Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria,…

In Acts chapter one, Jesus, before ascending into heaven, told his disciples that they would “be witnesses…in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

The gospel was to be spread from Jerusalem and work its way outward. As we read the book of Acts we see that this happened in the exact order of progression the Lord had said.

I believe that this is a good model of a healthy church. We should first be witnessing and making an impact in our immediate area (Jerusalem). We should also be looking to advance the gospel in our state (Judea). As the opportunities arise we are then to minister in our region (Samaria). Over the past month we have seen the Lord work in this order here at Parkland Chapel.

Jerusalem: On September 18th we held our first baptism in the swimming pool of a family that attends our fellowship. There was a good turnout, including a handful of unbelievers. As a result of the fellowship and the presentation of the gospel, one of those attending later accepted the Lord!

Judea: From September 27- October 2, I had the opportunity to preach at a series of revival meetings at Happy Zion Church in the town of Annapolis, which is about an hour south of my home. A team of youth from Maranatha Chapel in San Diego flew out to do worship. The meetings were well attended and there were four people who made a decision to accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, as well as many rededications!

Samaria: From October 3- October 9, a group of us went down to Hattiesburg Mississippi, to roof a church damaged by hurricane Katrina. The work was accomplished, the fellowship was sweet, and the food was great. But there was one incident that stood out.

The last day we were roofing the fellowship hall, the roofers who had been contracted to do the sanctuary arrived. They were all Mexican nationals and spoke little or no english. With our broken Spanish we introduced ourselves. Later, as the day began to heat up, we brought them water. Finally, we invited them to eat lunch with us in the fellowship hall. Certainly, we could share God’s love through our actions, but if only we could share the gospel verbally.

Shortly before lunch two roofing bidders showed up asking for directions. They were from Florida and they were lost in this rural Mississippi community. Lucinda thought that they were in charge of the crew on the roof and invited them to lunch. They were surprised, but they quickly accepted the offer for a free home-cooked meal. Imagine our excitement when we discovered that one of these guys spoke Spanish. As I prayed for the meal he translated, and we were able to share the love of Christ verbally with these from Mexico (the end of the earth.)

Thank you all for your prayers and support. Your prayers are prompting God’s power.

God bless,
Mike