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