Dear Brothers & Sisters,
Greetings to you in the Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ from the land of Nepal. It’s my privilege and joy to share the work of the Lord. July 23-25 was our HeartCry conference held at Butwal. This conference was based on a Pastor’s qualification and call for ministry. Brother J.S. from HeartCry was with us for the teaching. The first two days he preached from 1 Timothy 3:14-16 and 4:1-16. Before he preached, he exhorted us in the importance of developing a high view of God. Our greatest need is to know Him and have fellowship with him. This was one of Paul’s great desires for the church (Eph. 1:17; Col 1:10). This is the very foundation and essence of our Christian faith. He preached with simplicity, explaining how every other doctrine rests on the doctrine of God. It was awesome and very encouraging to see this biblical truth.
Then he started from 1 Timothy 3:14ff -encouraged us to watch over the house of living God faithfully, preaching and teaching sound gospel. The written Word of God is our clear instruction that we should have follow and take care the household of God- not our own idea and methods. We elders should have to read the clear instruction daily, apply it in our lives, and preach it to the family of God. The pastor is not only called to preach, but also to lead the flock by example. He is to be an excellent servant.
The last day of the conference was on the qualifications of an elder. Who should be an elder? Brother J.S. walked through 1 Timothy 3:1-7; 5:22 and emphasized the four things needed to know if someone is called to the eldership. They were:
- Desire (Inward Call)
- Qualified (1 Tim. 3; Titus 1)
- Gifted (Able to Teach)
- Affirmed by the Local Church
All the men were encouraged and challenged. The Word of God reminded them about their life and seriousness of ministry. It was such a blessing to read together the word of God. Praise to the Lord that the conference went well. At the end of the day, the men received the solid book (Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem and from the 9Marks Series, Expositional Preaching by David R Helm). These books were translated are in Nepali. One of the major problems in Nepal is lack of solid biblical materials. Theological poverty is a major issue in the context of Nepal. But the Lord is slowly making us rich and reaching out with the solid biblical materials through HeartCry. Through your prayers and support, these materials are available for us. We appreciate co-laboring for the gospel work together and the advancement of the kingdom. Your generosity has tremendously impacted the life of Nepalese people as we are getting an opportunity grow in the right understanding of the Word of God and ministering for the gospel work. May the Lord edify His church, and may she be more grounded deeply in the Gospel so that lost souls will be saved by the power of the Holy Spirit through the preaching of His Word by faithful ministers whom God has called. Let the Lord help us to reach out to the nations- that they may come to the saving faith of Christ and bring worship to Him. We want to thank you for your prayer and tremendous support that has greatly helped our life and ministry. Glory to be God alone!
In Him,
Silas