Veritas

In one of His most controversial statements, Jesus said, “I AM the Way and the Truth and the Life.  No man comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)

This means the Way to God is through Jesus, or not at all—an intellectual obstacle to those who cringe at the Deity and exclusivity of Christ.  And it is also counter to the universal belief that if our deeds are “good enough”, God cannot turn us away.  

God Almighty, Lord of the universe, is not a smiling Santa Claus in the sky.  We must come to God on His terms, not ours. His terms are Christ and Christ alone. This Truth prevented many notables such as Gandhi from becoming a believer.  Yet, it is the foundation of our faith. 

“Truth” in Latin is “Veritas”. 

Now turn your focus to Hollywood, USA.  Not the center of truth and morality—yet one of the greatest influences in today’s world.  Millions who never read the Bible eagerly follow the most intimate (and sordid) details of the lives of the stars, today’s gods and goddesses.  Many theological views are subconsciously biased by the deftly woven and distorted tales of films—beliefs about God, the life of Christ, Biblical accounts, angels, and life after death.  

Why has the Christian world surrendered one of the most powerful tools of communication to Satan?  What is anyone doing about it?

Kevin McAfee

One man has committed to changing these facts.  With truth.  We had the honor of meeting with Kevin McAfee last week.  He has spent the last 30 years in Hollywood and the entertainment industry, determined to influence films with truth and integrity.

For millions, Hollywood is the ultimate dream.  The capital of fame and fortune.  The secular solution to immortality.  Kevin went directly from the university to Tinseltown with the ideal of creating quality family entertainment,  but disillusionment came quickly.  His conscience was offended by R-rated films being shot in related corporate sets across the movie lot and so, he left for a season.

The next segment of his journey took him through years as a church Media Minister, then on to filming movies and documentaries that fulfilled his vision.  You may have seen:  “Last Ounce of Courage”, “End of the Spear”, “Beyond the Gates of Splendor”, and other Christian-based films. 

Most of us don’t stay to read film credits, but Kevin was producer/director of all of these and many more.  His accomplishments include years with Disney and Warner Brothers; music productions for Steven Curtis Chapman, Michael W. Smith, Carmen and other artists; plus involvement with several other films such as “Twister”, based on our state of Oklahoma and its furious tornadoes.

In January of this year, 2014, Kevin McAfee took a huge leap of faith.  He left his job and salary, and began working full time in his new venture.  His company will produce movies and documentaries for the Kingdom of God. 

True to Kevin’s vision, his company is called “VERITAS MISSION FILM ASSOCIATION”.  Truth.   He will have a brand new website up by next month where people can actually donate online.  As full time writer/director, his films will be based on “Courage, Character and Conviction.”

Aerial Filming over Rwanda

They will tell the stories of persecuted Christians and people groups around the world.  His first “Through the Valley”, was done in Rwanda based on the Tutsi genocide and will be released shortly.  His current documentary will be about the Killing Fields of Cambodia.  He is partnering with Dr. Heng Lim, who made a harrowing escape as a teenager with his mother and siblings, during the height of the genocide.

As background, Cambodia was in upheaval during the Vietnam War.  In 1975, the Khmer Rouge captured the capital city, Phenom Penh, and immediately evacuated all cities.  The people were sent on forced marches to work on rural projects.  Temples, libraries and all Western medicine and influences were destroyed.  Over a million souls were executed.

Khmer Rouge Victims

Out of a population of about 8 million, an estimated 2 million died from the executions, disease and starvation—25% of the nation.  20,000 mass graves became a blotch upon the land.  Skulls and bones of men, women and children are still a mute and ghastly testimony to the four terrible years of Khmer Rouge tyranny.

Kevin McAfee wants to tell their story.  Sometime in the next several months, as God leads, he will revisit the sites of Heng Lim’s ordeal and with Dr. Lim, interview other survivors.  He will take Teams with him for the filming, and to minister to the people around him. 

In talking with him, Kevin’s gentle, yet passionate discussion captivated us.  We are thoroughly impressed with the man, his vision and his integrity.  Kevin plays many roles in creating films, either as the executive producer, producer, director or writer for each movie. Lately he has been doing a lot of directing with Miles Hanon, and uses other film veterans on his teams to ensure the highest professional quality. 
 

Kevin McAfee needs your help and prayers.  First, for the finances; it will take $300,000 to shoot and produce a professional documentary.  The price of an upscale American house—to tell the untold stories of persecution, and impact millions of lives through professionally produced Christian media.  Please pray about our involvement in this venture—as AIM, and personally—and for YOUR contribution to changing the global impact of movies.

Veritas.  Truth.  What the world needs, desperately.  Not just in the abstract, but in the flesh—Jesus Christ. 

Pray with us, and with Kevin McAfee, for the fulfillment of God’s calling and purpose.  For the advance of His Kingdom.  Remember, millions of lost souls are at stake. If you believe the End Times are drawing near, then now is the time to act.  

--Alice Sharrock 

 Be sure to check out Kevin's website HERE.  And please pray about how God would lead you to support this most worthy endeavor.

Medicine and the Kingdom of God

"Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the Good News of the Kingdom and healing every disease and sickness."  (Matthew 9:35)

America is currently abuzz with debate and opinions about the new healthcare law.  Medical care is a basic human need.  From birth to our final hour, injury and disease assault us, reducing the quality of life--or snatching it away.  For all the debate, we still have one of the most advanced and accessible healthcare systems in the world.  No one is turned away from an emergency room.  This is America...

Dr Suji (on right) with Patient.

   

Turn now to India.  Along the teeming city streets, children huddle in the alleys. An old woman with a grotesquely broken arm begs at the traffic light.  A man limps by, his swollen left leg huge with parasitic elephantiasis.  In a remote rural village, children lie in the shade of a hut, burning with malarial fever.  A woman screams in childbirth, the baby arriving breech. Who provides their healthcare?  No one.

Medical care must be paid for, in cash, up front.  The poor have barely enough to pay for daily rice and nothing for healthcare.  Rural villagers must walk 30 to 100 miles for a doctor...virtually beyond the edge of their universe.  Frankly, the poor die.  It is their karma, and the upper castes feel no religious or moral obligation to interfere with the "divine order of things."

Please help AIM change this!  Your generosity enabled us to open the Sunshine Medical Clinic. Our hearts are broken when we visit the villages, since so many men, women and little children are afflicted with conditions that are easily treatable with basic medical care--yet they often escalate into life-threatening diseases due to neglect and poverty. 

So, Phase Two of our project will be purchasing a van for a mobile clinic to outlying villages.  The Mobile Clinic will operate on a circuit from Sunshine Clinic, supplied with equipment, medication and vaccines for those who never see a doctor. 

Our hearts are broken when we visit the villages, since so many men, women and little children are

Little Slum Girls

afflicted with conditions that are easily treatable with basic medical care--yet they often escalate into life-threatening diseases due to neglect and poverty.  What a wonderful chance to change lives!  And, to open doors for the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Whatever you choose to give will go toward these necessities:   A large, sturdy van to house the Clinic and travel to remote villages: $25,000 US.  The medical equipment will be approximately $2000.  Medications, bandages, vaccines, etc will be another $1000.  Each trip will cost $100 more to cover hiring a driver, nurse, petrol, etc. 

Remember, each US dollar goes a long way in India.  This is not only a humanitarian investment, but will reap eternal fruit for the Kingdom of God.  Someone once observed that it was difficult to listen to the Gospel if your stomach is starving; it is also difficult to believe in a loving God if your body is racked with pain, fever and infection with no hope of a cure.

--Alice Sharrock

Help AIM change lives, one child at a time!

             Please Help Now by clicking:

 

O you can send a check to:    AIM, PO Box 1597, Stillwater, OK 74076
Please enclose a note designating the funds for the:  Medical Ministry--Mobile Clinic

Thank you for your prayers that enable us to continue spreading the Good News to the unreached peoples of India. Thank you for your generous gifts that enable us to open doors into their lives and hearts for Jesus Christ.

 

Studying Their Bibles.

  Be Sure to:

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

The Deed is the Word

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if, as Disciples of Christ, we would set goals and follow through in achieving them? What would happen if each of us prayerfully considered the direction in which God is leading us, made that our goal, and took steps in faith toward its fulfillment?

Sometimes I wonder if we have created a false dichotomy for ourselves: evangelism over here and justice over there. We want to “win souls,” walk someone through the “sinner’s prayer,” and “save people from burning in hell.” While this is a decent attitude, it gives us the opportunity to set a goal for others and for God—but not for ourselves. The eternal salvation of others is not something we have much say in, and setting goals for others or for God is a frustrating exercise in futility.

So which goals are obtainable? Start by setting a goal you can achieve. How about getting to know your neighbor? As someone whose passion is getting to know immigrants, might I suggest investing in the lives of immigrants in your neighborhood? Help them practice their English or show them around town.

If you, like ourselves, live in a college town, get to know some international students. One day we met a young man named Sunil, who came from India to study for his MA at the University here. As we talked, he said to us, “I have been in America for two years, and I have never seen the inside of an American home.” Needless to say, we immediately invited him to our house for dinner. There is something like 50+ churches in the city of Stillwater, and yet not once had anyone made friends with him, nor invited him to their home.

A great way to get to know someone is to let them be the teacher and you are the learner. Ask questions. Learn a few words of their language. Ask about their culture. Ask about their foods and borrow new recipes. Let them know they are welcomed. (“…I was a stranger and you took Me in…” Matthew 25:35)

This goal will develop into a relationship. That relationship will transform into a friendship. Soon they will see how much you care, and they will want to know why. Your goal, your deed, becomes the evangelism. The deed is the word.

You can’t separate word and deed, evangelism and honesty. If you do, you create a gulf that will leave you wishing you could evangelize, but not doing much about it other than sitting in a pew on Sunday mornings. So, set some goals. Pray that God will lead you. Then, go do it!


--Russ Sharrock

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

 

Supporting Indigenous Missions

Our goal is to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with those who have never heard His Name. To date, millions of people in the 10/40 window have not heard the gospel of Jesus Christ. And Less than 10% of Christian giving is provided for missions to unreached people.

In contrast, most of the church giving today (general funds, funds for the needy, etc.) are spent within

2013 Christmas Service

first world nations. Christian churches build large facilities, and spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on music systems, air conditioning, cushioned pews and carpet.

While there may be nothing wrong with this, the faithful believer must always ask God to guide him/her to where true ministry needs to be done, and the wise use of the resources at our disposal. Isn’t it better to allocate funds for missions and evangelism?

In Hebrews 9:27 we are reminded that, "Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment…”

People all over the world are dying and going to hell. Is not missionary work the one task we cannot do once a person has passed away? And isn’t it better today, for cultural reasons and given the difficulty and expense of sending first world missionaries to third world countries, that God is now using local evangelists, missionaries, and pastors to reach out to indigenous and other developing world communities?

It is God's imperative to us to spread the gospel of Christ before His second coming. In fact, if mission support given to first world missions in developing countries is discounted, only 1% or less of giving is being used to support native missions.

Is this good stewardship? Are we prioritizing our resources the way God wants us to?

Native pastors are suffering great hardship. Their families often have only one good meal a day. Yet they go to new villages and preach the gospel, care for people, and befriend those who are in need. We hope to help them with only $40 USD a month. This amount allows the family to purchase their monthly supplies. The evangelist can then spend more time on the mission field.

 Tribal Village Women

There are many native missionaries serving in places such as the mountains of Odisha, like brother Bihit, where he and his fellow workers have been able to reach hundreds of Tribal villagers with the gospel and plant dozens of house churches.  We need to support these fine workers in the Lord.

Will you prayerfully consider being a part of this ministry? If you lead a church or are a leader in your home group or Sunday school class, please consider allocating finances to this project.  

                                     Partner with us in reaching the unreached for Christ.

Would you like to help raise awareness for the needs in India? We have begun scheduling this year's speaking engagements. Please email us to schedule a visit from a representative from Asia International Mission to share at your church, group or club!

Midwest: June & July
East Coast: Sept-Oct
West Coast: August

  Contact us at Here for more information or to schedule a date.

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

  

 

New Year, New Challenge!

January is the time we make resolutions—better health, better life, and even being a better Christian. Many of us know that we could—should—do more as individuals for world missions, but who has the time to take a Mission Trip, or the money?  The guilt of all those unreached souls gets pushed back to the “someday” file…

AIM is here to help you get involved!  Relatively painlessly, in fact!
 

We’re inviting YOU to join our “5-5-5 Challenge 2014”.  

It’s a 3-part challenge to help you make an even bigger impact on India for Christ in 2014.
This means: 
1.  5-Minute Challenge – Set aside 5 minutes (or more) a week to pray for the people group of the week listed on Facebook each Monday.

 2.  5-Friend Challenge – Share this challenge with 5 friends on your social networks and get them involved. 

3.  5-Dollar Challenge – Pledge to give $5 a month (or more) to support projects that impact the lives of the poor, and abandoned street children of India.

Think of it!  You become part of our Mission Team with little effort…but it is committed effort.  We

India has more unreached people groups than any other country.  It has more malnourished children than sub-Saharan Africa.  It has half the world’s leprosy cases—most of whom are shunned by society and pushed aside to survive in slum colonies.

India also has millions of gods, and millions of temples and shrines to them.  The people are in superstitious bondage to the demons, snakes, monkeys, trees and rocks they imagine have power over their lives. It grieves our hearts, and God’s.

So, we challenge you to give a small portion of your life and money to change this!  It’s time for the Kingdom of Jesus Christ to take back His world; for India to hear of The One Who loves them and died for them.
 

are praying that so many hearts will respond that, together, we can impact even more lost souls with the Good News than ever before.

Are You Ready for the Challenge?

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

The Real Story

Be sure to check out this video. It's awesome!

Why Thanksgiving Matters

One day Jesus encountered thanklessness while traveling along the border between Samaria and Galilee." The story is found in Luke 17:11-19.

“Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!"

Jesus is called aside by the plaintive shouts of men afflicted with a serious skin condition that present-day translators render as leprosy. Surely, they must have thought, if Jesus could cure the blind, heal the lame, and raise the dead, he had the power to help them too. They were already outcasts and had nothing to lose, so they raised their voices in desperate hope.

When he saw them, he said, "Go, and show yourselves to the priests."

The Master simply tells them to go to the priests, who were the first-century referees as to whether a healing had taken place. Any cure, according to the Book of Leviticus, would need the equivalent of a "seal of approval" so that the formerly unclean could be ritually restored to the community.

Will they go? How can they, since Jesus has done nothing outwardly to assure them of a cure? This, Henry notes, "was a trial of their obedience." How would they respond to the Lord's ambiguous command? Something in the reputation of Jesus, or perhaps in the way he looked them in the eye, encouraged them that they had met not divine indifference, but God's mercy, on the road.

“And as they went, they were cleansed.”

Note the progression: "And as they went, they were cleansed." The obedience precedes the healing.

“One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him-- and he was a Samaritan.”

Until this point, the 10 lepers had acted in concert: they had lived together, they had cried out

together, they had gone off together, and they had been cleansed together. Now, however, one peels off like a jet leaving formation and heads for Jesus. Whatever has happened, the man knows he has been blessed, and the blessing requires a response. First he sees, then he turns, then he praises.

And then, with the Samaritan still humbly at Jesus' feet, come three pointed, rapid-fire questions, which cast a shadow over the celebration.

Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?” Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?" Why did he need to be thanked?

Though he already had rewarded their obedience, he wanted something more. He sought their gratitude. "Gratefulness," Richard Emmons notes, "is a knowing awareness that we are the recipients of goodness." Didn't these nine men understand what God had done for them?

The nine who did not give thanks were not only rude, they were not in line with the truth of the universe; we are the recipients, not the creators, of goodness. In acknowledging this simple truth we ennoble ourselves. "God," John Piper says, "is the one Being in all the universe for whom seeking his own praise is the ultimate loving act."

Given that fact, praise is not an option. It is a joyful inevitability in a world designed and upheld by God. The only question is whether we will add our voices to the choir.

Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."

I wonder how the nine felt when the man, rising from his worship, finally caught up with them, telling of his grateful exchange with Jesus. They had missed the opportunity to deepen their joy by giving thanks.

Gratitude brings benefits in this world and in the world to come. The nine had their cure; the one who gave thanks had his cure, plus a relationship with Jesus. This Thanksgiving, let's remember that we are all the recipients of God's goodness.

--Russ Sharrock