 | Historical Testimony - 25 Years |
| Jesus Christ is Lord!
Andrew Shreeve Ministries
Partner Letter – February 2009
‘Bringing good tidings, publishing peace and salvation’
(Isaiah 52:7, Romans 10:15)
Sow a financial seed this month and partner with Andrew in proclaiming peace and salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ to all nations.
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| Contents
- Welcome
- Historical Testimony – 25 years
- Itinerary
| Welcome
| Greetings in the wonderful name of our Lord Jesus Christ! I pray the Lord will give you strength to continue meditating His precious promises daily. The Lord’s power is released into our lives through the planting of His seed into our hearts (Mark 4:26). Through meditation of His promises we can all experience the love and power of His kingdom (2 Peter 1:3-4).
I have just completed five leadership seminars, and some church ministry, in Myanmar. In all I taught 27 sessions, all over one hour in duration. In Lashio, seven hours by road north of Mandalay, and four hours south of the Chinese border, 120 leaders (Christian organisation leaders/ chairman, secretary, denominational superintendants, bible school principals and lecturers, pastors, evangelists, and school principals) attended a three day bible teaching seminar. I taught on experiencing God’s power by receiving the seeds of God’s promises into our heart through daily meditation (Mark chapter 4). This revelation had never been taught to the churches in Lashio before, and the Word was received with great joy.
A less spectacular, but not less significant, report was the leading of a lady in Thailand, who was making pancakes on the side of the road, to receive Jesus as her Lord. This lady had been faithfully witnessed to by Anders from Denmark. Anders had lovingly followed her up with emails telling her of Jesus’ love. When I met her and told her I believed in Jesus, she was open and ready to also believe in Jesus. I joyfully led her to the Lord right there beside her pancake stall.
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Historical Testimony – 25 Years
| It is approximately 25 years ago that I preached my first sermon internationally in a church. It was in the Canary Islands, Spain, located off the West Coast of North Africa, whilst serving onboard the youth training missionary ship, the M.V. Logos, in 1984.
Even though I had been brought up as a child in the Methodist Church in Australia, I did not have a clear understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and it is doubtful that I was really a born again Christian (John 3:3). I know for sure, however, that I entrusted my life into the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ, in Salisbury, England in 1983. My surrender to the Lordship of Christ culminated after a series of ‘divine’ encounters. Within days of my conversion I was called to become a missionary of this: “the greatest of messages.” What a privilege to be entrusted with publishing the truth of God’s salvation to our generation!
I still remember delivering that first sermon in Spain, and the weight of the responsibility of bringing God’s Words to the hearts of men. People’s eternal destiny was in the balance! It is now a well known experience, stepping onto the platform to speak for God, and experiencing the anointing and power of the Holy Spirit flowing through me. Those called by God to preach His gospel are simply His vessels. The Lord uses and anoints His willing vessels to fulfil His plans in the hearts of men. I know that it is not I, but Christ who lives within:
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me. Galatians 2:20
Powerful gospel preaching is based on the yielding of ones heart to the Holy Spirit. The preparation to preach comes from the daily meditation of His written promises. Through His eternal, living Word we receive His love, expressed through the fellowship of His Spirit. These blood-bought promises are the details of His loving inheritance (Romans 8:17). The promises are the precious jewels by which He is adorning His bride:
Behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones. Isaiah 54:11-12
Connecting to His divine love, through the revelation of His exceeding great and precious promises, is the gateway to His wondrous power (2 Peter 1:3-4). Over the years, since those early days onboard the mission ship, I have learnt to treasure His written Words of promise, above my experience of life. I gaze intently at His Words of love; the blood-bought mighty inheritance given to His beloved church (Ephesians 1:17-19). In fact, I fear above all things a heart of unbelief in His promises (Hebrews 4:1). As someone said, “We have nothing to fear, but fear itself.”
I do not want to be like those who died in the wilderness without receiving their inheritance, not believing His promises, seeing with the evil, fearful eyes of unbelieving man (Hebrews 3:12). No, we must look at life through the finished work of Christ! We must constantly renew our minds to the truth of His mighty covenant inheritance (Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 1:20). Only as we allow His promises to dominate our thinking and become established in our hearts, will we have the faith and courage to follow the daring adventures of His Holy Spirit.
But what an enthralling life He has in store for those who are not cowardly, for those who distain the pleasures of this world, for the call of God, for those who will leave all to follow Him! Remember Jesus called the rich young ruler to sell all, give to the poor, and follow Him. Alas, through fear he missed out on the true riches of life (Luke 18:22, 16:11).
My friends, the Master does not require perfection, as this is the work of the cleansing blood of Jesus. But, He does demand all, if we desire to know Him more intimately; all our heart, all our will; all our resources, and all our love (John 14:21). His ways are not our ways, His timing is not our timing, His reward is not our reward, and His blessing not our blessing. His ways are higher and grander than we could imagine, not only in this life but also in the world to come (Ephesians 3:19-20). As the Apostle Paul said:
I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us Romans 8:18
O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgements, and His ways past finding out (Romans 11:33). As I look back on the past 25 years I see His merciful, loving, and faithful hand. I see His loving patience, with my mistakes, ignorance and sin. I see a faithful Lord who has never doubted or stumbled in His faith and love for me. I see one who has allowed me to partake in His eternal work in over forty nations. I bow my knees and heart in gratitude to the one who lovingly suffered and died of that cross, that we might be free. His name is Jesus.
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Itinerary
| 8 Feb 2009 Church meeting, Yangon, capital of Myanmar (formerly Rangoon, Burma)
11-13 Feb 09 Leadership Teaching Seminar, Mandalay, capital of Mandalay Division, Myanmar
16-18 Feb 09 Leadership Teaching Seminar, Mandalay
20-22 Feb 09 Leadership Teaching Seminar, Lashio, capital of Northern Shan State, Myanmar
23-25 Feb 09 Leadership Teaching Seminar, Lashio
28 Feb 09 Seminar, Yangon
March 2009 Undisclosed country
| | ANDREW SHREEVE MINISTRIES
‘Bringing good tidings, publishing peace and salvation’ (Isaiah 52:7, Romans 10:15) | |
