February 2024 Gracious partners in the Gospel: We find Paul in the Epistle to the Roman states that the results of “all ungodliness and wickedness” is that, “God gave them up” (Rm.1:24,26,28). Unlike some who feel this is far too harsh and utterly merciless, that perhaps we should see, in what our world has become, that such a divine reaction as this is warranted. And surely we have been prepared for such a world bent on corruption? Has not our Lord prepared us for every possibility (Mt. 24:9-12)? Let it not be said of us, “are you still without understanding” (Mt.15:16). Here Jesus is speaking of the slowness of His disciples in understanding what He was doing, and they often “did not understand what He said” (Lk.9:45). Yet, He was clear, precise, and their dullness of mind was usually because they had preconceived ideas, and did not hear or see what was actually happening. This should not be the case with us. We have our Bible, and centuries of what has been in most cases, up till now, sound teaching. Unfortunately a number of Protestant denominations have chosen to be accommodating rather than biblical, and the “See of Rome” more about the new “woke” religion than Christianity. Yet, this too we have been warned of, for they will “exchanging the truth about God for a lie and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator,” “exchanging natural relations for unnatural…and did not see fit to acknowledge God” (Rm.1:25,26,28). And so “God gave them up” to suffer what is always the result of wickedness, unbelief, and ignoring God’s word. I used some of Isaiah’s words last month as a promise to all those that “know righteousness.” That God’s deliverance, His salvation is to those redeemed of all generations (Isa.51:7-8). And we are called to bring the “good news” of His redemption to all the world. This surely means that God has a lot more for us to do, and therefore cannot be finished with us. At least not just yet. We have a few corners of the world that are still unreached. And since “the end will come” only after “the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole earth…” (Mt. 24:14).   Such ministries as this, and others that do proclaim the gospel, have a purpose, a calling, a challenge still before us. With God’s help, and yours, we will do our part. There are many unreached villages in Africa, India, and for us in Thailand, work in Japan, where less than 1% are Christian, and even here where too many Canadian and American young people have literally never heard the truth of Jesus, never heard the gospel message, and what they think they know of Jesus and Christianity is nonsense, actually false, or more accurately they have been fed “misinformation.” I am more and more convinced that the end is not yet, for we have so much more to do. And God wants it done. A favorite verse is where Paul writes to his faithful friends in Philippi, and promises them, “I am confident that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion (God will see it fully finished) at that day of Jesus Christ”” (Phil.1:6). I can in all confidence repeat those words to you; ‘God will bring about His purpose in each of us, bring it all to completion.’ We will all fulfill what He wants in each of us; our maturity in Him, the salvation of those we seek to see save, and we are to witness, ultimately, everything we have hoped for in our Lord. It may not be exactly as we might wish, and unfortunately it is rarely when we want (God’s timing is never ours). But we will find that everything, I mean everything He has ever spoken to our hearts will be fully accomplished on that day. I want you all to believe that, for it is true. He, our God, will complete His good work in us.   So let us abound in knowledge and discernment, so as to be pure and blame-less on that day. (see Phil1:9-10).       Thomas R. Wyatt