Our bill with the new Transmission and Axle came to 1700 Euro or $1859.47.    Please pray that God will fill this need.New Transmission and Axle

I had a great time witnessing yesterday.  The conversation started as I was sharpening knives for my friend who owns a Turkish sandwich Shop.  As it is, he gives me a salad and I sharpen his cutlery.  The relationship has its roots in witnessing as well as learning Hebrew. 

As a customer came in with his son and future daughter-in-law, he noticed me putting the first grind on the knives. He immediately asked if I could sharpen his pocket knife. I quickly put an edge on the soft metal blade, giving him some tips and a rundown on the consistency of its steel.

After giving him his knife back, I showed him Pr 27:17 , “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.”  I pointed out that the Bible even mentions sharpening of knives.  With this, the conversation led into the need, we as humans have for companionship.  I soon learned of the nature of their visit to the restaurant.  The man’s mother was in the hospital without hope of recovery. I expressed my sympathy. As the conversation deepened, they noticed the embroidered cross on my shirt.

The father made the broad and very modern and popular statement that God loves everyone and all religions are in pursuit of Him.  I tenderly but unequivocally stated, “yein”/yes and no.  “John 3:16 says, “ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” 

I posed the question, “How important is free will?”  They answered, “Pretty important.”  As our discussion proceeded, we concluded that it is an absolute for love to exist and grow. The clarity of that was illustrated when I asked the future daughter-in-law if she loved her future husband and how long she would tolerate him, if he tried to take her free will away.  Her answer was, “not at all”.

I then asked them: “What is love and what causes one to love.”  These questions, almost universally, end with something cute or cuddly.  Yet If there is a mother in the room, she quickly cuts through the din and states; “a baby.” 

With a little prompting, they arrived at the conclusion that a baby causes any decent person to love, “But what is love?” I asked. Again, they were silent with befuddlement.  After letting the question sink in a while, I asked, “what would happen if there was a baby left over there in that corner and no one went to care for it?”.  They immediately answered, “It would die.”

I then defined sin as all that is against the wonderful gift of life and explained that we are all sinners.

It was then clear.  Life is the most valuable thing, we as humans have.  It is a gift from Him who is love.  He inspires us to protect His gift with all that we have; even our own lives. 

Jesus, gave us the ultimate gift:  his life, to redeem us.  All he asks, is that we repent and acknowledge, that we are destroyers of the gift of life, and believe the good news that His death and resurrection is our salvation.

I then prayed with the family as they were saying their goodbyes to a Mother and Grandmother this week.  Please pray that God’s word will continue to work.  The father grabbed my hand as they went out the door, stated that the time was not wasted, and sincerely thanked me for the conversation.

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Our church was broken into last night.  The perpetrators tried to force the back door and thereby warped the door, but didn’t gain access.  They then turned to a window through which they heaved a large stone with such force that it not only broke the window but shattered a lower cabinet door, across the room from the window, into splinters.

They then reached through the broken window leaving a trace of skin on a shard of glass.  They used our tools from our storage room to attempt to take the TV and its wall mount from the wall.  As the mount screws holding the frame to the wall are very long, they left the mount and took just the TV.  They also took our video projector, our newly installed LED pulpit light and about $8 in change, leaving through a side window.

Please pray that the police will find the thieves and that the insurance with fix the damages and replace what was stolen quickly.  All in all, no one was hurt.  It is just not the way you want to start a Sunday morning.

 

 

 

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There is nothing quite so nourishing to the soul of a Christian as seeing the light and excitement of a young disciple discovering a truth and growing in the faith of the Lord Jesus.   I love to see our two young converts grow in faith.  We will baptize them in a few weeks.  Yesterday was our first session after the two met with the Judge to determine their status as to whether they can stay in Germany.  Please pray for A… as his meeting didn’t go as well as R…’s meeting.  At the very least, A… needs prayer.  He is a sweet shepherd and the whirlwind of stress that he has been thrown into is often overwhelming.  Please pray that the Judge will decide in their favor.  Sending these two converts back to the middle east would be a death sentence for them.  Below is the graphic we designed for our first tract in Persian.

 



It illustrates Jesus preaching; "repent and believe the gospel" and Ephesians 2;8-9.  God's grace (Zeraphat) comes and brings salvation (Nejat) to those who repent (Tobe) of sin and believe (Eteghad) in Jesus the Messiah.

 

 

 

AlternatorJust got back from the mechanic with the bad news about what is causing our little car to sound like it has a an electric motor. The bearings of the alternator are shot. It must be replaced.  We looked at the cost of a new one and I needed to sit down.  It is over $500! Please pray that God will open up another option.  I really detest solid state.  It was so much easier when you could buy a kit and rebuild your alternator.  

This morning, at six, I received a “Whatsapp” from one of the workers at the Refugee camp.  One of the men that I have befriended and to whom I have been sharing my faith, was taken to the hospital.  He was in pain with low blood pressure, bleeding and severe abdominal distress.

This young father of three, left Syria to follow the promise of a new beginning in Germany.  His decision to leave was his family was based on the dangers of crossing the often treacherous Mediterranean in a rubber boat and his belief that he could quickly set up housing and the send money for his family to make a safer trip.

His family is trapped in Raqqa, where the French have been bombing ISIS strongholds and training camps.  He is beside himself with worry.  Please pray as I minister to my friend.  May God make a way to safety so that the whole family may come to know the Lord Jesus!  God is still a miracle worker.

Thanks for all your prayers.  The surgery went well and I was released at 10 today.  We are now at home nursing my sore belly.  The Doc says to take it easy; no lifting, shoveling or bike ride for the next month.