Staff Writer – Page 32 – The GoodSeed Blog

Please ship one Stranger book and one workbook to Texas please

Texas State Building. Photo credit: Ed Schipul on Flickr

One of our staff members in our US office had been receiving a series of phone calls all week. Each order was the same: one copy of “The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus” and one copy of the companion workbook. And all of these orders were coming from Texas. Intrigued by this string of orders, our staff member asked the next customer who wanted her order shipped to Texas if she knew what was going on. Susan*, the customer explained.

Susan said that she has been leading book studies based on The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus for years and found that if people buy their own copy of the book, they would then “buy into it” and stick with the study and complete it. She shares more in her own words.

Continue reading “Please ship one Stranger book and one workbook to Texas please”

What’s good follow-up material for “The Lamb”?

The Lamb, DVD edition and audio edition

We received a question from a father who had just read The Lamb to his eight-year-old daughter.

I just wanted to thank you for The Lamb. I have recently read it with my eight-year-old over several weeks and during our conversations she came to  trust on Jesus as her Savior. Love the book. I had a question about any next  step overview of the Bible-type resources you might have. Thanks.

Mike*

Continue reading “What’s good follow-up material for “The Lamb”?”

“I am not a bad person. I don’t steal or do bad things with girls. I try to help people when I can.”

Man on the Amazon by Joseph A Ferris III on Flickr

The following story is an encouraging way to start the new year. The story highlights the importance of not assuming that our friends and family have biblical understanding of concepts like sin and a Holy God. Instead, we need to carefully explain biblical truths so that they are on the same page. Then the gospel makes sense.

My wife and I served on the mission field in the Brazilian amazon in the early 1990s. One day I was with two Brazilian Christian friends who we attended church with. We were at the river one morning and encountered a friend of theirs. This friend was not a Christian but was a very religious person. So my two Christian friends Tim* and Victor began sharing the gospel with their friend. As I listened (I had just become fluent in Portuguese) it seemed like their friend did not understand the message that they were relating to him. Suddenly I had a thought. Did this young man understand the biblical meaning of sin? So I asked Tim to enquire what his concept of sin was. The young man answered, “Oh I am not a bad person. I don’t steal or do bad things with girls. I try to help people when I can.”

A light clicked on for me. Tim and Victor were giving an answer to a person who did not have a question. If his concept of sin was not correct, neither was his concept of a Holy God. And if those two concepts were not right, it will be impossible for him to see his need for a sufficient substitute. Which explained why he saw no need for personal faith in the Saviour.

Over a number of years now, we have had the privilege of taking many through The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus. Most all of them had no questions or the wrong questions at the beginning of the book. But at the finish of the book, most of them were suddenly asking the right questions. A good number of them trusted the Saviour. A few of the ones who were saved are now taking others through The Stranger book, and have seen some trust the Lord. This outstanding tool helps people come face to face with the right questions, which is absolutely essential to form the right conclusion on the gospel. And, it provides a great pattern and method for the new believer to share their faith.

– Mark Evans

(* All names changed as per GoodSeed policy.)

Photo credit: Joseph A Ferris III on Flickr.

From domestic helper to missionary

Filipino Bible study group

In the tiny city-state of Singapore, there are many foreign nationals who go there to find work. They are employed as domestic helpers, construction workers, service staff and more. For churches in Singapore, they see that the “foreign mission field” has arrived at their doorsteps. These churches organize activities and programs to cater to the needs of these foreign nationals. They also conduct Bible studies and help to explain the gospel. Here is a story from Jessica,* a Bible study leader, who learned that there was more that God could do with these migrant workers.

Continue reading “From domestic helper to missionary”

Their Footprints Always Left the Gospel (In memory of James and Ruth Moore)

Recently, Dori Huenefeld placed a memorial donation at GoodSeed for her parents, James and Ruth Moore. She shared with us how her parents were such faithful servants of the Lord. It is such an encouraging and moving testimony that we just had to share it too. We pray that James and Ruth’s story will be an encouragement for all believers.

Continue reading “Their Footprints Always Left the Gospel (In memory of James and Ruth Moore)”

Equipment for GoodSeed staff

The harvest is great and the laborers are few, but with good tools, the laborers can get a lot more work done!

In a wonderful way, the Lord has brought a number of new staff to the ministry this year. However, we have not been able to afford new computers for them, so they are working with old computers previously deemed too old or slow to be of much use. We have an immediate need for around $10,000 worth of equipment. This is at the top of our priority list. As expected, this is an ongoing need as computers and software are always needing to be upgraded, and as the ministry grows, more computers are needed. These are the primary tools we use to create the tools or resources for the ministry.

Find out about how you can help provide much needed equipment for GoodSeed Staff.

Early Christmas Gifts to 220 Thai Pastors

Christmas came early this year for 220 Thai Pastors who recently received a Thai edition of By This Name and a Worldview Rethink Basic ToolBox of visual aids. Together these resources are a dynamic package that they can use to clearly teach the Bible’s message from Creation to the Cross in their own Thai language. Please pray for these leaders as they return to their congregations and communities to begin studies. And please pray too, that as people hear the Gospel for the first time, it will be clear to them and that through these studies, many will come to believe in the Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Book now for January evangelism training

Looking to share the Gospel more effectively with your friends and family? Here are several personal evangelism workshops in January and February that you might want to attend:

January 19th in Spokane, WA
January 26th in Coeur d’Alene, ID
February 9th in Edmonton, AB

Find out more about the workshops and how to register.

Don’t rush Advent–or the gospel

Candles

“Haste makes waste.” We’ve all learned that some things just aren’t worth rushing. Celebrating Advent is one of them. Sharing the Gospel is another.

Advent is a slow and purposeful celebration. It cannot be hurried or abbreviated. It is more like a buffet than a drive-through. Each week’s candle kindles a new truth: hope, love, joy, and peace. The light of one glows onto the next until the final candle, representing the Saviour born in Bethlehem, is illuminated. If we rush through the holidays without taking time to reflect on these truths, Christmas loses its significance.

Continue reading “Don’t rush Advent–or the gospel”

Make the gospel story a Christmas tradition

Christmas bulletin

For many a child, Christmas is the best holiday of the year with Christmas presents, the tree trimmed with decorations and the feasting! They grow up with many happy memories of Christmas. As believers, we especially want our children to remember Christmas as a time when Jesus is the focus. We want to cultivate memories of celebrating God coming to earth to fulfill his promise of a Saviour. We want our children to recognize that Christmas is part of the larger story of the gospel of Jesus.

Continue reading “Make the gospel story a Christmas tradition”