by MIMADMIN | May 8, 2015 | Testimonies
God works in so many different places, and uses so many different people for one purpose; to glorify His name and draw more people to the body of Christ. I remember listening to a young missionary from China describe how He, and a small group of people were spending their days getting to know the local people in a rural town in China. He described how they would meet in someone’s home for “church” to hear the message of the gospel. He told story after story how one person would commit their life to Jesus, and then another, and another. I was fascinated by the stories because they illustrated that God was drawing people to Himself in China the same way He was doing it in my neighborhood. It was a great illustration of 2 Timothy 2:2, “The things which you have heard and seen from me in the presence of many witnesses, teach these to others, so they will be able to teach others also.” The message of Jesus moved from one person to another “and the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47). God uses all different types of people to accomplish His work. One of the groups participating in spreading the message of Jesus in our community is Young Life, and my wife and I have had the privilege of spending time with them and seeing first-hand how God works through this group of amazing Christ followers. I was not familiar with Young Life growing up, so I did not know much about what they do, however, as I have watched over...
by MIMADMIN | May 7, 2015 | Testimonies
I never served in the military, but have had the privilege of meeting many current and former active duty soldiers at different stages of my life. I often feel like a “thank you for your service” is not nearly enough to express how grateful I am for their commitment to keeping our country safe. In many cases, you hear stories about long deployments that kept them away from their families, assignments that placed them in harms-way where they were permanently injured; or even times where they were constantly threatened in a foreign land where they were sent to protect the local residents. The life of an active soldier seems to be filled with opposition. The life of a disciple of Jesus often follows a similar pattern. In 2 Timothy 2:3-4, right after Paul reminds Timothy that he wants him to share what he has learned with others, he points out the fact that Timothy will “suffer hardship with as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. He follows it up with, “No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.” For the follower of Christ, avoiding entanglement is critical to fully and completely letting Jesus be Lord of our lives. But what entangles men? What are some of the daily battles we fight and how can we gain victory over these areas of our life that can derail our “active service” for the Lord? Different parts of the world provide their own unique challenges for followers of Jesus who are engaged in active ministry. In first world...
by MIMADMIN | May 8, 2015 | Testimonies
Since becoming a Christian and catching the vision that Paul provides in 2 Timothy 2:2, I have focused most of my prayer and efforts in the work place. As an employee of a large company the “fishing pond” was always well stocked and God provided many opportunities for ministry. My vision of the ministry was always outside of my local church, and not inside. In fact, I would occasionally volunteer to serve, or sign up for bible study to see if God would open up doors, but it never seemed to go anywhere. It was usually difficult to find men who had a vision for taking the gospel to the market place and to partner up with like-minded believers to challenge and encourage each other in Christ. Ultimately, I viewed my local church as a place to worship, hear biblical teaching and help expose my family to God’s word beyond our own study time. I concluded that the only place for ministry was in the market place. Well, recently God has changed that and I have been the beneficiary! It all started when our church announced a new mentor program and the need for volunteers. Initially I had no interest because I assumed the goal would be to follow a program versus minister to a man according to his need. However, after prayer and conversation with a few friends, I decided to throw my name in the hat to be matched with a guy. As expected, the church had a defined program with specific chapters of the Bible to read and a book to discuss. The program was designed...
by Craig McAndrews | Feb 22, 2016 | Articles, Testimonies
I travelled to Haiti with a church group to serve with a team at a pastor’s leadership conference. This was the first of its kind for this group of Haitian pastors and the team who coordinated the event. There was a great turnout, and God was really working on the group who participated. At the same time, He was really working on me. For starters, I had to teach through a translator which is pretty challenging. I knew the process would stretch me, but I had no idea how uncomfortable it would make me. I remember the first time during the talk when I said something to the translator and they simply looked at me with a puzzled face. Turns out what I was trying to say couldn’t even be translated in the local language. There were moments when I had no idea what to say next, but each time God provided words and I managed to get through the sessions without any major problems. God reminded me that day how big of a God He is. The depressing part of the lesson was that God showed me how small I make Him. When I pray my prayers and look at Him through the lens of my own life, I realized I have a tendency to put Him in a tiny little box and lean on Him based on my circumstances. The idea of His bigness escaped me. However, the Haitian people sparked a new perspective in me through the simple act of prayer. I distinctly remember a time when the entire group was in prayer after one of the messages. During the prayer, I could hear the low murmur of the Haitian people...
by Craig McAndrews | Jul 31, 2023 | Articles, Mentors Corner
Do you have Peace in your life right now? Your answer to this question can profoundly impact how you mature as a follower of Jesus. My guess is you won’t come across many believers or non-believers who wouldn’t be interested in being at Peace. However, the fast-paced and divisive nature of our world makes Peace something many people only dream of having. But the Peace that Jesus offers is designed to deepen our relationship with Him and protect us from the theology of our culture. The dictionary defines Peace as “the freedom from disturbance or tranquility; a stress-free state of security and calmness.” In the Bible, the Greek word used in the original text is Eirene (i-ray-nay) which means quietness or rest. The word “Peace” is used in the King James translation of the Bible 429 times. Jesus Himself was recorded using the word 23 times. One verse that captures the essence of the peace message is in John 16:33, where Jesus says, “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have Peace. In the world, you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” Jesus contrasts the challenges and struggles we experience “in the world” with His promise of Peace found in Him. At first glance, Peace seems like a state of being or a mindset. However, when you look closer at the Peace of Christ, you see a more profound purpose taught in scripture. In Paul’s letter to the Philippians, we see a purpose for the Peace of Christ. In Philippians 4:7, Paul writes, “and the peace of God, which...
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