I just arrived back home after leading Victory Baptist Church from Ruffin, NC to Arequipa and back. I had a great time with Pastor Scott Hefner and his people. On Monday I drove up to meet them in Charlotte, NC and from there flew to Miami and then to Lima. Tuesday we had a great […]
Archives for June 2009
God hears and answers prayer
“A mother at our mission station died after giving birth to a premature baby. We tried to improvise an incubator to keep the infant alive, but the only hot water bottle we had was beyond repair. So we asked the children to pray for the baby and for her sister. One of the girls responded. […]
Alex Montero’s salvation testimony
Alex Montero Testimony from MIcah Rastelli on Vimeo.
Believing prayer!
Matthew 21:22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. One of the greatest weaknesses in my life is believing prayer! I dare not accuse anyone else of this same sin but there you have my confession. Oh, I get up every morning. I pray all the time. I pray […]
Baptized and added to the church!
Alex Montero became Vision’s newest member yesterday through believer’s baptism. God dealt with his heart during the Our Generation Leadership Camp. It was a great time. We are excited about all that God is doing in Alex’s life and the future ministry plans God has for him. Join me in welcoming him into our church […]
The Forgiven forgive!
Matthew 18:33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? The story is a classic. The first man owes a debt that he literally could never have paid. He is called to pay. When he can’t pay he is condemned to suffer in prison until he […]
5 Models for Training
Jake Taube – 5 Models for Training from Mark Tolson on Vimeo.
World Evangelism Quotes 2
EVANGELISM is just one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread. –D. T. Niles If your Gospel isn’t touching others, it hasn’t touched you! –Curry R. Blake We must be global Christians with a global vision because our God is a global God. — John Stott The greatest hindrances to the evangelization of the […]
World Evangelism Quotes
· Why should anyone hear the gospel twice before everyone has heard it once. Oswald J. Smith · “Father make me a crisis man. Bring those I contact to decision. Let me not be a milepost on a single road; make me a fork, that men must turn one way or another on facing Christ […]
Faraway Hearts
Matthew 15:8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. They were figuring out ways to justify their behavior regardless of what God had said clearly in His Word. They were substituting commandments of men for the Word of God. Both […]
Contentment with godliness is great gain
Dear Vision, It is a great honor and privilege to get to open and preach the Word of God to you each week. Lord willing, we will finish the book of Hebrews this Sunday. Next week we will head into the book of Ephesians. The message today is maybe one of the most important we […]
Unbelief hinders the work of God!
Matthew 13:58 And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief. It is amazing to me that He did not do many of the things that He could have and would have done due to their lack of faith. It causes me to wonder what God might want to do in my […]
Pack Your Headstone!
John Leonard Doper and David Nitschman are names you may not readily recognize. John was a potter and David a carpenter. Ordinary occupations, extraordinary men. They became slaves in order to have the opportunity to reach the slaves of the West Indies for their Lord. Their life’s purpose was to follow the Lamb who had […]
Worthy of Him?
Matthew 10:37-38 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. It is an exclusive relationship! It always seems […]
Why give to missions? 4
Isaiah 53:10-11 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his […]
2009 Vision T-Shirts
After several weeks of intense competition, Philip Bassham won our Vision T-Shirt Design Contest. You can see a picture it on the Welcome Center in the main foyer. We will be taking orders once again this Sunday after the morning service. The cost of the shirt will be $10. We will only order the shirts […]
Commanded to pray about this!
Matthew 9:37-38 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest . Have you every noticed that there are few commands about what to pray. We can pray about anything. But […]
Where is your tent pitched?
In his devotional book Quiet Talks with World Winners, S.D. Gordon recounted a story of a group of amateur climbers who planned to ascend Mount Blanc in the Swiss Alps. On the evening before the climb, the guides outlined the prerequisite for success. They said that due to the difficulty of the climb, one could […]
Happy Anniversary to Mark and Amy Coffey
God greatly blessed me and also Vision Baptist Church when He gave us the gift of Mark and Amy Coffey. Mark has worked with me for years. When I said that God had dealt with my heart about starting Vision Baptist Church he knew it was God’s will for his family to come and help […]
Biggest hindrance to prayer
Matthew 6:6-13 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, […]
Why should I give to missions? 3
Philippians 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. What a promise! He will supply all of your needs! Do you realize the context of this great promise? It was written when Paul was talking about missionary support. He was saying I know that you […]
Let it be so and soon!
Malachi 1:11 For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the LORD of hosts. It […]
A very blessed church-Vision Baptist Church
God has been so good to Vision Baptist Church. He has given us several missionaries that are sent out of our church. Mark and Amy Coffey Director of Vision Baptist Missions and representing the Peru Bible College Chris and Andria Gardner to Peru David and Katie Gardner to Peru Tyler and Gretchen Masters to North […]
More on the Our Generation Leadership Camp
After you read this let me invite you to our next event-The Our Generation Summit! There will be updated info on that page in the next few hours! Many of the students filled out a questionnaire before they left the camp, so here are some of their answers to the questions & testimonies showing what […]
Why should I give to missions? 2
Philippians 4:15 Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. The word communicate in this verse means to associate or partake with something or someone. It means to distribute or impart, to share […]
Where is your treasure?
Andrew Pearson made this video years ago. He just graduated from the Art Institute and is now more of an expert but I do not know if anyone can communicate a better truth than he did in this video. We have published it on several occasions but you just have to watch it again! Where […]
Just a reminder
Haggai 2:8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts. Just a simple statement. He says it belongs to Him! The silver and the gold are His. Could it be possible that many of us are going through trying times right now because we have forgotten this great statement. […]
Why should I give to missions?
Philippians 4:17 Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account. In this verse Paul is talking about the missionary offering that they sent him. He says that he didn’t want them giving to him because he wanted a gift but because as they gave God would see […]
Where do you find your joy?
Habakkuk 3:17-19 Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, […]
Getting Reasonably Involved in Missions
How do you get reasonably involved in world evangelism? I am not sure that you can. It is a pretty important cause. It is the cause of getting the name of Jesus and His gospel to the entire world. Think of how Paul took it when he heard the command. He really believed it. He […]
Raising Children info-importance of Dad
“Without two parents, working together as a team, the child has more difficulty learning the combination of empathy, reciprocity, fairness and self-command that people ordinarily take for granted. If the child does not learn this at home, society will have to manage his behavior in some other way. He may have to be rehabilitated, incarcerated, […]
Arrows in the hands of a mighty man
Dear Vision, Today is Father’s Day! I thank God for the privilege of making me a dad and granddad. This is a great day for us as Dads! I thank God for the family that He has given me. Betty and I were blessed with 4 children. They are married to wonderful people. He has […]
Our Generation Leadership Camp
The Our Generation Leadership Camp that we just finished was greatly blessed of the Lord! I do not know if you read the previous post but that is how the Camp came to be. We would sit around my living room in Peru and dream. That is how the Summit, the Our Generation Volunteers, the […]
Devising and working!
Micah 2:1 Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their hand. Micah pronounces a woe on the wicked people that would lay in bed at night and think, plan, and plot to do wickedly. They […]
How to have a Passion
This is a follow up to a previous post on how to have a passion for world evangelism. It is much the same with a few added details. First, realize that how you think in your heart will affect all about you. Proverbs 23:7 You can control what you think. Philippians 4:8. What if you […]
How do I feel a Passion for the World?
I am often asked how I can always seem to have such a passion for world evangelism. How is it that I can feel a passion for the world? Here are a few ideas and I will share more in a later post. First, you have to see the multitude. You have to see beyond […]
My Comfort is more important!
Jonah 4:9 And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death. God has sent Jonah to preach to the city of Nineveh. God has worked and the people have repented. Jonah is not happy about it at all. […]
Radiant Singleness – Krissy’s Story
My sister-in-law, Krissy, chose to set her life apart for Christ at a young age. As an outflow of her devotion to Him, she made a decision to live faithfully for her future husband; not to give her heart, emotions, or body away in temporary relationships, but to wait for the man God would one […]
Our Generation Leadership Camp
God has really blessed this week in the Our Generation Leadership Camp. Several have committed to do whatever God would have them do with their lives. One has accepted Jesus Christ as His Saviour. God has been at work in lives. It is exciting to see what God is doing. I thank you for all […]
Chris Gardner’s prayer letter
Dear Pastors and Praying Friends, PRAY PRAY PRAY for us in Peru right now. It seems the enemy is trying his best to harm the work in Peru. We are going through trials and troubles that we have not known yet in the 20 years of ministry that God has blessed us in. The economy […]
Giving and Generosity
· Americans spent more on dog food last year, than they did to send the gospel around the world. · Americans spend hundreds of dollars a month more on luxuries, than they do for missions. How much shall I give? 1. If I refuse to give anything to missions this year, I practically cast a […]
Famine
Amos 8:11-12 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall […]
Raising World Evangelism Children!
Here are just some thoughts about raising children that God will use to get the gospel message around the world. You can think on them and then comment below and tell me what you think! Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not […]
Gracious and Merciful
Joel 2:13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. Some where along in my life I got a really bad concept about God. It affected so much of […]
Arrows in the hands of a mighty man
As I think of Father’s Day I thought of the great privilege of raising children. I thought of how God allows us to raise children as a way to impact the world with the gospel message. Check out this passage of Scripture: Psalm 127:3-5 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit […]
But if not!
Daniel 3:17-18 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which […]
Turning Bitterness into Forgiveness
Most people have “the root of bitterness†embedded deep in their hearts, and it keeps sprouting up as anger, depression, and defeat. But a Christian can turn that bitterness into godly joy and forgiveness in the following ways: 1. Repent of Temporal Values. You need to repent of the fact that your focus is on […]
Happy Birthday and thank you
Very few people carry the load in our church that Kristen Pearson carries. She is our church pianist. She spends many hours every week practicing and working with our people to get the music ready. I never have to worry about her being there. She just carries her load and more. She is a back […]
Father’s Day is coming
I hope you are planning on being in church on Sunday for Father’s Day. One of the greatest joys of my life is being a dad. As a dad you should be setting an example to your family that that the worship of God and the gathering of His church is super important for you! […]
HOW GOD TAUGHT ME TO GIVE
by Oswald J. Smith Oswald J. Smith, founder and pastor of the world-famous People’s Church of Toronto, known for its support to missionaries, relates how God taught him to give. He also explains the “faith promise” and how anyone can make this agreement with God. [a reprint from MOODY MONTHLY MAGAZINE, n.d.] I shall never […]