STATE MISSIONS: Saving Faith
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). This means that our faith gives reality to the things we hope for, even if we cannot see them physically. It’s a deep conviction and trust in something unseen, serving as a foundation for our hopes and desires.
There are some great people of God whose actions were directed by God, resulting in an almost unimaginable reaction to His will for their lives. I have often wondered why He reveals these bigger-than-life stories all through His Word. There are so many, but just to name a few:
• Job after he had lost everything but his nagging wife said, “For I know that my redeemer liveth, And that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, Yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, And mine eyes shall behold, and not another; Though my reins be consumed within me” (Job 19:25-27).
• Abraham was ready to offer up his son revealing his faith that God could restore him (Gen. 22).
• Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego — The three Hebrews who said if God wanted to deliver them, He could, but if not, so be it.
• Daniel — Daniel 6 tells of how he was thrown into a lions’ den for practicing his faith but was miraculously saved by God.
• Paul spoke these words — “Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft” (II Cor. 11:23).
In every incident, one would have had to wonder if they were actually doing the will of God, yet we know they were. I am reminded of when Jesus performed one of His miracles, “Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk?But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house. And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God” (Luke 5 23-25).
In every situation mentioned, God revealed His power to change the outcome. The conversion of the lost is no less a miracle and is the fulfillment and a picture of His promise to forgive a person of their sin. “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God” (Rom. 8:16). “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6).
No wonder the Bible says we become a new creature. Do you truly trust God in all of life’s situations? If not, then why not? Call upon Him while you still can.
From Our Missionaries
Misión Creciendo en Cristo (Growing in Christ), North Little Rock: Juan Carlos Posadas writes, “This last week, Sayra shared the gospel with Carolina, who decided to make her profession of faith. She comes to church with Ulises. This Sunday, Ulises expressed his desire to change.
I told him that the only way to do so is by giving our lives to Christ, and for the behavior change to begin, we must seriously study the Bible. I told him that he had two effective options in the church. One of them is discipleship, and the other is the Bible Institute. Ulises decided to take the Old Testament course we will offer this semester at the Institute. For her part, Carolina is being discipled on Wednesday nights. Let us pray that this couple can grow in the Lord significantly this year.
“On Thursday afternoon, I went to visit Jose Luis and Zenaida. We had a pleasant conversation that allowed me to clarify the gospel for them and explain the step of obedience in baptism. Then, I challenged them to study the Bible and pray daily. I encouraged them to write down what they learned each time they had their time with God and to review what they had learned over the weekend. I also encouraged them to memorize verses. Let us pray that this couple will also grow in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Ebenezer, West Little Rock: Ruben Isturiz writes, “Thank God we continued to pray for our members’ homes this week. This week, it was the Cordero and Rico families' turn. Each home that received us in January was a time of great joy and fellowship. It brings me great joy to visit each home that opens its doors to receive us and pray for the family.
“The Celebration Service was inspiring, and we finished the series of sermons related to goals and resolutions for 2025. In February, we will explore the spiritual disciplines in the believer's life. In March, we will go into the Proverbs Challenge.
“For the whole month of February, after the service, we will give a workshop on Gospel Movements. Last Sunday, we gave the introduction and the first topic related to prayer.
“Thank you, brothers and sisters, for your prayer support for each State Mission. To God be the glory!”
Faith Chapel, Flippin: Johnny Shew writes, “We had a good week at Faith Chapel, with a really good number and two first-time and several repeat visitors. There were several out with type-A Flu that is going around, and several more are traveling, but we had a great time of worship! I was not able to upload the video to our Facebook page for some reason, but I will try again today.
“Work on the building has been pretty slow over the holidays and into winter, but we are getting back to work, and the classrooms and kitchen areas will be our next priority. Two of our men fabricated and installed some really nice steel handrails for the stage and baptistry areas, and I must say that it is as professional of a job as I have ever seen. We had them powder-coated, and someone said yesterday that now it looks complete and is certainly safer.
“We thank you all once again for your continued support and especially for your faithful prayers. We hope and pray that we can do the same for other missions very soon and that many will come to Jesus because of our efforts. We love you all!”
Faith Journey, Benton: Bryan Clay writes, “We had a very fruitful week at Faith Journey. We had several opportunities to share God’s Word and His love with others in the community. Every month, I look forward most to the week when I have the opportunity to attend one of our local middle schools for their monthly Christian Council meeting called Mountain Movers.
These 6th-grade students are so excited to have this time of fellowship with their classmates and teachers learning about Jesus. We have the meeting during their lunchtime, so we bring pizza and cookies for anyone who wants it! These students are hungry for the Word of God, so we feed their spirit and bodies! Please continue to pray for our students as they follow where the Lord leads them.
“We had our weekly Bible study at our nursing facilities with a great group. Our numbers are steadily increasing with new faces joining us and hearing what the Lord has for them. These faithful people love the Lord and are eager to be in His presence every opportunity they are given.”
Misión Gracia Soberana (Sovereign Grace), NWA:Roberto Marcelletti writes, “It is the last week of the month and the days are passing quickly. This week, we held our second prayer service, and eight of our brothers prayed for the Lord to guide our agenda for 2025, our needs and the formation of our leadership.
“In our pastoral work, we have been visiting elderly sisters, and they bring words of encouragement and the love of Christ.
“This Sunday, we had a very good attendance at our adult Sunday Bible school. The number of children in our children’s class has grown, and they are of different ages, so we need more teachers to divide the classes. In our Sunday service, we celebrate our V-day (Vision Day), where we invite the people who visited us who don’t have a church. We share what the church we are planting is all about — the vision, the mission, the goals of this year and we invite them to join. Then we invited them to our fellowship room and gave them snacks.”
Epic Life, Pea Ridge: Jake McCandless writes, “Seeing the impact of our first student gathering has been incredible. Talking with parents at the event, we decided that, in lieu of our Woodbridge Group this week, we would attend a community youth outreach of a professional Christian illusionist who was brought in. The increased conversation between families about working that out and the connection we had developed with our youth group of students was incredible.
“This weekend, I spoke at a conference with Andrew Brunson. He was an American missionary in Turkey who was imprisoned for his faith and released by President Trump in 2018. He talked about the importance of being prepared and wished he had been prepared better. This preparation and adaptability are at the forefront of our approach in Pea Ridge. It was great to be encouraged in what we are doing by someone who had been through it.”
El Faro #2 Hispanic Mission, Cabot/Jacksonville: Michael Hight writes, “We are now meeting on the first and third Sundays and hope to transition to every Sunday starting in April. We hope to continue making more contacts through outdoor events as the weather gets warmer. The people of the church where we are meeting continue to be very generous and accommodating and we thank God for them.
“We started a home Bible study in Jacksonville last week and are very excited about this family we meet with weekly.
“Jorge Vasquez Jr. is directing music and working as a Silas Connection Partner. While it takes a while to get the numbers where we would like, we are enjoying some very worshipful times together.
“On Sundays after service, we have our leadership meeting, and this time is going well. Please continue to pray and support this mission. God is going to do a work, and we are privileged to be a part of it. God bless you all!”
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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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