GOD ALWAYS HAS YOUR FUTURE IN VIEW

Carol and I were recently in Colorado Springs, CO, at the headquarters of Every Home for Christ to participate in the 65th Anniversary Celebration of this outstanding missionary/evangelism ministry. If you are unfamiliar with this ministry, here is a link to their website: www.ehc.org.

One statistic that never ceases to bless me is that the EHC offices around the world have recorded over one hundred million decisions for Christ since 1953 (yes, those number are correct)! These decisions represent individuals who have contacted one of the EHC offices and said, “I have invited Jesus into my heart . . . please tell me more!” The goal of the ministry is to take the gospel to every home on earth and they are aggressively pressing ahead to reach the last home!

I served as the Executive Vice President of EHC (it was known then as World Literature Crusade) from 1974 to 1982. The latter years when we were there were very turbulent, as the ministry was transitioning and being prepared for the years ahead. At times the upheaval became so severe that I wasn’t sure if the ministry could survive for more than a few more weeks or months. It was very emotional for me to address the gathered leaders at the Anniversary Celebration last month and realize that not only had the organization survived but it is stronger and more vibrant now than at any time in the past. To God be the glory!

You can call it change or you can call it growth but whatever you call it, it is important! President John Kennedy used to say, “Without change there can be no progress” and while that is true, it leaves out one important element: change is painful! Human nature is often very resistant to change because it requires us to step out into unfamiliar territory. We usually are afraid of what we don’t know, and because of that, we become resistant to it.

When the President of EHC asked me to speak at the Anniversary Celebration, he specifically asked me to share some of the things that, from my point of view, allowed the ministry to successfully navigate the transition period. The Lord put four things on my heart to share.

1. GOD CALLED EHC INTO BEING TO DO ONE THING

“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). The calling and primary purpose for the existence of EHC was to fulfill this command. Staying faithful to the fundamental focus brings the full release of God’s provision and protection. Allowing secondary causes to become primary moves the organization or person out from under God’s full protection.

2. EHC WAS ESTABLISHED ON A BASE OF PRAYER

From the very beginning of the ministry in 1946, the founder called for friends, partners and staff to join him in continual prayer for this outreach to the lost. EHC has never lost that zeal or understanding that “God’s armies go forward on their knees.” The founder, Dr. Jack McAlister, developed a “World Prayer Map” that assists praying friends to go to every country in the world through prayer. The current president, Dick Eastman, has enhanced the prayer ministry greatly and EHC continues to move forward through the power of prayer.

3. FAITH PLEASES GOD

Every Home for Christ is and has always been a faith ministry, meaning that no one underwrites or guarantees that the needs of the ministry will be met—except God. Every day the staff prays and trusts God for what is needed. Faith pleases God and when He is pleased, His blessing, His protection, His provision flow.

4. WE WERE A COMMUNITY OF BELIEVERS

“In a multitude of counselors there is safety” (Proverbs 24:6). How I thank God for the counselors He put into my life who made themselves available to all of us who were in the leadership of EHC during the years we were there. More than once the obstacles facing us were so overwhelming that it seemed impossible to survive. We prayed, trusted Him and reached out to our counselors, and God brought incredible answers to impossible situations!

Most of us are familiar with the story of Joseph and how God used Him to save the lives of his family and the future of the Jewish people. Joseph’s story is told in Genesis chapters 35 through 50. A favorite of his father, Joseph was not particularly humble or discreet as a young man, and his brothers hated him for it. Out of their hatred, the brothers decided to kill Joseph but at the last minute they changed course and sold him to nomadic traders on their way to Egypt.

The angry brothers thought they had seen the last of Joseph and I’m sure at that moment that Joseph thought he had seen the last of his family but God had a totally different picture in mind. God knew the future and while it would take years to fully develop, He was going to use Joseph’s troubles to bring deliverance to his family and to his nation.

Twenty years passed and finally in Genesis 45 we see Joseph reunited with his brothers. He told them he was not angry and they were not to be distressed at what had happened. Everything had been planned by God for the deliverance of their family and the future of the Jewish people. All through the whole episode, God had the future clearly fixed in His view.

In the natural I cannot see the future past the end of my nose, but God is not limited as we are. Stay faithful and tightly connected to Him, as He sees your future clearly! With that understanding in mind, carefully read Psalm 37:23: “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He [God] delights in his [our] way.”