God's People Are Everywhere!

One of the neat things about going on mission trips is meeting other followers of Jesus and having an instant connection with them.

God's People Are Everywhere!

"Then our mouth was filled with laughter, And our tongue with singing. Then they said among the nations, 'The Lord has done great things for them.'"

(Psalm 126:2)

I love the local church. Ashley and I have been blessed to serve the Lord at Great Hills Baptist Church for almost 14 years. Austin, TX is where God has planted us, and it is a privilege to lock arms with so many Jesus-loving people and be on mission with them in our city. I also enjoy going to other mission fields all over the world. Serving overseas on these short-term trips is always challenging because you are forced out of your comfort zone. I am such a routine guy. Back home, I keep to a pretty strict schedule, but when on a mission trip, it is better to remember to be flexible. A missiologist friend of mine said, "Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape."

One of the neat things about going on mission trips is meeting other followers of Jesus and having an instant connection with them. On the first evening of our mission trip to Macedonia, our team of four pastors from the USA had the opportunity to worship with a local church and to share a brief message with them.

By the time we are finished serving in Macedonia, we will have traveled throughout the country and met every evangelical pastor. God is working in this country for sure. In just 24 years, the Evangelical Church has grown from 3 to 36 churches! The president of the Evangelical Church movement in Macedonia is Pastor Peter. He and his wife Daniella have two sons, John and Daniel. John translated for all four of us when we preached at the church in the city of Stip. Daniel, an electrical engineering student, led the praise and worship. Wow, what a powerful time of worship we had.

The band consisted of only a pianist, drummer, and Daniel playing the guitar, but they were very gifted. This multigenerational church sang with such passion, and it was a blessing to worship Jesus with them.

Here are pictures of the church in Stip and John translating for me as I shared with the congregation from Philippians 1:6, which says, "Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ."

Let me encourage you to go on a short-term mission trip. You will be blessed far more than you can imagine. Even though you go to serve, you receive the greater blessing. Since 1998 (except for COVID years), I have been able to go on a mission trip every year. I made a commitment to the Lord after my first international mission trip to Cambodia that I would go every year.

God has His people everywhere! Take a moment to pray for the Church of Jesus Christ scattered all over the globe. Be encouraged to know that God is working in mighty ways. People are coming to faith in Jesus and being discipled. For eternity, we will worship King Jesus with other believers "from every tribe and tongue and people and nation" (Revelation 5:9).

Have a blessed weekend. In future devotions, I will share more about our mission trip to Macedonia. Thank you for your prayers and support for DFEA. I am grateful to God for the opportunity to serve the Lord in Austin, TX and around the world!

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Podcast of the Week

Awakenings, Pt. 3

Pastor Danny continues his new mini-series about spiritual awakenings throughout history, continuing on after the Second Great Awakening in the United States.

Listen on your preferred platform: