John Dawson the founder of Youth With a Mission addressed the delegation at our General Conference. He had previously prophesied about the IPHC. He read through the list of things he had shared with our church some years ago, and brought it up to date.
John is a brilliant man, articulate in speaking with authority, and was very gracious to our church.
I was overwhelmed by his speech. He reminded me of Newt Gingrich, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives. His observations were keen, meticulous, and penetrating. I did not take notes, but listened with an open heart. God spoke to me about the mission He still has for me in personal evangelism. I am praying for the complete healing of my body so that I can fulfill God's plan for my life as an 84-year-old man who will be 85 in December. The name I am calling it is "Neighborhood Evangelism."
In John's prolouge to his Gospel of John, Eugene H. Peterson's rendering of John 1:14 is striking and powerful.
Let me now quote it for you:
John 1:14
The Word became flesh and blood,
and moved into the neighborhood.
(from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)
I have not shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ with all of my neighbors. I feel compelled to do so before I finish the mission God has given me before He takes me home to heaven and life everlasting with Him.
The second speaker was Ed Stetzer. “The IPHC is blessed to have Ed Stetzer speaking to us at our General Conference,” states General Superintendent Doug Beacham, “Stetzer has studied the IPHC for several years and commended us on our growth in the USA. His insights on challenges facing us in the future will be valuable.”
Ed Stetzer, Ph.D., holds the Billy Graham Distinguished Chair for Church, Mission, and Evangelism at Wheaton College. Ed also serves as the executive director of the Billy Graham Center for Evangelism at Wheaton, and as chair of the Evangelism and Leadership Program in the Graduate School. Ed is a prolific author and well-known conference speaker who holds two masters degrees and two doctorates. He has planted, revitalized, and pastored churches, trained pastors on six continents, and has written a dozen books and hundreds of articles.
Dr. Stetzer challenged and inspired the delegation. He told us that the church is not dying. He emphasized that statement by studies he and his organization have made. He offered us hope for better things. I know for a fact that our church in Athens has been declining for several years. However, God has given us a new pastor whom God has chosen and called to take us out of this decline and reach our city for Christ. His vision is clear and he has inspired hope in our congregation. I believe with all my heart that God is giving us a new start, a new beginning. Now is the time for all who love Jesus and the church to rally around the church and our new pastor. Great things will happen as we seek God for His guidance and the power of Pentecost. The harvest is ripe and people need the Lord. When the Gospel is shared through the power of the Holy Spirit men and women, boys and girls will respond and give their hearts to Jesus.
John is a brilliant man, articulate in speaking with authority, and was very gracious to our church.
I was overwhelmed by his speech. He reminded me of Newt Gingrich, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives. His observations were keen, meticulous, and penetrating. I did not take notes, but listened with an open heart. God spoke to me about the mission He still has for me in personal evangelism. I am praying for the complete healing of my body so that I can fulfill God's plan for my life as an 84-year-old man who will be 85 in December. The name I am calling it is "Neighborhood Evangelism."
In John's prolouge to his Gospel of John, Eugene H. Peterson's rendering of John 1:14 is striking and powerful.
Let me now quote it for you:
John 1:14
The Word became flesh and blood,
and moved into the neighborhood.
(from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)
I have not shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ with all of my neighbors. I feel compelled to do so before I finish the mission God has given me before He takes me home to heaven and life everlasting with Him.
The second speaker was Ed Stetzer. “The IPHC is blessed to have Ed Stetzer speaking to us at our General Conference,” states General Superintendent Doug Beacham, “Stetzer has studied the IPHC for several years and commended us on our growth in the USA. His insights on challenges facing us in the future will be valuable.”
Ed Stetzer, Ph.D., holds the Billy Graham Distinguished Chair for Church, Mission, and Evangelism at Wheaton College. Ed also serves as the executive director of the Billy Graham Center for Evangelism at Wheaton, and as chair of the Evangelism and Leadership Program in the Graduate School. Ed is a prolific author and well-known conference speaker who holds two masters degrees and two doctorates. He has planted, revitalized, and pastored churches, trained pastors on six continents, and has written a dozen books and hundreds of articles.
Dr. Stetzer challenged and inspired the delegation. He told us that the church is not dying. He emphasized that statement by studies he and his organization have made. He offered us hope for better things. I know for a fact that our church in Athens has been declining for several years. However, God has given us a new pastor whom God has chosen and called to take us out of this decline and reach our city for Christ. His vision is clear and he has inspired hope in our congregation. I believe with all my heart that God is giving us a new start, a new beginning. Now is the time for all who love Jesus and the church to rally around the church and our new pastor. Great things will happen as we seek God for His guidance and the power of Pentecost. The harvest is ripe and people need the Lord. When the Gospel is shared through the power of the Holy Spirit men and women, boys and girls will respond and give their hearts to Jesus.