At a recent service, we discussed the incredible freedom that Christ has given us through the cross, which empowers us to be His hands and feet in His work on this earth. We also remembered the great responsibility that we have as wealthy Americans to wisely use all that God has entrusted to us, and talked about some awesome opportunities that exist to impact this world with the power of the Gospel. Here is some follow-up information about these opportunities:
The Seed Company
This branch of a much larger Bible translation ministry is on the move to reach their objective: "God's word for every language -- in this generation." They recognize the power of Paul's question in Romans 10, "How can they believe in the One of Whom they have not heard?" And they are good stewards of their resources; $20 translates one verse of scripture into another language. So, $60 buys a tank of gas, or it will put the Great Commission in someone's hands. $720 will buy an iPhone, warranty, and a month of service, or it will translate all of John 3 for someone who has never seen it. They also give you the opportunity to choose which project you would like to be a part of, and they give you specific help in how to pray for that project.
Compassion International
This is one of the most powerful, effective ministries for reaching those who are dearest to God's heart: the poor, the forgotten, the cast-aside, the children. As we discussed in church recently, $19 billion per year will provide for the basic needs of the world's poorest children. This is slightly more than the amount of money that Americans spend on ice cream each year, and significantly less than we spend on diet programs, makeup, or dog food. Compassion is committed to helping people like me and you chip away at this need to make it become a reality. For $32 a month, they will take your money and meet all of the basic needs of a child who might die without it. They provide food, clean water, an education, and the Gospel, and all in a very personal way. What's more, they will help you develop a personal relationship with each child you sponsor, and even help you arrange a trip to visit your child. There are currently over 800,000 children who's lives are being changed by Compassion.
Bibles Unbound
This is an awesome ministry of Voice of the Martyrs that began with a great idea: saturate the un-reached and/or closed world with scripture. Here's how it works:
Go to the website. Choose a location where you would like to send Bibles to (such as China or Indonesia). Then, for $6 per New Testament, Bibles Unbound will send you a copy of the NT in the appropriate language, as well as a shipping label and instructions. Then, you pray over the Bible, drop it in the mail, and that's it! Someone gets the scriptures in their mailbox, and authorities can't keep it all straight.
More coming soon...