Go And Reconcile Ministries - Blog

May 2012 Newsletter

Thu, 24 May 2012 12:28:32 -0800

I will get right to the heart of what God has done and then what we are asking you to pray that He will do in the future. First I will give you a glimpse into Tim's last trip to Thailand and Myanmar by way of testimonies from those who attended the CPM conferences and contacts that were made. There were clearly ‘God ordained’ events and the working of the Holy Spirit. 1.    The General Secretary for the Karen Baptist Association tells us that the Thai translation of the GPCP manual is in process and they plan to have it printed by October when we return.

2.    The same brother from Thailand reports: “We owe you a lot, and we believe that we can surely apply what you have shown us in our church-planting missions. We will not look backward, but go forward. We will do our best for the Lord. Please pray for TKBC because we believe that with God's grace and prayers of the righteous, we can make a great impact here in Thailand. We will try our best to be a good example for young couples…but we will always be careful and not let any space for Satan. Please pray that we will never fall nor make others upset. Brother, I have been looking for my Paul, but I have not found one yet…. Could you accept me as your Timothy? Many godly people are too busy like Martha, but I can see you care that I become a faithful and fruitful servant of God.”

3.    The following is an email from another brother in Yangon, Myanmar. “We could not help talking about how we appreciate you and your teaching. We look to you as our model after Christ. We would like to do the course again with you with another group in October or November this year. Let me know what time is good for you. Then we will bring the two groups together in March 2013. Do you think we should have more time for the course - for 5 or 6 days? We have finished the 18 days training with the group and now we are going to start another training with a different group on Tuesday the 27th of Mar for 4 days. Please pray for us. We are so blessed to have you and your training. It is God's divine appointment for training the church planters in Myanmar for the end time.” We agree with this brother!!

4.    Tim met with Moses in Myanmar who is translating GPCP into the Chin language. He is requesting a CPM Conference this fall when the CPM will be complete so they can start biblical church planting.

5.    We have a request from the Burma Karen Baptist Association to teach graduating students for a month in the seminary in Yangon.

We have also received a request from the Arab Baptist Seminary representing North Africa and the Middle East to provide GPCP in a seminary course format. This has tremendous potential for all Arabic speaking nations. Along with this we are also working on reformatting the present manual so that it is simpler to use--adding diagrams so that the student gets the most out of the Scriptures with the teaching help of the Holy Spirit. Please pray for both of these endeavors as they potentially could have a huge impact in countries around the world.

Here is the testimony of a dear brother in Cambodia: “I would like to share about GPCP manual and how it has been used in Cambodia to train Church leaders here to strengthen and grow their church. I found feedback from them about this manual; it is a great and powerful tool contained with biblical principles inspired by living word of God to their personal life, families, church and mission breakthrough so much more than they expected, especially to plant more new churches in new areas where no church exists. Lastly I would like to say thank you for Pastor Tim Bunn that God has blessed and found this great tool to our Cambodian’s Church and in region.”

Let me add one final testimony from a brother in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: “The solution rests in a radical return to God's Plan for Church Planting! This is a serious, long-term answer to help call the Church back to New Testament Biblical Principles, as we enter this new era."

With the Lord opening these doors of opportunity, we feel deeply dependent on the Him, first to work in us so that God’s Word may be spoken without hindrance and in the Spirit’s power. For we “do not count our life of any value nor as precious to us, if only we may finish our course and the ministry that we received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24).

GOD'S BIG PICTURE

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 18:34:10 -0800

In the last few weeks the Spirit has opened my understanding as I have read the Word and pondered its eternal application to us. What started this was that a dear brother was explaining the difficulties they are going through regarding a building that is not finished where the church wants to meet. As I prayed for him, the Spirit directed my attention to God's BIG PICTURE that began in past eternity. If we are going to grasp the details of God's plan, we must also look at the BIG PICTURE - GOD'S PLAN AND PURPOSE FROM ETERNITY PAST!

Let's start with Eph. 3:8-10 and Col. 1:24-29. Paul wanted to "make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations...the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Col. 1:25, 27). The greatness of this mystery is not understood because we have a building, but because the Holy Spirit, the "Helper" is "with you forever" (John. 14:16) and He, the Father and the Son "will come...and make our home with him" (14:23). Plus the Holy Spirit "will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you" (14:26). This does not need a building; just human hearts that receive God's grace.

Now, let's go back to Genesis 1:28-30; 3:8-9. God began *HIS*story with man by spending time in The Garden talking to man, in fellowship with man in a relationship that did not need a temple, a building or a special place. It only need God and man in relationship as God designed it - *PERFECT!*

Solomon realized that "heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you (God); how much less this house that I have built" (1 Kings 8:27). Paul reminds us of what happened at Pentecost, "Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you" (1 Cor. 3:16) "your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit (God) within you, whom you have from God" (1 Cor. 6:19).

John 4:19-28. The woman of John 4 realizes that Jesus is the answer to her problems and starts talking about worship. She points to a mountain where her fathers worshiped and that the Jews worshiped in Jerusalem (the temple). Jesus points to a different kind of worship and a different place of worship. The different kind of worship was a relationship with God as "Father" through the Spirit. The 'different place of worship' was the heart where our spirits are in agreement with His Spirit and where His truth is our only truth. This does not require a building or a place, but a living relationship in the power of the Spirit.

Revelation 21:3, "And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "*Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.*" The end of *HIS*story is the same as the beginning. God with man in *PERFECT* communion, in fellowship, man in worship without the need of any man-made things such as buildings, pews, pulpits, etc. The whole plan and purpose of redemption was to restore fallen man to relationship that needs nothing except the finished work of Jesus and the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. In pointing to these Scriptures, I fully understand that there is nothing wrong with buildings in and of themselves, but there is a transcending importance in the relationship we have with God through Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit. What a great opportunity we have in any difficult time or circumstance to point the saints to something that is far, far greater than a physical building or place. Build in the saints a vision for what is eternal! Ephesians 2:19-22, "So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In Him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit."

May the Holy Spirit give us this eternal 'BIG PICTURE' - God's thoughts, plans and purpose that do not change even in time!

CPM Workshops in Myanmar and Thailand

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:28:40 -0800

As we look ahead to the next event the Lord has put on our calendar to spread the gospel and build the church on a biblical foundation we are amazed at how God plans our path in this endeavor. So we share below the itinerary and prayer requests for the next trip from February 16 to March 18th.

February 16th to 19th - Travel to New Delhi - time to acclimate and make contacts. Pray for safety, rest and God's sustaining hand on us in all our travels.
February 20th to 24th, New Delhi, India for meetings with an international ministry. Pray for God's wisdom and the Spirit's leading as vision for effective missions is shared.
February 25 to 28th - Travel from New Delhi to Myanmar via Bangkok
February 29th to March 2nd - Meeting with the Karen Baptists in Livingstone, 5 hrs. from Yangon. Pray for the Lord's leading as they work through the CPM and are led to implement these principles in their own settings and culture. (A NOTE OF PRAISE - 1000 copies of GPCP were printed and will be dedicated by local church leaders January 30th).
March 4th & 5th - Meetings at the Karen Baptist Theological Seminary. Pray for the leading of the Holy Spirit and the igniting of an indigenous work that will spread rapidly.
March 6th to 8th - Meetings with Burmese Church leaders. This is the result of a new contact from a Burmese brother in Australia. Pray for the Holy Spirit to work in a special way with this group. This opportunity is one that God has brought our way, but He must bring the fruit out of their time together.
March 9th to 11th - Travel to Bangkok for rest and refreshment with the Lord.
March 12th to 15th - GPCP meeting with Karen Refugees on the Thailand/Myanmar border. We have prayed for some time that this opportunity would happen. Pray for open hearts with good soil that the Spirit can use in whatever direction He chooses. Also pray for special needs for the brother who has arranged this meeting.
March 16th to 18th - Travel back to Bangkok and preparation for the long trip home.

We praise the Lord that each of these meetings. It makes us sense the urgency in Paul's words when he closed his letter to Colossae, "...pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ" (4:3).

Build On Jesus Christ, Nothing Else!

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 19:38:35 -0800

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

It is traditional at the beginning of a "New Year" to preach a sermon on "new beginnings", or "new resolutions", or some other slant on the New Year that we think will help people do better this year than they did last year. But let me ask you; is this really a biblical idea?

As I review Jesus in the gospels, Paul and Peter's letters, I see a very different challenge for us. All three challenge us to examine our foundation. What good is a 'New Years Resolution' if our foundation is faulty or we build with the wrong material? Let's look first at Jesus' words.

In Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus presents a wise man and a foolish man. The wise man "built his house on the rock". We know that Jesus is referring to Himself as that rock. The foolish man "built his house on the sand", unstable, shifting material. In both cases, Jesus points to one outlook for both - a storm that will test our house and will reveal what we have done in the building process. But there are two different outcomes. The house of the wise man did not fall because he laid a 'rock-solid' foundation. His future was sure because of that "one decision". The house of the foolish man fell because he built on ideas, methods of men, traditions of man, and not on biblical truth.

Paul approaches this issue a little differently but with the same test and results. In 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 he says that "...no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." What he is really saying is that Jesus Christ is the only foundation and anyone trying to lay a foundation other than Him is not laying any foundation. Paul takes this challenge further by saying "Let each one take care how he builds..."! (3:10-11). If we are not building on the pure gospel of Jesus Christ, we can be sure that a test will come - fire will either purify what we have built with or it will be destroyed. (See also Galatians).

Peter points to one stone, the cornerstone (1 Peter 2:4-8). There are some who will reject this stone and "stumble" over what God has laid and chosen. But for those who believe in Christ and choose Him as their foundation, they become a "living stone...built up as a spiritual house...a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God..." (2:5). Rejecting God's chosen foundation results in judgment (2 Peter 2).

In all three references, the issue is whether Christ is the only foundation of our lives and ministries. Then the question is; what are we building on that one foundation. If we build with anything of man, it will fall and be destroyed. There is a big difference between 'man's resolutions' and the power of the Holy Spirit in the believer. We may need to return to our foundations and make sure they are the right ones. Jesus said to Ephesus, "...repent, and do the works you did at first" (Revelation 2:5).

My desire for this year is that you will make sure to build on Jesus Christ, nothing else! If there is bad material, repentance will remove it. The Holy Spirit will help you build so you will never be ashamed.

The Sufficiency of Christ

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 12:13:47 -0800

"We need to move from self-sufficiency to Christ's sufficiency. Humility is the key to the door of Christ's sufficiency." by Patrick Fung, Live to be Forgotten - D. E. Hoste, China Inland Mission

CONFIRMATION OF GOD'S PLAN FOR CHURCH PLANTING

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 13:35:13 -0800

We have just received news from the country of Zambia that God is confirming the principles set out
in His Word regarding church planting. A brother who has gone through God's Plan for Church
Planting (GPCP) says, "I am really looking forward to meeting you and make plans for the training
and conferences. I am so excited to see the results coming out of this new way of planting
churches. We have one church planted using the GPCP and it is really different from the rest."
What a powerful proof to the words of Isaiah 55:11; "...My word...shall not return to me empty, but
it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it."

Myanmar, Cambodia and Turkey

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 17:26:29 -0800

We want to bring you an update on Tim’s recent trip to Myanmar, Cambodia and Turkey. First, we are still rejoicing that our awesome Lord supplied all our needs including the printing of 1,000 Church Planting Manuals in Burmese and 3,000 in Khmer. He also provided FULLY for the leaders' travel from Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Lebanon and their room and board for our meetings in Turkey. This brings to mind what Paul said to the Philippians in 4:16-21: "Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen." Cambodia: For two days, a new group of church leaders launched into a study of God’s Plan for Church Planting. We have been praying for God to raise up indigenous “Timothys” who will catch the vision for laying this biblical foundation throughout Cambodia. Please pray with us regarding this. Tim commented that “I just sense the same spirit of dependency on the “West” except one lady and her husband, who have planted 11 churches with no support. She seems so free, whereas others are so bound by our “western system”.” Pray that the Spirit will do a fresh, powerful work in this land. Myanmar: A very important contact was made with the head office of a denomination which may open a very exciting door for us. What really brings joy to the heart is that a local brother is teaching the CPM on his own and reaping the fruit of planting God’s truth and principles of church planting and renewal. Pray that this will multiply. Turkey: Tim writes: “This is the most awesome work of God, particularly as it relates to GPCP, that I have EVER seen in my life or could have ever dreamed. They completed their final projects; unreal and just unbelievable. I believe we are going to see a great movement of God in these countries in addition to what our Lord is already doing. I just do not know how to express it to you, even in a very remote way. It can happen, it has happened; they have completed their manuals and things are moving in the Spirit. I have never ever experienced a meeting like this. I am encouraged beyond words.” They return home to their own countries with a “complete picture” from God’s Word of His plan for the church. They will not need follow-up from us, except to encourage them. We in the West have a misconception that these places are very difficult to plant churches. Much like China where persecution is on the loose, the church is growing rapidly and God is doing a might work! We hope this report will ignite a spiritual revival in your heart! Are there any “Timothys” out there willing to re-examine Scripture and see with Spirit-filled eyes God’s plan, purpose and power to fulfill Mt. 24:14? If you are interested in learning more, please contact us.

Christians Killed in Plateau State, Nigeria

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 16:28:27 -0800

By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries
BARKIN LADI, NIGERIA (ANS) -- Compass Direct News (CDN) is reporting that Fulani Muslim herdsmen along with Muslim soldiers have killed at least 45 ethnic Berom Christians in Plateau state in the past week, Christians in this northern-central Nigerian town said. Shocking scene of Christians burned alive in Nigeria's central Plateau in a recent incident
(Photo: AllVoices) Smaller attacks beginning on Nov. 20, reportedly over allegations by Fulani Muslims of cattle theft, preceded an attack on a Barkin Ladi church on Wednesday (Nov. 23) that killed four Christians, and an assault the next day left 35 Christians dead in Barkin Ladi and nearby Kwok village, according to area Christian leaders. CDN went on to say that attendance at church services was decimated yesterday as thousands of Christians have left the area. In the attack on Thursday (Nov. 24), the Fulani Muslims were shouting "Allahu Akbar [God is greater]," said farmer Choji Pamjamo, 51. David Gyang, 51, an elder for the Church of Christ in Nigeria Barkin Ladi church, said Muslims set off a religious crisis by attacking Christians at the church site on Wednesday night (Nov. 23) and then launching the major offensive the next morning.. "Some of the Christian victims in this attack that I know include a Christian police officer, one Mr. Bulus, who is the station officer of the Barkin Ladi police station," Gyang said. "He was inside his house on that day, and these Muslims broke the walls of his room and went inside to kill him and his son." Sources told Compass that along with 26 Christians killed in Kwok village, nine were killed in the attack on Barkin Ladi. Compass found that the area attacks on Christians began Nov. 20 with the killing of three Christians outside Barkin Ladi, and then two Christians in the town were killed on Nov. 21. The next day, a Christian was beheaded behind a popular hotel in the town known as the White House, sources said. For more information, please go to: www.compassdirect.org
Comment by Tim, Go and Reconcile Ministries:
How can we continue to look on from the sidelines to the 100 million plus killed in Africa, mostly brothers and sisters in Christ? Six million dead in the Congo, six million Christians murdered, raped, and starved or take Sudan, two million Christians have been killed by Muslims, or how about having the highest mortality rates in the world and could go on and on, not to mention the suffering women which broke my heart when there.

Though billions in aid has been sent from the West, the aid itself is now seen as part of the systemic problem that keeps Africa and the church from moving forward. Africa is an object lesson and a case study of all the things you should not do both the global world powers and the Church. In our effort to fix the mess which we helped make, the global community and church has flooded the continent with foreign funds and resources, thereby destroying local markets and creating ongoing dependency and corruption. We must learn from our mistakes and seek or should I say, "desire" the most effective strategies for the establishment of self-supporting and self-propagating church planting movements. Unfortunately, there are still mission organizations and churches that continue to promote the same mission strategies that created dependency and corruption not only in the African Church but all over Asia, like India. Please read all about the situation in Africa at www.missionfrontiers.org/issue/current Your heart will break but you will also have renewed hope in what our Savior is doing today in and through those who are willing to change.

There is a glimmer of hope as we teach and see a few return to a biblical model of church planting and growth not dependent on money and the West which often, with sincerity and good motivates, teach how to do God's work without the Holy Spirit. We know, yes, we know enough now about what God uses to create and sustain these Church Planting Movements. (See David Garrisons book :Church Planting Movements) The question, do we really believe this or not?

Brothers and Sisters, the facts do not lie. I must admit that at times I get so frustrated when you cannot even get others to even talk about this as a problem in India or Africa let alone to start trying to discover a solution. It is a new day, Habakkuk 1:5 is being fulfilled before our very eyes. The earth is filling with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord 2:14. Let us join our Father who is at work all around us. Lord, give us a broken heart for particularly Africa. How can we continue any longer by the sidelines watching our brothers and sisters be destroyed simply because they do not have oil. Anyway, we press on entrusting ourselves to Him Who is faithful and Who WILL build His Church. In Our Savior's Love, Tim

Macedonia Church: Dhulikhel, Nepal

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 19:50:14 -0800

I just wanted to share a video that was put together by Butch Ewing of Macedonia Baptist Church. Thanks to Butch and Tim!!

God's Appointed Time

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 17:23:58 -0800

Opportunity: The best way to describe the upcoming God's Plan for Church Planting (GPCP) meeting in Turkey is like flinging Brer Rabbit into "dat brier-patch." As you know, the manual thrives in a persecuted environment because it teaches a biblical model that enables the church to grow and expand in the midst of persecution, opposition and poverty. What does Palestine, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco and Algeria have in common? The church in these countries is faced with Islamic persecution and opposition. Therefore, this meeting provides a very strategic opportunity.

Praise: Praise our Lord for my dear brother and friend Hanna for completing the publishing of the Arabic GPCP, fully funded, and for organizing this meeting, not yet fully funded. I am also thankful for his leadership in encouraging these key leaders from Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, and Algeria to read and complete the manual. Lord willing, these leaders who have worked diligently for many hours will be ready for the workshop in Istanbul, Turkey, December 5 - 10, 2011 (See Hanna's Email Below). This is one of the GREATEST opportunities we have ever had.

Prayer: Please pray for the Holy Spirit to work powerfully and for our Savior and Head to be honored and glorified in His Bride in the Middle East and North Africa through these indigenous leaders. Concerning the Arabic GPCP meeting in Turkey, Hanna and I are looking to the Lord to supply the necessary funds for their room, board and travel. While this is quite costly, it is still much more economical and practical than me personally traveling into these countries. Please pray for this provision.

Manual Need: Also pray for our Lord to replenish the Burmese and Khmer manuals,  #1000 Burmese (Myanmar) and #3000 Khmer (Cambodia). The cost is $1300 and $3000 respectively. In both of these countries, God is using this tool to grow and expand His Church (see attached pictures from Burma). Incidentally, I could almost daily send out reports of God using this tool (GPCP) to grow and expand His Church throughout the world through indigenous leaders, without our presence.  As I ponder these needs, the Turkey workshop and manuals, I am reminded of Paul's words in Philippians: "Not that I seek the gift but I seek the fruit that increase to your credit."

Hanna's Email: The venue is at a hotel about 50 klm from Istanbul. I will send further details in the next few days once we have the final tally. The countries represented will be Egypt, Palestine, Lebanon, Morocco and Algeria. We will meet from 9 AM every morning till about 1 PM, break for lunch then meet again at 3 Pm until 6 or 7 PM and break for the evening. We will do that Monday through Friday. Because we will be far from the city, we will not leave time for shopping. I look to you to lead our sessions. I will co-chair it with you and help with translation etc. By the way, I just learned that we have another 35 ministers and our volunteer staff in Egypt who have either completed the study of the CPM or are completing it. But we will not invite this huge number to Turkey. We will conduct a separate seminar for them in Egypt sometime next year, Lord willing. God is at work and will be glorified in His church even in the Middle East Hanna "And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever Amen" Tim