Vol. XXXI No. 5 February 2010

Volume XXXVIII October/November 2014 No. 7

“I was in Prison...”

Below is a portion of an e-mail from Rev. Joe Omondi, our ministry partner in Kenya.

“Today we were able to minister to 246 inmates. We also had Bibles and tracts to give to those who gave their lives to the Lord. In the women’s prison here in Eldoret there are 39 children 4-years-old and younger, who live with their mothers.

Thanks for praying and giving us the support in the

prison ministry. Because of the supplies and spiritual ministry offered, the officer in charge gave us a letter for the prison headquarters in Nairobi so that in future we don’t have to request permission to minister but just call them anytime we are ready. We are humbled for the open door to the prison, and touched by your love gift to the inmates today and in the past. Thanks for being a blessing to this course. Kindly accept our gratitude for the support.”

Thu. Oct. 23 7:00pm Bradford Mennonite Church Bradford, PASun. Oct. 26 10:45am Countryside Mennonite Fellowship Hawkesville, ON, CASun. Oct. 26 7:45pm Arthur Mennonite Fellowship Arthur, ON, CATue. Oct. 28 7:45pm Grace Mennonite Fellowship New Hamburg, ON, CAWed. Oct. 29 7:30pm Faith Mennonite Church Wellesley, ON, CAThu. Oct. 30 7:30pm Shekinah Mennonite Fellowship Croghan, NYSun. Nov. 2 11:00am Timberville Mennonite Church Timberville, VASun. Nov. 2 7:00pm Calvary Mennonite Fellowship Harrisonburg, VA

Upcoming HOH Programs

Vol. XXXVIII October/November 2014 No. 7

HOPE HORIZONS is the newsletter of HERALDS OF HOPE, INC. A non-profit corporation proclaiming the living HOPE in the living LORD through the living WORD. It is mailed free to all those who will care and share. Write: PO Box 3 Breezewood, PA 15533-0003 Phone: 717-485-4021 E-mail: hope@heraldsofhope.org. Web: www.herald-sofhope.org In Canada: PO Box 371 Fort Frances, ON P9A 3M7

ple are like animals, like fish and have no expectations or souls. She was not expecting resurrection or judg-ment because to her, there was no Jesus and no God. We went to her village with a Gospel crusade. She at-tended and received Christ. Now she is working with us and is a team leader in her district. We blessed her with a HOPE Bible.

POKEYA: Is a man who received the Gospel through our team. He was not allowed to meet and talk with others according to their culture. Now he can preach to men and share everything without any problem. He has chosen to join our team and is very happy with a Hope Bible. He says he will still be preaching both to men and women without fearing his culture.

DOROTHY: She is the daughter of a Pastor. She is leading the praise Team and she is a teacher to her friends in mem-orizing verses in the Bible. She said she will con-tinue teaching her friends as this HOPE Bible is an encourage-ment to her.

JULIATE: She is the leader to women. She encourag-es women in the churches in Malawi and Mozambique. She had need of a Bible. The leadership chose her to have the blessing of a Hope gift Bible.

ONESMOS: Was a beer drinker. As a young boy he used to drink cheap beer and this caused him to not finish his Secondary school. His parents chased him from home so he went to some trading centers to eat in trash bins. When the team went to a market he heard the message and they went to his home. After pleading with his parents they welcomed him back and now he is doing well with his education. We gave him a HOPE Bible. He said he will be loving Christ and praying with us always.

Bible Bulletin!Nigeria:

“You have brought much joy to my Family by send-ing us the HOH Bible.”

- Mrs. Jime

“May God be with you and your family. Thank you for the Bible.”

- Bro. Godswell

“The Lord is good to us. We have been praying for a Bible in my house and now you sent one to us. Thank you very much! It is just like a dream coming true!”

- Sister Ruth

Malawi:

JOLAMU: Was a Muslim and now he received Christ. The team sent a message that he also must re-ceive the gift of the HOPE Bible. And he said he will be still serving the Lord with us because we have showed love to him.

LISTON: Is a lame man who uses a wheelchair as his daily transport the rest of his life. He has been going in many shops and asking for alms but was not doing well. After the team approached him he gave his life to CHRIST and now is very happy. He uses his wheelchair now to preach the Gospel and God is blessing him fi-nancially more than before.

FOTOKOZANI: Is a young child of Christ and is working with many in his home village. Many are with him in his Church. The entire congregation was using only one Bible. They are so blessed with this gift of a Hope Bible and are all thanking God.

SOSTEIN: Was a Soldier and a leader of his group. God told him, “You have been serving this world. Now serve Me.” Now He is saved and is serving God through our team. We blessed him with a HOPE Bible and he is very happy as a soul winner in his community.

SHAKIRA: Was living in a com-munity where they did not know God. They were thinking that peo-

This column continues some thoughts from Brian Kluth’s 30-day devotional, “7 Keys to Open-Hand-ed Living in a Tight-Fisted World”. (Call to order a copy.)

“All of us need helpful and en-couraging reminders to live gener-ously and to understand that God is our true provider.”

The 7 Keys he gives:

1. Submit yourself and all you have to the LORD. (This is the cru-cial first step!)

2. Study the Scriptures on financ-es and generosity. (Allow the Spirit to teach us.)

3. See what God has provided in your life.

4. Set aside resources to give. (Proverbs 3:9.)

5. Systematically give. (I Cor. 16:2.) “Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him...”

6. Spontaneously give as the Lord directs you. (II Cor. 9: 6 & 7.) “He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bounti-fully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity; for God loveth a cheerful giver.”

7. Simplify your life to be even more generous. (Jim Elliot said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he can not lose!”)

Bob Kauffman

StewardshipTHE PRESIDENT’S VIEW

Open-handed or Tight-fistedPart II

ANOTHER GOSPEL

J. Mark Horst, President

In this article of the series “Why Johnny Can’t Preach,” I share with you two tendencies of many pastor/teachers today. These tendencies deviate from Christ-centered preaching and are often accentuated by a lack of clear, faithful, biblical exposition.

Moralism: this trend began in the rise of Protestant Liberalism near the beginning of the 20th century. Dr. Albert Mohler, former President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, defines moralism as: “the belief that the Gospel can be reduced to improvements in behavior.” Many of us raised in Christian homes were unwittingly inculcated with this idea. Our parents were concerned about our behavior and we quickly learned what brought approval or disapproval. But as Dr. Mohler so succinctly notes, “…our communities are filled with people who have been “raised right” but are headed for hell.”

As pastor/teachers we need to be especially aware of this tendency. Our fundamental task is not to change or improve the behavior of our listeners. Instead, it is our responsibility to preach the redemptive work of Christ and the adequacy of His sacrifice for our sin. T. David Gordon writes “Fill the sails of your hearer’s souls with the wind of confidence in the Redeemer, and they will trust Him as their Sanctifier, and long to see His fruit in their lives.” I say, “Amen”!

How-To: this tendency is similar to moralism but focuses more on the method of changing behavior. It suggests that a sinner can change his behavior simply by applying the proper technique. While many would deny it, this tendency assumes the inherent goodness of humanity and ignores the reality of original sin. This kind of teaching is foundational in the “emergent church” movement.

Many pulpits today are filled with self-help monologues rather than biblical preaching/teaching. They offer a 12-step plan that leads to a better life, rather than personal transformation by adoption in God’s family. We must heed Paul’s warning to not “[desert] Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!” Galatians 1:6, 8.

Sincerely in HOPE of the Gospel,

HERALDS OF HOPE, INC.

INDIA: Village Childen’s Ministry

FEATURED PRODUCT! Growing Families God’s Way - J. Mark Horst

What’s Inside: 21 Sermons on 7 CDs

When we deviate from the principles and commands of God’s Word, we will be less than successful! There are numerous areas where the church has rejected or ignored key commands of Scripture. One place where this is evi-dent is in human relationships, particularly marriage and family. This series ex-amines these vitally important relationships in light of the Word.

To order your copy of Growing Families God’s Way call our offices 717-485-4021, or toll free 1-866-960-0292, or e-mail hope@heraldsofhope.org

$30

Our partnership with Hope Outreach Ministries has brought the Hope of the Gospel to many people. Pastor Vijay, director of HOM, shared this report regarding the summer ministry and God’s miraculous provision.

“This year we (HOM) planned to reach 34 villages through children’s ministry. But we did not have any money on hand. The intense summer heat was searing, and mobilizing a team that was willing to go with us to all the villages was a challenge.

God has provided everything. We received a huge gift from Heralds of Hope right in time as an answer to prayer.

In spite of opposition God has enabled us to dis-tribute Bibles. Through these camps we were able to distribute God’s Word to 50+ villages this summer.

God has given us grace to go through the summer heat and protected us in all our travels. God was with in every thing. Glory to Him.

Here are pictures of village ministry.