Are You Anxious?

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? …Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:25, 34)

What is consuming your thought in these days? What is it that you seem to be focused on over? What is it that you are fearful that He may not provide? You might say, “I’m just being cautious,” but are you? What does your heart reveal?

Some people are so fearful, so anxious that they never go anywhere or do anything. Others are constantly on the move because they are afraid of staying still, fearful that they might miss something. You would think that those who have decided to go on a mission trip would be people of faith and thus not anxious.

But let me tell you something, the groups that I have led and been a part of are usually divided in equal parts: half filled with faith and half that are filled with fear. I don’t know which would best describe you, but if you are of the faith group then strengthen those that are weak. If you are of the fearful group then get close to those who are not and listen to the words of the One who is constantly saying “Fear not!”  

The fact that God is often saying, “Fear not,” means that He doesn’t abandon the fearful. Instead He calls them to go deeper and farther with Him. He invites them to join Him in a journey that He knows is fearful to them. He doesn’t tell them to stay home, but invites them to come along.

Walking with Him in a journey like this has a way of turning people that are generally anxious and fearful into people of faith. May this be said of you, and may it be evident in your life today. 

--Russ Sharrock

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"What is your dream and to what corner of the missions world will it take you?" -David Livingston

  

Asia International Mission is an IRS approved 501(c) (3) non-profit ministry. 

All gifts are tax-deductible and 100% of donations are used as designated

 

Strengthen Our Hands

“…so I sent messengers to them with this reply: "I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you... They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, ‘Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.’ But I prayed, ‘Now strengthen my hands.’” (Nehemiah 6:3, 9)

Let’s take a look at these verses and what they might mean for 21^st century Christians. First, here’s a bit of context: Nehemiah the Israelite was a servant of the King of Persia, who at that time ruled over Israel. Learning that the walls of Jerusalem were crumbling, Nehemiah asked for and received permission to take charge of rebuilding the walls and making the people safe from attack.

By this point in the story, Nehemiah's work was almost finished, and his enemies were getting worried. They tried to distract him from his work with offers and invitations. When Nehemiah turned down their requests they changed tactics, attempting to discourage the workers by telling them the job was too difficult and could never be finished.

But Nehemiah ignored them again, instead calling on God to strengthen him and bless his work. Can you see how this might have application today? These days, it’s easy to distract ourselves from the work we should be doing, even without spiritual or physical enemies plotting against us.

We can find something on TV or the Internet to fill our time, or give in to discouragement or despair, thinking, “How can we ever hope to eliminate a disease as widespread as leprosy? Come on, be realistic.” When that happens, believers need to just put their heads down, focus on the vital work to be done, and call on the Lord as Nehemiah did.

How would our lives be different if every time we faced distraction or discouragement, we prayed, “Oh Lord, strengthen my hands!” instead? You are “carrying on a great project” through your partnership with AIM. This is no time to lay down our tools.

Strengthen our hands, Lord!

--Russ Sharrock

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“When a Christian shuns fellowship with other Christians, the devil smiles.  When he stops studying the Bible, the devil laughs.  When he stops praying, the devil shouts for joy." - Corrie ten Boom

 

           

Asia International Mission is an IRS approved 501(c)(3) non-profit ministry. 

All gifts are tax-deductible and 100% of donations are used as designated

 

 

 

 

Seeing the Potential in Others

“Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." (Matthew 9:38)

When a job that is facing us is too big for any one person, we have a choice to make. Either we will jump in and try to do it ourselves or we will focus our efforts on getting others to join us. For most of us, we feel more comfortable doing it ourselves. Not only do we get a great sense of accomplishment, but we have control over our outreach.

Badu

Jesus spent time directly in ministry for sure, but a huge amount of His time was spent seeking out, investing in and training new workers that would be the foundation of the Church. In human terms, this effort looked silly and insignificant, but as we look back over the past two millennium we see the true power of sending others out.

Jesus prepared His disciples and a larger group that would form the nucleus of the Church through very regular activities. But it’s clear that He was always acting with this goal in mind. As you serve in your community, do you have that same perspective? 

Are you seeking opportunities to raise others up for service? Are you looking for those that might be powerful witnesses in your community and engaging them? What would your outreach look like if this was a main objective every day?

You might be a mentor to someone. Maybe you would seek to serve on a team rather than by yourself. Who knows, the key is to make investing in others part of your life of service.

--Russ Sharrock

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With dozens of new churches being planted each year, there is a great need for pastor and leadership training. AIM provides training conferences free of charge to church leaders in India where pastors and leaders have little access or resources to study the Bible. We offer teaching conferences, taught by qualified and experienced pastors and leaders. We offer periodic 2-3 day conferences on relevant topics for Christian leaders. We provide study materials, including Bibles and tracts.

Many times, Christians are called to serve the Lord, and yet they have no financial means to study and prepare themselves for service. Through our Timothy Scholarship Program, we help students through edification, encouragement, and financial support.

Criteria evaluated include financial need, educational achievement, personal character, and spiritual maturity. We help native students attend Bible College in preparation as pastors or for full-time missionary service.

If you would like to sponsor a Training Conference or send young men to Bible College click HERE now. Or you can send a check to:

                                                            AIM

                                                            PO Box 1597

                                                            Stillwater, OK 74076

Training Conference - $500

Bible College            - $300

Be sure to designate “Training Conference” or “Bible College” on the memo line. Thank you.

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Pray for the Unreached  Bedia, Hindu of India

Population: 465,000
World Pop: 502,000
Main Language: Hindi
Main Religion: Hinduism
Bible: Complete
Status: Least-Reached
Christ-Followers: Few, less than 2%

Asia International Mission is an IRS approved 501(c)(3) non-profit ministry. 

                              All gifts are tax-deductible and 100% of donations are used as designated