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Transcript:

It is a tremendous privilege for me to be here this morning. This is going to be kind of unusual. It's not going to be what you would consider probably a Sunday sermon. It's going to be more like discipleship. We’re going to look at some very, very simple but very important and foundational truths that, well, my purpose is this: I want to see you with more joy. I want to see you more greatly encouraged. Now, this is not going to be a sermon that stirs the emotions so that you walk out here with some kind of spiritual high, but it's going to teach you a few things that, if you will live by them, will increase your joy, and in increasing your joy, it will increase everything else good that the Lord has put in your life.

I want you to be encouraged. So often I look at God's people, and I'm talking about God's people—people who show the fruits of salvation in their life. Yet, so often they seem so downcast, so tight in their hearts, so trodden down. I don't want that; that's not God's will for you. God's will for you is to recognize all that He is, all that He has done, and all that He will do for you. Recognize that grace and walk in the power of it.

Now, here's something I want to start off by saying: there are great biblical truths—great biblical truths that are absolutely necessary to live by. But oftentimes, in the heart and mind of a believer, they become nothing more than clichés because we can say them. We can even know that they're true to some degree, but we really can't articulate them. We really don't know what they mean. If we use them often enough, they'll end up embittering our hearts because we say things, and yet they seem to have no power to change us.

Let me give you an example. You're downcast and trodden, and someone comes up to you and says, "You just need to trust in God." Yeah, but what do you mean? What does it really mean to trust in God? Or you just need to look to Christ. Where? Where do I look? What are you talking about? Or you just need to contemplate and meditate upon the gospel. You just need to savor and relish the gospel. Yes, but what does that mean? How do I do it? What are you really talking about?

Or, "Hey, don't be downcast. The joy of the Lord is our strength." Yeah, I know. I read that in Nehemiah too. But what does it mean? How can it really impact my life?

I was a brand new believer, well, probably about, I don’t know, less than a year into the Christian faith, and I went to hear Leonard Ravenhill preach. But before he preached, a younger preacher got up and preached, and he preached about an hour and a half on how we all needed to walk in the Spirit. It was powerful. I mean, he was yelling at us, rebuking us, admonishing us to walk in the Spirit. After the sermon, I went up to him and said, "I really appreciate that sermon. It was really good. I really want to walk in the Spirit. I just have one problem. I don't have a clue what that means. What does it mean to walk in the Spirit?" He looked at me, got very serious, and then began to basically tell me off. But I was very fortunate! There was an older believer, a college student but had many more years in the faith. They were a senior, I think, and were standing behind me. They put their hand on my shoulder and pushed me out of the way and walked up to that preacher and said, "Preacher, you didn't answer his question. You didn't tell him how to walk in the Spirit. You did not tell us how to do that in the sermon. You're not telling him how to do that." Now, do you even know what it means to walk in the Spirit? You want to ruin a lot of good sermons? Raise your hand and ask them what they're talking about.

The question is, we hear all these great truths, but sometimes they just spin around in our heads. They spin around in our heads. You all know that there's a thing called systematic theology, right? Well, why is it called systematic theology? Because it's theology that's presented in a systematic way. Now, why is that necessary? Because you and I in our minds use categories. We do; we can't get away from it. We think, "This is the reality, and this is the reality. Therefore, this.”

Well, it's the same way sometimes when we study the Scriptures. How can I take all these truths that are swirling around and really put them in a category so that I can actually do something with them? Now I want to give you a statement that I wrote out in my mind at about three o'clock on Thanksgiving morning because I couldn't sleep. And it's this: I want to talk about four simple pillars of, well, you can call it the Christian life. You can talk about four pillars of walking with God, four pillars of being encouraged, or four pillars leading to obedience. I don't care what you call it, but here are four things that I want to give you: knowledge of the truth.

That's the first one—knowledge of the truth. We're going to go through these separately. But knowledge of the truth is the beginning. You will know the truth about everything in the Scriptures and every aspect of the Christian life. It is important to know the truth. You must know the truth and be able to discern the difference between truth and a lie. That's essential.

And that's the first pillar, the first foundation: knowledge of the truth. Apprehended by faith, it's not enough to know these things, but to actually believe them so that although they are unseen, they are still greater—they can become even greater realities than that which is seen. So it's knowledge of the truth, and then it is you believing that truth as opposed to believing a lie. Knowledge of the truth. Faith in what is true, believing what is true in the Christian life will always lead to joy.

The more you apprehend the truth about who God is, about what God has decreed, about what God has done, and what God will do, the greater your joy. And I cannot overemphasize the importance of joy. I think it is the thing that energizes the Christian. Joy, and then the last pillar is obedience.

Now, I want to talk about this later, but I want you to realize something: joy comes before obedience rather than after. If you don't understand that, you will really be messed up all your days. Joy is not the result of obedience. Joy is the result of what God has done. So now your joy is fixed on a stable source. When your joy is based on your performance, it's going to be up and down like the wind, up and down like the raging sea, double-minded, mutable—changing constantly.

You see that? Now we're going to look at each one of these pillars, and there are four of them again: knowledge of the truth, faith in the truth, leading to joy, which leads to obedience. Now, let's go, first of all, knowledge. Knowledge of what?

I want you to use this as a pattern. I do for reading the Scriptures. When I read the Scriptures, what am I looking for primarily? Well, let me guess a little bit. This is what I'm looking for primarily when I read the Scriptures: Who is God? Who is God? That's my number one question. When I'm reading any passage of Scripture, what does it tell me about God? What does it tell me not only about God, but about God for me? And then what does it tell me about what God has decreed for me? What has He decreed about me, about my life? What has God done? What has He done in history, in the world, in the Gospel? What has He done for me?

And then finally, what will He do? Now, let's just look at the knowledge of who God is. That's the first thing I'm looking for when I'm studying the Scriptures: what does it tell me about God? Because if the Scriptures reveal to me this wonderful, wonderful God, it has a way of increasing my joy when I know that this amazing being is in control of my life. Jeremiah says this: "Thus says the Lord: let not the wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might. Let not a rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who exercises loving kindness, justice, and righteousness on the Earth. For I delight in these things," declares the Lord.

Now, Saint, I've talked to enough of you to know that many times when you study the attributes of God, it is not an encouragement to you because you're studying the moral attributes of God without doing it in light of the Gospel. So, when you hear, "God is holy, holy, holy," you kind of cringe because you look in the mirror and see your own life and recognize you're not really that holy. And so, instead of it leading to hymns of praise, you write a song like this: "You are holy, and I am a worm. Step on me and watch me squirm." You do things like that.

So, you see holiness is something to be afraid of. Why? Because you see the reality of your sin. But you're not looking at the Gospel. Holiness now, for you, is wonderful. This God will never sin against me. He will never be common. He will never be profane. This God who is for me is holy.

And then you hear about righteousness. He does all things in a right manner; He is wrong in nothing. Now, if I see that apart from the Gospel, the only thing I can see is judgment. But if I see that in the Gospel, I say this: If God is for me, who can be against me? If God is not twenty-five percent for me, not seventy-five percent for me, not ninety-nine percent for me, this holy righteous God is one hundred percent for me; one hundred percent of His holiness, one hundred percent of His righteousness, and one hundred percent of His justice is for me; it's on my side.

Do you see that? It's no longer against me. And so if I look at who God is in light of the Gospel, then all these things that were a terror to me when I was a sinner, they are now a joy to me. I'm not afraid of them anymore because I look in the mirror, deluded, and see some perfect person who's not there. No, but because I know the Gospel, everything has changed.

When Paul makes his argument in Second Corinthians 5:17, "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. All things pass away; new things have come," what is he saying? He's actually talking about probably the last chapters of Isaiah when it talks about a new heaven and a new earth. You're the beginning. Realize that you are the beginning of a new heaven and a new earth.

Paul is saying, if you look at it in context, he's basically saying this: I look at Christ now completely differently, and in the light of Christ, I look at everything else completely differently—who I am before God, my past, my present, my future, God's relationship with me, and my relationship with God. It has completely changed.

In light of the Gospel, I don't hide myself from the Bible. I don’t sit there and go, "Oh, don't tell me He's holy; it scares me." It doesn't scare me anymore. Not at all. It's wonderful. Tell me more, tell me more, tell me more, please, because this God who is holy and righteous and just and everything else is for me.

Now, what else? Not only who is God, what has God decreed? What has He decreed? I mean, before the foundation of the world, what did He write down with regard to what He's going to do with you? It's amazing. Whenever you hear the word "foreknowledge," realize that it also has within it God's sovereignty, but it also has this idea of His plan. It's not something He just threw together; this has taken the full force of all His mental faculties. He has thought about this.

Not only did He choose you before the foundation of the world, but before the foundation of the world, He set forth a plan of what He’s going to do with you. Just look for a minute at creation. Romans 8:21: "The creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the slavery of the glory of the children of God and to the freedom of the glory of the children of God."

Think about that. Everything in creation that moans and groans along with my bones, everything in creation that gets old and tears down and breaks and is ruined and dirty; it’s all going to be set free. He decreed it—not only set free but turned over to the children of God. That's enough to make me greatly happy.

Second Peter 3:13: "But according to His promise, we are looking for a new heaven and new earth in which righteousness dwells." I do believe that back in the 70s, there wasn't too much teaching. Most of you weren't born in the 70s, but there wasn’t too much teaching on eschatology. There was just a bunch of wrong teaching on eschatology. I want you to know that the study of what the Bible reveals about the last things is absolutely wonderful and motivating. It lets me know that there are great things in store for me—all the wonder and all the mystery.

The knowledge of God in the fullest way possible—the knowledge of His creation, the knowledge of everything. I always get mad at those patriarchs who lived 900 years. I go, "God, why can't I live 900 years?" After all, I really do want to know physics! I want to study this other thing, too. There are so many things in life I want to know that I can’t know. One day all of this is going to be set free from corruption, and I'm going to be basking in it, searching out the glory of God under every perfect stone.

He goes on, not only what is decreed for creation, but what is decreed for God's people—for you. I know you look in the mirror of God's Word, and sometimes you're even disgusted with yourself, at least I am. I have no hope. Just looking in the mirror at myself brings no joy. Listen to what He says: "For I know the plans that I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans for welfare and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope."

Yes, I know that was stated to Israel through Jeremiah, and it had to do with those in exile, but it applies to us; it applies to all of God's people. Do you honestly think He gave His only begotten Son and did all these things so that the first time you see Him in heaven, He will have a scowl on His face because of all your failure? Did He really do all that so He could do that later? No, He’s fixed it all. He’s made it all good, and that’s why we have joy.

And here's something else you need to see: It isn't like, "Okay, I'm going to do certain things in this life, and then my eternity is fixed." When I get there after judgment, who knows what's going to happen? I've done so bad. Did He really spill the blood of His Son so that you would live that way? Is that the great hope that He's given to even the weakest of His children? Absolutely not.

The whole thing about the glory that God gets out of our salvation is that there's only one hero: and it's God. No one else is a hero; everyone else just fails. There's only one covenant keeper. There’s only one servant of Yahweh! Some of the Jehovah's Witnesses come and visit my house, and they said, "We're Jehovah's Witnesses." I said, "No, you're not. He’s only had one witness, and you’re not it. It’s His Son. It’s His Son."

Like I point out sometimes when I'm having a discussion about literature and I point out that the difference between Tolkien and C.S. Lewis and "The Chronicles of Narnia" and "The Lord of the Rings" is this: In "The Lord of the Rings," there are all kinds of heroes. In "The Chronicles of Narnia," everyone fails every time and everything's a mess. And then Aslan shows up. That's Christianity.

It's what He's decreed. You see, the whole idea of Him getting glory is that He takes something like, you were something like I was—rejected, reprobate, wrong in absolutely everything. And He takes that in by Himself. He makes it glorious. You're a recipient. If there is one thing that will be written on our foreheads throughout all eternity, it will be "recipients of grace."

Of grace! So we look at what He is, who He is; we look at what is the creed. We look at what He's done. Why don't we read the Old Testament to see what He's done in history? Listen to what Paul says in Romans 15:4: "For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope."

Most people read the Scriptures only to walk away thinking they're a failure. They should walk away thinking, "Yeah, but God's a bigger Savior. He proved it every time, every time, every time. He never failed." And therefore, even when my sin is pointed out, those sadnesses may be for a moment. The sun rises because I know who He is.

You can, unless you are a self-righteous, pharisaical legalist, never have joy by looking at your own reflection in the mirror—unless you're deluded. You have joy looking in the Scriptures to find God—to find out how wonderful He is throughout history, to see the great sinners that He has saved throughout history.

Martin Lloyd-Jones, after reading the two-volume biography by Iain Murray—which I recommend every believer—there are really big books, but for once in your life, you've got to read at least one or two big books. At the end, Martin Lloyd-Jones, everybody who visited him, he only had one thing to say: "I am a great sinner, and Christ is a great Savior."

Now, if you’re a lost carnal church member, you’ll latch onto that and use it as an excuse for sin. But if you’re truly converted, you’ll go, "This is wonderful. I want to be more holy, but now out of joy instead of fear." What God has done in history, what God has done in the Gospel.

Listen to this: Romans 8:32. "He who did not spare His own Son but delivered Him over for us all—how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?" He spared not His Son for you; He spared not His Son for you. Why would He make such a deposit? Why would He give such an expense? Why would He do it?

So that He could withhold favor from you? So that He could keep you looking at how bad you are? So that He could get you all into heaven and make you feel bad because all you've got is a little cabin over in a swamp somewhere? Is that why He did it? He did it in order to lavish grace upon His people—to take the smallest, tiniest, most awkward saint and set them above seraphs.

Do you see that? This is where joy comes from: who He is, what He has decreed, and what He has done in the Gospel, in history, and in you. Sometimes believers, we really mess up because we look at other believers, and we can see they really have fruit, and they really are believers. And we do not recognize how radical God has changed them—what a masterpiece they truly are compared to what they were.

Listen, Romans 5:1 should be enough to make us dance. "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Temporary peace? Peace dependent upon some performance? No, peace! God's peace—eternal peace, immutable peace, covenant peace. He who does not lie has promised peace.

Peace forever. Peace—always peace! Now, you are justified; you have been legally declared right with Him. You have a perfect right standing before Him; even in your glorified body in heaven, you will not be more right with Him than you are now. And you've got to walk in that truth and what's unseen, walking in the Word.

Do you see that? Second Corinthians 5:21: "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." The righteousness of God. I believe it was Brother Jeff Shawver that said today that not even the angels are holy in His sight.

When it says that heaven is not clean, it doesn't mean heaven is dirty, and it doesn't mean that angels are sinful. What it means is that in comparison to God's holiness—and also God's holiness is inherent, while all other holiness is derived, it flows from Him—but you have been given here in Christ the righteousness of God.

First John 3:1: "See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us that we should be called the children of God—and such we are." I can use Jesus's Sermon on the Mount here when we get to the point of, "If you, being evil…" At times, Jesus said that if you, being evil, can do this for your children, then even in my child's worst moment of disobedience, I can say this with a good conscience: in their worst moment of disobedience, I would die for them—a torturous death.

And if I, being evil, can say that, how much more does God love me? Does God love you? We have, you know, when Pastor Anthony is constantly correcting us on low views of God, low views of God, and you know what? But here's the problem: a lot of you, when you hear low views of God, you're only thinking what he’s telling me is that God is big, that God is holy, and that God is just.

No! Low views of God's love! Also, do you realize that you talk about all the superficial Christians and superficial churches and how they have a low view of God's holiness and a low view of God's justice? Let me ask you a question: do you have a low view of God's love?

Because if you're walking in condemnation as a believer; if your life is based on your performance and your joy is based on what you do, guess what? You have a low view of God. You have a low view of God. It's not just with regard to holiness or righteousness; it's also with regard to His love.

You see, if you've entered into the kingdom, you have finally walked through a door into a world that is hard to believe. His love is so great and so unconditional that at times you want to correct Him! You want to even rebuke Him! "Lord, this is wrong! You shouldn't love me this way."

At that point, Michael Card wrote many years ago about Gomer, "The kindness of a father, something of something else, the gentleness of a loving friend, an understanding smile—all of this and so much more you lavished on a faithless whore. I've never seen love like this before. Hosea, you're a fool."

That is love so great; you're just like that; I'm just like that! "No, Lord! You don't know what I am." "Yes, I do." "Before the foundation of the world." "The problem is, Paul, you don't know what I paid. You don't know who I am." So, don't run around here just because you understand something of holiness and think you have a high view of God.

Do you have a high view of God's love? So high that people would almost think that your Gospel is antinomianism? Because if your Gospel is not accused of antinomianism ever, then you're probably preaching legalism. Paul's Gospel was accused of antinomianism in Romans, the last part of five and the beginning of chapter 6.

Now, again, the regenerate heart hears these things and wants to follow God's law. The unregenerate religious person hears these things and wants to run from God's law because they hate it. Now, let’s go on.

Not only who God is, what God has decreed, what God has done in history, what God has done in the Gospel, and in you, but what God will do. This is something that I, as a Christian for many, many years—over 30 years—if there's any truth that I have to remind myself of, it's this one more than any other truth.

You know, people will say, "This is the only life you get. You can’t hit replay. This is the only life you get." That’s true. But this is not as good as it gets. What is waiting for us? Future grace. First Corinthians 2:9: "Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard and which have not entered into the heart of man—all that God has prepared for those who love him."

And don't you dare say, "Ah, there's the key—for those who love Him, and I don't love Him perfectly." Will you just stop it? Stop it! Stop doing that! He doesn't love you because your love's perfect. The theology that we have in Deuteronomy chapter seven basically sets before Israel: "Israel, why do I love you? Okay, I'll give you the answer: Israel, I love you because I love you."

What He's saying is it came from me; it was my decision. I elected it; I decided it; I set my love on you. There it is. My love did not begin with you; it doesn't stand with you; it won't end with you. It began with me, stands with me, ends with me. "I love you."

"But I don’t deserve it!" "Would you shut up?"

See, Jamie, you don't have to be cultured or intelligent to preach here; I'm evidence. Quit it. There’s a funny thing on YouTube that my wife showed me the other day, and she loves it because the person comes into this counselor and tells all the problems, and the counselor says, "Well, I can answer this in two words: Stop it! Stop it!"

Ephesians 2:6-7: "And raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come…" what? "He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus." God has saved you in order to demonstrate to all creation, including principalities, powers, mights, dominions, how good He is. That's why He saved you, and that's why He chose you — not many noble, not many wise.

Not the big ones; not the smart ones. Why did Paul say he chose the weak ones? The ones that are not. Why? So that he could show how good He is, lavishing the greatest blessings—turning over the inheritance of His own Son to the worst humanity has to offer.

Imagine if someone was getting bad press—a billionaire was getting bad press that he wasn't charitable. So, he just picks you and says, "I'm going to use you for a special purpose. I'm going to lavish all my wealth upon you so that every time someone looks at you, they understand how charitable, how good, how loving, and kind I am." How many of you would sign up for that? That’s what God has done.

Let me put it this way: when you walk into glory, it will be an object lesson for all creation—even creation that we don’t even know or understand. They will look at what you were, what you are, what God has done, the grace He has poured out on you, and they will worship God in a way they could have never worshipped Him before if He had not done this good thing for you.

But then it doesn't stop there. If we could say that there is chronology—or day after day—in heaven, if we could say such a thing so that our minds could comprehend it, every day God would increase the grace lavished more and more upon you each day so that, each day, all of creation will look at you and have a greater vision of how God is and worship Him to a greater degree. Folks, that's a great future.

This is absolutely wonderful. It’s wonderful sometimes when I'm working on a book on the Gospel, and I'll come in the office and they'll say, "What did you study yesterday?" "He's wonderful. He's wonderful." It doesn't matter what language I know. There’s no word I can't express. It makes me so mad. What’s waiting for you is so wonderful, and the one waiting for you is His name is wonderful.

Now, what must you do? You see, here's what you do, first of all, why do we study Scripture? We study Scripture to know who He is. The more we know about who He is, the greater our joy. If we see Him in light of the Gospel, or our relationship with Him in light of the Gospel, what He has decreed for you is amazing! Tell me more; I want to know what it is!

I know some of you people are so spiritual that it really doesn't matter, but to me, it really matters. I’m excited, like a kid at Christmas. I want to know what's coming. This is so good. What has He decreed? What has He done? I'm free! I really am free! I don't have to move a quarter of an inch to the left or the right to be any more loved by God. I don't have to do anything less or anything more. I am loved.

He has decreed all these things for me. He’s done all these things for me. He will do so much more for me and for you that I cannot even grasp it; my mind cannot comprehend it. Do you see that now? What must we do? We must have faith. We must read the Word and believe it.

Believe what God says, not what you think. I'm so tired of your false humility getting in the way. It's not about what you think about yourself; it’s what you think about God. Stop believing lies that rob you of joy. Believe what God has said about Himself.

What is faith? Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Now, how is that kind of statement any different from me jumping off this roof because I think I’m Peter Pan? How can you actually have assurance for something you hope for? You just hope for it. How can you have assurance that it’s really going to happen? How can you have convictions that something you’ve never seen actually exists? How? Because God has said it. Because God has said it in His Word.

And you see, this is why faith is impossible apart from God's Word, and that is why faith is strengthened by God's Word. I just can't tell you—you need to get into God's Word because you'll get into God's Word and come out miserable because you’re not understanding things properly. You have to get into God's Word in light of what God has done in the Gospel for you. Then, you get in there, and it's wonderful. It's wonderful.

You start searching out all these things, and you believe them. The greatest illustration of faith—other than Gethsemane and our Lord in Gethsemane—is Abraham in Romans 4. It says, "Without becoming weak in faith, he contemplated his own body as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old and the deadness of Sarah's womb." He contemplated it. Yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God.

How do we give glory to God? By believing Him! You want to start a fight? Call somebody a liar. You want to honor somebody? Believe them. Believe them. Moping around with all your humility and self-affliction, beating yourself and everything else, doesn't glorify anybody. It really doesn't—maybe yourself.

But, being strong in faith, giving glory to God and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform; it’s believing in the faithfulness of God. How do you have faith? You have faith because you believe God is faithful, and God is powerful—able to do everything He promised. He’s never failed. I don’t know if you’ve realized that or not—never. He will not fail with you.

Something that has been said by Martin Lloyd-Jones and by many new thematic counselors and by many pastors is this: You need to preach the Scriptures to your heart and stop letting your heart preach to you. You need to preach the Scriptures to your mind and stop letting the vain thoughts of your mind preach to you. You just need to stop it.

How does Satan kill? He doesn't run around with a machete; he lies. That’s how he killed Adam and Eve and everyone else he’s ever killed. He lies. How do you walk with joy? You believe what God said and not what the enemy says. You believe it. You’re renewing your mind in the Word of God to such a degree that what God says becomes a greater reality to you than what you see in the mirror or what you see around you.

Preach the Scriptures to your heart. Tell your heart to shut up. That’s why if I go to a church and a preacher says, "Today I'm just going to share from what's in my heart," I walk out. I don't care what's in his heart. I want to know what God has said.

Now, joy. Joy. Where does joy come from? From most people I talk to, whether they admit it or not, their joy comes from their performance. That's why their joy is never strong unless they're deluded, self-righteous, and pharisaical.

Listen, I'm not teaching antinomianism. I have been devoted to Christ; I have suffered for Christ; I’ve risked my life for Christ, and I've lost much for Christ. With my own life and with a clear conscience, I can say that. I'm not teaching anyone communism or that obedience is not important. I'm just telling you that joy does not come from obedience.

After thirty-some years in the Scriptures, I understand that joy does not come from my performance but God's—and that joy of God's perfect, impeccable performance: that joy is what energizes obedience. Basking in who God is and what He’s done for you and how good it is—that produces obedience.

Joy. I don't even know how to define that word except with some other words: assurance, confidence, hope, gladness of heart, merriment of heart—but stronger than that: confidence, assurance, peace.

Now, I've written here: when all that God is, all that God has done, and all that God will do is apprehended by you, is comprehended by you, is believed by you, it will produce a joy in you that is independent from everything but God. Your joy will not depend on circumstances; your joy will not depend on performance. Your joy will depend on an immutable God who does all things perfectly.

Do you see that? And that’s where it must be—that’s where it must come from. It must come from Him.

Listen, Nehemiah 8:10: "Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength." What does that mean? It’s joy that comes from God.

And I know what your brain's doing. "Yes, it comes from God!" If you're obedient now, it comes from who God is: who God is, what God has decreed, what He has done, and what He will do. You grasp that, and it leads to joy.

Now, another thing that I've written down here: if our joy is the result of faith and who God is and precedes obedience, then our joy will not be based on our performance but on God's. You see the difference? Most people, in their categories, their joy comes after their performance and is based upon it.

Now, we all know that sin will bring sadness. I'm not saying it will not, and that obedience will not bring joy. I'm not saying it's not. It does. But what you have to understand is the whole of who you are and the great foundation of your joy must be His performance and not yours—who He is and not who you are.

Now, I'm going to close by saying this. We're going to talk for a moment about obedience—how joy energizes obedience. It strengthens us so that we might be obedient; it encourages us—encourages us.

It’s amazing: you can take a guy, an athlete, and he’s training super hard. Every day, he’s getting more down because he seems to be making less progress. He gets to the point where he doesn't think he’s making any progress. He’s not getting any faster; he’s not getting any stronger. He just feels—it’s no use! Why go on? Why try?

And then someone walks by and says, “Man, I’ve been noticing you lately. You’re a lot faster off the line. The other day when you flipped that guy, that was amazing! You’re getting a lot stronger; before, your weakness was in your legs, but now, man, you are moving!” And what does he do? He hits the gym the next day—invigorated!

Now, I’m going to teach you how this comes from knowing God's promises. But let me just stop here. I was at a place that had cable last year—two years ago—and turned on the TV, and there was Joel Osteen. I listened to his sermon, and I was very convicted. Just let that sink in for a moment.

I do believe that the things he was saying were out of context and wrong. Because when he talked about all the great things that God had in store for the people, they were more material—houses, success, jobs—all this was where I was. Where I was greatly rebuked was this: he was greatly encouraging, with all his heart. He really was. He was encouraging people in the things of God—all that God had for them.

But he was wrong about what was important—totally wrong! But I asked myself, “How encouraging am I? How is it such a blessing to me when someone comes up to me and encourages me?” I mean, they say, “Man, you’re doing well. That was great; you’re progressing.” How it just jump-starts me! And I find out it jump-starts everyone else.

To be encouraged is to encourage people by pointing out, "Are you ready for this, the good in them?" Yeah, that’s biblical. God has worked good in His people! Paul was convinced of the goodness of the people he was writing to. God’s done something wonderful in you. I can see good things in you. Look at the church in Corinth—they were having trouble comprehending the resurrection. Some of them were denying physical resurrection, and there were every sort of other thing going on. But how does Paul start that letter in First Corinthians? Talking about all the good that he saw in them—all that the Lord had done for them?

I just don’t think—by and large, as the people of God, at least for myself—I don’t do that enough. Wow! Brother, sister, that was amazing. I’m so proud of God’s grace in you! Keep going! Press on!

And to our children, many times, the only time parents talk to their children is to tell them what they’ve done wrong. Encourage them: "Man, you’re making progress! You’re doing well. Keep going!"

Listen to Hebrews 12:2 about joy energizing: "Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and protector of our faith, who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross." It motivated Him; it moved Him—joy! That would come after the darkness of that moment—the joy that would come invigorates and energizes.

Derek [...] writes this based on his Old Testament commentary: "The joy of the Lord is our strength." He says such joy is invigorating, not escapist or invincible. Now, listen, Charles Simeon, who if you can get a hold of his commentaries—please do; his expository outlines are absolutely wonderful—wrote extensively on this issue.

I want to read him so you realize I'm just not making something up. He said two things about joy. First, joy disposes for action. It makes us ready for action. Fear and sorrow depress and overwhelm the soul. Am I talking to anyone here? Fear and sorrow depress and overwhelm the soul. They numb all our faculties, keeping us from attending to any encouraging considerations. They disable us from extending relief to others, and they indispose us for the most necessary duties. We cannot pray, speak, or do anything with pleasure.

But on the contrary, joy is a joyous frame of mind that exhilarates the soul. Now, you can be a pie-in-the-sky person that says everything's going horribly—stick a cherry in your cap or whatever, and a sunflower in your pocket or something and just keep walking. That’s not what I’m talking about. Stop looking at those things and see them in the light of who God is—what God has decreed, what God has done, and what God will do for you.

He says that such joy exhilarates the soul. David well knew the effect it would produce, and everyone may safely adopt his resolution. Listen to what he says in Psalm 119:32: "I will run the way of Your commandments when You enlarge my heart." Has your heart ever been enlarged with joy?

I can see this so clearly because I'm such a weak person. What you think is so important, I can walk into the office and someone says, "Man, they’re killing you on the internet right now; they’re attacking you. There’s a guy just tearing me apart!" I go to my office and just want to die. Then someone walks in and says, "Yeah, Paul, they're really tearing you up—you and MacArthur and Piper" and I go, "Okay, it’s not for something crazy I did; I’m okay."

Just the change of the news changes my disposition and exhilarates me. When I hear the first news, I can’t even work; I’m just sitting there numb. When I hear the second news, I'm ready to go again—you see how much we are affected by what we think, what we believe.

He says this: joy also qualifies us for suffering. When the spirit is oppressed, the smallest trial is a burden. In those seasons, we are apt to fret and murmur, both against God and man. We consider our trials as effects of divine wrath—overlooking God. We're suffering because either of God’s wrath or He’s looking upon something that we've done. We consider trials to be effects of divine wrath, overlooking God, venting our indignation against the instruments He uses. But when the soul is joyous, afflictions appear light.

How little did Paul and Silas regard their imprisonment? How willing was Paul to lay down his very life for Christ? This accords with the experience of every true Christian. I am so sick and tired of people thinking that Paul was willing to lay down his life because he was just so much more spiritual than the rest of us. Stop it! Stop deifying men.

He was willing to lay down his life because he caught a glimpse of all the things that have been given to us fully in Scripture: who God is, what God is, what God has done, and what God will do. And that’s why you need to get into the Scripture; you need to get into the Scripture and ask those questions.

Now, finally, obedience, and it's really quick. Obedience is founded upon faith. You need to understand that. If something is set for me to do, and it's something that maybe goes against the world, goes against the grain, goes against my personality, and the Scriptures say do this and the devil in the world says, "Don't do that. Do this," you can't separate obedience from faith.

Do you realize that? Obedience occurs because I believe that God is right—that what He's telling me is right and that it’s the best for me, whereas whatever this is, I believe is a lie. Do you see that? It’s by faith that I do it because I believe that God tells the truth.

Obedience begins with doubting God. Has God said? Another thing: obedience is energized by joy. I’ve already said that, man! When my heart is joyful—I mean really joyful—you can’t contain me! I’m ready to go fight hell with a water pistol, willing to do anything.

Obedience is not a burden, but the way of security, peace, and joy. It’s like a circle. Why is obedience? Why does it bring joy? Now, listen to me, young people especially. Why does obedience come from joy and bring joy? At fifty-four years old, I’ve learned a lot, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that the judgment of men is not to be trusted; my own judgment is not to be trusted!

Now that means if what the Scriptures say is true, everything I do in life has great importance; it will impact eternity. This life of mine, as small as it is, every moment of it is important. How fearful and insecure I would be if I had no map, if I had no compass, if I didn’t know how to walk, what to do—if I didn’t know what destroys and what gives life. I mean, really.

How terrible that would be, knowing that this life matters and I have not the judgment to walk in it! I have no security, I have no peace, I have nothing. I'm like, "Cut the rope. Let the ship just be tossed about on the sea." I don’t have anything to hold on to.

But if the commandments of God are a light to my feet, if they’re a path well trodden by countless saints who, at the end, affirm that every commandment is true and good and holy and just—what confidence that gives me!

How do I have a wife? What could be more tremendous than to be entrusted with a wife? If I did not know how to do that, if there were no omnipotent, omniscient God telling me, "Walk this way," I would be terrified! I tell young men, whenever I’m counseling in marriage, "Everything your body tells you to do, do not do it! Submit to the law of God. Know how to walk with this woman."

My children, my own life, everything, the way I work—everything. I wouldn’t know what to do. I can't trust me; I’m certainly not going to trust you. I need something greater and higher. I'm not wandering aimlessly, but there's purpose.

Conclusion: What is the source of this knowledge and this faith that leads to joy and energizes obedience? What’s the source? Now, if you’re expecting something magical here, you’re not going to find it. No, renewing our mind in the Word is the only source of this true knowledge; but getting into the Word—not like just a roadmap to life or principles upon which you can build some security—getting in the Word with the primary endeavor to know who God is, what God has decreed, and what God has done and what He will do with you.

Also cultivate our relationship with God, drawing upon strength through prayer. All the Bible study in the world without prayer is not going to be that helpful. Sorry. I know your flesh hates praying as much as mine sometimes, but true fellowship with God’s people.

Romans chapter 12:1-2 tells us to renew our minds. So many people automatically go, "Well, that’s talking about Scripture." Well, Scripture is not mentioned there. I believe that renewing your mind is done primarily through the Scriptures, but it’s renewing your mind through prayer, through conversation—godly conversation, godly fellowship, true worship and music, and everything around us. We should be very careful about our environment and our atmosphere.

But please, saints, please, I’m begging you—don’t live this life! If I could give you anything, if I could pray one thing for you—above everything else, if you're truly a child of God, if I could give you one gift—it would be that you would comprehend something of His love for you. Really, I’m tired of seeing you tired; I’m tired of seeing me tired.

If you could grasp that one thing—He loves me immutably.

As an illustration, I promise I’ll end. When I was in Peru, my first year as a single missionary, practically from the moment I was converted—this is going to sound all psychobabble; I don’t care; it’s true—but when I was in school, I was never in the inner circle—not the best athlete, not the best this, not the best that. And I determined that when I became a Christian, yeah, it was fleshly. You can do your diagnosis, but please do it at home right now. Just listen.

I determined that would not happen to me in my Christian life; I determined that there wouldn’t be this idea of their Spurgeon and Martin Lloyd-Jones and all their inner circle—the guys that God really loves—and I'm outside somewhere. I determined that would not happen. I worked 18 hours a day for years, and if I had a chance to go get martyred, I tried to do it. Until the point where I weigh about two twenty-five right now; I weighed about one hundred sixty-nine pounds.

And I killed myself; I killed myself. One day, on the third floor of this old building where we took care of street kids and had our church during the war in Peru that was all bombed out and everything else, I slept in a little room on the third floor.

I was going up the last little flight of stairs and I collapsed. I cried out. I screamed, "I don’t want to go to hell because I’m afraid of hell. I don’t want to go to heaven because I'm ashamed. Just put me somewhere; just put me somewhere."

It was at that moment that it was just a work of the Lord; Scripture started coming to mind—different things. I realized how fleshly everything had been, how wrong I was. But here's the thing: I recognized God loved me. He loved me! I didn't have to move to the left or the right.

That was the thing. I thought that day I was sitting on the steps, looking at myself and realizing I don't have to move a quarter of an inch to the left or a quarter of an inch to the right. I don’t have to be a great missionary; I don’t have to die as a martyr; I don’t have to be a great preacher. I'm not doing it because it’s all in God. He did it all; He made the decision. He carries it through; He brings it to its end. I am loved.

What a wonderful release that is—just Him. It’s Him! For every glance you take to yourself in the mirror, take ten long looks at God and His love. You’re loved.

This is the terrible thing about being a preacher. I'm trying to tell you something; I'm trying to get something through your thick head. And it is this: God really, really, really does love you—immutably so, perfectly so. And it is all founded upon Him. His person is the creator of all; His work through Christ is on your behalf. All of it. It’s done. It’s done.

You’ve got to walk in there. You’ve got to keep yourselves in the love of God. You’ve got to keep thinking it, believing it, walking in it, talking it—fighting to believe it if necessary. Believe it! You’re loved!

If you’re here today and you’re not a Christian, all those things I said about the holiness of God being a wonderful joy to the believer—it’s a terror to you. It’s a terror! The only way it changes is in Christ. Come to Christ! And some of you who are so storm-tossed believers—you're so storm-tossed and afflicted—oh, that God would use what was said here today to prove to your heart and your mind that you are deeply and dearly loved.

Let’s pray. Father, God, please, please. Break through, Lord, every wall, and that people would, that we would all have a greater and firmer grasp on your settled royal covenant of love. In Jesus' name, amen.

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Recently HeartCry purchased a vehicle for use by Lusaka Ministerial College, which educates and trains men for the ministry. This has allowed the College to travel for recruiting, which has since been able to increase their number of students. Please pray for Lusaka Ministerial College as they train and disciple their students for the work of the gospel.

HeartCry recently sent forty Bibles in the Dair language to Afghan refugees who now live in Brazil.

In The Preeminent Christ, Paul Washer declares the unmatched significance of the good news of Jesus Christ. Compelled by a desire for men to know God’s love, Washer draws from the church’s greatest theologians to herald Christ’s centrality in revelation, salvation, sanctification, study, proclamation, and glory. The Preeminent Christ will stimulate readers to forsake their tendency to view worldly “needs” as central by zealously seeking this Christ in the gospel.

Contents

1. A Prolegomenon
2. An Apology
3. The Essential Content of the Gospel
4. The Same Gospel through the Ages
5. The Preeminence of the Gospel
6. The Preeminent Revelation of God
7. The Preeminent Message of Salvation
8. The Preeminent Means of Sanctification
9. The Preeminent Subject of Study
10. The Preeminent Subject of Preaching
11. The Preeminent Subject of Glorying
12. A Warning against the Neglect of the Gospel
13. Final Exhortation

Endorsements

“The disciples saw Jesus shining like the sun on the Mount of Transfiguration. Today we see the glory of Christ shining in the gospel. Paul Washer lifts up our eyes to consider the supremacy of the gospel for the Christian life and ministry. Drawing from the wisdom of great preachers and teachers of the past, Washer offers a feast for the soul and a powerful exhortation to keep our eyes fixed on the gospel in all we do.”

—Joel R. Beeke, president, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan

“As any true believer knows, Christ must be our all or our nothing. This is because of who He is as the infinitely glorious God-man and because of the indescribably wonderful salvation He has procured for us. Paul Washer does an excellent job of showing us these breathtaking realities in this Scripture-saturated and historically reinforced book. It will leave you worshiping God as your soul is saturated afresh with the unsearchable riches of Christ!”

—Conrad Mbewe, pastor of Kabwata Baptist Church and founding chancellor of the African Christian University in Lusaka, Zambia

“Here is Paul Washer at his very best, addressing the greatest subject that could ever be expounded—the preeminence of Jesus Christ. In these riveting pages, Washer demonstrates that the person and work of the Lord Jesus is the alpha and omega, the sum and substance of the gospel message. Read this book carefully because it contains the most vital truth you will ever hear.”

—Steven J. Lawson, president, OnePassion Ministries

"We thank HeartCry for supporting us to translate this book. This book helped us to examine our lives in light of scripture, and answered so many questions crucial to the Christian life.

As we worked on the translation, we realized that we do not have many good books for our community that clarify the gospel and describe what is true conversion. We hope this book will help readers understand the nature of conversion and the Biblical teaching of the gospel."

Being printed here are 250,000 copies of the Portuguese translation of The Gospel of Jesus Christ by Paul Washer. Paulo Junior plans to print one million copies for evangelism in Brazil.

HeartCry missionary "Bagid K." in Kazakhstan has had difficulty finding paper for printing sermon notes and bible lessons. Due to compounding regional conflicts and other economic factors, the scarcity of paper has increased, as well as the price, by more than 500%. The purchase of this tablet will serve as a replacement for an outdated desktop and printer, and unaccessible paper he previously used when preparing Sunday sermons.

Pray for the proclamation of the word among the Kazakh-speaking people. According to some sources, less than 1/3 of 1 percent of Kazakhs are Christian. Within that 1/3 of 1%, even fewer are evangelical. Pray for God's sustaining grace in Bagid's life and ministry, as being discouraged in such a context is very easy.

Praise the Lord for the sacrifice of the donors, who provided the funds to get Paul Washer's second book of the Recovering the Gospel Series, The Gospel Call & True Conversion, printed and made available in Nepal. Please pray as it is distributed, that the Lord would use it to advance His kingdom throughout the Nepali speaking world.

THANK YOU NOTE:

Missionary shared: "These brothers are thrilled with joy to receive the laptops which indeed are ministry equipment for them. Prior to this, they were working on their old laptops for translation work, preparation for Sunday worship and Wednesday Bible Study, Worship Service planning, Slide presentation for congregational singing, etc. They weren't able to use their old laptop for content creation, but their new laptop is meeting that need. The new laptop is also a great help for them for their future as they are also planning to be part of our church's internship program in reading e-books, watching lectures, writing papers, etc. Thank you so much for making this possible and investing in the lives of these dear brothers of mine for the work of the Gospel.

Words will only fail to describe how grateful I am and how much I have been helped by your continual holding of the rope. It has not only made me worry less but also labor for the people whom God has entrusted to me. You all do have a great amount of share in the fruitfulness of my life, ministry, and church."

One brother shared, "I am very thankful for this grace of God. This has encouraged me to work harder and faithfully for the glory of God through the growth of His church in our region. I would like to convey my heartfelt gratitude to HeartCry and all who have helped me by providing this ministry equipment."

The other brother shared, "I am thankful to God and humbled to receive such a gift. I am also grateful to Heartcry for this gift. I am encouraged by God's faithfulness. This gives me a good reason to be faithful to the responsibility God has given me to serve Him. Thank you."

Behold Your God by John Snyder has been translated into Russian and now reprinted several times. The teaching videos are also now subtitled in Russian, which our Russian-speaking pastors use for their churches.

A note from one of HeartCry’s Russian-speaking missionaries:

“We got the new printing of Behold Your God. This time we added a QR-code on the back so readers can go directly to the YouTube channel with the dubbed videos. Thank you for supporting this printing of the great book.”

Zambian pastor, Erick Shumba and his wife have disabilities that make getting around difficult. HeartCry purchased a motorbike to help make transportation easier for them. Below is a letter we received from German Banda, missionary pastor in Zambia, writing on behalf of Erick and his church expressing their heartfelt thanks.

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Dear HeartCry,

On behalf of our church and Pastor Erick Shumba, I would like to express the sincere gratitude for the help in purchasing a motor bike. This will surly go a long way in supporting Pastor Shumba and his ministry, for his disability problem.

Erick and his family expressed that they felt like they were dreaming to receive such a grace from God via HeartCry! May the Almighty God bless you always for you are doing a good work. Below are photos showing the kind of a motorbike purchased.

Yours in Christ's service,

German Banda

Testimony of Conversion

I grew up in a nominal Roman Catholic home. We had no Bible in our house, nor did we attend church often. As a teenager growing up, I was not interested in spiritual things and was hostile toward God. I often said in my heart, “there is no God,” and I seemed like a happy kid.

God, in His grace, started invading my life through my hobbies; basketball and the English language. 

The only basketball team in my town happened to be coached by a missionary from the United States, who, after each practice, shared briefly from the Bible with us. He soon told me about a family in town which held youth meetings in their house, where I could play games, eat snacks, meet some people, and learn English from native speakers. I didn’t need more convincing. They also happened to be missionaries, and the proclamation of God’s Word was part of the meetings too. My mocking was slowly changing to curiosity. 

I started wondering why these people’s Christianity was so different from the one I had known. When they sang songs, they did it with joy. When they prayed, they spoke with their own words, and it sounded like they knew God. When they read the Bible, they seemed to explain it clearly, and believed what it said. I figured that it must have something to do with this book. 

I saved up some money and bought my first Bible. I was fascinated with it, but didn’t understand its message. 

In 1998, a new missionary (James) came to coach my team. We became close friends, and after every practice, we’d stay in the locker room, where James led me through a study of the letter to the Galatians. It was through that study that I understood the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

I was convicted of my sin. 

I realized that my sinful self was my own biggest problem. I needed forgiveness and now I saw that forgiveness is found only in Christ, that He is the only way, truth and life. The perfect Son of God paid the price for my sins on the cross. Three days later, He was raised from the dead. He took on Himself everything that I deserved so that through faith and repentance in Him, I could have everything that He had and deserved: the perfect inheritance of eternal life, peace with God, and His righteousness. My sins are many, but His mercy is more. He is my Lord and Savior. It was in August of 1998 that I made a conscious commitment to believe and repent. In 2000 I made a public confession of faith through baptism.

Call to Ministry

In 2003, after I finished a one-year program at Torchbearers Bible School in Sweden, I married Iwona and we were compelled to get involved in full time ministry. I was already serving as the youth leader and music leader at a local Baptist church in Szczecinek. I, however, wanted to serve as a street evangelist: traveling from city to city, performing music and dramas, and sharing the Gospel. My friends and I began forming an evangelistic group, however God had closed the door to that ministry; our plans were going nowhere. 

My wife and I, in our Bible Study, came across Psalm 37 and realized that we were delighting in the desires of our hearts rather than delighting in the Lord Himself. In our youthful zeal and our prayers, we committed to God that we would delight in Him and serve Him in whatever ministry he opens up first. 

The first ministry opportunity came up only about a week later. My pastor introduced me to The Bible League church planting program and asked if I would be interested in planting a church. Being a pastor was one thing I never wanted to do in ministry, so I said “no.”

When I told my wife about the conversation, she immediately reminded me of our commitment before the Lord. I went back to my pastor - hesitant, scared to death, unprepared, but bound in my conscience by the commitment I had made before God, and said, “yes, sign me up.” 

I started attending The Bible League church plant training, where the pastor and elders of my church recognized my calling and gifting as a leader, preacher, and evangelist. I was sent by my home church to begin church planting work in a small, unreached town: Borne Sulinowo. 

My wife and I moved to this town, and I began to walk on the streets so that I could get to know the people and share the gospel, with a hope and prayer to see a church being established eventually. This began in the winter of 2003. 

Regardless of me being very young, unprepared, and without a team, God showed Himself to be very gracious throughout the years. He grew us, shaped us, tried us, led us, equipped us, and most of all, gave us tremendous joy to see Him at work in saving sinners and establishing a church in Borne Sulinowo. The ministry I had never wanted to be involved with before very quickly became the ministry I wanted to do for the rest of my life, Lord willing. 

In 2018, my church in Borne Sulinowo sent me to pastor a small house church in Grodzisk Mazowiecki, where I’m serving presently. Our desire and hope were for us to be located in a more central area of Poland to one day establish a training center for pastors and church planters.

After thousands of miles through the icy Russian tundra, Pastor Gennady's car was running out of time. In light of the war in Ukraine, Russia's economy has collapsed and prices across the country have skyrocketed.

Thanks to numerous donations from supporters of the HeartCry Missionary Society, Pastor Gennady was able to purchase a much better vehicle.

Pastor Gennady delivers a heartfelt thanks:

"I sincerely thank the Lord for His mercy in this matter and also thank HeartCry for their financial assistance in purchasing a car."

            I was born in the Czech Republic in 1992. My father's family is traditionally Evangelical and my mother's family is traditionally Roman Catholic. A few years into their marriage my mom began attending church with my father and was converted eventually. We were part of the Moravian Brethren Church. Growing up, I knew about God and His Word but I did not put faith in His Son. When I reached my teenage years I had the simple desire to live as I pleased. Somehow I knew there is God, but I tried to ignore Him, striving to imitate the lives of my non-Christian friends. During my early teenage years, I would hang out with the wrong crowd and be engaged in a worldly lifestyle. The scary part, as I’m thinking about it retrospectively, is that I was doing all these things with the knowledge that there is God. It is obvious to me now, and I must admit I sensed it even back then, that if something would happen during this time of my life and I died, I would not be in the eternal presence of God but eternal separation from Him.

            My older sister, whom God saved out of this lifestyle earlier, saw where I was headed. She had the desire for me to know her Savior and invited me to an English and Sports Summer Camp organized by an evangelical parachurch organization. Since I have always enjoyed sports and this camp was packed with sports and all kinds of activities I agreed to go. There I saw a different kind of Christianity: young people, who were filled with joy and lived very differently from my worldly friends. They lived for Jesus Christ and served him passionately. Each morning and each evening we heard something from the Word of God and it started to convict me of my sinful lifestyle and a rebellious mindset. Under this influence, I repented of my sins and trusted Christ for my salvation around the age of 14 and God began to redirect my life. It took a couple of years, however, to get rid of some sinful habits. It was especially hard for me to get out of the unhealthy, secular environment that I was part of.

            By God’s grace, I was delivered from it during my high school studies. There I began to grow more steadily in holiness and faced opposition from my classmates. Since I have never met any other Christian at school, I began to study Christian literature so I could defend my faith. Virtually every day I had discussions about evolution and the Bible with my classmates.  Even though there was no youth group in my former church and even though I did not know any other Christians in my school, God used this adversity to strengthen my faith. After high school, my idea for the future was to get a good education, a good job and have a nice life and a nice family, and in my free time minister in a local church. I was accepted to a technical university but I decided to first spend a year at a Bible Institute to strengthen my faith and build a solid foundation for my career. God has used that year to redirect my ideas about the future and at the end of it, I began to pursue full-time ministry.

My wife and I were married in October 2014 and since then we have been serving together in a local church in Kroměříž, Czech Republic.

– Lessons from Abraham: A Missionary's Perspective
– Prepared for Persecution
– Praying for the Persecuted
– Pray for Ukraine
– Christ's Unchallenged Church in Challenging Times
– Italy Trip Report
– Mission Snapshots
– The Church and the Kingdom

– What Does the Church in Africa Need?
– A View from the Field: Namibia, Germany, Nepal, India
– Missionary Spotlight: Uaundja Karamata
– Mission Snapshots
– Only the Gospel Brings True Change

Testimony

I grew up going to the church I am now pastoring. Around the age of 8 years old, I was attending a boy’s group in the church. The leader was teaching about the nature of sin, how we are all sinners, and the need for forgiveness from God. I bowed my head and prayed that God would forgive me. This is the earliest I can remember calling upon the Lord. I have always dated my conversion to that night though sometimes, looking back, I wonder whether I was saved then. At the age of ten, I was baptized in the Margaree River. I followed the Lord through my teenage years and was devoted to church and youth group. I went to Bible College for four years from age 19-23 and graduated with a Bachelor of Theology. At the end of that time, I went on a mission trip to India and was feeling the need for something more from the Lord. I came back seeking God for the next 6 months, reading and praying much. At the end of this period, in the early part of May 1994, I surrendered my life totally to Christ, in a way that I never had. From this point, I seemed to experience the Lord in a greater way. So sometimes I wonder if that was the date of my conversion. I have followed the Lord since then growing in love for Him and His Word, prayer, and His people.

In a prayer meeting in 1998 at a church in Toronto, I felt the Lord impressing me the call to enter full-time ministry. I looked up, as the praying continued, so surprised at God’s call. From that time on I began to pray that God would open a door for ministry full time. In 2001 God opened the door to come to the church I am currently pastoring.

Through the generous donations of HeartCry supporters, we were able to provide 9 laptop computers to our brothers in India. These computers will be used to advance His kingdom by providing the tools to aid in the study of God’s Word. The missionary writes:

“Thank you so much for providing these laptops. It is truly a blessing from the Lord. Words cannot express how useful they are to us. We trust that they will be used for many years to come to aid His people, and spread His Gospel. Thank you once again!” 

Pastor Bagid has been working diligently with a team of translators and editors to produce the Kazakh translation of "Discerning the Plight of Man". This project was made possible by the fervent prayers and generous donations from the many individuals and churches who support HeartCry. Please pray for this resource to be used by God to convict many of sin, and convince many of their need for repentance and a Savior.

Please also pray for Bagid and his team as they begin work on "Discovering the Glorious Gospel". Many of the theological terms and concepts readily available in English are unfamiliar and foreign to languages like Kazakh. Pray for wisdom and diligence for the translators who will be laboring to produce this next volume.

Information about obtaining this book in English can be found by clicking here.

After over one year of hard work, Paul Washer's latest workbook on the doctrine of the Church is now available in the Russian language. This is the result of nearly 18 months of hard work by a team of translators and editors to make this possible. Such a large project is only possible with the help of the generosity of the many donors who choose to give the HeartCry, as well as those who pray regularly for good resources to reach other languages.

(Please note, we hope to make this volume available in English this year. Watch our website for an announcement about this project in the coming weeks.)

If you would like to order a copy of this book (not available in the US) see the following instructions from our publisher Slava:

Вы можете купить новую книгу Пола Вошера "Церковь Христа по замыслу Христа" на сайте издательства "Евангелие и Реформация": www.epbook.by

Testimony:

I was born in a nominal Christian family who attended an evangelical church, and therefore I heard the gospel since childhood. However, in my early teens, I determined that God and religion were just a myth. I lived a sinful life and was the source of pain for many people. When I was 17 years old I attended a Christian youth camp. At the preached gospel, I was convicted about my sins against God. In that youth camp, I learned about Jesus’ redemptive work and therefore I committed my life to the Lord Jesus Christ. God started to change my life. I read my Bible and began to pray. I could see tangible change in my lifestyle and my affections.

In the initial years of my Christian life, no one from our church invested in me or discipled me. I soon found myself sliding back into the world. During this time, I was forced to take an engineering course by my father. Though I wasn’t qualified to get into engineering, my dad made sure that I got into it. He changed my religious status to Hindu from Christian to get some benefits at the school. I knew it was wrong and I opposed the idea as much as I could. I got into an engineering college but always had this guilty feeling in my heart that I had to lie to get into it.

During the time of my education, my dad fell into huge debts and had lawsuits against him. I was even kidnapped twice. Once by some men who were hired to get money from my dad. When I was on my way to my college, I was kidnapped and was told that they would let me go when my dad paid them money. I was terrified in the car with them, and I cried to the Lord. To my surprise, God heard my prayer, and eventually, after some series of events, they let me go. After a few months, I was taken by the police. My dad was absconding, but when I contacted him and informed him about my situation, he said that he was in a helpless situation. I was taken to a storehouse within the Police Station and was asked to stay there until my dad surrendered. I started praying to God and was hopeful of the Lord’s help even this time. After one and a half days I was allowed to go home. I was blown away by the grace and the courage that God had given me. I committed my life fully to the Lord to be faithful to Him in all my circumstances. I determined to seek the face of the Lord after these incidents. I started studying the Bible consistently and I began regularly crying out to the Lord to intervene in our family. God started working wonders. Many years later all my family members turned to the Lord.

Call to Ministry:

I made up my mind to be faithful to the Lord. The first step I took was to give up my engineering path, which I procured in the wrong way. This step upset my dad and he stopped supporting me financially. I soon started getting involved in our church. I was going out for Evangelism and mission trips. The book of Acts and biographies strengthened me to preach the gospel. The Lord started burdening my heart for His work.

One of the pastors of our church encouraged me to join the ministry team. He said that he would sponsor my secular studies and simultaneously train me for ministry. As I was preparing my heart for this new beginning, I had to witness some horrible incidents at our church. There were fights, physical brawls, and lawsuits. The sight of these things shattered me for many days.

I started attending another church and enrolled in a theological course that was taught by the church. I started working in the ministry office, and with a small para-church organization, which worked among young people in different parts of a protected location. During this time, I enrolled myself in a university to finish my graduation.

While I was still working with this organization, I met an American brother through a common friend. He stayed in the country during that time with his family. He introduced me to the reformed teachings and taught me how to read the Bible. He introduced me to good Christian reformed teachings and books. This gave me a desire to really take the study of theology seriously.

As I was studying the scriptures, the Lord was burdening my heart for the ministry. I understood that every ministry should be accountable to a local church. I resigned from my Christian organization which was not accountable to any church. After a year, I met another brother who was planting a church in my area. I became part of that new church. In January 2022, the church has commissioned me to begin a new work.

Through the generous donations of HeartCry supporters, we were able to provide Bob N.'s church with a media computer. He writes in response:

"Thank you so much for your labor of love. We are thankful to God and you all for providing us with a new media system that we can use to produce biblical online resources. Our laptops were not able to handle the files while editing the sermons and used to crash often. As a result, we were not able to upload our resources regularly. But with the new system, our resources will be of blessing to believers and churches around us. Moreover, we can now focus on producing more biblical content that will edify and equip believers in this part of the world. This gift of yours is also an answer to our prayer. This has strengthened our faith in our heavenly Father who is faithful. Please continue to pray for us so that we be useful vessels in His kingdom for His glory."

Just in time for winter, we were able to supply funds necessary, in addition to what the church had already raised, to provide indoor heat for a church building in Belarus.

This small body of believers has slowly been building a church over the last several years. They have been meeting most recently in a small but renovated upper room. However, as the church has grown, space has become congested. There is a much larger auditorium pictured below that needed heat in order to allow church gatherings in the large meeting room in the winter. The red pipes pictured provide a flow of hot water through the freshly poured concrete so that the room can be evenly heated even when temperatures reach levels dozens of degrees below zero.

In the last month, we had the opportunity to provide a few sets of digital commentaries to some of the pastors we support in Spain, Portugal, and the Canary Islands. Print books in Spanish can be difficult and costly to obtain. Because of Bible study software like Logos, commentaries, language tools, and other theological resources are available to many who wouldn't otherwise have access to such resources. Read below a few expressions of thank from some of the pastors who benefitted:

Heber Torres

"Dear brethren

Just a few words to express my gratitude for your generous gift. Having access to these sets of commentaries in Logos will provide helpful guidance as I study the Scriptures. Thank you so much for your commitment to the Gospel and your support of our family and ministry.

In Christ,

Heber Torres"

Christian Ulloa

"I would like to let you know that I have already received both Logos New Testament commentary sets. First of all, I am profoundly grateful for this gift, thank you for investing in my spiritual growth, I am looking forward to reading them… I would like to show my gratitude to HeartCry for the opportunity of owning these helpful resources to better understand the biblical text, to better know God, and thus, to serve Him with integrity…”

Miguel Burgazzoli

Dear brothers in Christ: 

"Today I woke up with the pleasant news of the gift that they have given us of the two comments on the New Testament through Logos. I tell you that last year I started saving, to gradually buy Samuel Perez Millos', and now suddenly I have them together with the NCA, what joy they have given me. I am very excited, I have no words to express thanksgiving for everything that is being done for me, for my wife, and for the church here in Las Palmas.

The Lord is giving us a great opportunity to continue spreading His Word throughout this island, there are still some fringes to touch up regarding the functioning of the church, but what a joy it is to see how while there are souls that, guided by the Lord, are listening to His Gospel and they are going to the foot of the cross, in all this, their prayers and contributions are being of crucial help. 

Thank you for blessing us in this beautiful and faithful way. May the Lord take care of you and continue to use you for His Glory. A strong hug in Christ 

Miguel Burgazzoli"

Mario Pina

"The hand of God has been amazingly good to us. It is amazing grace displayed in our lives. I was reminded of Peter's words: seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness. This gift is, for us, a tool to study the Word of God. This Word proclaimed leads to life and godliness, and by his mercy, will save many listeners here in Miratejo. His word sanctifies the church.

We are grateful to God for you, for what you do to us, and we are committed to using these resources to prepare sermons. God bless,

Pastor Mário Pina"

I was born and brought up in a Christian family. I grew up trying to live a moral life but constantly failed. I heard more of how a Christian should live, rather than hearing the true gospel. My efforts to please God went in vain. The 'gospel' I heard was always mixed with the promise of health, wealth, and prosperity. There were no Christian books available for me to read in my language. I was reading the Bible with moral applications. Sometimes I showed a great change and most of the time I was like the worst person. 

Right after my schooling, I went to Theological seminary. My intention behind going there was to get settled in life by learning English. Secular studies in English was a costlier affair in those days, but Theological seminaries were giving Bible courses in English without much cost. 

In one of the classes in the seminary, the Professor was teaching “Who is a Christian?” He started reading out with a few statements and asked whether they were right or not. Those statements were  “1. A person who is born in a Christian family, 2. A person who is baptized, 3. A person who goes to church, 4. A person who reads the Bible and prays.” My answer was “Yes” for each of them. Then, he explained that none of those statements were right. He then taught the true gospel from John 1:12 about repenting and believing in the completed work of Christ. I knew that I was far away from God. 

After a few months, while the President of the Seminary was preaching on the urgency of repenting and getting right with the Holy and Loving God, the Lord opened my heart to repent. I begged Him for the forgiveness of my sinful life. The Lord tremendously changed my life and then, I experienced the real joy of salvation which I couldn’t get by trying to live a moral life. I am ever thankful to Him for this.

One day while the same person was preaching, my heart was burdened about something which I never thought of before. “Even as he is a channel of blessing for me to hear the true gospel, I should be the same to others.” There I prayed “Lord! Here I am, equip me and use me to take the gospel to the people who need to hear it.” I then started sharing with other students the testimony of my conversion. I did the same after coming back to the church and family. Since then, the Lord shaped my character, sharpened my abilities, and led my passion to be in the right direction by teaching me regularly through reading books, attending seminars, and going through rough stages of life.

This was recorded recently for brothers and sisters in Southern Asia. We pray all may be encouraged by it.