10,000+ miles and counting

I recently shot this on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. It reminds me that there is a much bigger picture to all the madness transpiring in our country and that the eyes of the LORD still run to and fro throughout the earth.

Greetings, beloved brethren. I’m sorry you haven’t heard from me in a long while. Eric Trent and I, along with my daughter Bethany, have been on the road since Labor Day, and so far, it’s 10,000+ miles and counting. Currently, we are in California, and Lord willing, we hope to be back in North Carolina by Thanksgiving. Your continued prayers and support are coveted and much appreciated. 

I’ll try not to go into a much detail, but this journey has most definitely been fruitful. God has put Israelis into our paths here and there, and 8 sets of Hebrew Scriptures (OT & NT) have gone into Jewish hands. The greatest and most useful gift you can give to any Jew or Gentile these days is a printed copy of God’s Word. When the foundations have been destroyed, as they have in our country, the Bible is an anchor to which we can cling. Read Psalm 11 with Psalm 12. They go together wonderfully and speak directly to these days in America!

We gave this lady in a Salt Lake City mall copies of the Hebrew Scriptures back in March. This time, she had a new employee, and he listened as I spoke of the Messiah. He also received the Scriptures.

We did have an interesting and unexpected encounter in Billings, Montana some weeks ago. We decided to check out a podunk shopping mall right before it closed, although all mall stops had been major strikeouts with Israelis up to that point. We had come to believe that most had gone home during the COVID-19 madness and that those opportunities were now a thing of the past here in America. Against all human odds, we prayed in the parking lot that God, who knew our prayer before the foundation of the world, would do a miracle and somehow give us an encounter with a lost sheep from the House of Israel, something we had not experienced since preaching at a campus back in South Dakota. Lo and behold, we met two Israelis who recognized us first. You see, we had given Tal and Dor gift bags containing the Hebrew Scriptures at a mall in Salt Lake City back in March the day before all the malls shut down. They remembered us and talked about still having those things we had given them, including the Bible. I had been meditating on Leviticus 16-17 recently, especially in view of that week’s Yom Kippur on the Jewish calendar. Leviticus 16 contains instructions for the Feast of Atonement, and I find it interesting that almost all the verbs are associated with the high priest. He does all the work, and for the people it is a day of rest. The few verbs associated with the people concern responding to the sacrifice and receiving it. Then, in Leviticus 17, God makes it very clear that the people of Israel are not to offer up their own sacrifices in their own places, but God’s way through the high priest at the door of the Tabernacle. And 17:11 is very clear: only the blood can make atonement, no works or rituals or religious exercises. Only blood can atone for the soul. 

The mall was closing, so I just stood there and preached these things to our audience of two and spoke of how Messiah is our High Priest and only His blood can atone for our sins, what the shedding of blood of bulls and goats foreshadowed, and that like the people of Israel in Leviticus 16, we are called to respond to that sacrifice and receive that work of the High Priest in faith. The Day of Atonement was never about working to establish our own righteousness; it was always about resting and receiving what was done on the people’s behalf by the high priest. I went on to explain how we have a worse disease than Covid could ever be and that the blood of the Messiah is the only cure. Thanks to some believing friends from Israel who provided me with a great Hebrew tract concerning this. I printed off some before this trip and was able to share them with Tal and Dor as a follow up to the material they had received from us back in March. Please pray the Lord uses it. Tal seemed very open and acknowledged that he didn’t understand why Israelis do so many things on Yom Kippur that are not in the Bible. He also agreed that although many Israelis claim to be atheist, all these are still afraid of God, particularly on the Day of Atonement. It was a great and unexpected interaction. Some time later, we actually ran into the young lady again down in Salt Lake. She said, “That Covid pamphlet you gave me was very interesting.”

I have said it many times, and I will say it again. One of the best things about a ministry focused on the Jew first is that when you aim the Gospel at Israel, you are always going to reach Gentiles. That has certainly proven the case again: We have been able to preach on 8 university campuses, as well as a few street corners here and there. Moreover, there have been lots of good one-on-one witnessing encounters, some in the strangest of places, some true divine appointments. Praise God that 11 English Bibles have gone into the hands of Gentiles open to the things of the LORD. It has also been a blessing to visit and encourage many believers along the route. Edifying the Remnant Body of the Lord Jesus Christ is just as important and essential as sharing the Gospel with the lost. It is just as much a part of the Great Commission.

One of our more memorable Gentile encounters happened way off the grid in extreme northwest Nevada along a dirt road called Bog Hot. We needed a place to camp for the night, having left southern Utah that morning. It was late, windy, and cold. Some investigation turned up a Bog Hot Springs not far off the route, so we drove out there and threw down our sleeping bags right beside a place where one could have a nice soak under an incredible night sky. The next morning, while sitting around a fire, a vehicle drove up. Two young men who worked at a truck stop not far away had come out to soak before going into work. As it turned out, Eddie was from Portland, Oregon and had recently moved out to the middle of nowhere. He had some very strange perspectives on the madness in Portland, speaking of how those people were protesting the police because they believed the human race had evolved beyond needing law enforcement. I tried real hard not to laugh or mock this nonsense in the course of the conversation because Eddie did have something going for him, something that is even rare amongst those who call themselves Christians. You see, he openly acknowledged that he had made bad choices in his life and that the consequences he was suffering with his failed marriage and custody battles involving his children were his fault. He refused to classify himself as a victim. We had a nice talk out there in the desert, and it was obvious that the LORD had us right there in that moment for that young man. He took a Bible and gave us a big hug before leaving that morning. We then got one more soak in the hot creek and took off down the road. Please pray for Eddie. He was a nice young man in need of Jesus, and he made no excuses for his sin.

I could go on and on . . . really. But, like the Apostle John in his Third Epistle: “I had many things to write, but I will not with ink and pen write unto thee” (III John 13).

Notwithstanding, as recently as yesterday, we enjoyed a great day of open-air preaching at a local flea market, on a busy street corner, and even inside a restaurant with the permission of the management where some “Amens” were uttered allow from a few tables. Thank you to Brother Ken Lightsey who made me a new preaching cross with a little Hebrew message on the back to catch the eye of any lost sheep from the House of Israel who might be passing by. You never know! It was great preaching with that cross in both English and Spanish yesterday. I love preaching the Gospel in another language.

Tomorrow, we head south to visit an unbelieving friend in Los Angeles. He knows the truth and has heard it from my lips before. Pray the LORD uses this visit in some way to convict my friend and draw him to the truth. Then, LORD willing, we will head east through the southern deserts with hopes of getting home in time to enjoy a great big Thanksgiving celebration with our local church, face-to-face and indoors. Again, your prayers are much appreciated, for continued opportunity to declare and proclaim the Gospel in these dark and troublesome times.

Now, I am purposely not going to comment or rant about the bogus election. God still rules in the kingdoms of men (Daniel 2,5). If you follow me on Facebook (I presume I won’t be on there much longer as they have been censoring me lately), you know my position. However, I would like to comfort and encourage you with some things the LORD has been reminding me about lately from the Scriptures.

First, I mentioned Psalm 11-12 at the beginning of this email. Let’s zoom a little further out and look at Psalm 10-13. Sometimes, you need to read the Scripture through a wide-angle lens or in landscape mode to appreciate a larger context. I find these Psalms, taken together, very enlightening, specifically during this election fraud madness:

Why, Lord? Where are you God? Such are the questions of the DOUBTER in Psalm 10. And yet, he doesn’t complain to men, he takes his complaints and doubts to the LORD, a great privilege won for us by the intercession of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 4:15-16). Who better to complain to than the LORD? Who better to pour out our doubts and questions than to the LORD? Don’t be afraid or hesitant to do so my friends. And when you do, be prepared for a gentle rebuke. Be prepared for exhortation.

Psalm 11 is a subtle REBUKE to the doubter of Psalm 10. It’s an exhortation for the one in despair because the wicked prosper and the righteous hide. Look, when the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do? Our foundations in this nation are demolished, my friends, and they may never be built back up again. There may never be another free or fair election in this country again, and we Christians may never need to even waste our time playing the fake game again. What can we do? The answer to this question is NOTHING. WE can do nothing. However, we can and should REMEMBER. The answer to Psalm 11:3 and, therefore, to the despair of the doubter in Psalm 10 is 11:4-7. We might not be able to do anything about all this injustice and madness and the lockdowns of our civil liberties and the trampling of the rule of law and our federal and state constitutions. But, we can remember something very very important and find strength therein: “The LORD is in his holy temple” (11:4), and payday for the wicked is a comin’ (11:6). Perhaps we should concern ourselves more with remembering and resting in eternal truth than trying to do something in our own power to fix this mess.

The doubter is in despair (Psalm 10). The doubter is subtly rebuked and exhorted to remember what he knows to be true (Psalm 11). Then, such an one is fed a most precious promise, a soothing balm (Psalm 12). Look, when the vilest of men (like the USURPER Joe Biden and his cadre of wickedness) are exalted in society, it is because the wicked walk on every side. The people are wicked and, therefore, the wicked rule over them and children are their oppressors. And yet, the LORD who sits in His holy temple PROMISES TO ARISE, to avenge the oppression of the righteous and the sighing of the needy. He will arise, for He said so; and He will put his people in safety when He renders payback. And here is the great promise: Unlike the lies, flatteries, and doublespeak of the Bidens of this world, “The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times” (Psalm 12:6). He will KEEP them, and He will PRESERVE them (Psalm 12:7). They will come to pass.

Then we come to Psalm 13, the GREAT OBJECT LESSON FOR US ALL. The Psalmist was in despair (10). He was rebuked and exhorted to remember (11). He was fed a precious promise (12), and now, HE HAS LEARNED HIS LESSON. The doubter of Psalm 10 is the doubter of Psalm 13. First, he asked WHY?. Now, he asks HOW LONG? And yet, as he carries on his complaint to the LORD, he suddenly pauses and changes course: Wait a minute! Hold up! Hey, “But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart SHALL REJOICE in thy salvation. I WILL SING unto the LORD, because HE HATH DEALT BOUNTIFULLY with me” (Psalm 13:5-6).

How precious is a righteous man who is teachable and has learned a valuable lesson, one who can speak of his promised future as if it is already done! That, my friends, is true faith; and true faith sails the sea of doubt, it sails the darkness of these days.

And so, let us complain to the LORD, let us hear His subtle rebuke, let us remember His eternal truth, let us believe His promise, and let us learn our lesson and speak of His future kingdom as if it is already done.

You see, landscape mode makes for some nice prints in the Word of God! May you find encouragement in these words today. God still sits in His temple, and He will arise. Payday is a comin’, and so is the Kingdom. As for that Kingdom, let me leave you with a second insight the LORD has been hammering in me as I study the Word:

The New Testament clearly teaches that the LORD’s coming for His Church is IMMINENT. If something is imminent, it is certain and yet uncertain. It doesn’t necessarily mean soon, but it does indicate a hanging over one’s head, like a unnerving snow cornice I photographed some weeks ago near the summit of Granite Peak, Montana’s high point.

If something is imminent, other things MAY take place first, but nothing MUST take place first. Since Pentecost, Jesus’ return for His Church that He spoke about in John 14:1-3 has been imminent. Paul the Apostle believed it would happen in his lifetime (see “we” in I Thessalonians 4:15). The Thessalonians believers were afraid they had missed it or would miss it. The early church Fathers expected it. In fact, amongst the earliest Jewish followers of Yeshua, there was an Aramaic password of sorts that the heathen would not understand. This password, MARANATHA, petitioned the Lord’s imminent coming. This watchword even came to be used later among the Gentile believers (cf. I Corinthians 16:22). Sometimes we say it, but do we even know or understand what it means?

In Philippians 3:20, the believer is reminded that his primary citizenship is in heaven, from whence we should “look for” the Saviour. The verb translated “look for” is a very strong compound word in the original language that conveys concentration on one thing to the point of disregarding other things. If Christ’s coming for His Bride is IMMINENT as the Scriptures teach, and if we are to be concentrating upon it in such a way that we are willing and able to disregard things of lesser importance, then we must ask ourselves:

What are we disregarding, O LORD, as we look for Your coming?

Maybe we need to start with terrorist news media, Twitter, and Facebook. 

One writer put it this way: “The best preparation for our LORD’s return is the faithful performance of our present duties in the furtherance of His cause.”

Our present duty here at Full Proof Gospel Ministries is the FREE DISTRIBUTION of printed copies of God’s Word, the PUBLIC PROCLAMATION of the Gospel message, GOING into all nations to reach the Jew first and also the Gentile, and MOBILIZING local churches and believers to invest in Jewish missions. Be it President Trump or Usurper Biden, Jesus is still King, and our marching orders are the same.

BE LOOKING UP, BE LOOKING OUT FOR, and BE PATIENTLY AWAITING!

Just like this snow cornice hanging over the Granite Peak route on the bottom right, Christ’s coming for His church is hanging over our heads. It is IMMINENT.

Hey, along this arduous missionary journey, I recall two special moments involving messages left for me by folks I had no clue we had somehow meaningfully impacted. One was a drawing from a young man who inconspicuously sat listening to our preaching all afternoon on a college campus. The other was a note I found attached to my vehicle at a trailhead in a national park. I pray these will encourage you. You never know when the LORD is at work in the hearts of other people. For privacy purposes, I have blacked out the personal information. Just these two instances alone have made the 10,000+ miles and counting worth every single click.

Our regular monthly support has been down these past few months. Your prayers for God's provision are much appreciated, especially as we are out here on the road. If the Lord should lay it upon your heart to give something financially to this ministry, all contributions are tax-deductible and can be made online. Thank you in Jesus' name.