In 2001 when God began to guide my life outside the formal staff position to One Way Ministries as the primary avenue of ministry for me, I struggled to understand it all. I struggled to see how this would be the same. I struggled with how it fit within the context of the local church and God's priority of that body being His primary agent of change in the world. However, through the years since that day God has taught me many lessons about this ministry He has called me to accomplish.
For years I wondered why I moved from church to church and had so many different people cross my path as mentors and leaders and influences. Over the past few years I have come to a better understanding of His divine plan in my life. I am so thankful for the amazing teachers, mentors and guides He has placed in my life through the years. I have had the privilege of serving along side and under some great men and women of God! I have developed friendships and relationships through the years that have taught me so much about His character, His ways and His purposes in my life and the life of the church.
All of this I am sharing with you today to come to this one main conclusion. The only reason I do not see the hand of God more often in my daily life is the simple lack of faith on my part to trust Him more and give Him more of my life! Where is my faith? Where is my trust in Him? Where is my confidence in the One who made all things, controls all things and will bring all things to completion in His time? The only thing standing between me and the mighty things He has planned for me is my faith!
Years ago I learned a simple way of understanding faith. Many of you probably have heard this yourself...Forsaking All I Trust Him! Now I know some folks will rip this apart theologically and take issue with especially the "I", but i can't help but lean on simple understanding to find the faith I need. You see if I begin to forsake my own understanding and my own ways and my own agenda I begin to see His plans and His ways more clearly. If I walk away from all the things that seem to distract me from Him and focus my energy and efforts on His ways and His purposes I meet Him more often in my daily life. If I take responsibility for myself and recognize it is not due to the way I was raised, the environment in which I have been forced to live or some other person's oppressive dictatorship in my life that has caused me to be like I am. It is because I have made the choices I have made and I have developed the world view I have developed that drives my decisions and my world. When I forsake all I trust and I put all of my trust in Him i begin to experience a faith that is from Him. The more I trust Him to guide my daily life the easier it is to trust Him to guide my weekly and monthly life. The more I trust Him with small and medium sized decisions, the easier it becomes to trust Him with the big ones!
We all would agree that this is true, but we all would probably also agree that this is far easier to say than to actually do! Yet, this is the very thing He is asking us to do! The days ahead for One Way Ministries seem to be full of God-sized tasks. These tasks seem to be more than we can possibly accomplish. We are feeling the weight of what He is showing us He wants to do and it is too heavy to carry alone! Today I need to have FAITH in His ability to accomplish all He has planned!
These years of learning from great men and women of faith have led me to this point. I NEED YOUR HELP! Yes, the future of One Way Ministries could be developed and worked out behind closed doors and with a few people and we would be able to move forward slowly and simply the way we have for the past thirteen years. However, that is not what I need to do to be obedient to what the Lord wants us to do in the future.
In order for us to accomplish what the Lord is guiding us to do, we as a ministry need help. We need help from people and churches, from teams and individuals. We need help in our decision making as well as our field implementation. It is time that many of you who have walked this road with us share some of your insight, wisdom and talents with us and lets take this to the next level where He seems to be guiding us.
In 2015 we will host two fund raising events. We have never held an event in our ministries' history for the purpose of raising funds. However, we are in a place where we need more funding for ministry work that we know He is calling us to accomplish. We know that if He is calling us to accomplish these things He will provide all we need for them. So, we need some help with these two fund raisers to make them as successful as they can be. We need some folks who know races and how to organize a race to help us as we form a race leadership team to plan, organize and accomplish a great 5K/10K race in February 2015. In addition we need to form a leadership team to help guide the fund raiser in August 2015. The August time will be much more involved as it will be a great time of sharing about what the Lord is doing in the ministry as well as a time to rally the troops to raise awareness and funds for some major efforts around the globe.
If you will take time to pray right now for these two teams and how the Lord wants to build these teams. I firmly believe that many of the people who have come across the path of our ministry have incredible gifts and abilities that will help make these events successful times in the life of our ministry. I am very encouraged by the hope of the teams that will form and the wisdom that the Lord will bring to the table to showcase His work in Guatemala and New Mexico. I look forward to the lives that will be impacted in the coming days as these two events come to a reality and the Gospel message is proclaimed with boldness through efforts funded and supported by so many!
If after praying about these two teams, you feel like the Father is directing you to get involved and join either one of these teams, please contact me directly at jt@1wayministries.org. I look forward to the ways we will partner together to reach the world and teach the Word to all nations!
Stay tuned as we begin the process of laying out the plans for these God-sized tasks He has placed before us. In the coming days we will try to systematically lay out the tasks, the challenges and the goals to accomplish all that he has directed us to attempt for His name's sake! Pray with us for discernment both here and on the ground in all the locations we are serving. Pray with us for wisdom in how to support the local church through these efforts and assist the Gospel ministry that each pastor and group of leaders are actively pursuing within each community, region and the world! Pray about joining us in the field as we go and walk along side brothers and sisters who are reaching their world and teaching the Word to all who will hear. Pray with us as we follow His heart!
In His Grip,
JT
