WMAP DIGEST Fall 2012

The Shepherd’s Staff:Gold mine in the Andesand throughout the developing world

2 / WORLD MAP DIGEST • Fall 2012

Adoption:

Heirs of Godby Frank R. Parrish

Part IV

The Privilegeof Adoption

Editor’s Note: We have often prayed the prayer Jesus taught that begins with“Our Father...” It is only our adoption by God at the moment of salvation that enti-tles us to call Him our Father. And at that moment, everything changes – forever.

Our adoption – being placed as sons – puts us into a new kind of relationship.Both the adopted son and the adopting parent are committed by the act of adop-tion to support, help and maintain the other. We have previously studied theimplications and obligations that are to be fulfilled by the one being adopted.

But there are also great privileges given to one who has been placed as a son.This is true even in human adoption. But those who have become sons of God aregiven priceless and eternal privileges. Let us study those now.

A. The greatest privilege of adoption is to now haveGod as your Father (Rom 8:15; Gal 4:5)Every living thing owes its existence to God, espe-

cially mankind (Acts 17:25,28). All men have God astheir Father, but only in thesense that He is the Creatorof all (John 1:3). We have norelation to God as ourFather before we are bornagain and enter into adop-tion as sons of God. Theunbeliever can call God“Judge,” but not Father.

Now for us who aretruly made sons of God bythe new birth through faithin Christ, we have beengiven the greatest privilegeof all. We are brought intoGod’s family, and He hasbestowed upon us all of thelove, privileges and rightsof a son.

Our Father is notashamed to call us His sonsand daughters (2Cor 6:18;Heb 2:11). We are not anabandoned child that Godwas obligated to take in.The Bible teaches us thatGod “chose us in Him [Christ]before the foundation of theworld” (Eph 1:4). All human-

ity was wanted and chosen by God before our worldeven existed!

God also “predestined us to adoption as sons by JesusChrist to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His

will” (Eph 1:5). God haswilled many things; but ouradoption is according tothe good pleasure of Hiswill.

He has always wantedus, providing the waythrough Christ for us tochoose to come to Him asHis children. What a greathonor and glory to beGod’s wanted son!

Perhaps you (or some-one in your church) werenot wanted as a child byyour earthly parents. Orperhaps you felt unloved,more like a burden or a nui-sance than someone whowas cherished or desired.

Please know that God,your heavenly Father, hasalways wanted you! He haslaid precious and magnifi-cent plans for your life, andfor the life of every mem-ber of your church and fam-ily (Jer 29:11-13; Esth 4:14;1Cor 2:9). God has set aside

Pastor To Pastor

It is often parental neglect, rejection or abandonmentthat causes a person to feel unwanted or unloved by othersand by God. Thus, let me exhort you, dear pastor, to neverallow the busy activities of ministry to cause you to fail to ful-fill your first responsibilities to your wife and children in thisregard.

The Bible is clear that your marriage and family are ahigher priority than ministry (Eph 5:22-33). Your personalrelationship to the Lord is always the first priority for your life.But if you are married, your wife is then the second priority. Ifyou have children, caring for them is your third priority. Thismeans loving and providing for your family, nurturing themand teaching them the ways of the Lord (Deut 6:7). Then,ministry comes after your personal walk with the Lord, andafter your responsibilities to your wife and children.

If your marriage or children are showing signs of neglect,you become disqualified for leadership in the Church(1Tim 3:1-5). And worse, your neglect may cause harm thatopens your family to being unwilling or unable to receiveGod’s love and plans for them.

It is a challenge to balance work, family and ministry.None of us does that perfectly. But we must always strive tofollow God’s instructions for our lives. These instructions arefound in His Word. So take the time to study the scripturesthat explain God’s priorities and standards for how to leadyour family. (Begin with Ephesians 6:1-4; Colossians 3:20,21;1 Peter 3:1-7; and Malachi 2:13,14,16.) •

This article concludes the four-part serieson ADOPTION excerpted from ACTS.

WORLD MAP BOARD OF DIRECTORS:

Jon Cook, Hank Morris, Frank Parrish, Vic Torres.

WMAP CANADA BOARD OF DIRECTORS:

Tim Grauman, Lyle Horrill, Helmuth Lange, Dave

McTaggart, Frank Parrish, Wendy Parrish.

DIGEST STAFF:

Frank and Wendy Parrish.......Directors / Editors

Gayla Dease ..........Design / Publications Coord.

Keith Balser ......................................Copy Editor

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Table of Contents

2 ACTS ExCERPTAdoption: Heirs of God

4 Shepherd’s Staff ImpactStronger Than Ever

5 Peru: Shepherd’s Staff

Breaks Barriers

12 Why We Pray ForUnreached People

13 Unreached People Group:Bajau of the Philippines

13 Pray for the Nations:Azerbaijan

World MAP exists to train and empower churchleaders to make disciples of all nations.

Continued on page 6

OUR PURPOSE

World MAP trains church leaders in developing nations for ministry.

Why is that important? In recent decades, the number of new Christians in these nations hasmultiplied exponentially. The greatest need is for pastors who know how to shepherd and disciple them.But poverty, persecution or lack of proximity prevent most church leaders from getting the ministrytraining they need.

World MAP exists to meet this need, and our proven strategies have helped train more than onemillion church leaders for ministry in 140+ developing nations.

OUR STRATEGYWorld MAP helps church leaders to be effective through:• printed Bible-based pastoral training that is clear, comprehensive and practical; • seminars within their nations that provide training, promote unity, and minister spiritual

refreshing; • promoting Spirit-filled life and ministry;• enlisting the North American Church to pray fervently and give generously to help indigenous*

church leaders become effective ministers.*World MAP is able to train church leaders because of the generosity of people who recognize the value of equipping indigenousleaders – those native-born citizens who already understand the culture and needs of their communities and who are bestpositioned to reach the unreached and disciple them.

Matthew 28:18-20; Ephesians 4:11,12; Colossians 1:24-29; 2 Timothy 2:2; Mark 16:15-18; Luke 24:46-49; Acts 20:17-28

Volume 52 / No. 4 • Fall 2012

Fall 2012 • WORLD MAP DIGEST / 3

provision and resource for you (Matt 6:33; Phil 4:19). And He is activelyworking in you and for your good (Rom 8:28-30). Praise His holy name!

B. Our Father has given us His Holy SpiritThe many benefits of the “inheritance” gift of God’s Holy Spirit are

innumerable. But some of them include:

1. The Holy Spirit is the “Spirit of adoption” (Rom 8:15)This means that by the Holy Spirit’s presence in us, we can truly and

personally know and experience a close and personal relationship withour heavenly Father. Through the Spirit, we can cry out, “Abba, Father”(Rom 8:15; Gal 4:6).

The term “abba” denotes intimacy and affectionate respect. It wasused in Bible times by children (even adult children) to affectionatelyaddress their fathers, and sometimes by students to their teachers. Wemight use a similar term with our earthly fathers, such as “daddy.” Jesusused the term “abba” when He spoke to the Father (Mark 14:36).

But “abba” was rarely used by Jews when referring to God; foralthough they had the law of God, they did not have the surpassing priv-ilege of intimate personal relationship with Him. This became availableonly through Christ’s sacrificial work at the Cross.

2. We have been delivered from a slavish fear of God“For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear” (Rom 8:15).

We know there is to be a healthy and righteous “fear of the Lord,” a rev-erence and awe for the Almighty God. But we, as Christians, no longerneed to labor under “a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fieryindignation which will devour the adversaries” (Heb 10:27). The judgment forour sin has been satisfied; our death sentence for sin (Ezek 18:20) hasbeen paid by Christ. We can proclaim, “There is therefore now no condemna-tion to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh,but according to the Spirit” (Rom 8:1). Because this is true, we can “comeboldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to helpin time of need” (Heb 4:16; see also 10:19,22). Our Father who loves us willhear us when we call to Him, and will answer according to His perfectlove and wisdom.

3. We have been “sealed” by the Holy Spirit“In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of

your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the HolySpirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemptionof the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory” (Eph 1:13,14).


HISTORYMore than 20 years ago the need was desperate,

the lack as wide as a continent. Christian training mate-rial for the house church leader in China – where was itand who would supply it? “We need to know how towalk in victory over the powers of darkness,” theseleaders begged. “We need to know how to….”

They were not alone. The cry from church leadersto know what to do was global, not just continental,and had reached crisis proportions in developingnations: 95 percent of them were without access toBible or ministry training.

The Lord began to giveWorld MAP, and manywho partnered withthem, a heart andvision to help solve thiscrisis. So after a series oftrips, interviews, phonecalls, faxes, meetings andprayers, a plan was devel-oped. The goal: a churchleader’s training manualthat would serve not justthe Chinese home cellleader – but also the diverseindigenous pastors and church leaders throughout thedeveloping world. Thus The Shepherd’s Staff – a 1,000-page book with a New Believers Training Manual,Topical Concordance and Leaders Training Guide – wasborn.

It was a lofty goal, producing such a comprehen-sive, in-depth ministry tool – but again the question,“How to…”

Making this vision a reality would be a dauntinguphill task in the low-technology days that precededWindows software and desktop publishing programs.Much would have to be done by hand – and readyhands were “set to the plow.” The Chinese Shepherd’sStaff – the book’s flagship edition – was created manu-ally, page by page, using hot wax to apply carefully cutstrips from long galleys of text into margins of precise-ly marked layout sheets.

It was a toilsome journey to reach the point of ini-tial distribution in 1993. In the ensuing years, the

English and 17 additional translated editions of thebook were formatted and designed on computers. Buteach step has led to increase, and now more than1 million copies of The Shepherd’s Staff have been givento church leaders globally!

Since surpassing that milestone give-away last year,another 15,000 copies have been distributed acrossAsia, Africa and Latin America in the first nine monthsof 2012. The worldwide impact of World MAP’s “Bible

School in a Book” – and thedemand for it – has notdiminished in 20 years.

Nor has its individualimpact on each churchleader equipped with acopy. Pastor ChamolerDocdocil, one of thefirst Filipino churchleaders to receive The

Shepherd’s Staffin the early1990s, recentlyhailed the bookas far more thana “one-time thenback-on-the-shelfread.” He offereddonors profoundthanks for thisongoing source-

book that has helped build,bolster and sustain his ministry in Bacolod City, NegrosOccidental for two decades. “I can still remember it wasnineteen years ago when you sent [the book],” hewrote. “It is now very old but still usable. We reallyneed this for training of church workers who are veryeager to be used by the Lord.”

DELIVERYIn those early days, application processes and

postal delivery took at least nine to twelve months – ormore! – for a copy of The Shepherd’s Staff to reach aneager pastor. However, in recent years, vastly stream-lined methods for requesting the book and more net-working with other ministries have combined to great-

LANGUAGE COUNT

CHINESE 383,980

ENGLISH 328,375

SPANISH 79,364

INDIAN DIALECTS 71,538

FRENCH 41,443

SWAHILI 38,288

PORTUGUESE 26,529

RUSSIAN 16,714

URDU 16,537

INDONESIAN 8,042

KOREAN 3,000

VIETNAMESE 2,000

English

Chinese

Spanish

Indian dialects

Portuguese

RussianUrdu

Indonesian

Korean

Vietnamese

French Swahili

ly enhance distribution speed. This, along with rapidadvances in technology and international transit –combined with a faithful team of Prayer Corps mem-bers praying aggressively for World MAP distributionprojects – has cut the request-to-receipt time to as lit-tle as two or three months.

An African pastor who requests a Shepherd’s Staff inlate summer can conceivably have it in his hands byChristmas. “Thanks to the efforts of our PublicationsCoordinator, Gayla Dease, and because of your consis-tent prayers for Shepherd’s Staff shipments, large andsmall, we are hearing good news as to the arrival timesof World MAP’s most sought-after publication,” notedWorld MAP President Frank Parrish. Just recently weheard from Pastor Nathaniel Adjin-Tettey in Ghana whowrote, “Thank you very much for your assistance. Ireceived my copy of The Shepherd’s Staff a few minutesago and would like to thank World MAP for the kindgesture. I will use it! God bless you for sowing thisseed in my life. I pray for continued and mutually ben-eficial relationship with your organization.”

Most of the books are printed and mailed fromIndia, where technology still takes a back seat to hardlabor as workers painstakingly prepare each book par-cel for its long-distance journey. “We are very gratefulfor the diligent and caring work done by our Indianbrethren to bless the pastors of so many nations,” saidFrank Parrish when reading this recent thank-you notefrom Pastor Wame Ngcakani of South Africa: “I wouldjust like to say thank you for the Shepherd’s Staff yousent me. It has really brought clarity and depth to myministry and Christian walk. I thank God, the Father ofour Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, for your selfless andunwavering dedication to His cause and vision, andpray for success for all your future endeavors….”Noticing the special wrapping paper, tape and stringused by Indian workers to protect the book during

transit, BrotherWame added,“It showed theamount ofcare and per-sonal consid-eration youput into yourwork. I was

moved, even to tears, when the packagelanded on my hands.”

PARTNERSAnother large portion of Shepherd’s Staff distribu-

tion takes place in Tanzania where our partners atPamoja Ministries ship Swahili, French and Englishbooks throughout East Africa using postal services,courier, personal delivery and even tourist buses toget the books to remote locations.

“The Church in East Africa has grown and must con-tinue to grow if it is to include the youth who form themajority in these countries,” Joy Feser, Pamoja’s globalliterature manager, recently said. “More and more lead-


Dear Friends,

Thanks to our Lord forallowing our paths tocross.... We were ableto bless 24 pastors ofvarious denomina-tions with copies ofThe Shepherd’s Staffin the Andes ofPeru. This zone isknown as the Callejon deConchucos. Its location is near the townof San Marcos (an important mining town) and thetown of Chavin de Huantar (an archeological site).

The pastors are leaders of small communities. I hadthe privilege to minister to them for two hours dailyan entire week. Our first gathering was on a Sundayevening with 35 to 40 leaders. By the end of theweek, Friday, there were close to 100 leaders inattendance. Some of them had to walk approxi-mately four hours to get to the church in San Marcoswhere we congregated. Even though the pastorsbelonged to different denominations, the Holy Spiritwas always present. We learnt so much about ourrelationship with God leaving aside anything relatedto ‘denomination.’

I am truly blessed for having been able to form a partof “Team Expansion” ministry group of Kentucky.They partnered with a ministry group of Georgia whohave been giving their services as doctors, nurses andvolunteers contributing towards the revival of thechurch in this part of the world. This was their fourthconsecutive visit to Peru.

I learnt so much during the time I was ministering atnight and when I was working along with other mis-sionaries during the day. I was touched when I sawthe hunger for the Word that these people have.After they were seen by the medical team we askedthem if they knew why we were there. Some of themresponded, “because we are poor,” others said,“because the mayor brought you here,” and otherssaid, “because you are good people.” We respondedNOOOO, we are here because Jesus loves you! That iswhen we saw people in large masses giving their livesto God and receiving Jesus into their lives.

My prayer is for your ministry to grow and be able toreach to more people who really need you. I pray thatthe Lord will continue using you and that the glorywill always be His.

Blessings to all.Your Brother in Christ, Armando Navas, Peru

Continued on page 8

Peru: Shepherd’sStaff Breaks Barriers

“... thank you for the Shepherd’s

Staff... It has really brought clarity

and depth to my ministry and

Christian walk.…”Pastor Wame Ng

cakani


As a legal act, Roman adoption had to be attestedto by a reliable witness. We have already learned thatin spiritual adoption, the Holy Spirit’s presence withinus is our witness.

The Holy Spirit is there to give witness, to verify,that truly we are the legitimate sons of God. As God’schildren, we are the heirs of His inheritance that wehave in Christ. “The Spirit Himself bears witness with ourspirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs– heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suf-fer with Him, that we may also be glorified together”(Rom 8:16,17; see also Galatians 4:6,7).

This idea of being“sealed” by the Holy Spirit(Eph 1:13; 4:30; 2Cor 1:22;5:5) holds great importancefor us. A “seal” in Greek cul-ture, when stamped on apossession, was used toindicate ownership and togive protection againsttheft. A seal also indicatedthat a document or mes-sage was authentic, andconveyed the authority ofthe one who sent it.

As the adopted sons ofGod, who are sealed by theHoly Spirit, we are markedas true sons of God. Webelong to Him, and He hasgiven His angels chargeover us (Ps 91:11,12). Weare under God’s authorityto do His will, and we alsohave God’s authority avail-able to enable us to carryout His will (Luke 10:19;John 14:13; 15:16).

As sons of matureplacement, we have beenentrusted with the privilegeto carry out our “Father’sbusiness” in the worldaround us. We are to liveand minister in Jesus’ name,by His authority and aligned with God’s will to carryout Kingdom business. Amen!

4. The Holy Spirit will guide us“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are

sons of God” (Rom 8:14).The Greek word translated as “led” is a present par-

ticiple. This means that we are to be continuously ledby the Holy Spirit. This is to become a way of life forevery maturing believer, but especially for pastors andleaders in the Body of Christ.

This continual leading of the Holy Spirit will hap-pen in two ways:

1) by a constant and growing knowledge of the

Bible, coupled with a diligent and conscious effort toobey both the letter and spirit of the Word of God(1Tim 4:12-16; 2Tim 2:15; 3:16,17; Jas 1:21-25); and2) by cultivating a sensitivity to the promptings andleadings of the Holy Spirit, taking time to both prayand listen for a response as we go about our daily lives.

It is important to actively invite the presence ofthe Holy Spirit into our lives each day (Gal 5:16). Wecan ask Him to lead us in every situation or circum-stance we face. Make it your habit to regularly talk tothe Holy Spirit, asking Him for guidance and takingtime to listen to what He will reveal to your heart.

C. Our Father is fully com-mitted to discipline usEvery parent eventual-

ly recognizes the impor-tance of disciplining theirchildren. But God’s disci-pline is very different fromthe type of discipline anearthly parent might applyto a child.

The discipline of theLord is not something tofear or dread. God doesnot discipline us out of dis-gust, anger or impatience.His discipline does notinvolve punishment, judg-ment or rejection. In fact,the opposite of thesethings is true!

God disciplines usbecause we are sons whomHe loves. He disciplines usin order to release us fromthe bondage of sin andrebellion. God disciplinesus to set us free to receivemore of His anointing andblessing.

Take a moment to readHebrews 12:3-13. God’s“chastening” is not alwaysbecause we have donesomething bad or need to

be corrected. The word “chastening” actually containsthe idea of strengthening or training that is necessaryto fully develop our potential, in order for us to fulfillall the plans that God has for our lives. Strengtheningour lives also has the added benefit of protecting usfrom possible future attacks or injury (Heb 12:12,13;see also 1 Corinthians 9:24-27).

D. Since we are adopted sons, our Father desires totransform us into the image of the only begottenSonWhen we are adopted into God’s family at salva-

tion, He gives us not only a new name, but also a newnature. “…as His divine power has given to us all things

Adoption, continued from page 3

Pastor To PastorPastor, please know that the Holy Spirit will never lead

you to do or say anything that would displease the Lord orthat would be contrary to what is already written in the Wordof God.

The Holy Spirit, as God and the Third Person of theTrinity, will always confirm the Word of God and lead you intoobedience to what God has already revealed in the Bible.

If you sense that the Holy Spirit is leading you to dosomething, it is wise to seek the advice of other counselorswho are more mature in the Christian faith and knowledge-able in the Word (Prov 11:14; 24:6). Choose those who areexperienced, mature believers who have a proven trackrecord of faithfulness to God’s Word. Look for those who havethe courage to speak the truth if they need to correct you.

You should also confirm that what you are sensing fromthe Holy Spirit does not contradict the letter or spirit of theWord of God. For example, the Holy Spirit would never leadyou to take something that does not belong to you, for theBible clearly reveals that we are not to steal (Ex 20:15;Eph 4:28).

A word here especially to men: A provision of wise coun-sel that God has already given to you is your wife. This doesnot mean she will always be right – in the same way that youwill not always be right. However, a good and godly wife is ahelpmeet (Gen 2:18) – and her help can sometimes come inthe form of good advice.

Take time to pray with your wife as often as possible.And when you do, also take time to talk about what you maybe sensing from the Holy Spirit. Many women are very sen-sitive to the Holy Spirit. Husbands need to have the humili-ty to ask wives their opinion, and the wisdom to follow it if itis confirmed by the Word of God. Make every effort to reg-ularly seek the Lord together! •

that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge ofHim who called us by glory and virtue, by which have beengiven to us exceedingly great and precious promises, thatthrough these you may be partakers of the divine nature,having escaped the corruption that is in the world throughlust” (2Pet 1:3,4).

As Christians, we bear the name of the One whohas adopted us (Acts 11:26; 1Pet 4:12-16). We also,through His provision and the working of His Spirit,are day by day being inwardly transformed into theimage of God the Son – Jesus! (2Cor 3:18)

This process of transformation is continualthroughout our lives. We are commanded to give our-selves to this process, and to cooperate with theworking of the Holy Spirit. We are also to make everyeffort to become more like Him who adopted us: “Ibeseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, thatyou present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptableto God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be con-formed to this world, but be transformed by the renewingof your mind, that you may prove what is that good andacceptable and perfect will of God” (Rom 12:1,2; see also1 Corinthians 15:49 and 1 John 3:2,3).

Mankind was originally created in the image ofGod (Gen 1:26,27). But we have been distorted andmarred by multiplied centuries of sin and rebellionand its effects. At salvation, however, we begin theglorious process of being restored to our heavenlyFather’s likeness and image, transformed from withinin order for our character to become more like His.

God is committed to our maturity and growth. HisSpirit will continually convict us of our need to repentof (turn away from) harmful behavior. He will teach ushow to trust, yield to and obey the Lord and His Word.God will even use the pressure of circumstances tomold and shape our lives, as a potter would shape andform a clay vessel (Isa 64:8).

As a loving heavenly Father, God is restoring us sothat when we finally see Him face to face we shall bemore like Him who made us (Ps 17:15).

E. As sons, we are given the privilege of liberty“Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if

a son, then an heir of God through Christ” (Gal 4:7);“Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be freeindeed” (John 8:36).

As believers in Jesus Christ, we have been set freethrough Christ from the law of sin and death(Rom 8:2). We have been delivered from the elementalthings of this world (Col 2:8,16-23). We no longerneed to fear death (Heb 2:14,15), nor judgment andwrath (Rom 5:9).

Yet our adoption and the freedom it brings haveeven more purpose. The adopted son is not free to dowhatever he wants (1Pet 2:16,17). Rather, we are nowfree to do as we ought to do in obedience to ourFather’s will and His Word.

We have been set free to give faithful service toour God and to His household (the Church) and, as Hismessengers, to the entire world.

F. As adopted sons, we are given protection from evilGod’s Word promises that His children will be kept

from the power of evil (see Luke 10:19; John 17:11-15;Romans 8:31-39; 1 John 3:8; 4:4). The only power andauthority that hell has in the life of the believer is whatthe believer accepts or allows. Jesus made provisionfor us to resist the devil (2Cor 10:3-5) and to be set freefrom anything of evil that would try to oppress us(Eph 6:10-18).

However, it is important to note that the Bibleclearly states that in this life we will still experiencetrials, tribulations and opposition from the devil (seeJames 1:2-7,12,13; 1 Peter 4:12-19; Matthew 5:10-12;John 10:10; 2 Corinthians 2:11; 11:13). We live in abroken, sin-filled world and will each face challengesand heartaches.

However, our heavenly Father promises to useeven those difficulties to work great blessing in us andfor us (Rom 8:10,28; 2Cor 4:7-18). In trials, we willhave either God’s grace to endure or His power to bedelivered (Jas 4:6-8; 1Pet 4:12,13; 1John 3:8; 4:4;Rev 12:11). But no matter the trial, the Lord will bewith us; He will never leave us nor forsake us(Matt 28:20; Heb 13:5). He will give us what we needto run the race of this life with His strength andendurance, no matter the obstacles.

G. Our adoption provides us with a holy dignityand equalityThere are many places in the world today that

consider some people less acceptable than others.People from particular castes, tribes or specific geo-graphic areas, or who speak a certain language, arethought to be less valuable or lower in the socialorder. There are religions or countries that do notallow females the same dignity, privileges or respectas males receive. These and other forms of prejudiceor oppression are not uncommon.

But for born-again followers of Jesus Christ, theiradoption and status before God the Father place themon an equal level with all other believers. For in Christ,“there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave norfree, there is neither male nor female; for you are all onein Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:28, emphasis added; see alsoColossians 3:11).

Those who are in Christ are now all of a royalbloodline (the blood of Jesus Christ) and all carry thesame Family name and inheritance. The Bible revealsthat believers are God’s “chosen generation, a royalpriesthood, a holy nation, His own special people”(1Pet 2:9).

The dignity and self-worth of Christians is estab-lished by the price paid for us at the Cross of Calvary,and by the simple undeniable truth that God has setHis love upon us (1John 3:1). Nothing can change thateternal truth (Rom 8:38,39). No matter the color, class,race or gender, believers are all equal with oneanother. They are each made worthy of God’s love inChrist, and are one in the bond of unity by the Spiritof God (Gal 3:26-29; Eph 2:11-18; Col 3:11).

Continued on page 10


ers, both present and those yet to enter intoministry, must be equipped. We are continuallyreaching new denominations which haven’treceived the World MAP materials,” Joy added.“We’re reaching out to new graduates trainingfor leadership in the Church. Though we’vealready distributed tens of thousands of theShepherd Staff books, the task is not half done.New regions are also opening up. We’re distrib-uting hundreds of books to the DemocraticRepublic of Congo and also to South Sudan,places where the need is truly enormous.”

Don Richter, President of HarvestPreparation International Ministries, who hasserved with Frank Parrish on World MAP min-istry teams, recently distributed 300 Englishand Swahili books at a seminar in Kitali, Kenya.

“If I could capture the tears of the menwho wept when they received The Shepherd’sStaff, I could fill buckets,” Richter said later.“The value of the printed page cannot beignored.” While discussing the challenges oftechnology, Richter noted, “On another recenttrip to Africa, I was unable to access theInternet with my own devices for more than aweek. Most of the people we see don’t havethe Internet. Often we are out in the bush, inthe middle of a field, handing out books. Wedon’t like to leave them empty-handed. Welike to leave them something.”

And what they leave most often is TheShepherd’s Staff.

World MAP’s Administrator, WendyParrish, added: “As a ministry called to ‘sendportions to those for whom nothing is prepared’(Neh 8:10), our primary training focus is onthe poorest and most remote areas. People inthese places often have no electricity or run-ning water, let alone electronic technology.Church leaders are often itinerant, walkingmiles each week to teach others. A Bible-sized, portable teaching tool like TheShepherd’s Staff is a vital and practical resourcefor them, and we are thankful for ministrypartners who help us distribute to theseremote locations.”

In Pakistan, a predominantly Muslim coun-try where Christians are persecuted, nearly16,000 church leaders use The Shepherd’s Staff!Local World MAP manager Alexander FrancisSarfraz recently observed: “After the Bible,CHARWAHAY-KA-ASA [Urdu for The Shepherd’sStaff] is the highest in demand amongChristian church leaders. It has impacted thelives of church leaders and non-Christians.They are convicted and changed their livesand their religion and have come to Christ.Word of God is reaching to unreachedthrough this book in Pakistan and thus theKingdom of God is expanding quietly….

Thanks to the management and the support-ers of the World MAP for their significantefforts to make publication ministry very suc-cessful and fruitful.”

OPPORTUNITIESWhile World MAP collaborates frequently

with ongoing ministry partners, uniqueopportunities to work with others come alongone by one. Working from his home base inOhio, missionary Russ Hylton recentlyrequested 10 French Shepherd’s Staffs, whichhe then forwarded on to another missionary,Gary Dickinson, in Pointe-Noire, Congo.Dickinson’s report back was short and exhila-rating: “The Shepherd’s Staff was a ROARINGsuccess! I was inundated with pastors hopingto have a copy. Apparently this is a book thatis HIGHLY sought after here… I may getmugged if I can’t come up with others! Yousure hit this one out of the park….”

After looking over the subjects and doc-trinal teachings in The Shepherds Staff, Africanmissionary Charles Tillett was eager to shareit with the African pastors he trains. “From Ato Z, so much is covered for the leader tolearn from, scriptural and practical truths,” hewrote. “I am excited that there is an opportu-nity for pastors and leaders in developingcountries to have such a ministry tool,” headded. “From my experience, many leadersare hungry for training, but it is far and inbetween. Most short-term training schoolsare too costly and too far from the leader tobe able to attend. However, The Shepherd’sStaff makes a way where there seems to be noway. Most have very little training in leader-ship and scriptural truths that go beyond a

GOD’S PERFECT TIMINGbrought Pastor Rabonda Ndivhaleni all the way fromSouth Africa to Oregon for a fall ministers conference.Among the 1000+ attendees, he sat next to Frank andWendy Parrish. Pastor Rabonda had always wanted aShepherd’s Staff and Frank just happened to have onewith him. World MAP will be shipping enough to supply hisnetwork of pastors and Bible school graduates in SouthAfrica. It was, as Wendy put it, a “divine connection.”

Shepherd’s Staff, continued from page 5

“The Shepherd’sStaff was a ROAR-ING success!...HIGHLY soughtafter here… I mayget mugged if Ican’t come up withothers! You sure hitthis one out of thepark….”

Missionary in Congo

“Though we’vealready distributedtens of thousandsof the ShepherdStaff books, thetask is not halfdone. New regionsare also openingup... the need istruly enormous.”

Joy Feser


few sessions under a mentor or what theyhave learned in Church. So, to place one ofthese leadership manuals in their hands is ablessing from God that will give them theopportunity to learn and grow spiritually asthey study. It gives access to biblical subjectsin a real and truthful manner, in an easy for-mat that can be learned.”

Donna Auerbach, President of DeborahMinistries International, Inc., first used TheShepherd’s Staff in Russia and recently tookcopies to Africa, where she is starting a BibleSchool. In addition to providing Bibles, Donnaalso gave Shepherd’s Staffs to 80 leaders.“They were so eager to receive them,” shereported later. “It seemed as if we were pass-ing out gold! This book is such a blessing tothe people and I am grateful to be able toreceive them and dispense them to the peopleof Africa.”

MORE THAN JUST READERSThe individual pastors and evangelists

who lovingly cherish and rely on this treas-ured resource as a companion to their Bibleshare the enthusiasm – and commitment – ofthose who help World MAP distribute TheShepherd’s Staff.

“When I see the Shepherd’s Staff book thatI borrowed from my sister in Christ, I envy herwith holy envy. I hope I can own my personalShepherd’s Staff book. Thank you for your mis-sion to each and every one through thisbook.” – Pastor Enerio B. Capiral, Philippines

“I came across The Shepherd’s Staff andhave found that it is a gold mine to use inevery situation – be it to evangelize, to disci-ple, to teach.” – Evangelist Doris Li, Mauritius

“Your ministry and especially TheShepherd’s Staff is truly a blessing to the Bodyof Christ. We need sound teachings that willposition us to be better and sharpened toolsin God’s hands.” – Cyril Mbachu, Romania

Note: Mr. Mbachu is a native of Nigeriawho pastors a church in Romania. This is pro-found testimony to the reverberating effect ofShepherd’s Staff distribution. Partakers of thebook’s training insights become partners inteaching biblical truth to others.

Frank Parrish added, “Very few thingsexcite me more than seeing the truth of2 Timothy 2:2 – a guiding verse God gave mefor World MAP’s ministry – being lived out andperpetuated through thousands upon thou-sands of church leaders around the world.”

NEW HORIZONS, SAME VISIONLike light through a prism, The Shepherd’s

Staff has appeared in numerous foreign-lan-guage versions since its 1993 inception:Spanish, French, Portuguese, Swahili,Indonesian, Urdu (Pakistan), Chinese, Russian,and the India dialects Malayalam, Tamil,Telugu, Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Oriya. Mostrecently the book has been translated intoKorean and Vietnamese.

As resources become available, WorldMAP has been asked to consider these addi-tional translations of The Shepherd’s Staff:Amharic (Ethiopia), Arabic, Azerbaijani,Burmese, Chichewa (Malawi), Creole (Haiti),Japanese, Javanese (Indonesian island of Java),Kannada (southwestern India), Punjabi (west-ern India), Nepali, Tagalog (Philippines), Thai,Turkish and Ukranian.

Additionally, the upcoming launch ofWorld MAP’s new website will set the stagefor sharing electronic and audio/video teach-ings with church leaders around the world.“Though pastors in remote areas may nothave the technology to access the website,”noted Frank Parrish, “we feel the Lordprompting us to ‘expand the borders of ourtent’ and make this powerful yet simple train-ing material available to an even broaderscope of leaders. However we will alwaysoffer the printed page to serve pastors inevery place.”

The cutting-edge technology of 2012 andbeyond is a far cry from the cut-and-pastetechniques of 1993. Yet the same values thatguided the early labors – faithfulness to avision and commitment to the hard work tomake it a reality – are ageless.

“The vision to serve pastors and churchleaders around the world by providing excel-lent equipping materials is our driving pur-pose,” Frank Parrish stressed. “The Lord of theChurch birthed World MAP and The Shepherd’sStaff to be His instruments, and we are grate-ful He has called you to partner with Him andus in the fulfillment of His purpose and will inthese glorious days!”

“Very few thingsexcite me morethan seeing thetruth of 2 Timothy2:2 – a guiding verseGod gave me forWorld MAP’s min-istry – being livedout and perpetuated throughthousands upon thousands ofchurch leaders around theworld.” - Frank Parrish

“Most short-term training

schools are toocostly and too far

from the leader tobe able to attend.

However, TheShepherd’s Staff

makes a way wherethere seems to be

no way.”Charles Tillett

“I came acrossThe Shepherd’sStaff and have

found that it is agold mine to usein every situation– be it to evangel-ize, to disciple, to

teach.”Evangelist Doris Li



The Bible reveals a principle of unity that goesbeyond just the relationship between a husband andwife (1Pet 3:7-12).

As leaders, we mustalways model righteoustreatment of all thosewhom Christ died to save.We must treat others, nomatter who they are, withdignity, honor andrespect, modeling Christ-like behavior to thosewhom we lead.

If your culture orbackground, your pride or your fear keep you fromloving and releasing in ministry all believers equally,please reconsider your role as an elder or leader in theChurch. Being a fruitful, effective leader requires thatyou live by and model the principles found in theScriptures.

H. The complete fulfillment of the privileges ofbeing adopted by God is yet to come“Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of

the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eager-ly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body”(Rom 8:23).

Being justified by faith in Christ sets us free fromsin and condemnation (Rom 3:21-25,27,28). By ouradoption we become sons who are placed as joint-heirs with Christ (Rom 8:17; 1Cor 3:21-23; Gal 4:6,7;Heb 6:17; Rev 21:7).

Our inheritance as God’s children has alreadybegun. In that we are adopted children, the Bible callsus children, sons and heirs. As children we are alreadygiven the gift of a close relationship with our Father in

Heaven. As sons, our placement or position beforeHim is secure and filled with promise for this life andfor the life to come. As heirs, our inheritance is also

both now and future.Our future inheritance

will be totally fulfilled whenwe pass from this life and seeour Savior “face to face”(1Cor 13:12). The key tounderstanding this futureinheritance is the promisecontained in Ephesians1:13,14. Take a moment toread that passage now (seealso 2 Corinthians 1:22; 5:5;

Ephesians 4:30).The sealing gift of the Holy Spirit given to us is

stated as a “guarantee.” The word guarantee can betranslated as down payment, deposit or firstinstallment.

In other words, God has given us His Spirit as adown payment, securing us for that day when God willfully receive us into eternity.

Our heavenly Father has paid the ultimate pricefor us by sending God the Son to take our sin uponHimself and die in our place on the Cross. Our Fatherthen has given God the Spirit as a pledge, or guaran-tee, that our full inheritance and the total redemptionof our lives are secure and will be fulfilled.

The Bible reveals that even our mortal, weak andcorruptible bodies will be resurrected one day (1Thess4:15,16). Our mortal bodies will then be transformed,becoming immortal and incorruptible (1Cor 15:35-58).

Praise the Lord! As God’s sons, we shall be totallytransformed – body, soul and spirit. Some day we willlive in eternity completely whole, and in the brightand undiluted presence of our Lord and His love!

Until then, we can know God and experience Hislove. We have the “down payment” of His Spirit livingwithin us. As we grow and mature in Christ, we canknow the Lord more deeply, experiencing an ever-increasing measure of His love and His power in andthrough our lives.

This growth process can and should continue eachday of our lives until we at last see Him face to faceand know Him fully, even as we are known(1Cor 13:12).

What a joy and privilege it is to be an adopted,placed son of the living God. What great joy andpromise of inheritance is ours both now and through-out eternity!

“He Made Us Accepted”Our privileges as adopted sons and heirs of the liv-

ing God are truly glorious. We shall have an eternity tosing His marvelous praises for taking unlovable sin-ners – through His grace and love – and making us Hissons.

All of this God has done, “according to the goodpleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace,by which He made us accepted in the Beloved” (Eph 1:5,6).


Our inheritance as God’s chil-

dren has already begun. In that we

are adopted children, the Bible

calls us children, sons and heirs. As

children we are already given the

gift of a close relationship with our

Father in Heaven. As sons, our

placement or position before Him

is secure and filled with promise

for this life and for the life to

come. As heirs, our inheritance is

also both now and future.

Pastor To Pastor

Pastors, all that we say and do should reflect this veryimportant biblical principle of equality. It has been said, “Theground at the foot of the Cross of Jesus is level.” In otherwords, all believers, whether young or old, male or female,high or low caste, rich or poor – ALL have equal worth andstanding before God. ALL have equal access to God in sal-vation and relationship. God desires to pour out His Spiritupon all believers to empower them for service and to reflectHis glory (Joel 2:28,29). •


The worship due our God for all eternity iscertainly a worthy outcome of our adoption. But thereis also a purpose in our adoption as sons that we canlive out and give expression to while we live here onearth.

A. Destined For RelationshipThe Scriptures reveal that mankind was originally

created in the image of God (Gen 1:26,27). Thisincludes the fact that mankind was made with thecapacity for free will and choice. We are able to think,to feel, to reason, and to make intelligent decisions.We have emotions as well. These are all attributes thatare necessary for having normal, healthyrelationships.

Ultimately, mankind was made for the glory ofGod (Rev 4:11). But how was man to bring that gloryto God? Was that to be accomplished through thecomplexity of our design? Or through our intelligenceor creativity? Those are all wonderful characteristicsGod has given us. But they alone do not reveal God’strue purpose in creating humanity in His image.

Or perhaps man was to bring glory to Godthrough his service. But did God need more servants?If so, then why wouldn’t God simply make moreangels? They are stronger, swifter, and without manyof our human, fleshly limitations. Certainly mankindhas the capacity to serve. But once again, this is notwhy we are made in the image of God.

Sin Destroys RelationshipSeveral Bible passages that we have already stud-

ied give us insight into why God created man in Hislikeness. We read that God chose us in Christ and pre-destined us to adoption “before the foundation of theworld” (Eph 1:4). In other words, God in eternity pastchose to create us in His image in order that we wouldbe His sons.

God chose to create us the way He did in orderthat we might have a loving relationship with Him as ourheavenly Father! We were originally intended to walkand talk with God face to face, as Adam did in the

Garden of Eden (Genesis Chapter 2). You and I werecreated for relationship – a personal, loving and closerelationship with our Creator.

Sadly, Adam and Eve chose to violate that relation-ship through disobedience and rebellion against God’scommands. Thus sin entered our world and began itscruel work upon and within God’s creation. Sin alwaysdestroys relationships – in marriage, in friendships, infamilies – but especially between us and a perfect andholy God.

Our Clearly Designed DestinySin and its consequence of death threatened to

ruin God’s plans for His creation. But God very quick-ly set in motion His redemptive plan (Gen 3:15).Though it would take centuries to completely unfold,it was perfect in its design and timing.

At just the right moment in history – after the lawhad been used as a tutor to reveal to mankind his des-perate need for God (Gal 3:23-25) – God sent His Sonto take upon Himself the death penalty for all the sinsof mankind (John 3:16). This perfect and unblemishedLamb became the sacrifice for all (Isa 53; 2Cor 5:15;1Pet 1:18-21). Then Jesus Christ rose from the dead toreign forevermore as our Living Lord and Savior!

All those who believe in and receive Jesus, theLiving Savior, have their sins forgiven. Because the sinsof the repentant sinner are removed from him as far asthe east is from the west (Ps 103:12), there is nolonger the separation caused by sin between the sin-ner and his Creator God.

Thus the sinner is made an adopted son and isrestored to what God originally intended – to have apersonal relationship with Him as the heavenly Father.

That is God’s clearly designed destiny for everyperson – and that is why we must carry this Gospelmessage into all the world!

Our Door Of AccessMankind was created for relationship with our

Creator, God our Father. When sin destroyed that pos-sibility, God sent His Son to take the death penalty forour sin. Jesus’ sacrifice for us reopened the door toGod that sin had closed.

The Temple worship of Jesus’ day included asecluded place, the Holy of Holies. Only the highpriest could enter there to speak to God on behalf ofthe people (Heb 9:6-9). It was covered by a large, thicktapestry known as the veil.

The Bible reveals that when Jesus died, the veil inthe Temple that covered the Holy of Holies was super-naturally torn in two (Mark 15:38). The splitting openof this heavy, woven veil from top to bottom signifies tous that through Christ’s death, a door of access hadbeen opened by God between Himself and all ofmankind once again!

Reconciliation“For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to

God through the death of His Son, much more, having been

Part V

The Purpose of our Adoption

Continued on page 14

Stark Facts and FiguresIt is normally difficult to obtain solid population

figures. Yet any online search for unreached peoplegroup figures yields alarmingly high estimates – forexample, there may be as many as 3.6 billion people inthe world who have never heard the Gospel.

This number is:• 10 times the population of the United States;• 3 times the population of China (the world’s

most populous country);• 36,000 times some estimates of the number of

visible stars.Don Marchant, World MAP’s publications coordina-

tor from 1984 to 1988, spent more than two decadesresearching – and praying for – unreached peoplegroups. Before passing on to his heavenly reward June17, 2012, Don – along with his wife, Noreen – person-ally ministered to thousands of indigenous pastorsthrough their ministry Equipped to Go. In his book,“Equipped to Go to an Unreached People,” Don esti-mated the total number of distinct unreached ethnicgroups to be as high as 10,000. This exceeds some esti-mates of the number of visible galaxies.

Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest number ofunreached ethnic groups, with more than 1,500, fol-lowed by southern Asia (including India), with morethan 1,200.

These figures may be estimates, but one fact isclear in anyone’s estimation: Unreached people need tohear the Good News of Jesus Christ!

Window on a Dark WorldThe enormous number of peoples and countries

who still need to hear the Gospel can seem like animpossible task that has been given to the Church(Matt 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-18). Yet, in response to Hisdisciples’ astonished questions regarding the awesomechallenges to bringing lost humanity to salvation, Jesusresponded clearly, “with men it is impossible, but not withGod; for with God all things are possible” (Mark 10:26,27).

In recent decades, there have been huge advancesin technology and communications methods. Reaching

the untold masses who have not yet heard the Gospelis much more possible today than in centuries past – ifthe Church will rise and make reaching the lost its high-est priority!

The best beginning point for reaching those lockedin darkness is by unlocking spiritual doors throughintercessory prayer. That is why in the past seven years,the DIGEST “Praying for the Nations” section has high-lighted 27 unreached people groups for prayer. Thesegroups represent 35 countries (with some groups span-ning multiple countries) over a wide and diverse geo-graphic range: Equatorial Africa; North Africa; theIndian subcontinent; Latin America; Eastern Europe; theMiddle East; Southeast Asia; the Far East; Indonesia andthe Philippines; islands in the South Pacific, IndianOcean and Bay of Bengal.

Focusing on these groups allows us a glimpse intotheir lives and spiritual struggles. We can see a cross-section of false religion in its many dark and disturbingforms: Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, animism, ancestor-worship, dread of evil spirits, and superstition some-times layered over with a veneer of Christian ritual. Weare reminded of the apostle Paul’s words: “But even ifour gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who areperishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, whodo not believe…” (2Cor 4:3,4).

The church leaders World MAP serves know thisfirst-hand. A Nigerian evangelist ministering in remoterural areas said it best: “There are many village peoplestill in darkness. They still don’t know about Jesus Christ.We want to reach out to those who don’t know Christ.”

In praying for this outreach, we are mindful of themany desperate needs of these groups – that they bedelivered from spiritual bondage, political oppressionand economic deprivation. They especially need theSpirit of God to remove the veil from their hearts: “For itis the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness,who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledgeof the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2Cor 4:6).

Extending Our ReachImportant as it is to intercede for specific ethnic


“Then He brought him outside and said, ‘Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if youare able to number them.’ And He said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be’” (Gen 15:5).

“And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise”(Gal 3:29 nas).

Population: 52,000Home: Zamboanga Peninsula (Mindanao) and the Suluislands of southern Philippines.Religion: Islam and animistic folk religion (two religionsfrequently intermingled).Adrift: Also known as “Sea Gypsies,” the peaceful Bajaulive in double dugout canoes – with one family per boat– or, if on shore, stilt houses. Competition for fishinggrounds is increasingly driving them from their tradi-tional livelihood to live onshore, where they oftenresort to begging in order to survive. Periodically, spirit-mediums hold séances that include trances and mysticdancing. When someone falls ill, a “spirit boat” is sentdrifting out to sea in the belief that it will take the illnessout to sea with it.PRAY FOR:• A groundswell of intense missionary focus on the

Bajau that clearly presents the Gospel of JesusChrist.

• Deliverance from the demonic deception of séancesand trances, and Islam.

• Broader skills to enable the Bajau to achieveeconomic prosperity.

• Opening up of fresh fishing grounds for the boatpeople.

• Provision of practical needs for Bajaus who havebeen forced onshore.

UNREACHED PEOPLE GROUP

Population:9,493,60093.4% Muslim2.5% Russian

Orthodox2.3% Armenian

Orthodox1.8% Other (including

<.001% Protestant)President: Ilham AliyevPrime Minister: Artur RasizadeFirst Deputy Prime Minister: Yaqub Eyyubov

Location: Bordered by Russia and Georgia (to thenorth and northwest), Armenia (to the west), Iran (tothe south) and facing the Caspian Sea, largest inlandbody of water on earth.“Land of Fire” is one translation of Azerbaijan’s name.It derives from the ancient pre-Islamic religion ofZoroastrianism, which regarded fire as a sacred objectof worship. Continuously burning natural gas fires on acoastal hillside near the capital city of Buka caught theattention of Marco Polo. An ancient “Fire Temple” nearBuka is preserved as a museum. Much of Azerbaijanireligious practice is museum-like – nominal, lacking inforce or conviction. Corruption is rampant in both gov-ernment and society.

PRAY FOR:• Raising up of Spirit-filled and Bible-based ministries to

labor in the harvest of this nation.• Revival fires to be ignited among Azerbaijan’s small

remnant of evangelical Christians – to spread eventhroughout the Orthodox churches.

• Awakening among Muslims to the emptiness of bothIslam and secularism.

• Conviction and repentance in the heart of anyonetempted to pay, accept or solicit bribes.

• Zeal in the hearts of government officials to root outcorruption.

.Join World MAP Prayer Corps

and receive monthly prayer bulletins from Frank and Wendy Parrish.

Email [email protected] to sign up!

Praying for the Nations

AZERBAIJAN


groups, we must not overlook the broader nationalneeds. Unreached groups are often the most remote –and most profoundly impacted by national crises, corrup-tion and various shortages. Prayer is always in order fordeveloping countries, to safeguard the Church andadvance the Gospel within – and beyond – their borders.

Though World MAP DIGEST has offered snapshotreports on countries throughout the developing world,there are many more that need our prayers, too many tofeature in even several years’ worth of DIGEST issues.And it is, of course, not possible to report on everyunreached ethnic group everywhere on earth. But youcan certainly pray as you feel led for the leaders, generalpopulations and unreached groups in such places asAlbania, Bangladesh, Chad, Egypt, Myanmar and Thailand– and many more beyond.

And as we contend in prayer, let us look forward tothe day when, in God’s perfect timing, “the kingdoms ofthis world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of HisChrist, and He shall reign forever and ever!” (Rev 11:15).

THE BAJAU OF THE

PHILIPPINES


reconciled, we shall be saved by His life” (Rom 5:10). Theword “reconcile” means to change, re-establish orrestore a relationship. Again we see that Christ’s sacrifi-cial work established the possibility of our reconcilia-tion to God.

This reconciliation is available to any person whobelieves on Christ for salvation (Eph 2:8-13;Rom 10:13). A close relationship with God is possiblefor any believer in Christ. But this reconciliation alsoprovides a second important purpose.

B. Destined To Be AmbassadorsAs adopted sons of God, we have been sovereign-

ly placed by God the Father into the mature positionof sonship. We are “heirs of God and joint heirs withChrist” (Rom 8:17).

This tremendous posi-tion of privilege alsobrings with it tremendousresponsibilities. One of theprime responsibilities forevery believer while on theearth is to reveal theGospel – the eternal salva-tion and restored relation-ship to God that is avail-able only through faith inChrist.

Every believer has thecommand and the privi-lege to tell others whatGod, through Christ, hasdone for them. It makes nodifference the age, gender,calling or spiritual maturity– it is the responsibility ofevery Christian to tell oth-ers about Jesus!

Paul the apostleexplained it this way to thechurch in Corinth, and forus today: “Now all thingsare of God, who has recon-ciled us to Himself throughJesus Christ, and has given usthe ministry of reconciliation,that is, that God was inChrist reconciling the worldto Himself, not imputingtheir trespasses to them, andhas committed to us the wordof reconciliation. Now then,we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were plead-ing through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be recon-ciled to God” (2Cor 5:18-20).

Every one of us is to be an ambassador for Christ.Our adoption requires far more of us than to just sitand rejoice in our own salvation and position as a son.We have a mission from our heavenly Father. That mis-sion is to implore others to be reconciled to God, and

to tell them how that is done – only by salvationthrough Jesus Christ.

This mission is Jesus’ final command to all of Hisfollowers: “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying,‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and onearth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Sonand of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all thingsthat I have commanded you; and lo, I am with youalways, even to the end of the age’” (Matt 28:18-20; seealso Mark 16:15).

Paul the apostle dedicated his life to this greatpurpose (1Cor 9:19-27; Col 1:24-29), as have countlessother believers through the ages. And we today mustdo no less!

Our Father’s WillOur greatest privilege

and joy as God’s adoptedsons is to reveal the love ofGod that is availablethrough Jesus Christ to oth-ers. Our message includes:“the Lord is not slack concern-ing His promise, as some countslackness, but is longsufferingtoward us, not willing that anyshould perish but that allshould come to repentance”(2Pet 3:9); “whoever calls onthe name of the Lord shall besaved” (Rom 10:13); and,“For God so loved the worldthat He gave His only begottenSon, that whoever believes inHim should not perish buthave everlasting life”(John 3:16).

God told His first cre-ated son, Adam, to “befruitful and multiply” and tobe a steward of all thatGod had given him to carefor (Gen 1:26-28; 2:8,15).God’s will for us is very sim-ilar, but now has this addeddimension: “By this MyFather is glorified, that youbear much fruit; so you will beMy disciples… You did notchoose Me, but I chose you andappointed you that you shouldgo and bear fruit, and that

your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Fatherin My name He may give you” (John 15:8,16).

The “fruit” that we are to bear and that is eternalin nature is the fruit of people – those who arebrought to salvation through Christ. We are to multi-ply the sons that are restored to God through salva-tion. We cannot save anyone by our own power. Butwe are given the message of salvation, and God gives


Pastor To Pastor

Pastors, our busy lives and ministries can often lead tothe neglect of our personal relationship with God. Our “firstlove” (Rev 2:4) becomes the work of ministry, or perhapssomething else. All of our time and effort is devoted to thingsother than our relationship with the Lord.

None of us intends to neglect God. But slowly, as ourministry grows and our lives become full, we find ourselvesspending less and less time with the Lord. Our prayer lifebecomes focused on asking for things we want, blessings forus or anointing to do well, instead of just sitting at the feet ofour Savior to be with Him. We study God’s Word only to geta good sermon, rather than to simply commune with Him andfeed ourselves spiritually.

Many pastors fall into this trap. It is no wonder that theybegin to “burn out,” asking: “Why do I feel so dry spiritually?Where is my sense of call and vision? Why does Jesus seemso far away? Where is God in my life? Why does ministry feellike an outward performance, and not something vital andalive that is coming from my heart?”

Do any of those questions sound familiar to you? Eachof us must be careful to protect and actively strengthen ourrelationship with God, and grow in that relationship. Withoutfresh, daily communion with Him and fresh manna from HisWord, we will quickly become weakened spiritually. When weare weak, we are much easier targets for demonic attacks.We then have less strength to resist and overcome our flesh(Rom 13:14; Gal 5:16; Eph 4:27; 6:10-18). Inevitably, com-promise and failure will soon follow.

But most tragic will be the loss of the close relationshipwith God for which you were created. He longs for you(Jas 4:5), and you desperately need Him. There is no otherrelationship or activity in this life that is more important thanwalking and talking with your heavenly Father every day! Thisis true for you, and also for those whom you lead. •


us the power of the Spirit to deliver it with boldness!He will confirm the Gospel with signs and wondersfollowing (Mark 16:17,18; 1Thess 1:5).

We are the adopted sons who are also called to bepreachers of the Gospel (Rom 10:14,15). It is ourFather’s will that every born-again person faithfullyshare the Good News of salvation through Christ withany person who will listen.

We must study the Word of God, and prepare toanswer the questions that unbelievers might have(2Tim 4:1-5; 1Pet 3:14-17). We must also love andserve those who are needy in Christ’s name, showingvery practically how much God loves people. Theseare all ways of sharing the Gospel, the Good News ofGod’s love and salvation in Christ.

As God’s adopted sons, we are given the privi-lege and responsibility to fulfill our heavenly Father’swill.

This does not earn for us our adoption, prove ourworthiness to receive it, or make God love us morethan He already does (Luke 17:10; Rom 5:1-10;1John 3:1-3).

We do not serve our Father in order to gain theprivilege or position of sonship; that is already ours inChrist. But we serve because we are accepted as Hissons. We are not sons because we serve; we servebecause we are sons!

Almighty God, our Creator and heavenly Father,has chosen you to be His son in full standing once youreceive salvation through Jesus Christ. Thus you arealso His heir to all the privileges, provision, promisesand power – NOW, and in the Kingdom of God yet tocome! Glory to God!

Take a moment even now, lifting your head andyour hands to the Lord. Thank Him out loud that youare His son. Declare that truth to the natural realm,and to the supernatural realm – to everything thatwould oppose this truth being realized fully in yourlife.

You are not an unwanted child. If you havereceived Christ’s salvation, you are not unworthy to bea beloved son of God. The blood of Christ hascleansed you of sin and made you worthy to receive.It has broken down the wall of separation betweenyou and God, and you can have close fellowship withyour heavenly Father.

There is no question in God’s mind and heartabout your position and standing before Him as a son.So let no question or doubt enter your mind aboutthat either!

God loves you with an everlasting love. He has setHis love and favor upon you in eternity past; and onceyou are saved, there is nothing in this world or in thespiritual realm that can change that!

“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, norangels nor principalities nor powers, nor things presentnor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any othercreated thing, shall be able to separate us from the loveof God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”(Rom 8:38,39).

Go Forth With Courage!It is up to each of us to choose to begin to live like

the fully loved and empowered son that each of us is!Every believer in Christ has been set in the posi-

tion of the mature son and heir by God’s unswervingand unchangeable will (John 1:12,13).

Therefore, let each of us begin to live each daywith confidence, knowing that our standing with Godis secure. Study the Word of God and learn all thatGod has given you as an inheritance in this life, and inthe life to come. Pray daily and commune with yourheavenly Father, getting to know Him more and moreand letting His Spirit make you more like Jesus in yourcharacter and behavior.

Let your faith rise to believe God for the provisionand power you need to do what your Father is doing(John 5:19) and to say what your Father is saying(John 7:17,18) – in order that you might lead theChurch of God according to the Father’s will.

Reject all fear, doubt and uncertainty as to whoyou are in Christ, and regarding His calling upon yourlife.

Embrace fully the leading of the Holy Spirit andHis will for you, as you set your hand to the plow andnever look back. You have been destined by God – andgiven everything you need – to be “more than a con-queror though Him who loved us” (Rom 8:37).

You are an adopted son of God. You have everyprivilege and every responsibility that comes with thisblessed position. So rejoice and go forth withcourage, faith and hope – for God your Father is foryou and with you! Amen!

Conclusion

Go Forth

In Canada, send contributionsand correspondence to:World MAP Canada120-5501 204th StreetLangley, BC V3A 5N8

All others write to:World MAP1419 N. San Fernando Blvd.Burbank CA 91504USA

Documents

WMAP DIGEST Fall 2012