the blessed hope
The Blessed Hope of the Believer has compelled us to take the Gospel from one uttermost corner of the earth to the other.
Greetings, beloved brethren--"them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours" (I Corinthians 1:2). These are dark and troublesome times; these are the latter years; these are the last days. Like the church at Corinth, are you waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 1:7)? Do you love His appearing? The Bible says a crown of righteousness is laid up for all those that love His appearing (II Timothy 4:8).
Soon, the Lord will come to rapture His Church. Then, "shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be" (Matthew 24:21). Praise God that the Church has been delivered from the wrath to come (I Thessalonians 1:10). We are not promised deliverance from the wrath of men or the wrath of the devil. Even now, by these we are troubled on every side. But, what's coming is the WRATH OF GOD poured out upon this world. And, from that, the saint has been promised deliverance--as Enoch was delivered, as just Lot was delivered. In a day when many professing Christians reject the Bible and it's testimony concerning what is right and what is wrong, let us be those that publish the Word (Psalm 68:11), that preach the Word (II Timothy 4:2), and that tremble before the Word (Isaiah 66:2). Then, "because thou has kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth" (Revelation 3:10).
Jesse Boyd preaches Christ in the open air at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks (Sept., 2015).
The rapture of the Church is the BLESSED HOPE of the believer (Titus 2:13). And, those that TRULY understand it and wait for it don't wait passively; they don't sit back with a talent buried in the earth. No, those that wait for the coming of our Lord, that love His appearing: they OCCUPY until He comes (Luke 19:13). To occupy, my friends, is to preach the Gospel, to build up the church, to carry out the Great Commission. As the days grow darker, as the time gets shorter, as the Lord's coming to snatch away His Church draws ever near . . . lift up your voices like trumpets, quit you like men, cease not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.
Back in December of 2013, during my ever-so-slowly-plodding exegetical study on the Book of Revelation, I preached a two-part miniseries on the Rapture of the Church, a biblical doctrine. If you are interested, you can find those podcasts here:
As for my overall exegetical study of this oft-neglected last book of the Bible, it continues. Back on Sunday, October 4th, I preached message #69 from Revelation 11:5. How appropriate was this passage in view of what recently transpired at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon. When our children are raised and educated to be sheep, they act and react like sheep, even to the slaughter. But, those of us who are born again in Jesus Christ are no longer sheep going astray. Don't be sheeple! Preach the Gospel loudly; declare with boldness Jesus' words in John 19:11 in the face of those who hate you; and effectuate Proverbs 24:10-12. Praise God for the testimony of the martyrs in Roseburg, Oregon, for the testimony of the faithful martyrs in Iraq and Syria. If called to do so, will we follow in their footsteps, or will we cower in fear like sheep? Will we be willing to give our lives to save others, like the young man who took seven bullets, or will we just stand there quivering in our boots and do nothing? Anyway, the Studies in Revelation series is free and available HERE, or you can subscribe on iTunes.
Many Christians, even some who faithfully preach the Gospel, are guilty of what I call reactionary theology. Because so many claim to follow Jesus and yet love the world and wallow in it, some faithful react and begin to preach salvation as something other than a free gift. Because so many mock the grace of God and use its liberty as an occasion for the flesh, some faithful react unto legalistic works. Because many who have "prayed the prayer" never bear fruit that remains, some faithful react and claim that a genuine believer can lose his salvation. Because Israel is so secular and adamant in its rejection of Jesus the Messiah, some faithful react and doubt God's promises concerning the nation are literal, a doubt that often metastasizes into unbiblical and dangerous Replacement Theology. Because so many lukewarm Christians boast in the Rapture and just sit back just living their lives somewhere, some faithful react and conclude that the doctrine must be wrong, believing all sorts of lies about its origin. Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater, my friends. Beware of reactionary theology! Build your theology upon the Bible and not an angry reaction to all the lies, deceit, and fake Christians in the church.
We here at Full Proof Gospel Ministries preach Christ crucified, buried, and resurrected--salvation that is free "unto all and upon all them that believe" (Romans 3:22). We preach a biblical salvation that inevitably bears fruit (II Corinthians 5:17) and is secure in Christ Jesus (John 6:39). We love Israel and seek out opportunity "to the Jew first" (Romans 1:16), praying for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6) and believing that God will surely fulfill all of His promises to the nation. And, we believe, preach, and cling to the BLESSED HOPE of the believer--Christ's coming in the air for His Church, an event that could happen at any moment. And, it is by this HOPE that we batten down the hatches and throttle into the face of the coming storm, laboring with all our strength to take the Gospel to the uttermost part of the earth that "when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming" (I John 2:28).
So, what has this looked like of late?
back to alaska
Shawn Holes preaches about biblical love at the University of Alaska--Anchorage.
Back in September, I spent two weeks up in Alaska. It was a fruitful time of ministry alongside Shawn Holes and Ken Lightsey, two dear brothers who have come to Nepal in times past to help FPGM with its work there. I hadn't been in the Great Land since back in 2009 when I completed my North to Alaska bicycle ride. It was a joy to return and re-sow in some of the same places we preached before, to re-visit some of the dear brethren that the Lord put into our path on that journey, and to tag some new territory. The two short weeks were very busy. We preached the Gospel twice on the campus of the University of Alaska in Anchorage and twice on the campus of the University of Alaska in Fairbanks. It's almost funny, you can preach the cross, the love of God, salvation that is a free gift in Jesus Christ; you can sing hymns about this glorious salvation; you can hold a cross and use a single sign with a single word--LOVE. You can do all these things, and the mockers and campus Christian groups still front the same three tired and worn-out accusations:
They are yelling at people.
They are telling us that we are all going to hell.
They are saying that God hates fags.
Of course, none of these things are true, God knoweth; and it would be nice to hear something original once in awhile. Notwithstanding, the Gospel was declared, and in this is the victory; in this is the effectiveness. Why is it effective? Because God says so (I Corinthians 1:18-24). A real good way to tell if a professing Christian from one of these patty-cake campus ministries is a real Christian is to observe their response to the preaching of the cross. If they see it as foolishness and come up against it, interrupting the Gospel with hackneyed platitudes about what is "effective," preaching the Gospel "without words," and "turning people away," blah, blah blah . . . then, according to the Scriptures, these are perishing. But to those that are saved, the preaching of the cross is ALWAYS the power of God and a source of encouragement and great joy. Rejoice, my friends, at the preaching of the cross; and never cast a stumbling block in the path of those preaching it, even if the method involves something you are not comfortable doing. Never cast a stumbling block in the path of those preaching the cross. That is so wicked. It really is sad to see some of these professing Christians with groups like The Crew, Chi Alpha, Younglife, YWAM, etc. deceived into thinking that they are actually serving God by coming up against the preaching of cross and linking arms with atheists and homosexuals in a disdain for Gospel preachers much like what is described in Revelation 11:9-10. I suppose the day will even come when these will kill us and think that they do God service (John 16:2). Still, "the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God" (I Corinthians 1:18). Overall, our time on the campuses was good. There were many great conversations; there were solid Christians who were genuinely encouraged; a surprising number of Gospel tracts went out; and we were privileged to be joined by some local brethren, including a pastor and a brother that I met on my bicycle ride back in 2009. Interestingly, an article showed up in the University of Alaska-Fairbanks school newspaper, The Sun Star, concerning our visit. Yeah, students were quoted making the aforementioned worn-out and false accusations; but the Gospel got printed in there. My words were quoted accurately, and it was the straight-up Gospel of Jesus Christ. Praise the Lord. The title was also great. Listen, if you preach the Gospel and it doesn't cause a stir; something is wrong. The Book of Acts and the Epistles of Paul are a clear testimony to this. Here is the link, if you are interested: Preachers Visit Campus, Cause a Stir.
Engaging Students at the University of Alaska--Fairbanks
Fellowshipping with some Russian Believers
Too bad none of the numerous Christian students much encouraged and stoked by the preaching on their campus were quoted in the above article. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. One young man, a youth pastor from a local Russian church, passed by with his wife and infant child. They were so excited to hear the Bible being preached there in the plaza. This encounter ultimately resulted in a group of solid Russian believers coming together in a home overlooking the taiga to feed us and listen as we exhorted them unto boldness in these dark days. It was a special time of fellowship with Brother Oleg, Pastor Andrey, and some solid believers. And, the Borscht was mighty tasty.
During our time in the Far North, we also went as far north as you can go in Alaska. Barrow (a community of about 5,000 people, mostly Eskimo) is only accessed by flight, and it is the northernmost town on the North American mainland. No roads go in or out of Barrow, and big commodities arrive once a year by barge. A desire to preach the Gospel at "the uttermost part of the earth" (cf. Acts 1:8) compelled us to fly up there and see what the Lord would do (just as I had opportunity to do back in 2006 in Ushuaia, the world's southernmost city at the bottom of South America).
Enroute, we had a 4-hour layover in Prudhoe Bay, the place where I finished my bicycle ride back in 2009. It was cold and blowing snow, but we walked around the oil-company compounds and shared the Gospel as we found opportunity. One young lady working at the coffee shop in a local hotel had never ever heard the Gospel. She listened and took a tract. Please pray for her salvation. On two occasions, we hitched rides and shared the Gospel. And, we visited the post office and general store so I could see my old finish line again. Of course, the shop was stocked with many needful supplies one can use when staying and working in such an inhospitable place. And, I guess the oil companies consider porno a "needful supply." On an aisle sandwiched between the boots and the long underwear was a full rack of porno, right there in the open. Sheer profundity. Of course, we crumbed it with Gospel tracts. I was sad to see that my picture with my bicycle and holding the "Jesus Christ is God; the Bible is Absolute Truth" Christian flag was no longer displayed on the post office bulletin board. It probably had a short stint up there because of the Gospel message. Oh well, I never thought I would get to go back to that place.
Prudhoe Bay, 2009
Prudhoe Bay, 2015
Barrow, Alaska
In Barrow, the weather was horrible, and the weekend flew by. But, we had a glorious time and that despite the local prices--more expensive than anything I have ever seen. I used to think Israel was the most expensive place on earth; my how my opinion as changed: Gas ($7.50/gallon); a loaf of bread ($7.97); a beef rib roast ($258.98); a box of Life cereal on sale ($9.11); orange juice on sale ($18.43). Wow! Praise God for Pastor Darryl Serino and the kind believers of Calvary Bible Baptist Church. The put us up in the church; and we enjoyed a time of teaching and encouraging them on Sunday. The fellowship was sweet; and it was good to see a light burning for the Gospel at the end of the earth. That fact alone, as we saw it with our own eyes, is proof the Jesus Christ keeps His promises. In Acts 1, He told His disciples that they would be witnesses to the uttermost part of the earth, thereby signifying that the Gospel would go to the ends of the earth and have a testimony there. And so, it has come to pass, even in a spiritually dark and depressing place like Barrow. God always does what He says He is going to do, no exceptions. And, He always reserves unto Himself a faithful remnant.
Brother Ken preaches to kids on the streets in Barrow.
One night, Brother Ken and I did some preaching on a lonely street corner in Barrow. We did this in faith as there was virtually no one out; and we thought our only audience would be the devils, powers, and principalities lingering about. Amazingly, Eskimo children and teenagers came out of the woodworks to see what the white man was talking about. Almost instantly, we had a small crowd gathered around and asking questions. It was beautiful; and those kids were so polite and respectful, quite a contrast from the university campuses. They all took Gospel tracts and even gave us a round of applause when the preaching came to a close. The next night, we had opportunity to go on a radio station that broadcasts 88,000 square miles across the North Slope Borough and to all the Native villages scattered about where people don't have much else to do but listen to the radio on a cold and dreary night. Basically, the Sunday evening broadcast is an extension of the evening service at a local Presbyterian Church. The pastor says a few words, and then people sign up for ten-minute slots to share a testimony, sing a song, or whatever. A brother from Calvary Bible Baptist took us over and put our names on the sign-up sheet. When the time came, we showed up, not knowing what to expect and prepared to preach the Gospel with boldness even if it got us run out of the place. Surprisingly, as Brother Shawn preached from Romans 1, as I followed up concerning the biblical definition of a Christian, and Brother Ken concluded with fire, brimstone, and tears for the lost, the place erupted into "Amens," and those gathered, including the Presbyterian pastor, were energized, blessed, and much encouraged. It was a great time; and we trust many heard across the North Slope that night.
Of course, we couldn't go to Barrow without walking out to Point Barrow, the northernmost point of land in the United States. Pastor Serino let us use his Ford Explorer for the weekend, so we drove through an Eskimo fishing village as far as the trudged-up road would allow us and then parked on the tundra. We had been told you needed a permit to go out on that Indian land, but there were no signs, so we chanced it. We had also been warned about polar bears, so we made sure to pack some heat. It was a long 3-mile slog out there on spongy ground with whale bones and walrus carcasses scattered about. Some folks did drive up on ATV's, and the first question they asked us is if we had a gun for protection against bears. It was ominous and comical at the same time. Finally, the land ended and we literally stood at the top of the United States. I attached a Gospel tract to some nearby weather equipment; we sang a few songs; and then slogged the 3-miles back to the car . . . all in wind, rain, and snow flurries. Of course, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to go for a swim in the Arctic Ocean. I don't even need to tell you that it was cold.
This is as far north as you can walk in the United States.
Swimming in the Arctic Ocean
Pastor Wendell Brower, Wilderness Village Baptist Church (Anchorage, AK)
Other highlights of our time in Alaska included a day in Denali Park, preaching at the downtown bus station in Anchorage, exhorting some Korean believers at a weekly Bible study, preaching in downtown Seward, and laboring with the pastor and brethren of Wilderness Village Baptist Church, a native congregation that meets right across the street from a famous strip club in the capital city. Shawn, Ken, and I all taught and encouraged the brethren; and Pastor Wendell joined us on the streets in downtown Anchorage and at the university campus. I was so encouraged by this humble man of God who truly loves the Word of God, and I was blessed by the humble people of his flock who love the Lord. Pastor Wendell is actually from Barrow; so it was fun to preach and witness up there in some of the same spots where he used to do so. Once again, I was confronted with the blunt truth that God has a remnant in many places. Despite the darkness of the days and the growing hatred of the Gospel in America and overwhelming apostasy of the churches, we have no excuse to mope like Elijah. God has His remnant. "O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches" (Psalm 104:24).
Brother Shawn Holes wrote a good summary of our time in Alaska on his ministry website. Here is the link: Luke 10:2 Ministries October, 2015 Update. It will bless you; Shawn is a good brother and a faithful soldier of the cross.
Thanks to the many brethren in Alaska who opened their homes and churches to us during our time up there. Not once did we have to stay in a hotel. One brother in Anchorage even gave us his F-250 Diesel truck to use for the entire two-week period. Such hospitality was amazing and should convict us all to be more like the first Christians in Acts 4:32-37.
Oh, I almost forgot . . . two more encounters up in Alaska were unexpected, and I was glad to find myself prepared. In Anchorage, I actually ran into a Nepali-speaking Bhutanese refugee and an Israeli woman. To the former, I gave a Project Jagerna Nepali Gospel of John and shared the Good News of Jesus Christ with her in her language. She was shocked and blessed. Please pray for her salvation. Then, there was Diana who was running a local falafel stand. As it turned out, she is the daughter of a Jewish man, Avi, that I met and witnessed to up in Anchorage six years ago. Her mother (i.e. Avi's wife) is sick these days with lung cancer. So, I offered to pray for her mother right there; Diana began weeping and was so touched. Please pray for divine healing for this daughter of Abraham. Her name is Sebra. Pray also for the salvation of this family in Yeshua Ha'Messiach. Praise God, Diana gladly received a Hebrew New Testament.
israeli tourist season in nepal
Well, Brother Ricky recently finished things up in Ladakh as the Israeli tourist season there came to a close. After Team Yeshua returned to the United States, he spent a few weeks making preparations for next year, sowing seeds amongst the last Israelis to trickle through at the summer's end, and distributing Project Jagerna Scripture portions to the Nepali speakers. He also found peace and quiet for some much-needed rest. Now, he is back in Kathmandu where the main Israeli tourist season there just began (typically October-December). Unfortunately, the earthquake and recent political troubles have drastically affected the tourism, but he has found opportunity nonetheless. Recently, he relayed this report:
I've apparently started a ministry to drug addicts! Strangely, the past several Israelis that I have talked to here in Kathmandu have been drug addicts. Tonight, I listened to a guy argue for a good price on cocaine. He couldn't get it cheap enough, so he moved on and I sat down at a restaurant with him and some of his friends for dinner. . . What a crowd! As I sat and talked to them all about Jesus, one guy who claimed to be a lecturer on metaphysics told me that the Bible can't be trusted. Hmm . . . I'm thinking: "Here's a crack head telling me what can and can't be trusted!" When I called him a "straight-up liar," he got irritated and told me that I know nothing. I do believe one of the other guys was seriously listening to the message though. He made sure to take a Gospel tract even though the metaphysics guy didn't want me to give them out. Be careful out there folks! You never know what your "lecturers" do while they're not on stage. I do know, however, where this dude got his metaphysics material:)
A little more than a week ago, Christian Parks, one of the team members from this summer, arrived in Nepal to help Ricky and FPGM out for the next several months. He was so excited to return to South Asia, and we were excited to help him get back over there. Giving young people such opportunity is one of the greatest joys that I find in ministry. Anyway, Ricky had this to report back on October 2nd:
Praise God, Christian Parks made it to Nepal last night. We walked all the way across town today so he could get his bearings in Kathmandu (there's also no gas, so driving isn't really an option). We spent a couple hours witnessing in the tourist area and shared with two guys from Mali that play professional soccer for the Nepali Soccer League. We also witnessed to an Australian, an Argentinian, a Russian, and an American. And, my favorite was an orthodox Jewish couple from Israel! For about 45 minutes, we stood with this couple going through many prophecies and arguments about the Messiah and who He REALLY is. Christian immediately noticed the crazy weird phenomena of "the veil" covering their eyes every single time the Scripture was quoted. A guy would come to sell us something, a procession of instruments would suddenly appear drowning out our voices, a goofy Hindu festival parade would crowd the street and shove us out of the way, drums would start pounding and distract us ... I haven't seen the veil raise up so intensely while witnessing to a Jewish person in quite a while. If you ever witness to a Jewish person (especially the older generation from what I've seen), you will suddenly see all kinds of weird stuff halt your conversation the very second you bring up Christ or turn to a Messianic prophecy. Please pray for this couple. They seriously took in all we had to say about Jesus and they backed off of their objections each time we proved with Scripture that the rabbis are wrong. It really was an enjoyable encounter. I love sharing the gospel with the Jewish people. It's just plain fun! Glory to the risen Christ!
Christian Parks distributes Gospel material at a Hindu Festival in Kathmandu.
On October 7, Ricky again posted:
Over the past week Christian and I have been out preaching in a few different locations around the city of Kathmandu. This gas shortage is really making it difficult to get around though. I'd really like to leave the Kathmandu valley and do some earthquake relief/hit the Israeli hotspots but I'm not entirely sure if we'll be able to get back to Kathmandu! Please pray for us. So far we haven't had any problems from the extremist Hindus that have been threatening all of the missionaries in Nepal. The only problems we've had were from old white males. One of them yelled at us like a child and told us not to be preaching this $*%# to the Nepalis because Nepal is a Hindu country. I just laughed and responded, "Maybe we're here because apparently you hate Jesus more than these Hindus do! Europe and America rejected Him so we came here!" America and Europe have so clearly turned away from God. They don't even tolerate the name of Jesus anymore. Nepal is full of demons and demonic manifestations. But, seriously, the name of Jesus seems to stir up the "white devil" here much much more than the local gods. Please also pray for those that we are sharing with. We've had many conversations with Israelis here. The other night we sat for over an hour with a Jewish couple that was very interested in hearing about "this Yeshua and the New Testimony (New Testament)." Gal, Uriah, Lea, and Tal are some Jewish people you can pray for today.
Please pray for Brother Ricky Springer and Christian Parks in Nepal. Pray that the Lord will send the Israelis; pray for many opportunities in a time of political instability and societal commotion. I recently spoke with Bishnu Shrestha, our national partner and faithful co-laborer in Nepal for many years; and he urged us to pray for the country. The border with India is closed, and commodities are not coming into the country. Petrol for private vehicles is no longer available. Cooking gas and food shortages are piling up. In Kathmandu, authorities have imposed limitations upon who can drive. Odd-numbered license plates can be on the road one day, and then even-numbered plates are allowed on the road the next day. In my opinion, it's all political thuggery as India is unhappy with the Nepal Constitution drafting process and is trying to force its influence on the people by stirring up trouble in the Terai and then using that trouble as an excuse to close the borders and thereby squeeze Nepal into doing its will. Wicked. Something similar happened years ago, and the borders were closed for a whole year. Basically, it's hard to do anything over there right now. I was prepared to send some funds for printing 20,000 Gospel tracts and some earthquake relief monies this past week, but Bishnu told me there is no point, just to wait. Please pray that this situation diffuses soon and that doors for ministry open back up. Poor Christian, he just arrived in Nepal to help us out; and now he has been properly introduced to the country of problems. Hard times; please pray for our missionaries and national partners in Nepal.
Funny . . . FPGM's motorbike recently got stolen, but thanks to the prayers of God's people and some sleuthing by Brother Bishnu, we miraculously got it back. Now, it stays parked because there is no fuel. Interesting times.
earthquake relief in nepal
Back on April 25, 2015, a terrible earthquake rocked Nepal that, along with some powerful aftershocks, killed more than 9,000 people and injured more than 23,000. By God's grace, many American brothers and sisters in Christ gave to FPGM for earthquake relief. With these funds, we have endeavored to do two things:
Minister FIRST to specific needs of individual believers and village churches
Ensure that all provision, whether to the lost or to believers, is accompanied by the bold preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and free distribution of the Word of God in the Nepali language. No humanitarian outreach without Gospel outreach!
FPGM is a small ministry, and we are perfectly content to keep it that way. Yet, working with Brother Bishnu, we have already been able to contribute and spend more than $14,000 on the ground. Back in May, Ricky and I also labored first-hand in the hard-hit districts of Rasuwa and Dolakha; and the Gospel went out in abundance along with rice, blankets, cooking oil, etc. The monsoon rains pretty much put a halt to these things for the summer; and many have been forced to live in tents and under tarps waiting for dry weather and safe opportunity to rebuild. Now that the monsoon has ended, specific needs, particularly in areas where there are pockets of believers, are presenting themselves. It is our desire to exhaust FPGM's Earthquake Relief Fund by the end of the year, so we have some work to do. And, make no mistake, there are many needs and many who need to hear the Gospel. This fund is still open if you would like to contribute; and rest assured that no effort will be put forth without the clear and bold preaching of the Gospel. And, believers will be given attention first. You can donate to Nepal Earthquake Relief HERE; and all contributions are tax-deductible for American citizens.
Notwithstanding some of the recent political problems surrounding the Nepal constitution drafting process, Bishnu was able to get out and do a relief run in the Ramechhap District. Ministering to the needs of some believers and other villagers in that remote place unveiled one big need that we might be able to meet with the rest of our relief funds. We are praying about it even now, and as soon as the fuel shortage passes, Bishnu, Ricky, and Christian will be returning to this place to follow up. Anyway, Bishnu's report from his recent work out there is quite encouraging.
Dear praying friends and families, greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Praise God, for He is faithful and loving. Yes, the Lord helped us in every way during our recent trip to one of the unreached people groups, the Thami. He gave us safe travels and boldness to preach the Gospel among other people as well. We would like to thank you very much for your prayers. We had to book a truck after Manthali, the district headquarters of Ramechhap District. Loaded with 213 blankets and 210 kg of salt, the truck at one point almost slipped over the cliff as the road was very slippery and soft. In other places, the road had a lot of landslides and was trodden by the monsoon. However, the engine kept roaring up and up to its limit. Then, 13 porters from the Thami tribe helped us to haul the relief materials to the next mountain. The Lord provided us a place to stay and a quake-hit family fed us parched corn that evening. That family was living in a cow shed. The life was miserable there.
The next morning, 200 people, one person from each village family, gathered in a school. There, I preached the Gospel to them through an amplifier and every family got a blanket, 1 kg of salt, and the Salt of the Gospel for their soul. Praise God for the open door, and that's how we welcomed the new constitution of Nepal which kept Nepal a secular state with "religious freedom."
We had a great trip even though there were some difficulties. We kept remembering Romans 8:28 as the host of leeches attacked us in the trail down to and up from the creek. We had to put some stones down just to cross it. The leeches were so many that we could not even stand for a whole minute in a place. We had to literally run up the mountain with our backpack on. The Lord gave us the strength. We had taken some rock salt to make the leeches fall from our shoes and legs. Finally, the salt ran out and we found a dry house to get rid of the leeches from our legs. Then the Lord brought a Thami woman, a kind of woman leader of the village of Kattike. She ignored us at first, but the Lord brought her back to us as her task did not work out. So she came back to talk to us and we preached to her and her friends for over an hour. The Lord turned the miserable situation into a blessing for her and an awesome opportunity for us to preach Jesus. Indeed, God was in control. We would not have met her if there were not so many leeches to make us run. God works in a way beyond our imagination.
Next, we hiked down to a village of Badahare to meet few believers. They hosted us and we preached to a family there. Also, we had a fellowship at night to those few believers. It was so good to meet those believers in that corner. The following day, we hiked down to the road, fellowshipping with a brother from Manthali. He has been praying for 5 years to be able to go back to his own village of Majuwa and reach his own people as well as the Thami tribe. Please pray for Hari that the Lord provides for him to expand His kingdom in the mountains of Ramechhap and Dolakha districts. In these years, he tried to do many businesses just to suffer loss. Now, he wants to focus in the ministry in those mountains. Let us pray that he be sent (Romans 10:13-15). Also, there are few churches in that area, but they are in great need of solid teaching. So, we are planning to hold regular teaching seminars for the leaders there. We are really excited for more opportunities to serve the Lord northeast of Kathmandu. Please pray for that.
Please pray for Nepal. Yes, we now have a newly-drafted constitution, but some political parties from the southern plain area are not satisfied. So they have been protesting for 43 days and to support them, the India government had stopped exporting everything to Nepal. It is an untold blockade. If this situation continues, then we'll have to suffer a lot, that means no food, no petrol, no medicines, etc… We covet your prayers for the ministry, our earthquake relief efforts, and for the country.
In His field, Brother Bishnu (Romans 10:13-15)
Here are some faces of those recently blessed through FPGM's earthquake relief efforts in the Ramechhap District. Remember, no humanitarian relief without Gospel outreach!
Distributing Blankets to the Elderly
This Thami man was truly happy for the much-needed supplies.
Another Happy Thami Face
The children loved the comic books about Jesus.
This shepherd heard the Gospel.
a bangladeshi missionary in america
Brother James Roy, our national partner and a faithful co-laborer in Bangladesh that we have worked with for several years, is in the United States; and we have once again had the great pleasure of hosting him. Back in 2013, this brother was a bona fide missionary to America, and we traveled all over the place preaching the Gospel on numerous university campuses. Here's a short video documentary I made about those travels:
What a joy it is to again host Pastor James from Bangladesh at my table.
James has been with us for a couple of weeks with an intermediate week spent down in Columbia, SC with a local church, a jaunt that literally trapped him down there for a few days because of the recent terrible flooding. Together, we have had the privilege of exhorting the brethren in several of our supporting churches and of preaching in the open air together in downtown Charlotte and downtown Hickory. I also got to preach to his congregation, the House Church of Bangladesh, during one of their Friday evening services. It was a joy encouraging these precious persecuted saints in the Word, and how wonderful is technology that would allow me to address these brothers and sisters in Dhaka while sitting with their pastor in Claremont, NC! Pray for Pastor James and his church. Remember, we took a team of local pastors over to work with them this past Fall. Anyway, the church faces eviction from their meeting place because of wicked Catholics and Muslims working together to silence the Gospel and spreading lies. These also face threats from ISIS and other Muslim fundamentalists. Yet, they remain bold--preaching in the streets, distributing Bibles, and walking a cross. Recently, a pastor was beaten, but escaped with his life. Here is an article about this incident. Unless God does something, the House Church of Bangladesh and its slum school for girls will be without a meeting place come December. I am praying that the Lord changes the landlord's heart, but if not, that He will provide them with their own piece of property in Dhaka to build their own place. Let's pray about how we can help in this matter. Also, they are distributing an average of 500 Bibles per month in Dhaka, a city of 16 million people, mostly Muslims. They continue to need help purchasing copies of the Word of God.
James preaches in downtown Charlotte, NC.
This past weekend, the entire team that went with us to Bangladesh last Fall accompanied me and Pastor James to the Oktoberfest Festival in downtown Hickory. There, we preached Christ crucified in the open air, right beside the police tower (quite a contrast from 2008 when my brother and I were arrested there for distributing Gospel tracts). I was blessed to see Jame upbraid my wicked city and declare the glorious good news of the Gospel. Some stopped to listen; and Gospel tracts did go out. So many, however, are apathetic and consumed with confusion of face, a judgment from God already upon this nation. Notwithstanding, we continue to labor in the Great Commission; and praise God for foreign missionaries like Pastor James who come to my country and to my town and do what most American Christians will never do.
James preaches Christ crucified at Hickory Oktoberfest.
In a few hours, my family and I will be hitting the road with Pastor James as we have planned stops over the next two weeks in Missouri, South Dakota, and Minnesota. We will be exhorting the brethren in a few churches, preaching on university campuses, and visiting James' daughter who is currently living with some folks up in Duluth. On October 24th, my family will fly back to North Carolina while James flies back to New York City and then back to Dhaka on November 6th. For two weeks thereafter, I will be heading as far west as Boise, Idaho on a campus preaching circuit. Your prayers and support in all these things are much appreciated and will surely be rewarded.
Will you pray for us? Will you come alongside of us? Will you hold the ropes? Maybe today, our Lord will come for His Church. Dear saints, we have that BLESSED HOPE. And, it's that BLESSED HOPE that compels us to keep preaching. Maranatha.
Jesse Boyd, President
Full Proof Gospel Ministries