Well here goes an explanation of the SEVENTY! I have had several people write and ask me exactly what we are doing and also some of the church people would like to know what is going on a little better. So here goes a stab at doing the best I can on explaining it!
In Luke 10:1-2 we find the following:
After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come. Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.
The Lord Jesus sent out seventy to go before Him into every city and place where He was planning on going. That is where we get the idea to use SEVENTY!
I know that there is nothing magical about that number but it is a large number for our church. It is a good number! If that many people will simply talk about Jesus every where they go then His name and His work will be heard about and talked about a great deal each week around our church people.
Really the number should be 100% but in my experience not everyone will get involved and so I want it to be just a number of people who are willing to make some small commitments that will make a large difference.
I have asked each person to commit to making at least one contact a week and praying that each will do more than that. I am hoping that our people will constantly carry gospel tracts in their pockets along with invitations and look for every means and moment to get them out.
The product or the result is not our responsiblity. We can’t save people! We can not manufacture true decisions. That must be a work of God. The process is our responsibility. We can carry the seed but we can’t make it come up! We can make the announcement and give the invitation but we can’t make them accept, come, or believe.
But what if we were to get busy inviting, talking with, passing out more tracts, etc. What would God do? I am not sure but at least we would be being obedient. We are responsible for the process and we will leave the product to God.
There is power in numbers. If 70 people decide to give out at least one tract, invitation, conversation, blog, email, or whatever per week we will reach many people with the gospel message. I am praying that many will do far more than the minimum.
We already as an office send out emails, letters, phone calls, etc. Then the people of our church go visiting, etc. Each person as they come in simply fill out a form and put it in a box that way we are able to rejoice together at the number of people that are being reached each week.
Again we are working on the process and looking to God to take care of the product. We are not judging people or keeping records about how many contacts anyone makes. It is based purely on the honor system. We will see how effect it is at a later date as we work together.
Can you imagine 70 people who average 20 contacts per week. That will make 1,400 contacts a week as a church and the SEVENTY. Some will only make one contact but most will do more than that. Others will make many more contacts. Let’s pray that God will make a major difference in our community with the gospel
We just counted the contacts of the SEVENTY and found our first number to be 1422. That means that we have made that number of contacts through email, giving out tracts, knocking on doors, blogging, etc. What a wonderful blessing.
One man put on his card even the places that he had given out tracts or invitations. Another gave a name and address of a prospect for a Sunday School class.
Regardless it is certainly exciting to know how many people are working to get the message of Jesus Christ and our church out to the community. I know that many others are making contacts and have not placed them in the box so we are really more successful than we think.
Remember we are not responsible for the product or the results. We are only responsible for the process. As we give out information, pray, witness we wait on God to give the results.
Thank you so much for all you are doing to get the gospel out!
It was wonderful to see my sweetheart last night as we arrived back home again. John and I arrived back in Atlanta at about 10 pm last night after 27 hours of travel time. It was great time in Burkina Faso. The Shumakers are doing a great job and we are so very proud of them.
I thank you for praying for them and I hope that you will make plans to make a trip there soon. I thank David Lundy for his ministry to this wonderful family and church.
Thank you all for praying for us. Pray now as we get back in the saddle of the work that God has given us to do here. I pray that you will continue to work and pray and see God move in the ministry that God has given you here.
The voice you hear is Keith Shumaker speaking in French and one of his men is translating in More. It was wonderful! Thank you so much John for the beautiful video!
I am listening to Trent Cornwell preach right now! I am very proud that God would allow us to have men like Trent to work and preach in our ministry. He is in deed in a man of God.
Yesterday we had a great evening here in Burkina Faso! The crowd was great, John preached and gave his testimony, then I preached. Then Keith got up and preached a little also. It was a great day and last night was kind of the time to celebrate what God did during the day.
I tried to preach to them and plant the idea that God will do great things with them if they will just allow God to use them. I believe some people began to dream about what God would do. I told them that all that God did in Peru He could do here. I showed them pictures after the service of the work in Peru and they want to see God move. Please pray for Keith and Rebecca Shumaker and their work here. Pray for these very dear and wonderful people.
Here is a personal note about a trip. We are staying in the up stairs room–second floor where Keith has his office. There is a bed room behind the office with a private bath. It only has a cold water shower so each day we have gotten up and prayed that God would give us a hot shower but to no avail.
Another thing that is very interesting about John Pearson is that in this room there is only one bed and an air mattress on the floor. John insisted as he always does that I take the bed. Here he is sleeping on the air mattress and I am in a very nice bed. We have an air conditioner in our room so that part makes it very comfortable. John actually gets cold from laying directly under the air conditioner.
Then in the bath room we have a friendly gecko. He runs from one end of the room to the other while I sit and think!!!! So far he has only made me nervous. The sun comes up early, the motorcycles run by the window, the roosters crow, and it gets to be time to get up. It has actually been very comfortable — except for the shower — and we have definitely enjoyed our trip here.
In just a few hours we will head for the airport– we need to be there at 1:30 am on Tuesday morning. We leave here at 3:30 am and go to Casablanca, Morocco and then on to New York and will be home sometime before midnight on Tuesday!
We are looking forward to getting home but we are very thankful for this great time in Burkina Faso. I want to ask you to pray and work to get to a mission field this year. One of my dreams is that at least one third of our church would be on a mission field each year. God will do a work in your heart where ever you go.
Thanks for praying. I will give you another update from here today before we leave! I really hope that you will come and see for yourself sometime soon.
Thursday night, Lord willing, we will have a review of our trip and John will show you some pictures. God bless
I was asleep on one couch and John was at least nodding on the other couch when I got a call from Mark Coffey about our services today. Both Betty and Mark said that Trent Cornwell did an excellent job. I can not wait to hear the message on the Vision Pulpit podcast.
Betty said Mark Coffey did a wonderful job in the Couple’s Class, that we had 20 people and everyone was on time. That is wonderful news.
There were 112 in Sunday School, 141 in the AM church with over $2,100 offering, Spanish Church had a great day! Wow I am encouraged and want all of you to know that I love you and miss you very much. God is working here and I loved hearing about the blessings.
Especially after the dream that I had last night! I woke up this morning and well I will just have to tell you the story when I get back.
Thank you for loving the Lord Jesus. Thank you for being faithful. John and I will see you on Thursday night, Lord willing!
There were over 300 people in the first anniversary service here in Burkina Faso. The Shumakers were blessed of God in a big way today. There were literally dozens of visitors. At least 8 men made a decision to accept Christ as their Saviour today.
We preached first at a church on the outskirts where the Shumakers first started. The translation was pretty wild. I spoke in English, Keith translated in French and another man took it to the tribal langauge.
We then traveled to the main church and the people from the outskirts came on a bus to the main service for the anniversary! It was a wonderful day!
We watched as Keith baptized 7 new converts. What a blessed, fantastic day! We are very proud of the work that Keith and Rebecca are doing! I hope some of you will plan to come and visit sometimes. They need workers, visitors, prayer and support here. They are doing a great work–why do you not try to get involved!
This morning we headed out to the village church! Keith, John, the mechanic who happens to be from the village we were going to, the national pastor, and one of the young men were all in the car! We got to the other side of town and out into the country! The car broke down. The oil light came on! We pulled over.
We ended up spending 2 or 3 hours waiting for another missionary to pull us back to town. Then tonight we were back at the church. The attendance was down, 53, I think! One person did get saved, his dad is Muslim and his mother is Christian. He didn’t know what to do but after talking to the pastor and coming to church God saved him!
I am a little sun burned from standing in the desert waiting on our ride back. It was a good time to discuss things, see the country, and to privately pray for this country.
If I had another life or if I could some how split myself I would be a missionary to Burkina Faso. The country is wide open! The Shumakers are doing a good job but there is plenty of room for more. There should be a TV station here! There should be somebody here on the ground working hard to get things going while there is so little being done.
Will you pray that God will send laborers to this country! I wish that God would send some people here to work as a team with this great missionary family. There is much to do.
I am listening to Brother Tony preach the message from Thursday night as I type this. What a friend! What a man of God! Thank you Brother Tony for all you do and I will really miss you for 4 months.
Tomorrow Trent will be preaching. I am already praying for him. I love him with all my heart. He is like a son to me! He has a love for God that you wouldn’t believe if you didn’t know him. I hope you will pray for him too and be there to be in the service and encourage him with all you can.
I love you guys. I am praying you and I want you to know that I will miss you all day tomorrow.
