Being Sent

One of the joys of being a Pastor is seeing young men and woman grow in the faith and allow God to expand His Kingdom through them. I have had the privilege of seeing this happen many times. A couple of weeks ago I received a phone call from one of my former students who wanted to let me know God was sending him to another country to do ministry. I was excited to hear this great news. This young man comes from a Godly home. His father has been a Pastor for many years and his entire family has, and is currently, serving God in a local Church. I asked him if I could share with others about what God is doing and maybe discover others who have the same heart for the gospel. Meet Jared Willis and hear his heart and what God has asked him to do.  After reading this, if God moves you to get involved please contact me and I will put you in touch with Jared.

“The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.  Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers in His harvest.” Matthew 9:37-38

These verses can speak in very different ways depending on the vantage point from which you read them.  For me, I try to think through all of them because I believe they all apply to each of us at some point or another.  Give me just a few minutes and I will explain what I mean.  First, let me tell you about the stage of life I am currently in and what the Lord had called me into.  In April of 2015 I will be moving to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to serve as missionary with the For All Mankind Movement (FAMM).  FAMM is a movement whose focus is reaching the labor workers of the Middle East, equipping them to share Christ’s love with those around them, and sending them back to their home countries as missionaries to their own people.  Since 2009 FAMM has trained close to 15,000 believers, started close to 12,000 house churches, and baptized over 20,000 new followers throughout the Middle East and South East Asia.  It seems clear to me that the Lord is driving this movement, and we are just along for the ride!

My partnership with FAMM started in 2010 with a series of short term mission trips to Dubai, UAE.  My partnership grew deeper in 2012 when I moved to Dubai and began to volunteer on a full time basis.  This year was spend training leaders and seeing people come know the Lord as their savior.  As the year came to a close, I moved back Mississippi where I graduated from college.  I began to working for a successful company and had a path laid out for a successful career.  But as usual, the Lord had different plans.  Two years later the Lord allowed my path to cross with the president of FAMM and in an undeniable way the Lord called me back into the mission field.  Between September 2014 and January 2015 the ball was rolling for me to put my hands to the plow and get back to the harvest field of the UAE.  I will be serving as the executive assistant to Kevin Phillips, the president of the For All Mankind Movement.  This role will allow me to be on the front lines of the ministry as we move into new places of the world.

Based on Matthew chapter 9 we are in one of three places as humans on this earth.  We are the harvest field, the ones being sent to the harvest field, or the ones praying that the Lord would send people to the harvest field.  These places can overlap, these places can change, but we all fall somewhere.  Right now, in my life, I am being sent.  I am also praying for the Lord to send. 

My question for you is this:  Where are you?

I will be moving this April.  As I prepare to leave will you join in the battle with me? Some tangible ways you can be involved in sending me into the harvest field are to:

Pray for me as I begin to make the move.  Pray that  the Lord will protect and provide for me.  Pray for the lives that the Lord will touch.

Partner with me financially to be a part of what the Lord is doing in the UAE and throughout the world. I need to raise $3,000 in monthly support.  This provides for me to live in UAE and do ministry effectively. 

Ask me how you and your family can be involved in other ways!  

Religious Liberty

Religious discrimination is taking place all over the world. Many other countries do not allow the population to read sacred scripture, follow the teachings of, or worship the God of their choice. North Korea punishes any practice of religious liberty by death or imprisonment. Central Asia will raid any home if there is suspicion of that home possessing a Bible. I could go on-and-on with examples of this world-wide. However, there is a major concern about Religious discrimination right here in our own land, the United States of America. In many states the Bible is not allowed to be mentioned, or referenced, by any public school teacher. Recently, Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran was fired for exercising his First Amendment right to speak his biblical convictions. These type of cases may seem few but the reality is they are growing at rapid speed. In the state of Georgia we are in danger of losing our religious liberty. Let me share with you some examples of what I'm talking about.

• College officials revoke club status of a student-led Christian group, labeling a foot washing service at their retreat as "hazing."
• Denial of After-School Bible Club in Banks County, GA. One individual requested permission to begin an after-school Bible club at schools within the District. The school board denied the request even though the necessary documentation was provided to use school facilities. However, the school district permitted other groups, such as the Boy Scouts, to use school facilities for their meetings.
• Distribution of free religious literature. Pine Mountain Library denied the right to place free Bibles in a library which allowed community materials to be distributed.
• A Church was denied a zoning exception to locate next to a sexually oriented business. The sexually oriented business challenged the exception as being detrimental to its business.
• There are restrictions on public prayer in Ellijay, GA.

These are just a few of many cases that are taking place right here in the state of Georgia.
State Rep. Sam Teasley (R-37) has filed legislation (again) in the Georgia General Assembly that will offer Georgians the same protections already afforded to 30 other states. Georgia needs to have it's own Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) to protect its citizens from discrimination by their local and state governments. The RFRA will help protect...

• Churches, synagogues, and other houses of worship when local government actions deny permits to use or build facilities on unequal terms with secular buildings.
• Church ministries who have faced bans by local governments on ministries that help ex-prisoners or to feed the homeless.
• Public school students who face discipline for refusing school assignments that they consider blasphemous.
• Public school students who face discipline for wearing religious symbols or other religious clothing to school.
• Home school parents who object to difficult state regulations on the education of their children.

Now that a new session has begun, the two bill sponsors will introduce new bills for the 2015 Legislative Session and Christians need to be ready to provide calls and emails to express support of this. In the House, the bill number is HB29. The bill number for the Senate will be decided soon. To stand for and support this legislation, contact the most important leaders in the Georgia State Government and let them know you want the Preventing Government Overreach on Religious Expression Act passed. Below is the proper contact information.

• Speaker of the House David Ralston's Office: (404) 656-5020, david.ralston@house.ga.gov
• Lt. Governor Casey Cagle's Office: (404) 656-5030, http://ltgov.georgia.gov/contact-lt-governor
• Governor Nathan Deal's Office: (404) 656-1776, http://gov.georgia.gov/webform/contact-governor-domestic-form

Please remember to always be kind and courteous. We always want to keep our testimony and witness for Christ. Many lawmakers (in Georgia) are supportive of the religious liberty bill, but they need to hear from you. We as Christians can not sit quiet and allow our freedom of religious to be taken away from us.

Pray and ask God to do something only He can do...change hearts and change lives.

Nick Kudyk

We need Him

Last night I had the wonderful privilege to share a meal with a Pastor from Liberia. He is visiting American for the very first time and is enjoying the time here. Me, my wife, and all three children loved getting to know him and learning about his ministry and family. As I reflected on our visit with him, there was one part of our conversation that disturbed me greatly.

Someone at the table asked the Pastor how his country (Liberia) viewed homosexuality. He proceeded to tell us that it was viewed negatively and not looked on as a good thing. The individual who asked the question said this; "Our President and society are making it legal and acceptable. However, we as Christians in America do not agree with it and do not accept it as right." Now what he said next is what really disturbed me. The Pastor said, "Your current president contacted our president and offered financial assistance to our country if we would accept homosexuality. Our president and leaders told him he could keep his financial assistance."

About a dozen thoughts and emotions immediately began running through my mind and continue to do so even fourteen hours later. I could type for hours addressing all these but I will only discuss a couple. What type of leader would try and purchase morals from another person/country? The days of our nation having a Godly Leader are gone. Does that mean we should give up and quit? NO!! God's people better wake up, pray to our God and ask Him to do something that only He can do. God created the vast galaxies, created mankind, and split history in half with His birth. I believe He's big and powerful enough to change our nation and it's leaders. God's people must pray. Will you join me in putting more emphasis on praying for our nation and leaders? The morals of our nation will get back to Godliness only if we do.

True or False

Throughout my entire education years I have despised true or false test or quiz's. I think they are of the devil (sarcasm tone). I don't actually think they are of the devil, however, I do despise them and hate them. Let me share one of many reasons why.

I have never been accused of being the smartest person in school. In elementary school I was in classes referred to as SLD (Student Learning Disability). Not sure why or how I got there but that's where I was. In seventh grade I began going to all regular classes and when I graduated High School I was no where near the top. Instead of being in the top 10%, I was in the bottom 10%. I never gave school work my all. I did just enough to get by. In 1993 I started college in pursuit of a B.A. in Theology. During my first year I almost failed out of college. I had no real idea how to study. I remember turning in assignments to professors thinking I had done a great job only to receive a 57% on one of them. I was devastated because I thought I had done great on the paper. Immediately I realized I must surround myself around people who knew how to study. All my roommates were great students who studied hard and applied themselves. One of my roommates was taking the same Old Testament class I was and we would study together. One time we knew we had a big test coming up and we decided to start studying early for it instead of waiting until the night before. I personally spent about twelve hours total time studying for this one test. We arrive to class and discover our test is fifty questions all true or false. I began to panic. I was the last one done because I was taking my time reading each question carefully. Upon completing the test I told my classmates I feel I did pretty well. A week later the professor passes our test grades out and I made a 79-a big fat C. My roommate, I had studied with, made an A. I was frustrated. As I began to look over the test to see what I had done wrong I noticed there were several questions I felt I had gotten right. I approached the professor after class to discuss these questions. He informed me that I had indeed gotten all those questions wrong. One word in the question makes it false. Here's what I was doing...I was looking to ensure the main idea of the question was true or false not things like names, places, dates, etc.

The longer I live I'm discovering many Christians are doing the same thing. They don't know if what they are reading is true or false. I'm not necessarily talking about the news, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. I'm talking about this idea of many Christians reading books, articles, and blogs by people who are teaching false things. Please don't think I'm trying to be arrogant and say, "My way is the only truth." What I am saying is this; there are many prominent preachers and teachers on TV, on the web, and on social media teaching things that are simply false according to the Bible yet many people claiming to be "Christians" are thinking it's true. Jesus warned His early disciples that many false teachers/prophets would rise up. He further admonished them to test the spirits to see if what these teachers/prophets are saying is true. I do not want to call anyone out by name because the name is not as important as it is to know if something is true or false. The Apostle Paul encouraged his young mentee, Timothy; "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth." Don't fail the test. Know if what any preacher/teacher says is true or false. There are wolves out there and many are in sheep's clothing.

Hopeless

As I write this, my heart is very heavy and hurting. I was in Youth Ministry for many years and during those years God allowed me to build some lasting and meaningful relationships. I can't recall the name of every student, parent, or adult volunteer that was a part of the ministries God blessed me with. However, I can recall many who I had, and continue to have, meaningful relationships with. One of the greatest parts of Youth Ministry is when a student has parents, or at least one parent, who cared enough to be involved in the lives of their kids. It was a joy to come alongside parents and help them with the spiritual development of their kids. Some parents you forget, not intentionally, and there are some you never forget. I recall two families I will never forget. These two families were a vital part of our youth ministry and our church as a whole.

Back in 2005 my family moved to Valdosta, GA where God opened the door for us to be on staff at Northside Baptist Church. In 2007 I received a phone call, from a former church member in Florida that the mother of two former students of mine had committed suicide. For many days I thought I was dreaming. This lady was a youth worker, church pianist/organist. Law school graduate. Her husband was a prominent attorney in town yet something was wrong. She had fallen sick shortly after we moved and almost lost her life. Although she recovered enough to function with her family and church family, she never seemed to have fully recovered. She got to the point in her life where she felt hopeless and taking her own life was the only way out.

Today, December 10th, 2013, I received another phone call. As I was listening to the person on the other end, I again felt I was dreaming. The voice on the phone said, "Nick, Mrs.____________ took her own life." I sat there speechless for what seemed like thirty minutes. This family was known throughout the same community as the previous lady I told you about. She was a middle school teacher for many years. Her children had grown up in our church in Florida. Her and her husband were strong supporters of our Youth & College Ministry. Her daughter is engaged and she was supposed to go dress shopping with her next weekend. What I was told by the voice on the other end was that she had been experiencing a lot of pain and was having a hard time at work. No doubt, just like the previous lady, she had gotten to the point of feeling hopeless.

I have been asked many times throughout the years, "Nick, do you know what it's like to feel hopeless?" And I have to be real honest and say, "No." I do know what it's like to feel helpless. However, I have never had a moment in my life where I felt hopeless. I pray to God on a regular basis that I never get to the point where I feel this way. Hopelessness has got to be the most miserable place to be. If hopelessness can bring a person to the point of taking their own life, I ask God to please protect me from ever getting to that place.

Ever since I heard this news this morning these words have been on my heart and mind:

My hope is built on nothing less 
than Jesus' blood and righteousness. 
I dare not trust the sweetest frame, 
but wholly lean on Jesus' name

On Christ the solid rock I stand, 
all other ground is sinking sand; 
all other ground is sinking sand.

When Darkness hides his lovely face, 
I rest on his unchanging grace. 
In every high and stormy gale, 
my anchor holds within the veil. 

Let me encourage all of you with this; if you ever begin feeling hopeless, PLEASE lean on Jesus. This is done by finding someone who can help you. God loves you and people love you. I know there are times you feel no one does but I PROMISE YOU THEY DO.

Pumped

Most of you have seen it. Especially this time of year. You are watching a football game or most recently the World Series. Your favorite team, or the team you are pulling for, does something good and you throw your fist or arms in the air to celebrate. You, or another fan, does this because they believe that what just happened is worth getting excited about. Not everyone is in to football or sports for that matter. However, there is something in all of us that gets excited or pumped. What is it that gets you to this point? We don't throw our fist or arms in the air for just anything. We have to be convinced that what just happened is worth getting excited for. See, raising your fist or arms in the air is a sign of support and loyalty.

In Isaiah 44:6-23, the Prophet Isaiah addresses the problem God's people (Israel) had with idolatry. Israel would support and get excited about worldly things more than they would support and get excited about God Himself. They replaced God with worldly loyalties. In today's culture we replace our loyalty to God with loyalty to football, baseball, hunting, video games, iPhone's, TV, work, family, etc.  We will throw our fist and arms in the air for things we are loyal to. In Isaiah 44:23, Isaiah instructed Israel, "Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it; shout, O depths of the earth; break forth into singing, O mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! For the Lord has redeemed Jacob, and will be glorified in Israel." This sounds like a celebration, where God's children are to throw their arms and fist in the air because God has blotted out their transgressions. We should get more excited/pumped about what God has done for us and will do for others than we do for our favorite hobby or sport.

I come back to the original question. What is it that gets you excited or pumped? Is it the things of God or are you guilty of idolatry?

Vision

This is my favorite time of the year! You can feel and smell the weather change. The temperature is cooler, the leaves are changing, Georgia snow (cotton) is everywhere, it's hunting season, and most importantly College Football is in full swing. Fall is the best time of year, but it's also the busiest time of year. We are busy with fall festivals, Thanksgiving meals, and before you know it we will be busy with Christmas shopping and New Year celebrations. Being busy can be a good thing. It can result in production-getting things done. If we just sit around and don't busy ourselves then nothing will get accomplished. However, being busy can also be distracting. It can cause you to lose focus on what's really important in life. I can't tell you how many times I totally forgot to do something important (like pay a bill on-time) because I was too busy with other things. This is exactly what has happened to the local church. Many people think the busier the church the more we can accomplish. That may be true to a level but that is not what God's Word teaches us. God's Word gave us a clear vision and direction of what Christ wanted the church to accomplish. In Acts 2 we see the first church model for us what we are supposed to focus on. It says they were busy with 3 things. They worshiped together in the temple. They connected with God by worshiping Him. It also says, they devoted themselves to the apostles teachings and to fellowship in small groups in homes. They connected with each other by spending time together in small groups. Many churches today do this on Sunday morning and call it Sunday School. At Bethany, we offer Small Groups on Sunday morning and during the week for those who can't make Sunday morning, or prefer to connect with a group during the week. Acts 2 goes on to say, they were committed to ministering to the needs of each other. They put the needs of others over their own. This is called Ministry. They connected with ministry. THIS IS THE PRECISE VISION FOR BETHANY BAPTIST CHURCH. God showed me that He wants us focusing on these 3 things and not becoming so busy we lose sight of our original purpose for existing. We strive to Connect with God, Connect with others, and Connect with ministry. If you are a Bethany Member, have you bought in to this vision? If no, it's not too late. Start with committing to attend worship regularly, then find a small group to connect with and start doing life with other believers. Once you have done this, connect with a ministry where you can serve others. Let's Do This!!