I told the church in PNG that we do not come alone. So many people contributed in different ways to the trip—we are truly grateful for their support.

Innovative outreach

Anthony (“Tony”) Caputo, pastor of GCI’s congregation in Lakehurst, NJ, is “practicing what he preaches” about outreach, utilizing a rather innovative approach to connecting with unchurched people in the community where the church meets. Here is what Tony wrote:

As I work as an Uber driver, I try to be friendly and start some conversation. Depending on the passenger and the tone of the conversation, I often mention that I pastor a small church. If the person asks questions or otherwise expresses interest, I invite them to visit our church.

So far, a daughter and her mother have begun attending as a result of one of these invitations. Just recently I picked up someone else who expressed interest in attending. I would appreciate prayers that Jesus will lead me to more such “divine appointments.”

Updates from the Philippines

Here are links to updates on recent GCI events in the Philippines:

God loves everyone (atheists included)

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Through his incessant trashing of Christian beliefs, German philosopher Frederick Nietzsche (d. 1900) became known as the “ultimate atheist.” He claimed that the Christian narrative, particularly with its emphasis on love, is the byproduct of decadence, corruption and vengeance. Rather than admitting the existence of God, his now famous statement, “God is dead,” proclaimed the death of the very idea of God. His goal was to see traditional Christian belief (he called it “old, dead belief”) replaced with something radically new. He said that upon “hearing the news that ‘the old god is dead,’ we philosophers and free spirits feel illuminated by a new dawn.” For Nietzsche, the new dawn was a society of “joyous wisdom”—a place free of repressive beliefs that set narrow limits on people’s joy.

How should we relate with atheists?

Nietzsche’s philosophy has motivated many people to embrace atheism. Even some Christians endorse his teachings, thinking they condemn a form of Christianity that operates as though God were dead. What they fail to realize is that Nietzsche found the idea of any god absurd and any form of faith foolish and hurtful. His philosophy is thus contrary to biblical Christianity, though that does not mean we mock him or any other atheists. Our calling is to help people (atheists included) understand that God is for them. We fulfill this calling by living in a way that exemplifies for others a joy-filled relationship with God—or as we say in GCI, we live and share the gospel.

You’ve likely seen posters or bumper stickers that mock Nietzsche (like the one above). What these fail to account for is that during the year before he lost his sanity, Nietzsche wrote several poems that seem to indicate a change in his perspective on God. Here is one of those poems:

No, come back, with all your torments!
All the streams of my tears run their course to you.
And the last frame of my heart – it burns up to you!
Oh come back, my unknown God! My pain! My last happiness.

Misunderstanding God and the Christian life

It seems there is no end to the false representations of God that fuel the fires of atheism. God is falsely represented as vindictive, restrictive and punitive, rather than the God of love, mercy and justice revealed in Jesus Christ, the Savior who invites us to abandon the life that leads to death to embrace the new life of faith in him. Rather than one of condemnation and repression, the Christian life is one of joy-filled participation in the ongoing ministry of Jesus, the one who said he came not to condemn the world, but to save it (John 3:16-17).

To understand God and the Christian life rightly, it’s important to understand the distinction between God’s judgments and condemnation. God makes judgments not because he is against us, but because he is for us. Through his judgments, God is pointing out the ways that lead to eternal death—ways that block fellowship with him by which we receive, by grace, his many benefits and blessings. Because God is love, in judgment he stands against all that is against us, his beloved.

While human judgment is often meant to condemn, God’s judgments show us what leads to life compared to what leads to death. His judgments enable us to avoid the condemnation due to sin or evil. God sent his Son into the world to conquer the power of sin and to rescue us from its bondage and its ultimate result, eternal death. The triune God wants us to know the only real freedom there is: knowing Jesus Christ, the Living Truth who sets us free.

Contrary to Nietzsche’s misconceptions, the Christian life is not a narrow one of repression. Instead, it is a joy-filled life of living in and with Christ, by the Spirit. It involves participating with Jesus in what he is doing. I personally like the explanation that some give using a sports analogy: Christianity is not a spectator sport. Of course, some even misinterpret this to push people toward working for their salvation. There is a big difference between working for salvation (which puts the emphasis on us) and participating with Jesus, who is our salvation (which puts the emphasis on him).

Christian atheists?

Perhaps you’ve heard the term “Christian atheist.” It speaks of those who profess belief in God but, not knowing much about him, live as though God does not exist. A sincere believer can become a Christian atheist by ceasing to be a fully-devoted follower of Jesus. They can become so consumed with activity (even activity labeled as Christian) that they become part-time followers of Jesus—more focused on activity than on Christ.

Then there are those who, believing that God loves them and that they have a relationship with God, see no need to participate in the life of the church. In holding that view, they (perhaps unwittingly) reject being incorporated into and living as a member of the body of Christ. While they may trust God for occasional guidance, they don’t want God taking charge of their lives. Like the poster at right, they want God to be their co-pilot. Some even prefer that God be their flight attendant—merely providing what is asked for from time to time. But God is no co-pilot, and certainly no flight attendant. God is our pilot—he gives the directions that lead to real life. In fact, he is the life, the truth and the way.

Participate with God in the fellowship of the church

God calls believers to join with him in what he is doing to bring many sons and daughters to glory (Heb. 2:10). He invites us to participate in his mission to the world by living and sharing the gospel. We do that together as members of Christ’s body, the church (ministry is a team sport!). No one person has all the Spirit’s giftings, so all are needed. Within the fellowship of the church, we give and receive from one another—we build each other up and strengthen one another. As the author of Hebrews admonishes, we do not neglect coming together in community (Heb. 10:25), we join with others in doing the work to which God has called us as a community of believers.

Enjoying real, eternal life with Christ

Jesus, the Son of God incarnate, sacrificed his life that we might have “real and eternal life” (John 10:9-11, The Message). This life is not about guaranteed riches or good health. It’s not about always being free of pain. Instead, it’s about knowing that God loves us, and having forgiven and accepted us, has adopted us as his child. Rather than a restricted, narrow life, it is a life filled with hope, joy and assurance. It is a life of becoming what God intends for us to become, through the Spirit, as followers of Jesus Christ.

God, having judged evil, condemned it at the cross of Christ. Therefore evil has no future, and all history has been set on a new direction in which we, by faith, can share. God has not allowed anything to happen that he cannot redeem. Indeed, “every tear will be wiped away,” for God, in Christ and by the Holy Spirit, is “making everything new” (Rev. 21:4-5).

That, dear friends, is the gospel, and it is very good news! It tells us that God does not give up on anyone, even when they give up on him. As the apostle John explains, God is love (1 John 4:8)—love is the nature of his being. God never stops loving us, for to do so, he would be contradicting the essence of who he is. Therefore we can be encouraged to know that God’s love includes everyone who has ever lived or will yet live, and that includes Frederick Nietzsche and all other atheists. We can hope that as God’s love reached out to Nietzsche, near the end of his life he experienced the repentance and faith God intends and provides for all. Indeed, “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Rom. 10:13).

Loving that God never stops loving any of us,
Joseph Tkach

Pastor transitions

Here are reports of two recent pastor transitions—one in the United States and one in Australia.

Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA

Congratulations and thanks to Pastor Earl Jones (pictured below) who recently retired after serving for 11 years as Lead Pastor at The Carpenter’s House, GCI’s congregation in Fayetteville, NC. Members and friends gathered recently to give Earl a surprise retirement party.

Melbourne, Australia

On June 24, Mooloolbark Christian Fellowship (GCI’s congregation in Melbourne, Australia) hosted a special service to mark the (partial) retirement of the congregation’s Lead Pastor Randall Bourchier and the installation of his successor, Matthew Gudze. The service was conducted by Mission Developer John McLean. According to John, there was “a wonderful, positive ‘vibe’ in the room,” as the group honored the contributions of Pastor Randall and his wife Mary and rejoiced in the installation of Pastor Matt. The hall was packed with members from congregations around the state, including many youth and representatives of the local and state governments.

As seen below, as part of the installation service, outgoing Pastor Randall “passed the baton” to incoming Pastor Matt. Instead of a relay baton, Randall passed a conductor’s baton—an appropriate symbol considering the musical talents of both families.

L to R: Pastor Randall, Sandra, and Pastor Matthew

According to John McLean, Pastor Randall and his leaders were creatively and innovatively involved in locally pioneering many aspects of church life through GCI’s transitions—from worship, to team ministry, to community involvement by the congregation as a whole. During the celebration, John gave a brief history of Randall’s ministry, highlighting his service to the Mooroolbark community. Pastor Randall took the opportunity to reflect on his and Mary’s many years in ministry and gave thanks for the people they had gotten to know and serve with over the years.

Both Randall and John mentioned how the transition had been in God’s perfect timing, with both pastors ready for new challenges. Matt and Sandra thanked Pastor Randall and Mary for their service and wisdom in preparing for the hand over, and expressed their joy that Randall would be continuing with part-time ministry in teh congregation.

Ordinations and installation

We are pleased to announce five ordinations and a pastoral installation. Congratulations to all!

Winston Gyimah was recently ordained an elder to serve GCI’s congregation in Camberwell, England. The ordination ceremony is shown in the picture below.

(L to R): U.K. National Director James Henderson, Winston, Pastor Barry Robinson and Winston’s wife Julie

Andrew Gahadzikwa (pictured at right), who serves one of GCI’s congregations in Zimbabwe, Africa, was ordained an elder in June. The ceremony was attended by 120 people.
James McIvor was ordained an elder in Glasgow, Scotland on July 9.
Fraser Henderson was installed on Pentecost as pastor of GCI’s congregation in Smith Falls, Ontario, Canada. In the picture below left, Fraser is flanked by his wife Julie with their daughter Hazel, and by Bill Rabey, the congregation’s outgoing pastor who will be pastoring GCI congregations in Ottawa and Montreal (English speaking). Sharon Bell and Kevin McCready, who also serve the Smith Falls congregation, were ordained elders in the same Pentecost service. In the center picture below, Sharon stands with her husband Don (at far left) and Pastor Bill Rabey. In the picture below right, Kevin (at far left) stands with his wife Audri along with Sharon and Pastor Bill.

Miracles of healing

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

In our culture, the word miracle is often used rather loosely. For example, if a quarterback completes a 60 yard-long Hail Mary pass into a crowded part of the end zone to win a game, the TV commentator will likely praise it as a miracle. Here’s another example: ailing Dodger outfielder Kirk Gibson won a game in 1988 by hitting what was said to be a miraculous walk-off home run. Being highly unlikely, his hit was certainly entertaining, but it was not a miracle.

A miracle is a supernatural event that goes beyond the productive capacity of nature, though as C.S. Lewis notes in his book Miracles, “miracles do not…break the laws of nature.” When God performs a miracle, he intervenes in natural processes to do something only he can do.

*Healing of the Blind Man* by Bloch
(public domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Unfortunately, Christians sometimes embrace false ideas about miracles. Some say, for example, that there would be more miracles if more people had faith. But history shows otherwise—though the Israelites witnessed numerous miracles from God, they lacked faith. As another example, some say all healings are miracles. But many healings do not fit the formal definition of a miracle—many are the result of natural processes. When we cut a finger and it heals gradually, a natural process God designed for the human body has occurred. This natural healing is a sign (a demonstration) of God’s goodness as our Creator. However, if the cut heals instantaneously, we understand that God has performed a miracle—he has intervened directly and thus supernaturally. In the first instance we have an indirect sign and in the other a direct sign—both pointing us to the goodness of God.

Unfortunately, some who claim the name of Christ abuse and even fake miracles to build a following. You see this sometimes in what are called “healing services.” But such abuses of miracles are not found in the New Testament. Instead we find worship that is about faith, hope and love for God, looking directly to him for salvation that comes by way of the proclamation of the gospel. However, abuses of miracles should not diminish our appreciation for genuine miracles. Let me tell you about one I witnessed. I joined others in praying for a woman whose virulent cancer had already eaten away some of her ribs. She was receiving medical care, and now was being anointed, asking God for a miracle of healing. The result was that she became cancer free and her ribs grew back! Her doctor told her, “This is miraculous. Whatever you are doing, keep doing it.” She explained to him that it was not her doing, but God’s blessing. Some may claim that her medical treatments put the cancer at bay and the ribs grew back on their own, which they can do. But that would have taken a long time, and hers quickly returned to normal. Because her doctor said that her return to health was “not explainable,” we conclude God intervened and performed a true miracle.

Believing in miracles is not necessarily anti-science, and looking for natural explanations does not necessarily indicate a lack of faith in God. When scientists propose a hypothesis, they run tests seeking to falsify it. If their attempts at falsification fail, the hypothesis is strengthened. Thus we understand that looking for natural explanations for what might seem to be miraculous is not necessarily a refusal to believe in miracles.

We’ve all prayed for the sick to be healed. Some were delivered immediately and thus miraculously while others recovered slowly and thus naturally. In the case of those healed miraculously, it does not seem to have depended on who prayed or on how many prayed. The apostle Paul was not healed of his “thorn in the flesh” despite praying three times. My point is this: when we pray for a miracle of healing, in faith we leave the means and the ultimate outcome to God. We trust him to do what is best, knowing that in his goodness and wisdom he takes into consideration factors we cannot be aware of.

Praying for a sick person to be healed is one of the ways we show love and compassion for those in need, joining Jesus in his faithful intercession as our Mediator and High Priest. Misunderstanding the instruction in James 5:14, some may be hesitant to pray for a sick person, thinking that only church elders are authorized to do so, or that somehow an elder’s prayer is more effective than the prayers of friends and family members. It seems that James’ intent in telling church members to call on the elders to be anointed when they are sick was to make it clear that elders, as servants of the people (and not lords over them), must make themselves available to those in need. Biblical scholars see in James’ instruction a reference to Jesus sending out his disciples in pairs (Mark 6:7), who then “drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them” (Mark 6:13). [1]

When we pray for healing, we must not think that our task is somehow to persuade (or otherwise condition) God to act according to his grace. God’s goodness is always freely given! Why then pray? Because through prayer we participate in what God is doing in the lives of others, and in our own lives as well, as God prepares us for what he will do according to his compassion and wisdom.

Let me add a note of caution: When a person comes to you asking for prayer concerning a health issue, and they say they want to keep the request private, their request for privacy should always be honored. People should never be made to think that their “chances” of being healed are somehow increased proportionate to the number of people who are praying for them. Such an idea reflects non-biblical, magical thinking.

In all our thinking about healing, we must remember that it is God who heals. Sometimes he heals through a miracle and other times he heals using the natural means he has placed within his creation. Either way, all the glory goes to him. In Philippians 2:27, the apostle Paul thanks God for having mercy on his friend and co-worker Epaphroditus who was deathly ill until God healed him. Paul does not mention a healing service or a particular power possessed by a particular person (himself included). Instead, Paul simply praises God for healing his friend. That’s a good example for us to follow.

Based on the miracles I’ve witnessed, and ones I’ve heard about from others, I’m confident God still heals today. When we are ill, we have freedom in Christ to ask anyone to pray for us and to ask the elders of our church to anoint us with oil and pray for our healing. It is then our responsibility and privilege to pray for others, asking God, if it is his will, to heal those among us who are sick and hurting. In all instances, we trust God for his answer and timing.

Thankful for God’s healing,
Joseph Tkach

[1] Though GCI does practice anointing the sick with oil for healing, it does not consider this practice to be a matter of obedience to a command (as is the case with the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper). For additional information about this practice and GCI’s understanding of the related instructions given in James 5:14, click here, here and here.

Author: GCI Media