UWJ Summer 09

Youth EditionSummer 2007SUMMER 2009

THE QUARTERLY MISSIONS JOURNAL OF FIRSTBIBLE INTERNATIONAL

IN THIS ISSUE:

How Kids Can GetInvolved in Missions!

Kids Can Make A Difference!

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gamesthat will help you learn

Contents

the missingpiece of themissionspuzzleby Gary Wimberly

editorialby Ken Fielder

Unpublished WORD EDITOR: Dr. Charles Keen ASSISTANT EDITOR: Ken Fielder CIRCULATION/ADVERTISING: Jerry Rockwell GRAPHIC DESIGN: Steeple Press Publications, Jody Powers, Murfreesboro, TN PRODUCTION/PRINTING: Clark’s Printing Co., Ventura, CA

Some of the authors and their material featured in UW Journal are not necessarily in agreement with the theological position of the UW Journal. Their writings are included because of their insight into the particular subject matter published in the UW Journal.

The Unpublished WORD Journal is a quarterly publication of FirstBible INTERNATIONAL. All correspondence should be sent to the editorial officers at:FirstBible INTERNATIONAL, 3148 Franklin Road, Murfreesboro, TN 37128(615) 796-0043 ∙ [email protected] ∙ www.firstbible.net

FirstBible INTERNATIONAL is a ministry of Franklin Road Baptist Church in Murfreesboro, Tennessee ∙ Dr. Mike Norris, Pastor

4

17

i canmake a differenceby Rhonda Brown

We are pleased to We are pleased to make available to you this

special Children’s Edition issue of the Unpublished Word Journal

from the ministry of FirstBible International. This issue has

several goals: To introduce you to the ministry tools available

as teaching aids for children and to make you and your students

aware of the need for the gospel in the 10/40 Window (called “the

uttermost” in Acts 1:8). This geographical area is located from

10 degrees north to 40 degrees north of the equator and stretches

from the Philippines in the east to the western coast of northern

Africa. This “Window” is home to 66 nations and over 95% of all

the unreached peoples of our world. Three major belief systems,

Christianity, Judaism and Islam, all have their origin in this same

area of our world.

The 10/40 Window is the most gospel-neglected place on earth. Only

900 of the 186,000 total missionaries from all denominations in the

Western Hemisphere are trying to reach the 1.5 billion unreached

Muslims who live within the 10/40 Window. They are without a Bible,

a church or the gospel.

FirstBible International believes children can be a mighty force toward

changing this crisis into a triumph. Young David slaying Goliath and

the young lad with the loaves are just two Biblical examples. We believe

it so strongly that we have an entire department of ministry

devoted to the youth of our churches.

change starts with

awareness.

5 11

Did You Know?Draw a line to match the correct

Holy Book with it’s religion.

Holy Book - Religion Quran Confucius

Tanakh Buddhism

Dharmapada Hinduism

Hong KongIndiaIranIraqIsraelJapanJordanN. KoreaS. KoreaKuwaitLaosLebanon

OmarPakistanPhilippinesPortugalQatarSaudi ArabiaSenegalSpainSudanSyriaTaiwanTajikistan

an you Memorize the40 Window Countries?

FIRSTbIbLEMISSIONARIESMONEYNATIONALSPRAYERPRINTINGSIx THOUSAND LANGUAGESSIxTY SIx NATIONSTEN FORTY wINDOwTRANSLATIONSUNREACHED PEOPLE GROUPYOU CAN DO IT

I L F A R L T I H O A S b F

R E O R K S b P w O U M Q E

A S C H R T Q I A R A C U R

N D L H N E T E b F D T A U

O F E A I M O w I T E N w N

I b Y T N M C S V E S P Y F

S L U R G O Q G U L C R E C

S C F Q C N I S A I E S I P

I P R L D E Y T R T R K M F

M O T M P Y I w A A C b I D

G E U H S O C C P N U Q R K

I b w A N E E K S E L R A H

E O V S O R F F Y O A T S I

P U O R G E L P O E P D E Hanswers on page 14

12 16

missionsmemoryversesto cut out

Unpublished WORD [�

developingmission-heartedchildrenby Abb Thomas

We are pleased to make available to you this special Children’s

Edition issue of the Unpublished WORD Journal from the ministry

of FirstBible INTERNATIONAL. This issue has several goals: To introduce

you to the ministry tools available as teaching aids for children and

to make you and your students aware of the need for the gospel in the

10/40 Window (called “the uttermost” in Acts 1:8). This geographical

area is located from 10 degrees north to 40 degrees north of the

equator and stretches from the Philippines in the east to the western

coast of northern Africa. This “Window” is home to 66 nations and

over 95% of all the unreached peoples of our world. Three major belief

systems, Christianity, Judaism and Islam, all have their origin in this

same area of our world.

The 10/40 Window is the most gospel-neglected place on earth. Only 900

of the 186,000 total missionaries from all denominations in the Western

Hemisphere are trying to reach the 1.5 billion unreached Muslims who

live within the 10/40 Window. They are without a Bible, a church or the

gospel.

FirstBible International believes children can be a mighty force toward

changing this crisis into a triumph. Young David slaying Goliath and the

young lad with the loaves are just two Biblical examples. We believe it so

strongly that we have an entire department of ministry devoted to the youth

of our churches.

We believe the change starts with awareness. Therefore, we have prepared

a series of four Bible lessons complete with teaching aids, a wall chart and

stickers, and a musical CD as well as coin folders for offerings. These can be

used in Sunday Schools, Christian Schools, Home Schools or Vacation Bible

Schools. They are designed to draw parents and children into awareness and

involvement in reaching the 6,000 unreached peoples groups of our world. In

many cases we can send a representative to train the teachers and inspire the

students. All the materials are free and our representative can come on a love

offering/expense basis.

Please keep this magazine for future reference and if we can be of service to your

Sunday School, Christian School, Home School or Vacation Bible School, please

contact us at www.firstbible.net.

Ken Fielder

Assistant Director

FirstBible INTERNATIONAL

Editorial

�] Unpublished WORD

Hey kids! I have a question for you. Have you ever thought

what your life would be like if you never had a Bible? Think for just a moment of all the things you would not know. You would not know how you got here on planet Earth, why God made you, what sin is, that there is a Heaven and a Hell, and how to be saved from Hell and have a home in Heaven someday. Think about how your whole life would be different. There would be no churches, no Christian Schools, no Bible Clubs, or summer Vacation Bible Schools. Imagine how that just having no churches would change the world in which we live. Let’s ask another question. Do you think that everyone in the world should have a Bible to read? I hope that your answer was “yes” because the Bible is the most important book in all the world. It tells us everything that God wants us to know. We could say that it

is God’s love-letter to each one of us. Let’s suppose you had a secret admirer (that’s someone who likes you a lot, but has never told anyone), and one day he or she sends you a love-letter. Excitedly, you open it only to find that it is written in a language that you don’t understand. How would you feel? Wouldn’t you wonder why they didn’t write it so you could understand it? Their letter may have said some very important things – things that would have made you happy and smile. It may have told you of a beautiful gift they had bought for you, and that it could be yours if you would only go to a certain destination and ask for it. But sadly, you will never know any of those things because you cannot read this love-letter addressed to you. Boys and girls, did you know that there are billions of people in our world that cannot read God’s love-letter because it is written in

a language they can’t understand? There isno Bible in their language. They will never know all the good things God has written to them in His letter nor of the gift of eternal life in Jesus that He offers to them if only they will receive Him. In their hearts perhaps they wonder, “If there is a God who loves me, why doesn’t He speak my language, too?” You and I must give them the answer: “Yes, God does love you, and He does speak your language.” Then we must do OUR part to help them. Wouldn’t you like to know that God used YOU to get someone his or her very first Bible? Doesn’t that sound exciting? Let’s look together into this wonderful Book, the Bible, which can tell us exactly how we can do just that!

I Can Make A Difference!by Rhonda Brown


i geT To sPReAd god’s WoRd Scripture: JOHN 6:9-13 “There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?…And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. When they were filled…they gathered…and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.”

i. i AM ResPonsiBle To geT god’s MessAge To All Men Boys and girls, did you know that you are a part of God’s plan to reach all the world for Him? You might say, “But I’m just a child. How could I make a difference?” When we read the story that God wrote down for us in John 6, we see that God used the offering of a little boy to feed all those thousands of hungry people. Do you think that when this little lad took his little lunch of 5 loaves and 2 fishes that morning that he ever thought that God would do so much with it? Would you have been willing to give up your lunch that day if Jesus needed it? He was just a little kid with a small lunch who was willing to give all that he had - and look what the Lord did with it! The Bible tells us of other young people that God used: A little maid in 2 Kings 5:1-15 who helped a captain come to know about the true and living God. What about a young shepherd boy named David who killed the great giant, Goliath, because he made fun of the true God of Israel. He became a mighty king to lead God’s people and wrote many of the Psalms in the Bible. Daniel, a young man who was a captive in a strange land, was able to convince a mighty king that his God was the only true and living God. Were these young people extra-special in some

way that God allowed them to do such great things? Only in one way – they loved the Lord and were willing for God to use them – that’s all. They said, Lord, use my life to make a difference. Are you willing to obey the Lord today and let Him use you to make a difference, to do something that would really matter for all eternity?

ii. THe FoRgoTTen PeoPle gRoUPs MUsT Also HeAR god’s MessAge Boys and girls, did you know that more than half of all the people in the world live in an imaginary rectangle on the map that has been named the 10/40 Window? For those of you who may be familiar with a globe, it is located between the 10th and the 40th parallel and from the northwestern coast of Africa to the eastern coast of Japan. In these countries where many people groups live, there is not enough food to feed them all. In case you’re asking, “What is a people group?” It is a group of people who look alike, speak the same language, and have the same lifestyle, history, customs, and religion. Most people inside this Window are very poor. This is why there is much sickness and disease, and many die very young. They worship whatever their grandparents worshipped. It might be a tree, a cow, a stone, or evil spirits. Some, called Hindus, worship millions of false gods, some they say are good and some are evil. Others who are Buddhist believe that by meditating, or sitting very quietly and thinking, they can find god within themselves. We know by reading the Bible that that isn’t possible because “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” In ourselves we

cannot become like God. The Tribal people worship spirits who they believe live in the water, rocks, sun, sky, to name just a few, and are very fearful of those spirits. Another group are the Muslims who try to earn their way into heaven by doing good deeds. They are sincere enough about what they believe to even die for their god or kill others who do not believe as they do. As we read God’s Word, we learn that “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Then there are those un-religious people who deny that there is a God at all, like those who live in Communist countries. Most of these people have never heard about Jesus or a God who loves them and wants to save them. They have never seen a missionary or a Bible. And this is why so many are dying and going to Hell, never having heard that Jesus wants to forgive their sin and take them to Heaven. Is it fair that we should hear God’s message of salvation many times and that they should not hear even once? Is there something that you and I can do to change that?

iii. god AlloWs Me To HAVe A PART in His PlAn Have you ever wanted to help your parents do something only to hear them say, “I’m sorry, I know that you want to help, but this is just


for grown-ups”? Well, God says that this is not just for grown-ups, but this is for you, too. He wants you to have a part. He wants you to say, “Here I am, Lord, use me to make a difference.” What does God want you to do? There are three things that God’s Word teaches us.

1. yoU CAn PRAy “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” Matthew 21:22. When we pray we are showing God that we need Him. Prayer is depending on God to do the impossible. We can ask Him to send missionaries to the un-reached peoples. Then we must pray for those missionaries that God will keep them well, help them learn the new language, and be used by God’s Holy Spirit in reaching the darkened hearts of people who have never before heard of a Savior who loves them. We must pray for every boy and girl to receive Jesus when they hear the good news of God’s Word. Also, we can pray for FirstBible INTERNATIONAL as they work to get those people groups a Bible in their own language. Pray for those who must have the understanding to translate, for those who work the printing press, and for God to supply the money to pay for it all. Most importantly, we must pray that God will show us our part in His plan to

get the job done.

2. yoU CAn giVe Many of you are already familiar with the “You Can Do It” coin folders. Just think! Each one of these coin folders will buy a Bible or a New Testament for someone who for the very first time will learn of Jesus’ love for them. You can have a part in that person going to Heaven. Maybe you would like to save your snack money at school just one day each week so that someone might have a Bible. If these coin folders hold $5.00 of quarters, how many cokes would that be? There is nothing wrong with eating a candy bar or a bag of chips, but don’t you think that God would be pleased if we said, “Jesus, today I’m going to do without a coke so that some boy or girl can have a Bible and have the chance to accept you as his Savior”? It may be that the Bible you send will become the one that will reach an entire village with the love-letter for which they have been waiting. God wants to multiply your quarters just as He did the five loaves and two fishes of the little lad.

3. yoU CAn go Acts 1:8 and Matthew 28:19, 20 tell us that ALL of us are to be witnesses. Acts 22:15 says, “For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.” A witness is someone who is asked to tell what he knows about something he saw or heard because he was actually there when it happened. God asks us to tell what Jesus has

done in our hearts when He saved us. God did not say that we may

be a witness if we would like to be, but He gave us

a command, “Go ye…” He is depending on

us to tell others what Jesus can do for them, too. Where are we to go? We are to go into ALL the world

and preach the gospel (or the Good News) to EVERY creature, from our neighborhood where we live to the uttermost part of the earth. So where exactly is the utter-most? I believe that God is speaking about all the forgotten people that we may never see or hear about, but whom God sees and loves very much. He loved them so much that He died for them. God may want you to be a missionary to some of them one day. If He did, would you be willing to say, “Yes, Lord, I’ll go”? Of course we know that God has not called everyone to go to a foreign land, but He has called many. God desires a willing heart to do His will. Would you just be willing to pray, “Lord Jesus, is it your will for me to go? Please show me what you would have me to do.” All of us cannot go to the 10/40 Window or to Mexico or some foreign land, but we can pray for those that do go. We can tell our friends here how that they can go to Heaven, can’t we? Are you thinking of someone right now that you need to tell about Jesus? Perhaps God is speaking to your heart about being a missionary. One day in Heaven when boys and girls from every tribe and nation are bowed together before God’s throne, wouldn’t you want to hear one or more of them say to you, “Thank you for helping me to know the Lord so that I could be here with you in Heaven”? Just think about the exciting task that God has asked you to be part of – that of reaching forgotten boys and girls for Him. Will you offer what you have to Him? Will you say, “Yes, Jesus, I will pray and I will give as you show me how, and I am willing to go wherever you ask me to go. I give myself to You. Help me to make a difference.” I know yoU CAn do iT!

This is a sample lesson from a four-chapter children’s series. See page 15 to order.


A national program designed to connect local churches with the great need for the Scriptures in the Muslim world has been introduced by FirstBible International.

The effort offers churches the opportunity to supply missionaries and local believers with Bibles and New Testaments who then personally distribute them to Muslims who have never had any form of the Scriptures.

LaunchesBibles 4 Muslims

Dr. Charles Keen, founder, and Dr. Mike Norris, director, state, “BiBles 4 MusliMs is the appropriate way we as Christians should respond to terrorism- with the Word of God. It is also the most strategic way for churches to provide Bibles with the guarantee that they will be distributed for the purpose of church planting in Muslim countries.” Many of the Bibles are smuggled into countries and given away at great risk to those engaged in the process. In most cases, it is truly the “first Bible” that the recipient has ever seen or held.

BiBles 4 MusliMs is an event when churches set aside a Sunday to receive a special offering for the Scriptures. For every $5.00 given, a Bible or New Testament is printed and distributed in one of the 48 Muslim countries in our world. Many are Scriptures published, not only in the major languages, but in some of the minor dialects. This makes the program unique in that it is not single-focused on the major languages for Muslims of Farsi, Urdu and Arabic.

Most churches are observing the event on a Sunday in October or November by using the

awareness tools provided by FirstBible. However, a church can observe the offering on any Sunday that is best for them. The tools are available at no cost and include a poster, bulletin insert, hand-out brochure, and a coin folder that holds $5.00 worth of quarters. Additional tools are a six-minute video production, PowerPoint presentation, and a Bible study lesson about Muslims and the Bible. Many churches teach the Bible study lesson on a Sunday leading up to the day they will receive their offering.

Participants can enroll at the program’s website as well as order awareness tools at: www.bibles4muslims.com or by calling (866) 997-6003. Dr. Mike Norris, pastor of Franklin Road Baptist Church in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, which is the home church for FirstBible International states,

“Since 9/11, our church has looked for a way to respond to terrorism. Nothing has caught our interest like BiBles 4 MusliMs and the chance to respond appropriately to the attacks on our nation. We are excited to be able to not only give the Word of God, but also to do it in such a strategic manner.”


10] Unpublished WORD

A Ministry of Franklin Road Baptist Church

3148 Franklin Road · Murfreesboro, TN 37128

(615) 796-0043 · www.firstbible.net

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1 Full Quarter Folder =1 Whole Bible!

Order today to start filling yours!586-566-3825

In December 2006, our family, Melodie, Luke, Ethan and I, had the opportunity to spend Christmas with all of my family

for the first time in years. During our stay, a family picture was scheduled to include my grandmother, parents, siblings, and all the nieces and nephews. The photographer began to put each of us in a specific place as if putting the pieces of a puzzle together to make the picture complete. Everyone present had a defined role, a specified place to participate, and the absence of anyone from the youngest to the oldest would leave the picture incomplete.

Often as we labor in our churches to assemble the pieces of the puzzle that we call “Missions,” we have the tendency to overlook the one piece that would complete the picture of our missions puzzle - the

children! Too often we focus on which missionaries to invite, the

banquets, the decorations, the commitment cards and the attendance of the missions

meeting. Yet we overlook the corner piece of the puzzle, the children of our ministries that can make all the difference.

In John chapter 6 we read what is commonly called the feeding of the 5,000. However, what I see is the Lord Jesus giving us an example of how the active involvement of children can be used to touch countless lives. Let me make three observations from this Bible story that will encourage us to include the missing piece (the children) in our mission’s strategy.

1. The large group of People in need (verse 5)We know there were at least five thousand men in attendance, all of which had the same need. They lacked the necessary nourishment that would meet the basic physical necessity in their life. The need could not be satisfied by anyone in the multitude. The Lord Jesus thought the need was important enough to address it personally. Today we have a world filled with large groups of people, nearly 6,000 of them consisting of men, women and children all with a great need. It is a need not of bread and water but of hearing the Word of God. Romans 10:16-17 “But they have not all obeyed the gospel…So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” How shall they hear when half the world still lacks the Scriptures in their heart language? The need of the multitudes today cannot be satisfied by anything the world can offer. Our Lord Jesus did address this problem on five different occasions, commonly referred to as the Great Commission.

2. The leadership Which lacked a strategy to Meet the need (verses 6-7)Our Lord posed a question to Philip in order toprovide a strategy to address the need. Philip and Andrew’s response reveals a lack of strategy. They didnot consider the god factor. “All thingswere made by him; and without him was not any

The Missing Piece of the Missions Puzzle!

by Gary Wimberly

Unpublished WORD [11continued on page 13

Did You Know?Draw a line to match the correct

Holy Book with it’s religion.

Holy Book - Religion Quran Confucius

Tanakh Buddhism

Dharmapada Hinduism

Analects Taoism

Vedas & Upanishads Judeo-Christians

Tao Te Ching Muslims

Bible Jews

answers on page 16

AfghanistanAlgeriaArmeniaAzerbaijanBahrainBangladeshBeninBhutanBurkina FasoCambodiaChadChinaCyprusDjiboutiEgyptEthiopiaGambiaGaza StripGibraltarGreeceGuineaGuinea-Bissau

Hong KongIndiaIranIraqIsraelJapanJordanN. KoreaS. KoreaKuwaitLaosLebanonLibyaMacauMaliMaltaMuaritaniaMoroccoMyanmarNepalNigerNigeria

OmanPakistanPhilippinesPortugalQatarSaudi ArabiaSenegalSpainSudanSyriaTaiwanTajikistanThailandTibetTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanUnited Arab EmiratesUzbekistanVietnamWestern SaharaYemen

Can you Memorize the10/40 Window Countries?

Can you find all these terms?

bIbLESCHURCH PLANTINGDR. CHARLES KEENFIRSTbIbLEMISSIONARIESMONEYNATIONALSPRAYERPRINTINGSIx THOUSAND LANGUAGESSIxTY SIx NATIONSTEN FORTY wINDOwTRANSLATIONSUNREACHED PEOPLE GROUPYOU CAN DO IT

V b E D G N I T N A L P H C R U H C T R

S I x T H O U S A N D L A N G U A G E S

E b U H E C G b Y S R A w E N G b R N I

I L F A R L T I H O A S b F I C E E F x

R E O R K S b P w O U M Q E T D V Y O T

A S C H R T Q I A R A C U R H N P A R Y

N D L H N E T E b F D T A U G C T R T S

O F E A I M O w I T E N w N K R M P Y I

I b Y T N M C S V E S P Y F D Y Q R w x

S L U R G O Q G U L C R E C A O F I I N

S C F Q C N I S A I E S I P R U I N N A

I P R L D E Y T R T R K M F T w O T D T

M O T M P Y I w A A C b I D K F b I O I

G E U H S O C C P N U Q R K U Y R N w O

I b w A N E E K S E L R A H C R D G H N

E O V S O R F F Y O A T S I O H K N O S

P U O R G E L P O E P D E H C A E R N Uanswers on page 14

Games

12] Unpublished WORD

thing made that was made. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:3, 14). Both of these men had God incarnate with them and both had seen Him turn the water into wine; heal the lame man of thirty-eight years and more. Yet they did not ask the One who created hunger and created the bread to satisfy the hunger what they should do. So many times in forming our mission strategy we focus on the Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and uttermost parts of the earth and forget the God factor. “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you…” (Acts 1:8) and “Lo, I am with you alway…” (Matthew 28:20). We have His indwelling Spirit. Do we look to the Spirit as Jesus commanded us in “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:26). Philip’s response reveals that he thought a lack of finances would relieve him of his responsibility. In our American government it seems that if there is a problem, the solution is to just throw more money at it. The opposite is true in our churches. It seems that if we lack the finances, then obviously God cannot expect us to do anything about it. Money is an obvious necessity in missions but it is not the answer to completing the Great Commission. In John 6 we can see what the Lord Jesus used in meeting the need. The Lord used personnel. He used the lad, and he used the disciples for organization and distribution. II Corinthians 8:5 “And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.” Luke 10:2 “Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.” He also used the gifts of the personnel. Jesus took the bread and fish as the means to accomplish the mission of feeding the multitude. I Peter 4:10 “As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” The Lord also administered prayer into the process. He took the gifts of the personnel and offered them up in prayer unto the Father. It may be that we lack strategy, personnel, gifts and finances because we lack time in prayer for them. At least on seven different occasions we find the Lord Jesus Christ in personal prayer time with the Father. When we read more specifically the Lord’s High Priestly Prayer in John 17, the major content of His prayer is personnel in relation to the world. Do you have a God-given strategy for

your ministry? Does it seem that your strategy has some missing pieces that would complete the puzzle of fulfilling the Great Commission? If so, would you consider this last observation?

3. The lad Whose gifts were not seriously Considered as Part of the solution (verse 9)Andrew makes this clear to us in his statement, “but what are they among so many.” Andrew’s attitude is one of: “Well, all we have is this, not that it is going to make any difference.” I am not convinced that this young man was in attendance with the multitude that day. It could be that the reason the lad had loaves and fishes is that possibly his father was a fisherman in the region and he was selling the fish his father caught to help in supplying the needs of the family. Everyone knows that in order to have a good fish sandwich one needs bread to go along with the fish. This lad most likely had a familiar continuing presence in the area and a willingness to get involved when given the opportunity. The Bible gives many examples where children had a presence and when given the opportunity were more than willing to help. We find in II Kings 5:1-4 that a little maid of Israel was captured and made a slave in Syria in the house of Naaman, the captain of the host, and a leper. This little maid had a presence in the home of Naaman and was willing to get involved by sharing the news of a prophet in Samaria who could heal Naaman of his leprosy. In I Samuel 17 the youngest of eight brothers was a lad named David. David found himself present in the midst of a battle between the children of Israel and the Philistines. Young David, willing to stand for God’s glory, made the difference when given the opportunity to face the giant and helped shape the future of Israel. Our church ministries have children of all ages and all backgrounds present weekly that would be willing to get involved in world missions if given the opportunity. For this lad in John 6, what was he among so many. When we read the rest of the story we can see his willingness is what the Lord Jesus used to make the difference in the lives of at least five thousand souls that day. What are our children among so many people groups that are in need of the Scriptures in their languages and in need of fundamental churches to be started? It is among the children of our ministries that we will find our Bible translators. It is among our children that we will find the next generation of missionaries and pioneer church planters and it is among our children that we will find the prayer warriors for those who go so they might have success. The missing piece to our puzzle of missions is sitting right in front of us each week. Have you considered including them in your strategy

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Game Answers from page 12

to complete the Great Commission? Let me leave with you three necessities that we must incorporate in our children ministries if they are going to be a part of our mission strategy:

1. We must instruct our children on the need of the world. For example: Half the world is without the Scripture in their heart language. Most of them live in a place called the 10/40 Window, and most of these people have no missionaries among them.

2. We must inspire them to be involved in the Great Commission. This can be done through memorizing the 66 countries of the 10/40 Window and challenging them to pray for these people’s spiritual needs, scriptural needs, and physical needs. Our children should be encouraged often to surrender their lives to the Lord for full-time service if that be His desire for them.

3. We must involve them so they may have an opportunity to be obedient now to the Great Commission. They should be challenged to sacrifice and give. They should be given opportunity to correspond with missionaries through letter writing and possibly taken to a foreign field or find different people groups in their area to visit and pass out tracts.

My desire is to make all three of these possible through our children’s program called, “you Can do it, let’s spread the Word.” We at FirstBible International have been working diligently to develop this program to aid local churches, Christian Schools, Vacation Bible Schools and Home Schools to expose our children to God’s eternal plan to reach the “uttermost parts of the earth.”

We provide all materials which include: a reproducible notebook containing 4 illustrated lessons on missions, a game, coin folders, a map showing the countries of the 10/40 Window, plus some added bonus materials. It is possible for children to be instructed, inspired and involved in the Great Commission noW!

There is a new Window of opportunity. This is known as the 4/14 Window. I read recently a study showing that approximately 85% of those who give their lives to be a missionary answer God’s call between the ages of 4 and 14! Are we doing our part to make this a possibility in our churches?

Just a few weeks ago I was attending a Missions Revival in which the Christian School incorporated our children’s program four weeks before

the meeting. A first grade teacher related the following to me concerning the program. A little first grade girl was excited about providing Bibles for those who have never had a copy of God’s Word. With a strong desire to fill as many quarter folders as possible she was taking her grandmother’s quarters without permission. When the grandmother asked where all her quarters were, the little first grader responded, “Grandma, I need these quarters for Bibles. If we don’t evangelize them, then who will?”

We can stop looking for that missing piece of our missions puzzle. Can we take our children and their gifts seriously as a part of completing the Great Commission in our lifetime?

For a preview packet of “You Can Do It, Let’s Spread the Word” or if you have any questions, please contact Gary Wimberly at 904-318-8552 or [email protected].

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You Can Do It!Let’s Spread the Word!

“A Fundamental Approach to the 10/40 Window”

A Ministry oF FrAnklin roAd BAptist church

3148 Franklin road Murfreesboro, tn 37128web: www.firstbible.netmaterials: 586-566-3825


MAKING

MISSIONS-GIVING

MORE PERSONAL

You Can Do It!

Let’s Spread

the Word!

Name______________

StIcKERS

cOINfOLdER

18 x 24POStER

SONGcd

You Can Do It!

Let’s Spread The Word!

BibleLessonSong

“I Can Do It”

www.firstbible.net

#1: Franklin Road Christian School Children’s Choir#2: Music Only

this school program is a dynamic youth-oriented approach to missions that opens up marvelous opportunities to minister to those who have no church in their land or no Bible in their language. It is designed to be used by christian Schools, VBS, Home Schools, and Sunday School classes.

PROGRAMBROcHuRE


Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth

labourers into his harvest.

[M atth e w 9:38]

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father,

and of the Son, and of the holy Ghost: [M atth e w 28:19]

teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and,

lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. amen. [M atth e w 28:20]

and if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not:

for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. [Jo hn 12:47]

then Peter opened his mouth, and said, of a truth I perceive that God is no

respecter of persons:[a ctS 10:34]

to him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever

believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. [a ctS 10:43]

and he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of

quick and dead. [a ctS 10:42]

and he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel

to every creature.

[M ar k 16:15]

therefore said he unto them, the harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.

[Lu k e 10:2]

and the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house

may be filled. [Lu k e 14:23]

But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:

[ I I c or Inth I an S 4 :3]

But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness,

is accepted with him.

[a ctS 10:35]

wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. [h e Br e wS 7:25]

after this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations,

and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed

with white robes, and palms in their hands; [r e v e Lat Ion 7:9 ]

Missions Memory Verses

#


Let’s take the bottom line first. After researching large fundamental mission boards, all with over 1000 missionaries on the field, my long-felt assumptions proved true. All three boards gave almost word for word this quote: “Seventy-five percent of all missionaries on the field today (their missionaries) believe that God laid missions on their heart by the age of twelve!” They knew by age twelve that God wanted them to be a missionary some day.

That alone should “seal the deal” as to the necessity to make missions big in a child’s heart “Now and Later.” In fact, that’s the name of our missionary emphasis to children at First Baptist Church, and through our Master Club ministry.

No, we do not “talk them into” being a missionary. That is God’s realm alone. But, why can’t a child understand early on in life that the mission field is a great place and way to serve the Lord, and the option is open for whosoever will. What’s wrong with that?

We take the positive approach. God alone calls, but He uses us to plant and water the seed! If the bottom line is as stated (by the age of twelve), why would we as leaders not make it a great emphasis in our ministry to the children?

If children can dream of being a doctor or carpenter or ball player, what is wrong with dreaming of being a preacher or teacher or missionary some day? Why can’t serving the Lord be an option too?

Why can’t our Great Commission

Night teach our children about great missionaries of the past and present? Why can’t they hear the great biographies, the Bible stories, the key mission verses that exalt the missionary as one of God’s choicest servants? The answer is, we can, if that is the plan.

Here are a few ideas to make missions big in young eyes and hearts, “Now and Later”:

1. In June of this year we completed six weeks of evangelism and included our children right in the middle of it all! Children need to see their parents, teachers, and church involved in missions. This mission field happened to be only a mile or two away in a large living development. We went to where they live – that’s missions! Children were a part of seeing 34 other children come to know the Lord!

2. Through Master Clubs, our multiple badge awards move kids to learn, research, and present their knowledge of our missionaries (www.masterclubs.org).

3. How about a “Good News Day,” where children help to pass out 500 gospel tracts?

4. Let us do a “shoe box” full of gifts and fun and send to our mission children on the field right now. Let’s encourage those children in a strange land.

5. Let us take them through sixteen small biographies of great men and women in missions. Mission books for children are abundant in stores or catalogues (see YWAM Publishing).

6. We can fill “quarter cards” to purchase Bibles to be sent around the world (see the FirstBible plan).

7. Encourage projects such as: mission verses, letter writing, learning to present the gospel, home mission projects, mission games, people groups presentations, foreign projects, and learning about the 10/40 Window.

8. How about a missionary prayer room to show maps, people group books, videos, singing mission songs, and making much of prayer for missions.

9. Multiple award badges in Club bring hands on involvement in missions early on in life. Make up your own requirements and awards.

10. A church-lending library is great for families to take home and use beautiful books, posters, and videos on missionaries. Ask adults to donate for the project.

11. A Christian Writing contest could feature essays, gospel tracts, poems, and short stories, all on missions.

12. The annual Children’s Mission Conference brings missions up close and personal as three of the five nights is all theirs. Missionaries speaking to kids (not adults), mission songs, games, videos, crafts, and Bible memory add to children seeing missions above and beyond the bugs and snakes stories.

That is our goal, and we are going after it with children. Help pray many of our children to the mission fields of the world!

Developing Mission-Hearted Children!B y : A B B t h o M A s

Two Words

• Baptist • KJV • Exciting Memory System• Thorough Discipleship • Missions Oriented• Regional Competitions and Mailbox Contests• Beautiful Materials & Awards!• Designed for children 3-years old thru 6th grade

God’s Little Treasures

3-year olds

Ambassadors

4th-6th grades

Kerby RichmonDirector

Abb ThomasFounder

Pastor Bill DuttryFirst Baptist Church

in Milford, Ohio

Scouts

3rd gradeSpotters

2nd gradeLookouts

1st gradeGod’s Little Lambs

4-year oldsGod’s Little Shepherds

5-year olds

Call for a free promotional packet & video (800) 451-5023A ministry of First Baptist Church in Milford, Ohio

Franklin Road Baptist Church and Dr. Norris announce the 2010 national missions revival

franklin road Baptist church

3148 franklin roadmurfreesboro, tn 37128

888-747-1611

www.firstbible.net

march 15-18, 2010

Dr. Charles KeenCONFERENCE DIRECTOR

Dr. Mike NorrisHOST PASTOR

focus: 3 VALUES: • Bible Production • National Training • Church Planting

9 SESSIONS: • Unreached People Groups

cost: • $15 Individual/$20 Couple • Register by March 5th • Late Registration add $5 • Includes Materials, Syllabus, and Tuesday & Wednesday Lunch • No Child Care Provided

(Begins monday 7 p.m. – ends thursday noon)

c/o Franklin Road baptist Church3148 Franklin RoadMurfreesboro, TN 37128


www.firstbible.net

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