STATE MISSIONS: Life in the Blood
“And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eateth any manner of blood; I will even set my face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people. For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. Therefore I said unto the children of Israel, No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood” (Lev. 17:10-12).
Blood is the well-known fluid pumped by the heart all through the bodies of animals and humans. In this blood is the very essence of life, for without it, such life could not exist. The Bible has much to say about blood, and rightly so, for the very foundation of Christianity is centered in it. The word occurs over 400 times in the Bible, especially frequently in Leviticus, which deals with Hebrew worship and the way to holiness.
Blood contains the vital principle or essence of animals and humans. “Flesh with the life thereof which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat” (Gen. 9:4). Because of the sacredness of life, that energy which only God can give, the Israelites were restricted from eating the blood, or even the flesh from which the blood had not been carefully removed.
That prohibition is at the basis of the Jewish usage, referred to as “Kosher,” which prevents the orthodox Jew from buying or eating meat that has not been slaughtered and drained of blood under the supervision of a rabbi.
Leviticus speaks of the blood nearly 100 times. The word is used often in chapter 17. In various offerings, except for the meal offering of chapter 2, the blood was to be sprinkled upon the altar, indicating the substitution of the victim’s blood for that of the sinner. The holy God demands holiness in mankind; therefore, “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). However, “God is love,” so, in His infinite wisdom, He has provided an escape for the sinner. God was pleased to accept the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ in place of ours, but only on condition of our belief in Him. “Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many…” (Heb. 9:28). That could take place only once, so the Old Testament offerings were provided, not to take away sin but to point forward to the supreme sacrifice upon Calvary. The death of Christ was necessary to redeem fallen man, for “…without the shedding of blood is no remission” (Heb. 9:22).
Just as our blood is the substance of the physical body, the shed blood of Christ is the substance of the soul. We can sing with assurance that there is “Power in the Blood.”
From Our Missionaries
Misión Creciendo en Cristo (Growing in Christ), North Little Rock: Juan Carlos Posadas writes, “Sayra underwent surgery Monday. She has spent the week recovering and being cared for by the sisters and children of the church. They have brought her food, fruit and flowers and their visits have made the discomfort and pain less difficult for her.
We are happy because we hope Sayra can greatly improve her quality of life with this operation. Please pray for her speedy recovery.
“Our last event as part of our anniversary celebration was a piano concert. Johnny Hachem played the piano masterfully and shared his testimony with those in attendance. It was a time of good music, and we learned a little about the Lebanese culture. Since music is a means of communication without cultural or language barriers, we enjoyed a harmonious and moving message. Several people from the community visited us. We hope they visit us again.
“This Sunday, we resumed the series of studies in Revelation. This time, we studied the vision of the little book based on chapter 10, exhorting the congregation to share the message of redemption our Lord has entrusted to us.”
Ebenezer, West Little Rock: Ruben Isturiz writes, “Last Sunday, we had a good time in our Celebration Service; for summer, we had a good attendance. Generally, our attendance is up and down in summer, with people going on vacation and others coming back. We had an inspiring time and finished a series of sermons based on James.
“On Sunday, we had a coordinated schedule with the American church. We had a picnic after our church time. Our relationship with our mother church has always been excellent and, although they have objectives and goals that are different from ours, we sometimes work together. Every time we get to work together as one church of the Lord Jesus Christ, we do it with enthusiasm. This weekend, we saw a variety of cultures enjoying the fellowship.
“Keep praying for us. God answers prayers in His perfect timing. In the past, I have asked you to pray for couples in Ebenezer who live together and are not married. I pray they will all get married and build families that glorify God. Only God’s Spirit can bring conviction. Last week, I was approached by a couple with marriage plans for September. Pray all will go well, and this marriage will take place. Thank you for praying and supporting us. To God be the glory!”
Faith Chapel, Flippin: Johnny Shew writes, “We had another great week at Faith Chapel! Thank You, Lord, for the rain! Beryl gave us 4.6” overnight.
“We had an extremely busy but productive week. We had to make a round trip to Little Rock to take Mom and Karen to their eye doctor appointments. There are some concerns with each of them, and we would appreciate your prayers. But he is a very good doctor and Christian, so that helps. It makes a difference to me when you know your doctor knows the Great Physician.
“We got a lot done on the new building. The air conditioning is running, praise God! It sure makes a difference in working conditions. All our lights and suspended ceilings are installed. We talked to a flooring contractor and decided to have our concrete floors polished and stained. He can start the first week in August. Due to personnel issues, the plumber has been delayed. Hopefully, he will get to us this week, and we can get some water running. We think we are still on track to be in the main part of the building by late summer. We can hardly wait! Then we will get back to work on the classrooms, office and kitchen — my vote is for the kitchen first!
“Thank you again for your prayers and support. We couldn’t do this without them both.”
Faith Journey, Benton: Bryan Clay writes, “Faith Journey has had a busy week! This week, we visited several different locations to find a meeting place for worship on Sunday mornings. We have worship and Bible studies every Sunday night at The Cabin 3H in Benton, which is a blessing, but we also need to establish a Sunday morning meeting space. Please continue to pray for God’s guidance in this direction.
“We followed up our spiritual gifts survey that we completed at last week’s meeting by reviewing the results of each person’s survey. This week, I spent time graphing the results and enjoyed seeing where our people’s strengths shine. This week, we shared all these results as a group and discussed each spiritual gift and how it is used for God’s glory. This survey is not designed to tell you your spiritual gifts, but it is an inventory showing your strengths and weaknesses in each of God’s gifted areas.”
Misión Gracia Soberana (Sovereign Grace), NWA:Roberto Marcelletti writes, “This has been a fantastic week, and the glory of God was manifested in a very special way. I was able to continue the training work with Franklin to join the leaders of our church, plus we were able to visit the Pereira family and pray for them. They are newcomers to the area and need guidance.
“On Sunday, the whole congregation celebrated the mission day at Cornerstone Baptist Church, our mother church, and we were also accompanied by Mike Hight, who helped with the translation. We were able to worship the Lord at the same time in the two languages. It was something beautiful! Then, we listened to the excellent message preached by Pastor Dana Williams.
“At the end of the service, the brothers of Cornerstone, as the good hosts they are, invited us all to eat a very good meal, and then they gathered for my ordination as a minister of the gospel. It was a very solemn ceremony where family, brothers, friends and guests listened to the testimonies of my spouse and me of how we met the Lord and He called me to serve Him.”
Epic Life, Pea Ridge: Jake McCandless writes, “Following one of the most exciting weeks in our Connection Groups, this week was quiet. Several of the families had set vacations for this week. We only had one of our groups meet. Under this method of ministry, family vacations take on a different role.
It’s not just ‘missing church’ but a chance to work on your marriage and family. Amanda and I even took advantage of a training she had with school to get away for a couple of days.
“We have found, with us and all our coach families, that the strength of our marriages is vital when opening your home and pouring into others. It also often becomes the area that is challenged the most. Pray for all our coach families. They have committed to be missionaries in their neighborhoods, which puts a target on their backs for an attack from the enemy.”
El Faro #2 Hispanic Mission, Cabot/Jacksonville: Michael Hight writes, “We had a good week. I ministered to a family by taking them to the doctor and translating for them. This family has 13 people living in a 2-bedroom duplex. God bless them; I don’t know how they are doing it.
“I also traveled to Northwest Arkansas and interpreted both a worship service and an ordination service. Seeing the connection between Roberto’s mission, Sovereign Grace, and their sponsor, Cornerstone Baptist Church, was great.
“Pray for us as we plan to start services on Sept. 1. We put up signs and are working hard to meet people.”
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Paul White
Arkansas State Missions Director Paul White pens a weekly column to inform the BMA of Arkansas concerning Arkansas Missions’ activity and includes individual reports from each church planter.
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