THE CHALLENGE OF MISSIONS by John A. Hatcher (Part 1)
THE CHALLENGE OF MISSIONS
John A. Hatcher
Chapter 1
The Gospel of Jesus Christ has been preached for twenty centuries. Is it necessary to ask now what missions is all about? The question must be asked and it demands an answer. The work of missions is like the sun. Though it is the same every day, yesterday’s sunshine will not serve for today. For men to live, the sun must shine day after day. Missions is spreading the message of the “Sun of Righteousness” and must be done day after day, generation after generation.
The psalmist stated this need in Psalm 22, verses 27 to 31:
27 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before Thee. 28 For the kingdom is the LORD’S: and He is the governor among the nations. 29 All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before Him: and none can keep alive his own soul. 30 A seed shall serve Him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation. 31 They shall come, and shall declare His righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that He hath done this.
“The Sun of Righteousness” with healing in His wings (Mal. 4.2) must arise through the work of missions for the healing of needy dying men.
MISSIONS IS LOVING.
It is the result of God’s love for sinners; it is the love of saved men for their Lord and for the lost. We love because He first loved us and His love is shed abroad in our hearts. From Genesis to the Revelation the Scriptures declare the eternal love of God—of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. From the book of Acts to the Revelation the Bible tells of men who were transformed by the Grace of God into the image of God’s Son, and who were able, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to love God with all their soul and body and their fellowmen as themselves. The book of the Revelation concludes the story of missions by showing the final victory and eternal glory of Jesus Christ. All His redeemed children—co-laborers and joint heirs from every time and clime will join together to praise Him with a new song.
(to be continued…)
Missionaries John and Alta Hatcher have served the Lord in Brazil since 1955, planting over 70 churches that are still in existence. They now reside in Florida where they continue to share the Gospel with everyone they meet.
15905 Mercott Court
Clermont FL 34714
229-529-8497
jhatcher1925[at]gmail.com
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Missionary Update: The Radfords in Kenya [October 2015]
Nathan and Carrie Radford serve the Lord in Kitale, Kenya. Their main ministries include indigenous church planting, a prison ministry, and a hospital ministry for mothers with premature babies.
October 1, 2015
Dear praying friends,
It is now the month of October, and near the end of the year. Hard to believe that we will soon be going into the holiday months of Thanksgiving and Christmas. We wish you all a great holiday season ahead and thank you so much for your interest in missions in Kitale, Kenya.
Nathan with their dogs
Last month was a sad one for our family, as one of our main guard dogs, Snickers, passed away. She had some sort of serious illness that was above the care of the veterinarians here. We did our best to treat her, but she eventually passed away. Guard dogs are necessary as they are one of the main deterrents to incidents on compounds. So, we were sad, and still miss Snickers, but we were glad that God provided another good guard dog soon after. This puppy is a rare breed for this area of Kenya, as he is half boxer. We named him Reese and he is now around 5 months old and growing quickly. We are thankful for the protection that the dogs provide. Ultimately, our safety is completely in God’s hands and we trust Him for our security. God watches over and protects us and we trust Him with our safety. I love 2 Samuel 22:4 which says “I will call on the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.”
Their newest dog
The ministry in the village of Robinson is continuing along. My partner Roger Tate and I have been faithfully sharing the Gospel, teaching the Word of God, and trusting Him for the results. We have also been doing visitation in the area and meeting many people in the community. I feel this time of visitation is very important, for we get the opportunity to share with the people the Gospel, invite them to the teachings, and pray over any needs or issues that they may have. Currently, I have been teaching in the book of Matthew. I recently taught on Matthew 4 and we saw how the Lord defeated Satan during His time of temptation. We saw the importance of memorizing and using the Word of God when we are tempted and also the importance of the Word of God in our lives. Matthew 4:4 says “But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” We will keep you updated on this ministry.
My wife has been enjoying the hospital ministry. We are thankful to each of you who donate to this ministry and are prayer partners. She got her work permit, which we trusted God to provide, and goes regularly to help the abandoned babies and give needed supplies to the mothers. There have been so many mothers and children that the supplies are now depleted more quickly than in times past. Please pray that these women and children would see the love of Christ, and with the Lord’s help, we would be able to reach many more in the future. We thank you so much for your interest in this ministry.
My wife also began a new homeschooling year with our girls. McKenna is now in 2nd grade and Camille is in preschool. They are both learning quickly and enjoy their school time. It has been exciting to watch them grow in their knowledge and abilities. I am thankful for this time that my wife has to teach our children. The girls also have made friends with a couple Kenyan girls from a local children’s home who come over on Saturdays to play. We are thankful that our girls have this down time with friends and that they have this much needed time to play together.
We will be sure to keep you updated. Thanks again to each of you who prays, gives sacrificially, or writes letters of encouragement. We appreciate each of you so much and thank the Lord for you.
Until next month,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa, 30200
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Missionary Update: The Tates in Kenya [October 2015]
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is indigenous church planting.
September 28, 2015
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Hello Friends. I am in an especially happy mood right now as I sit down to write this update. As you know, we have been wanting to adopt Chloe since she came to live with us last October. We just celebrated Chloe’s first birthday back on September 17th but unfortunately the Kenyan government’s moratorium on foreign adoptions is still in place. Thus, in the meantime, because we are not able to proceed with formal adoption plans, we thought it a good idea to obtain some more legal and permanent recognition of our status with her. So, for the past few months we have been in the courts here in Kitale trying to obtain legal guardianship for Chloe. This isn’t adoption, but it is an extremely important legal proceeding for us. In granting us guardianship the court would in essence be recognizing us as her legal parents and no one would be able to take her from us without a court order from the same court granting us guardianship. In other words, it legally places her in our family and gives us legal parental rights to her. However, up to today we have faced many delays and postponements in this legal process. Countless times we have thought we would receive the ruling only to be delayed again. We’ve jumped through all the hoops only to be postponed again. Today, finally, we have received the ruling from the court – We have been granted legal guardianship of Chloe! We are thanking God for this ruling and for placing Chloe into our family and now pray that the government will open up the adoption process to us as well. She is a precious blessing to us and in light of the recent and horrible discoveries about Planned Parenthood we are blessed and pleased to be able to care for and love one of God’s “little ones”. Lord, help each of us to be as concerned as you are about your “little ones” and all those in this world who are weak and helpless.
In other news, I also just finished teaching a week long class at a local Bible college just outside of town here in Kitale. The class I taught was hermeneutics (or, how to interpret Scripture). The class was all day, every day from Monday to Friday with the final exam on Saturday morning. I was excited about being invited to teach this class at the Bible college because one of the best ways to see the Kingdom of Christ grow and spread here in Kenya is to help, teach and disciple the pastors of the country—and what better topic to teach them but how to properly interpret God’s Word. I found out how important it was to teach my students this topic as throughout the week I found out that their favorite method of interpreting the Scriptures was to allegorize the text (ie, replacing the original, intended meaning of the author with fanciful and imaginative substitute meanings). It was a grueling and tiring week but my eleven students were very bright and I grew to appreciate them all very much.
Finally, I want to give you my latest Pokot news. In my last newsletter update I reported my desire to visit a certain remote village in the bush in Pokot and to take the gospel of Jesus there to those isolated people. Since my last report I was actually able to meet with my contact and we had solidified my plans with actual dates and an itinerary. However, later that very day all my plans came crashing to the ground. I will not go into all the details but let me just say that it was obvious that God himself was closing all the doors for me to make this trip. We can have our own plans but ultimately God is in control and when He shuts the doors it is wise that we not try to force them back open. In fact, it appears that God has completely shut the ministry doors to Pokot to me, at least for the time being. I still desire to minister and share the gospel with these remote people and we will see how God opens things up and allows me to minister there, but for now I have no immediate plans to go. This makes me very sad but I comfort myself with the knowledge that the Apostle Paul also had certain ministry plans and had intentions on going to certain cities when God suddenly directed him to another city and gave him alternative plans. Again, I will try and trust in God and do all that He asks me to do. In the meantime I will pray for an opening up of the ministry back in Pokot.
Until next month, beloved.
May God’s peace and joy be with you.
For the glory of God in East Africa,
Roger & Julie Tate (and Emily, Amy, Josiah & Chloe)
rojuta[at]gmail.com
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Mission Sheets: September 2015 [PDF Version]
Get your advanced PDF copy of the September 2015 Mission Sheets at the link below!
BFM September 2015 Mission Sheet
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Missionary Update: Jud & Raquel Hatcher on Furlough from Brazil [September 2015]
Jud and Raquel Hatcher serve the Lord in Manaus, Brazil. They are part of the “SeedFactory” church planting initiative, which is a movement to plant churches in all 26 Brazilian capitals. Since 2006, 43 churches have been started in 5 states.
September 3, 2015
Dearest of friends,
I just want to start out by saying thank you. Thank you, Lord, for blessing our family and for blessing the families and churches that bless our family. A personal thank you to the following churches and their pastors that have blessed us since we arrived in the States:
- New Life Baptist Church – Pastor Steve Wainright
- Calvary Baptist Church – Pastor Jeff Hurst & Pr. David Mitchell
- Thompson Road Baptist Church – Pastor David Parks
- Center Point Church – Pastor Tim Parsons & Pr. Todd Thomas
- Addyston Baptist Church – Pastor David Pitman & the women’s ministry
- Concord Baptist Church – Pastor Jimmy Reagan
- Grace Baptist Church – Pastor Mike Pyles
- Buck Run Baptist Church – Pastor Hershael York
- Thomas Road Baptist Church – Pastors Jonathan Falwell, Matt Willmington & Dave Adams
- East Keys Baptist Church – Pastor Dan Hillard
- The Baptist Church at Andover – Pastor Eddie Schwarberg & Pr. Donovan Stewart
So much has happened during these last several weeks since we returned to the United States—it is unbelievable. For starters, the Lord provided us with a great car for a great price. We purchased a KIA Sedona 2009, in clean condition. Already we’ve driven over 5,000 miles in 6 weeks as we’ve traveled and visited family, friends and churches.
Jud is currently assisting in teaching a Church Planting course for Pastoral Students with Dr. Matt Willmington.
A casual family picture of the Hatchers!
Secondly, the Lord opened up the door for me to serve at Liberty University’s School of Divinity as part of our stateside assignment (furlough) during this year. Several months back, while in Brazil, I contacted Dr. Dave Adams, who is the director of Pastoral Leadership program at Liberty University and requested to serve with him in any capacity that I might gain additional mentoring. (Dr. Adams was one of my professors at Lexington Baptist College along with Dr. Ed Overbey, Dr. Hershael York, Dr. David Hatcher, Dr. Larry Robbins, and others.) Through Adams’ leadership I was invited to assist in a non-remunerated role as Adjunct Faculty for Pastoral Leadership in the School of Divinity. Per agreement, my financial support continues through Baptist Faith Missions. I was also grateful for the response received from Bro. Dave Parks as he communicated with the directors of BFM concerning this matter. The Lord has opened many doors for additional mentoring and networking opportunities. I’m overwhelmed by the receptivity of the faculty and staff and overjoyed with gratitude with this one-year partnership. I’ve had the privilege of interacting with world-renowned faculty and leaders, including Jonathan Falwell, Drs. Ed Hindson, Elmer Towns, Troy Templeton, Jonathan Geukgeuzian, Scott Phillips, Chris Gnankan, Troy Matthews and others. I am currently under the mentorship of my dear friends Dr. Dave Adams and Dr. Matt Willmington—what a delight it is to see strategic leaders in action. I see this moment as additional training grounds for what lays ahead in Brazil when we return in July 2016.
Finally, the Lord has directed us every step of the way in our transition from Brazil to Lexington, KY, and then to Lynchburg, VA. We are currently renting a three-bedroom townhome in a quaint neighborhood with campus transportation to and from work. The kids are enrolled in a local public school and loving it. We look forward to connecting with you and at each opportunity.
Jud Hatcher
Judson Hatcher
judsonhatcher@hotmail.com
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Missionary Update: Paul & Wanda Hatcher in Brazil [September 2015]
Paul and Wanda Hatcher have been serving the Lord together in Brazil since 1974. Their main ministry is church planting.
September 01, 2015
Dear Friends and Co-laborers,
We greet each of you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are so thankful for God’s goodness and grace. We do not cease to be reminded, and Praise God the Father for providing unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. He so graciously supplies our every need and much more; we want to always be grateful and gracious to others even as God has been to us.
The building for the new church plant in downtown Manaus was completed and the dedication service was the last Friday of August. The missions team and new members worked around the clock the last week to get everything ready. At the first service there were about 200 in attendance; and I spoke on the subject of being a sweet smelling perfume in the community. The building is a beautiful vessel, but the value is in the content—God’s loving children who meet there. The meeting extended through Sunday, led by Pastor Ivanildo Ross. There were two professions of faith in Jesus Christ on Sunday; thanks to God for His great blessing. Continue to pray that the community will be reached far and wide by the gospel of Jesus.
During my time in Manaus, I also visited several of the churches that have been organized in recent years and was so blessed in each service. It is great to see how God is blessing with people being saved and added to the churches. Each church is doing well in the task of making disciples and preparing leadership for the work of the ministry.
We thank you for your prayers and financial support. Pray for the ministries in Brazil as they continue to take the gospel to the regions near and far. Pray to the Father of the harvest to send laborers into a very ripe field of harvest. We know that all the fields are not ready to harvest at the same time; however, it is always timely to sow the gospel abundantly, water generously, and God gives the increase.
We pray that our knowledge and remembrance of our Lord, the only true God, may abundantly increase in wisdom and discernment, that our trust and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ may be steadfast always, and that the love of his Holy Spirit may fill and overflow in our every word and action, with thanksgiving to God though Jesus Christ our only Lord and Life. God bless each of you richly through Jesus Christ.
Thanks for your loving.
Love, Paul and Wanda
Paul and Wanda Hatcher
rphatcher[at]gmail.com
15905 Mercott Court
Clermont, FL 34714
(239)227-6551
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Missionary Update: Odali & Kathy Barros in Brazil [September 2015]
Odali and Kathy Barros served the Lord in Sao Paulo, Brazil together from 1987-2013. In late 2013, they transitioned to Manaus in Northern Brazil to start sharing the Gospel and planting churches in villages along the river.
September 1, 2015
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We pray that all of you are doing well and rejoicing in the Lord. We are all doing great. The Lord has been good to us and cared for us each day. The works here are doing well and growing. We had a very interesting experience last month. Here where we live, we raise our own fish and other animals. One of the kinds of fish we have is a fish that eats fish. So from time to time, we go to the fish plant where they package fish and get the leftovers. We had not been getting any because the water got so high that the plant was closed for some time. Kathy was going into town for some groceries so I asked her if she didn’t mind going by the fish plant to see if they were already open. The water was still high but Kathy stopped and asked the guard if he had any idea of when they might start back to work. Here is the interesting part. The guard asked Kathy where she was from. He noticed that she had a different accent. She said. “Well, I sound like the south but I was actually born in Manaus. My parents were missionaries here for many years.” The guard quickly replied, “Missionaries?! With what church?” Kathy said, “Baptist!” The man became very excited and said, “We have a mission but we don’t have a pastor. Our pastor left and said we could do whatever we wanted: join another church or shut down.” He had been saved through the ministry of missionaries I know. So the next day I went back with Kathy to the fish plant and met the man. So we got together and talked and they joined our church. So now we have a mission point in the city of Iranduba. This is the city that I was praying about starting a church. It is a city of around 50,000 and growing. Please pray for this work.
Kathy is working with a group of young teens that she is training to work with the kids clubs on Saturday is the community of Mutirão. This has been great—it is so good to see the young men growing and enjoying the work with the kids. Two of the guys like it so much they asked Kathy if they could go with us to Ubim on Monday also. So we have extra help that day also.
We are working on getting people from the church more involved in the ministries. For so long they just went to church and that was it. It is a slow process but things are starting to change. Pray that the members will see and feel a need to reach out to others.
Please continue to pray for us and the ministry: that God will direct each step and keep us safe as we are on the road a lot. We thank all of you for your prayers and your support. You are an important part of this ministry. God bless you!
In Christ,
Odali and Kathy
Odali & Kathy Barros
Caixa Postal 1
Iranduba, Amazonas 69.415.000
Brasil, S.A.
odali_kathy[at]hotmail.com
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Missionary Update: The Radfords in Kenya [September 2015]
Nathan and Carrie Radford serve the Lord in Kitale, Kenya. Their main ministries include indigenous church planting, a prison ministry, and a hospital ministry for mothers with premature babies.
September 1, 2015
Dear praying friends,
We are now in the month of September. There is much to update each of you on, and I will do my best to inform and share prayer requests. Thanks to each of you who faithfully pray, give, and write to encourage the missionaries that serve where God has called them. You are each such a blessing.
Some have been wondering about the health of our daughters, as I did not update about that last month. There were several weeks with our daughter Camille where we did not know what was going on. She complained of frequent lower stomach cramps and pains, which is a sign of amoeba. We took her to two different doctors here in Kitale and were still not completely sure what it was. We ended up going to a large hospital in Eldoret, about an hour and a half from Kitale. There, we received good care and they did advanced lab work. We continued to give the medications that were recommended, yet there was still stomach pain. McKenna also had not been feeling well at times.
Frustrated that we still did not conclusively know what it was, we finally took both girls, McKenna and Camille, to get tested at a large pediatric hospital in Nairobi. There, they did advanced testing that proved with certainty that no amoeba or infections were there. We were very relieved, but also frustrated, as we had to go multiple places and see multiple doctors to get the issue resolved. This is a frustration here and a prayer request, that a good, new hospital would come to Kitale with doctors that can readily and easily identify health issues. Health is a daily concern here, as when you get sick here, it’s different from America, when the sickness can me a multitude of things and it is difficult to know with certainty what the illness is. Praise the Lord, all is well now, and we appreciate your prayers for our family and our health as we serve here. We have to entrust our health to the Lord and trust Him, as with all else here. I like John 14:1, which says “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.”
I am still praying about the permit for the prison ministry. The chaplain is continuing to allow me to come as I wait on the renewal. I am thankful for this and trusting the Lord to work in His plan, timing, and way. I think of Jeremiah 29:11, which says “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” Please continue to pray the permit would be renewed quickly and without any issues.
The group in Robinson is continuing along well. My partner Roger Tate and I have been serving there for several months now. We have been doing visitation in the area there, trying to pray for people, encourage them, invite them to the teachings, and share the Gospel as opportunities come. We are presently teaching Inductive Bible study, which is crucial for the people to grasp and understand as they study and apply the Word of God to their lives. Please pray that this teaching would go well, that the people would see the importance of not only studying the Word, but applying and obeying what they learn. The Word of God is profitable, as we see in 2 Timothy 3:16, which says “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” I will keep you updated on the progress of this ministry.
May we faithfully serve today, wherever the Lord has called and guided us. May we leave the results in His plan and timing, knowing He works all things out for good and to His glory. Thank you to each of you for the example of faithfulness you are to us.
Blessings,
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa, 30200
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