THE SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL
https://boxcast.tv/channel/yuyyyftbksyppzhnl3il?b=dhilhue9977kmxeh6js
Pastor Wayne’s latest sermon from the Heritage Baptist Church, Perry, Georgia, USA begins at approximately 21 minutes by clicking on the link above. Pastor Wayne’s outstanding Watchmen’s report follows this preamble, it keeps you abreast of events that are falling in to line with Biblical prophecies. The hour is late, take heed that you are not left behind.
Gibber! Gibber!
Chugley
PASTOR WAYNE WRITES
January 24, 2025
Dear Heritage Family and Friends,
Remember those final marching orders Jesus gave His disciples? “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” “Amen.”
It is without question that Jesus’ method of evangelism was personal discipleship. Yes, He preached to the masses, taught those who came to Him for questions, personally discipled the 12, and poured His life into Peter, James, and John. However, even though Peter took the lead in building Christ’s Church, Jesus reproduced His heart of love in the Apostle John.
Years ago, someone told me the discipleship process was too slow. I quickly responded to him; the difference is in whether you are growing squash or an oak tree. D. James Kennedy is quoted as saying: “If you were an outstandingly gifted evangelist with an international reputation, and if, under God, you could win 1,000 persons for Christ every night of every year, how long would it take you to win the whole world for Christ? Answer, ignoring the population explosion, over 10,000 years. But if you are a true disciple of Christ, and if you are able under God to win just one person to Christ each year, and if you could then train that person to win one other person for Christ each year, how long would it take to win the whole world for Christ? Answer: just 32 years!”
According to current understanding, the gospel’s spread is still happening globally, reaching new people groups and continuing to bear fruit in various regions. However, persecution and cultural barriers still exist in certain areas, i.e., while the gospel is spreading, it’s not necessarily reaching every corner of the world at the same pace or with the same level of accessibility, or with the same emphasis on long-term discipleship.
Beloved, the end will come when the gospel has reached all nations, even to the ends of the earth, and has performed its work. Not before. The Lord is longsuffering, not willing that any of His elect should perish, but that all are saved. Only then, when the last elect is prepared for glory, will the end come
In our final sermon in the series, “The Church Triumphant,” we will look at the subject of “The Spread of the Gospel”
· The sermon may be viewed at theheritagechurch.or
· The sermon will be available on our website and YouTube.
· The YouTube URL: https://www.youtube.com@heritagebaptistchurchperry
Thank you for forwarding these sermon study guides to those you think might be interested. We are encouraged by the response we’ve received from viewers worldwide.
Pastor Wayne
Wayne J. and Linda J. Edwards
PO Box 766
Perry, GA 31069
706-599-3966
wnledwards@gmail.com
By Wayne J. Edwards, January 25, 2025
My Fellow Watchmen,
In 1998, I received a telephone call from my wife, who was on a mission trip to Nicaragua. Since I had not heard from her in several days, I was alarmed when her first words were, “Sweetheart, I have a problem!” When asked if she was okay, she quickly said, “I’m fine, but I don’t know how I’m going to get all these precious children in my luggage to bring them home.”
That trip and that heart-felt concern were repeated more than 100 times over the next 20 years as we began taking mission teams to Nicaragua to build houses, schools, churches, and to provide food, clothing, medical needs, and Bibles. Over the years, we taught more than 200 young men how to serve as pastors/preachers and I personally trained and discipled 30 of them. Each time we left to come home, we had the same feelings as Linda had on her first visit.
Looking at Nicaragua today, it seems our work there didn’t make much difference. However, God used those trips to make a tremendous difference in our hearts toward those who are at the grips of poverty, political oppression, and social degradation.
We have a grandson who was adopted from an orphanage in Nicaragua when he was about five years old. He just graduated from college, having obtained his tuition through a scholarship with his employer. Evidently, he did so well that the company may employ him permanently. Just this past week, through the gracious gifts of the supporters of Mature Ministries and the mission gifts given to Heritage Baptist Church, we provided school supplies for the grade school children in a remote village in Nicaragua. When we saw the smiles on their faces as they held up their pencils and pads, our hearts were filled with that very same feeling.
I say all this to assure my readers that there is a warm place in our hearts for those in need and that I believe Christians are to “welcome the stranger” into their hearts as God, through Jesus Christ, welcomed us. The evidence of our salvation is to show others God’s love through our hospitality.
However, to “welcome the stranger” is not a biblical command for a nation to open its borders to any and all who want to come. Obeying the laws of the land is also biblical, whether it is while we are in Nicaragua or the Nicaraguan who wants to migrate to America. Of course, as Christians, we must open our hearts to the plight of the poor immigrants seeking a better way of life, but our compassion for those in need does not mean we must neglect the security of our own families. Christians should not support the policy of uncontrolled borders any more than they would leave their doors open when they go to bed at night. The argument that every human being should have the right to live in the country of their choice comes from cultural Marxism, not Christianity.
I cringe when I hear someone doubt my Christian compassion for those in need because I want my government to fulfill its responsibility to protect our borders from enemies, both foreign and domestic. Of course, Christians should help those who legally come to America looking for a better life or to escape the oppression of their national leaders. However, that does not mean we should subvert the government’s God-given responsibility to protect its citizens through border control and immigration laws and to do so, according to the law, is civil disobedience.
I realize that many people will suffer from the purge of those who are not here legally – they also suffered a lot to come here illegally, and that should not be. The Biden administration is responsible for this suffering, as well as those NGOs and other agencies that violated the law by providing humanitarian aid to them. It will be tough, but they must go home and pay the price, as millions of our neighbors have, to come here legally. It’s not only about the law, it is also about love!!
Thank you for forwarding these news stories and articles to those you think might be interested.
Pastor Wayne
Wayne J. and Linda J. Edwards
PO Box 766
Perry, GA 31069
706-599-3966
wnledwards@gmail.com
PASTOR WAYNE AND LINDA EDWARDS