zerayim
Greetings, beloved, in the name of the Jewish Messiah, Jesus the Christ:
Thanks for your prayers this past weekend. We conducted a very important FPGM Board of Directors Meeting that resulted in some personnel changes and a more defined focus for our future work. It was a big day . . .
. . . but also a bit of a sad day as both Dr. Terry Hall from Chinquapin, NC and Madison Currin from Chase City, VA officially retired as FPGM Trustees and rotated off our Board of Directors. These two men had been with me from the very beginning. I remember the days when we would meet in the old kitchen at Living Word Baptist Church in Creedmoor, NC, working together to draft the ministry Constitution and discussing how to expand the Gospel work into foreign lands. Then, we brought Brother Hoefer on board. Brother Hill came some time later. That was a long time ago. Anyway, without these two men, I would not have had adequate accountability in the very beginning of this work, when it was needed most. Over the years, these sacrificed a lot of time, gas, and miles to drive long distances for our meetings and dealt with the same heartache I did in trial, tribulation, and in the face of failed commitment and betrayal. Terry and Madison, you will be greatly missed.
Prior to officially accepting the resignations of these men last Saturday, their voice was included in the decisions to bring in new accountability and to define the future course of this ministry, voices that had been earned and were needed. We were thereby blessed to have Brother Ronnie Graham of Claremont, NC and Pastor Brandon Gwaltney of Harmony, NC nominated and elected as Trustees to the FPGM Board of Directors to fill the vacancies Pastor Terry and Brother Madison would be leaving behind.
Brother Ronnie and his wife, Debbie, have faithfully supported this ministry from its inception. Madison Currin and his wife, Roslyn, were the first to start sending monthly support in 2004. A few weeks later, the Grahams started doing the same and have continued ever since. It was only fitting for Mr. Graham to slide in and take the spot from which Mr. Currin retired. This brother, a faithful deacon in the biblical sense of the word at New Testament Christian Fellowship (one of FPGM’s key sources of local church support), is a true servant, not ashamed to sow seeds of the Gospel, and far from a yes-man.
Many years ago, Brandon Gwaltney was actually a tenth-grade student in the English and Word History classes I taught at a local Christian school. His wife was in my ninth-grade Health & Physical Education class. It was a dark time in my life when I walked away from a ministry opportunity, actually believing that I had wasted a year of my life and had made zero impact on anyone involved. Years later, Brother Brandon saw me preaching in a public square at a festival in Taylorsville and made it a point to tell me how much his teacher had radically affected his life, in a way that the Lord used to ultimately bring him to salvation and call him into ministry. I was floored. God’s ways are not our ways, and you never know how He can use your service for Him. We stayed in touch from that point on, and I was privileged to preach a revival at his church over a year ago. He has since gone out with me on the streets and fell in love with outreach to Israeli kiosk workers in the malls. I had rejoiced to hear of how he had given out a Tanakh and a Hebrew New Testament on his own. Brother Brandon suffers from a permanent pulmonary disease, but remains as faithful and zealous for the Word of God as the day is long. He is wise beyond his years and a faithful shepherd over a local church flock that regularly supports FPGM. Moreover, the perspective born out of his infirmity is accountability we need.
After electing these men, it was beautiful for some moments to act together as one large Board (including existing, new, and retiring members) in consideration, discussion, and resolution concerning Divine Providences and what has clearly proven the Lord’s direction in terms of the future course of this ministry that started on a bicycle almost 15 years ago. FPGM, from day one, has always been about three major objectives: PUBLIC PROCLAMATION of the Written Word, PUBLICATION & MASS DISTRIBUTION of the Printed Word, and evangelism and missions TRAINING for local churches in the Revealed Word. And, the Lord has blessed us to carry out these endeavors on the streets of more than 250 cities and towns spanning all 50 United States AND in more than 40 countries spread out across 5 continents, AND on more than 125 university campuses, both at home and abroad. For those who have supported this work, this is your fruit. Back in 2013, in view of Richard Springer’s spiritual gifting and calling, we committed to make Jewish Missions A PRINCIPAL FOCUS alongside the three aforementioned objectives. And, out of this commitment, Team Yeshua was born. We saw two great summers in Ladakh, and an incredible time this summer in Peru. Many Israelis received a copy of the Word of God and were confronted with the Jewish Messiah. A whole lot of Gentiles from many nations also heard the Truth and received some form of the printed Word. Earlier this year, it sadly became impossible for Mr. Springer, our former missionary to the Jewish people, to serve any longer with us. The one for whom we had made a commitment to Jewish missions was gone, but we had made a commitment nonetheless, and Psalms 15 is very clear concerning a righteous man: "He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not” (Psalm 15:4). Therefore, we had no choice but to salvage Team Yeshua for this summer, and I agreed to take my daughter and be away from the rest of my family to lead a team that had lost its team leader. By God’s Providence, the time in Peru proved a testing ground and very instrumental in terms of helping us understand how to remain faithful to our commitment to Jewish Missions made nearly four years ago.
Since 2013, we have principally gone to the Gentiles in areas where we have invested work, engaging in opportunities for Jewish Missions along the way to the Gentiles. This past Saturday, in response to clear direction from the Lord in the Scriptures, through circumstances, and proceeding from godly counsel received from those who have followed this work for a long time, I laid out one final fleece, proposing that we flip the script moving forward:
Instead of going to the Gentiles and engaging in Jewish missions along the way to the Gentiles, it’s time to go to the Jewish people and engage in missions to Gentile nations along the way to the Jewish people.
I shared my heart and then recused myself, asking those who hold me accountable (both new and old) to give some direction. To make a long story short, the FPGM Board of Directors (including the new trustees, the men staying on, and the men rotating off) unanimously approved, in view of clear direction from the Lord, a change of principal focus, not a change in what we do but in how we do it and to whom we go first. My friends, Jewish Missions for us will no longer be A PRINCIPAL FOCUS alongside public proclamation, mass distribution, and training for local churches. Rather, it will be THE PRINCIPAL FOCUS with public proclamation, mass distribution of the printed Word, and evangelism and missions training falling under the umbrella of this primary objective.
In Acts 13:46, Paul & Barnabas made it clear “we turn to the Gentiles.” And, from that point, the greatest missionary of all time, went to the Gentiles, never, however, neglecting or overlooking the Jews that were put into his path. As for us, in view of the times, the paucity of laborers, and the sad negligence of the Gentile churches to take the Gospel back to a people who originally brought it to them, the time has come for FPGM to say: “We turn to the Jews.” And from here on out, we will go to them, never, however, neglecting or overlooking the Gentiles that are put into our path. And, the great thing about this strategy is that it will keep us in the places we have already invested work and NECESSITATE that we maintain our supportive partnerships with Brother Bishnu in Nepal, Brother Gulzar in Ladakh, and others in South America. Moreover, the printing work of PROJECT JAGERNA will continue, simply adding Hebrew Scripture portions to its repertoire of Nepali, English, Ladakhi, and Urdu languages.
A very needful aspect of Jewish Missions is getting printed copies of the Tanakh (Old Testament) and the B'rit Chadashah (New Testament), or some form thereof, into the hands of Jewish people where these can see for themselves the truth concerning Messiah. Outside of the rabbinic community, most Jewish people have never looked at the Scriptures for themselves, and they only hear parts of it when it is recited liturgically in the synagogue or during holidays and the weekly shabbat. Getting the Scriptures into their hands as a token of gratitude for God’s using the Jewish people in history to write down the Scriptures, while expressing said gratitude and declaring something along the lines of “My Gentile forefathers used to worship idols, but now I follow the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and live for Yeshua Ha’Messiach (Jesus the Messiah),” I believe, is the best way we can go about scattering, watering, and sowing seeds of the Gospel, that scarlet thread from Genesis to Revelation, amongst the Jewish people, and in these days of digital mania, amongst the Gentiles (e.g. Team Yeshua Peru went looking for Israelis but gave out more than 7,000 Spanish Gospel tracts and preached publicly to Gentiles all along the way). According to clear biblical prophecy, there are very difficult days coming for the people of Israel: the Time of Jacob’s Trouble, and white-hot divine wrath upon the Gentile nations. These times of great deception and great tribulation are at the doors. When the Wicked One steps onto the scene, the powers that be can and will flip the switch on all digital and public access to the Bible, effectively burying Truth in a time when it will be needed most. That is what makes the printed Word so important; it will be the only source of absolute truth that remains once the HE (i.e. the Holy Spirit) and the WHAT (i.e. the New Testament Church) who restrain the evil “be taken out of the way” (II Thessalonians 2:6-7). Now is the time for us to sow as many seeds of the printed Word as possible.
Moving forward, COLPORTAGE work (go look up that old word and the old Baptist Colportage Board that the Lord used in American history during very difficult and dark days; you will be blessed) will be PRIMARY. Instead of public proclamation, free distribution, and evangelism and missions training; it will be F.P.G.M. as we go to the Jewish people FIRST and also to the Gentile nations:
Freely distributing
Publicly proclaiming
Going to all nations
Mobilizing local churches to make Jewish missions at least a part of their Great Commission investment
I rejoice to announce that we will be partnering with the London-based Society for the Distribution of the Hebrew Scriptures (SDHS) and Light for Israel Ministries based out of Charleston, SC in colportage work amongst the Jewish people moving forward. Though the generosity of these folks and their love for the printed Word, we will have access to as many hardback copies of the Hebrew Tanakh (OT) and New Testament as we can give distribute. Hebrew/English, Hebrew/Spanish, Hebrew/Russian and others will be at our disposal. And, Light for Israel has already been supplying us with pen drives containing the Hebrew Scriptures (both OT & NT) to distribute to the Israeli backpackers on the trails in South Asia and South America. Lord willing, two whole pallets of Hebrew/English and Hebrew/Spanish Bibles will be on their way from England in the coming days. I started formal online Modern Hebrew classes with Light for Israel yesterday and will be continuing in this fashion indefinitely until such time that I am able to preach the Gospel clearly in the language of Jewish Israelis (i.e. as I am privileged to do now for Gentiles in Nepali and Spanish).
In two weeks, I will be driving to California and back, combing malls along the way and looking for Israeli kiosk workers. We have a supply of Hebrew Scriptures that need to get out before we receive the aforementioned pallets. My wife will be rendezvousing with me in Las Vegas where we will be privileged to spend a little time with full-time laborers who have faithfully worked with the Jewish people for years, picking their brains for strategy advice. The two of us will then be traveling together in California before she flies back out of Los Angeles.
In mid-November, Lord willing, I will be traveling to Kathmandu for a couple of weeks to train Brother Bishnu on how to host weekly Shabbat meals as a means to distribute Hebrew Bibles and communicate the Gospel with Israeli tourists who flock to Nepal for the trekking. Brother Bishnu called me some weeks ago and spoke about the desire he and his wife have for doing something to reach the Jewish people amidst their broader Great Commission work. He brought this up with me, not vice-versa. They are currently erecting a small building outside Ring Road on the outskirts of Kathmandu that will serve as a location for the local church he helped plant in his bookstore to meet (they have outgrown that store) and as a place to host village pastors who come into town for training and/or to secure Project Jagerna materials for evangelism that will be stored there (we are in desperate need for more safe and adequate storage for the Hebrew Bibles and the boxes of Nepali Scripture portions and Gospel tracts that we print for free distribution). The foundation is already laid, and the framework is ready to start going up once the monsoon rains abate. I believe they need about $15,000 to finish the work and we look forward to helping with this as the Lord provides. It will be a small building, and Bishnu has made it very clear that he wants it to be used on Friday nights to hosts Israelis for a free shabbat meal; and he has asked me to come and train him in how to do that. So, Lord willing, I will depart to do so as soon as possible. There are some incredible things also coming together for next year in the work of Jewish missions. We are looking at appointing some new missionaries and setting our eyes back upon South America. Our desire is to host two Team Yeshua’s simultaneously each summer, one in Ladakh and one in Peru. We will be laboring toward that end.
Your prayers and continued support are important. More than ever, we need faithful brethren to hold the ropes and get involved in an area of missions that has been sadly neglected by the American churches. The very first missions effort undertaken by the very first primarily-Gentile church (i.e. Antioch) was to the Jewish people (Acts 11). We need to remember that and at least make such efforts a small part of our Great Commission vision. God used the Jewish people to write down the Scriptures (Romans 3:1-2). The prophets were all Jewish; the apostles were all Jewish. The first New Testament churches were Jewish; the first Christian pastors were Jewish; the first Christian missionaries were all Jewish. It’s time for Gentile churches in these last days to make real efforts to give back to a people what a faithful remnant of that people first gave to our idol-worshipping forefathers. And, the Lord promises a blessing for these efforts (Genesis 12:1-3).
I have often said that there are two sure-fire ways to deal with financial problems in your personal life or in the life of your local church, two sure-fire ways that are biblical yet make absolutely no sense to the world. These make no sense because they are spiritual strategies. When funds are short, INCREASE your missions giving (see the example of the poor Macedonian churches in II Corinthians 8:1-8), for sacrificial giving in abundance of poverty produces the riches of liberality. Secondly, SOW IN THE WORK OF JEWISH MISSIONS, for God says it guarantees a blessing (Genesis 12:1-3; Psalm 122:6-9) and it brings our Great Commission vision into balance (see Romans 1:16 and the example of the Apostle Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles).
I trust you will find these developments agreeable, cause for rejoicing, and a motivation to continue supporting this work. We truly value your continued partnership and support as we follow the Lord’s clear leading.
Thanks to Dr. Terry Hall and Brother Madison Currin for all their years of service and for going out strongly with a voice in a very important decision. At the conclusion of our meeting, it was a joy to present them with a really nice token of our appreciation and to bless them and their wives with some time away together. These hand-crafted certificates of appreciation presented to these men read:
Know all men by these witnesses that Dr. Terry Hall / Joe Madison Currin Having faithfully served Full Proof Gospel Ministries as a valued member of its Board of Directors from August 30, 2005 until August 26, 2017; having consistently provided biblical counsel, accountability, and oversight with regard to the faithful carrying out of FPGM's purpose and mission under the authority of Holy Scripture; and having made full proof of his ministry is hereby acknowledged in the spirit of III John 5-8 and with eternal appreciation as a FELLOWHELPER & FRIEND Witnesseth our hand this 26th day of August, 2017.
Thanks to Robert Hill and James Hoefer for their help in all these matters and for years of faithful service that will continue.
From Left to Right: Robert Hill, Brandon Gwaltney, Madison Currin, Jesse Boyd, Dr. Terry Hall, Ronnie Graham, James Hoefer
Moving forward, we will be transitioning from FPGM (our legal name) to a new handle or dba: ZERAYIM COLPORTAGE BOARD.
F.P.G.M. will be our motto, as we embrace a 4-fold strategy (see above). This will be a slow process, and Full Proof Gospel Ministries will remain our legal designation. Tax-deductible contributions can be made to wither FPGM, ZCB, or Zerayim, and these will all go to the same ministry.
“Zerayim” is an English transliteration of the Hebrew word for SEEDS. Scattering, planting, and watering seeds of the Gospel is what FPGM has always been about since Day One, from the days of the coast-to-coast bicycles journeys. “Colportage" is an old word that describes the work of those who made the free distribution of the Printed Word a priority in their missionary endeavors. We have chosen to use “Colportage Board” as a tribute to the old Baptist Colportage Board that did good work during very dark days in American history that mirror the very days in which we are living. I encourage you to follow the link below and check out an excerpt from first-hand accounts concerning colportage work during the Civil War. While people are pulling down monuments and trying to erase history, and the lessons that go along with it, it would behoove us to repeat the very history that our spiritual forefathers made for the Word of God and the Testimony of Jesus Christ. You will be encouraged by this read (it’s part of a larger out-of-print work), and I trust you will find in it the motivation we found in shaping the future direction of Full Proof Gospel Ministries:
CHRIST IN THE CAMP, CHAPTER 5: BIBLE & COLPORTAGE WORK
Soon, we will be formally establishing a work whereby believers can donate their old Bibles that they no longer use to colportage work amongst Jews and Gentiles. Yes, we can purchase paperback English Bibles at the dollar-store with very small print to distribute en masse. But, there is something special about passing on a used Bible and the testimony that goes with it to someone who doesn’t have a copy of the Scriptures. We would like to receive these Bibles with a brief testimony about its history penned by you on the inside cover, and we will commit to get these into someone’s hands while clearly communicating the testimonies you submit. I had the privilege of giving away one of my old Spanish-English New Testaments that I have carried all over Latin America and have used while preaching in many public plazas. As I handed it to Fernando, a taxi driver we had hired multiple times over the summer, I communicated the testimony of that particular Bible and why I was choosing to give it to him. I asked him to remember where that Book had been every time he opened it and to consider how the Lord loved him enough to see that it eventually got into his hands. Fernando began to cry. It was powerful. Later, he sent me a text saying how much he appreciated the Bible and how that how we are forever in his heart and mind. He is very close to the Kingdom.
Fernando with my old Bible, his new Bible (Huaraz, Peru)
If you follow the above link, you will see how many widows, grieving mothers, and other believers donated personal Bibles to the colporters during the Civil War. The testimonies that went along with these Bibles were very instrumental in the salvation of many souls. We want to utilize and follow this example moving forward.
If you have old Bibles sitting on the shelf that you are no longer using, please consider donating them to FPGM, but not before penning a brief hand-written testimony on the inside cover about the history of that Bible and a personal word of encouragement to a stranger who will receive it. We will commit to getting it into someone’s hands and communicating the testimony you share very, very clearly. All old Bibles can be shipped to the address listed below, and we can acknowledge your gift with a FMV tax-deductible receipt (similar to what you get when you donate goods to Goodwill or other such organizations):
FPGM or Zerayim
P.O. Box 791
Conover, NC 28613
When I hit the road in a couple of weeks, I will be carrying some old Bibles and the testimonies that go with them. Lord willing, they will be passed on to someone who doesn’t have a precious printed copy of the Word of God.
Last, but not least, FPGM's current Trustee Board, myself abstaining, appointed my brother, Pastor Matthew Boyd, to serve as the ministry’s Vice-President. He will be acting as the face of accountability for all Team Yeshua volunteers and any appointed missionaries moving forward. He will be helping with media, moderating Board meetings, and working in some very specific ways to make sure that FPGM (future ZCB) is structured so as to ensure continued work if something were to happen to me. FPGM is not about Jesse Boyd, and it’s fate should not be tied to Jesse Boyd. Matthew will also be overseeing our colportage inventory and all LOCAL outreach, LOCAL colportage distribution, and LOCAL mobilization of Gentile churches here in North Carolina. Many years ago, Matthew and I were arrested together in downtown Hickory doing the work of Full Proof Gospel Ministries (me officially, him as a volunteer) on a public sidewalk. I had the great privilege of sitting in a jail cell with my brother and best friend. A local paper dubbed us “The Boyd Brothers” and called us “Locals of the Year” (whatever that means, there definitely was an element of mockery in the newspaper article). How fitting that The Boyd Brothers will be at it now in a official capacity, not just in Hickory, but all over the world, “to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16). Matthew is bi-vocational, has supported this work for a long time out of his business earnings, and brings a valuable stewardship perspective to the table. I am happy to have relinquished some authority and decision-making responsibilities in this work to a broader voice of accountability, and I look with excitement to the future as long as the Lord should tarry.
Hickory Daily Record (a liberal rag) article from 2008
Thank you for your consideration and prayers in all these matters. We look forward to your continued partnership.
- Jesse M. Boyd, President