The Lord blessed the Tuesday evening service at the 2012 BFM Spring Conference.

After the congregation sang “Blessed Assurance” and “Saved, Saved, Saved,” Bro. Randy Jones presented the future goals of BFM, all of which are in the Lord’s hand.

Future Goals of BFM: 

• eliminate monthly deficits and increase income to the General Fund by 25% over a three-year period (approximately $125,000)
• increase the number of missionaries pending available funds
  -one to be added in November 2013
  -one to be added in November 2014
  -one to be added in November 2015
• increase the base salary of our missionaries by 20% over a three-year period pending available funds
  -5% appreciation lump-sum bonus in December 2012 ($1030)
  -5% base salary increase beginning January 2013 ($1802)
  -5% base salary increase by January 2014 ($1893)
  -10% base salary increase beginning January 2015 ($2082)
  [Current Salaries: $1717/month]
• Change the retirement plan for new missionaries to a 401K or 403B type plan: match 6% to 10% of their salary placed in an individual account.
• Encourage the missionaries to support BFM and extol the benefits of the organization to them and their ministry during furlough visits.
• On a three-year cycle each missionary and his works shall be visited by a Director(s) and a Representative from his sending church beginning in 2013.
• Eliminate the “Car Fund” category
• Establish a repository of BFM documents
• Encourage visits by sponsoring churches to the mission field
• Establish a schedule of church visitation: every supporting church shall be visited by a Director of BFM representative once every three years.

Bro. Jones then discussed the importance of the General Fund and the necessity of keeping it replenished. He ended his message by reading John 14:9-12. “He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.”

Bro. Paul Hatcher, missionary to Brazil, delivered the 8:20 sermon, sharing the heartbeat of his and his family’s heart. He spoke about what he has learned through years of church planting and discipling.

If one person shared the Gospel with one other person and taught them everything they knew about God for a year, and then the next year, the same person and the new person each agreed to do the same thing (sharing with one other person and teaching them for a year), then in 34 years, there would be more than 8 billion people following Christ. Nothing is impossible with God!

Bro. Hatcher mentioned that his son-in-law calculated out how long it took Paul (in the Bible) to plant a church amongst Jews: 42 days. Flabbergasted, Hatcher wanted to know how much longer it took the biblical Paul to plant a church amongst Gentiles: 42 days. Shocked once again, Hatcher said, “What did Paul know that this Paul doesn’t know?”

It has to be more than the minister doing the work of the Lord. You have to make sure every sheep in the flock is producing. It must involve every believer sharing the Gospel and teaching what they know.

When you’re teaching new Christians everything you know about God, keep these things in mind about the Old Testament and don’t complicate it. The Old Testament was written to teach us to love God and love our neighbor. (This is the interpretation of the Author, our Lord, given in Matthew 22:36-40.) The second objective is to keep Christ at the forefront because without Christ, you can’t love God or your neighbor.

The Gospel must be simple enough that the simple can understand. There are many good examples in John of how to keep the Gospel simple—straight shots of truth. (John 17:3; 1 John 5:11; 1 John 3:23; 1 John 4:11, John 5:19)

The problem with the Gospel is that we talk. Love! What they notice is love. They see something different and want what you have.

Three important things to remember:
1) Know God = Eternal Life
2) Trust God = Our Challenge
3) Love like He’s loved us (sacrificially)

Bro. Hatcher told a story about a cell phone to illustrate building trust in God. When he first bought his cell phone, all he wanted to use it for was to call people. But as he learned what else his cell phone could do, he started to use it for other things. Pretty soon, he’d gotten rid of his alarm clock and was using his phone. He’d tossed his address book and used the contact list in his phone. He threw away his planner and used the calendar on his phone. But all he had planned to use it for was to make phone calls. It’s the same way with God. As we grow in knowledge, your trust in Him and Him alone begins to grow. As you know God, you lay off the things of the old man. And the most beautiful part? Everything you don’t know about Him is already there.

As we get to know God better, we begin to imitate Him and His character. “The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.” (John 5:19) You don’t model what you don’t see. To trust Him, you have to know Him. To imitate Him, you have to know Him. When we become so fascinated with Christ and become so excited about Him, we become like Him. “For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.” (John 13:15) “Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children.” (Ephesians 5:1)

All of us must know what the essentials are. Learn to know God together and love Him more together.

To read a recap of previous conference services, click here.
[You can view a full schedule for the rest of the conference by clicking here.]