“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Phil 1:3-6)
Just as Paul was full of thanks as he remembered his partnership with the Philippians, may your hearts be full of thanks as you remember those you are partnering with around the world! There’s so much to be thankful for as we look back over another year, or in the case of the Casa Mea project in Moldova, 20 years!
What a joy in recent weeks to hear of gospel progress, for example:
- A man in SE Asia destroying his household idols after coming to faith
- 300 families, with disabled children, at a Christmas outreach event in West Africa
- New churches planted last year in Carrigtwohill, Ireland and Győr, Hungary
- Recent baptisms in Ireland (Co Mayo and Co Wicklow), Uganda, France and Kenya
- Over 30 workers set apart for long-term service in partnership with UFM over the past year
Beyond the visible fruit and times where we see significant numbers of conversions and baptisms, we thank God for those who are persevering where the soil is hard and living by faith is a daily battle.
We thank God for those who are shining in dark places, where the devil is at work to discourage or cause division. And we thank God for those who are clinging on in their weakness, living for Christ so that others might see the power is in him and not in us.
It’s a wonderful encouragement for our mission partners to know that as you – UFM supporters – see these things, you have them in your hearts and you long for them with the affection of Christ Jesus.
We can be full of thanks as we look back. And praise God, we can, together, be:
Full of confidence as we look ahead
The turn of another year of course doesn’t change the circumstances we’re in. We’re conscious of many mission partners who are facing situations that are humanly speaking somewhat overwhelming. Paul similarly wrote to a church facing the potential for compromise, conflict and concern, yet in Philippians 1:6 he reminds the church that they can look ahead with confidence – not in themselves, or their plans, but confidence in Jesus and the work he promises to go on doing in their lives.
“…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Whether we’re serving Christ close to home, or among a people group far away, whatever the circumstances we find ourselves in, we can look ahead with confidence because the Lord who has bound us together is the same Lord who will gather us home.
We invite you to join us in praying for these things as we look ahead:
- For God to continue to raise up and send out a new generation of workers, particularly where the gospel has yet to go
- For marriages to be protected under the pressures of cross-cultural service
- For God’s work to save … among those that people are sent to reach around the world, but also within the families of UFM mission partners
- For God’s provision as we recruit for a number of staff positions to support the growing work
We hope you’re encouraged by the reports of gospel ministry around the world in this latest edition of 4Corners, as well as hearing about new workers that God is sending out.
Michael Prest, Director, UFM Worldwide