It’s marvelous to think of the souls that have been saved since the founding of this ministry by my father and mother more than 55 years ago. Each one of those souls is an eternal treasure. As Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:21).

I would rather accumulate souls in heaven than “things” on earth – wouldn’t you?

Streamlining our priorities is important these days when so many things compete for our attention and affections. I was reading a story about the famous basketball player, Kareem Abdul-Jabar earlier this year. He had just announced that he was going to sell off the extensive collection of NBA treasures he’d collected during his celebrated his career. When the news broke, people speculated that he was out of money, but that was far from the case. He simply had a change of heart . . . or you might say, a change of treasure.

Kareem valued those things, but about ten years ago, he founded a charitable organization to give kids better opportunities to learn science, technology, engineering and math. As it turns out, he values helping those kids more than he does his various awards, trophies and other memorabilia. He said, “When it comes to choosing between storing a championship ring or trophy in a room or providing kids with an opportunity to change their lives, the choice is pretty simple: Sell it all.”

There really is more than this life . . . and there is more TO this life. When we yield to God, and make our plans with God as our first priority, no matter what valley we may face or victory we may experience, we know He is with us as we are walking in His direction. As Paul wrote to the Colossians, “Walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.”

I’m so grateful for friends like you—who treasure eternal things and have a heart to win the lost. With the help of your prayers and support, in the past year . . .

• 119,823 gospel tracts and other pieces of evangelistic literature were distributed.
• 51,690 individuals heard the Gospel during a one-on-one encounter.
• 14,014 people made decisions for Christ through various outreach programs.
• 2,851 people were baptized by Alpha Churches.
• 1,398 new villages were reached and church planting stations were established.
• 64 motorcycles were provided for our faithful Frontline Messengers.
• 12 new Living Water wells were built.
• 4 vehicles were given to frontline workers in partnership with Voice of the Martyrs.
• 3 sewing machines were provided through the Vital Project.

Even though the Lord doesn’t send everyone to the mission field, He does equip everyone to partner in the work of missions in some way. The testimony Pastor Nathan shared is a good example. He and his wife are VM1000 missionaries. The vision of our VM1000 ministry is to reach 1000 new villages with the Gospel each year throughout the 10/40 window. Pastor Nathan reached 10 new villages in the past year, where 482 souls heard the good news and 103 accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

In one village, Hemat, an eight-year old boy had been diagnosed with a hole in his heart that left him very weak and sickly. The church rallied around the boy and his family in prayer and fasting for two weeks. They saw an enormous change in Hemat’s energy levels that puzzled even his doctors. Witnessing this, Hemat, his parents, and grandparents became worshippers of Christ Jesus.

Thank you for partnering with Alpha Ministries to fulfill the great commission among the unreached and unengaged people groups throughout the 10/40 window!

Eternal Investments

Throughout our day to day lives, it often feels as if there are a million commitments and responsibilities grabbing for our attention while simultaneously begging us to commit our time, energy, and resources to them. We as human beings crave success, accomplishment, and establishing ourselves as worthy among our peers. We believe that by remaining busy, productive, and constantly ‘on the move’ we will gain the fulfillment we are longing for. While this sometimes has the potential to make us feel purposeful and productive, it has a very tangible way of creating a sense of exhaustion, high stress, and even chaos within our lives. If we as followers of Jesus Christ aren’t careful, we may find ourselves completely depleted with nothing of eternal value to even show for it. It’s important that you ask yourself this question: “Are the things I’m giving my life to really worth it?” While this point of self examination is a sobering one, it’s one that we are excited to see you answer with a resounding “YES!” We at Alpha Ministries are so glad that you have found yourself on our blog and sincerely hope you leave encouraged, refreshed, and excited for what God is doing in your life.

 

What the World Says…

Lots of money, a lucrative career, an attractive spouse and talented children… for many of us, this is the standard and worldly measure of success that we’ve been taught to pursue since before we were able to walk or talk. “Want to look successful? Drive a fancy car that you probably can’t afford. Want to make those around you proud? Make as much money as humanly possible and spend it blatantly on your comfort. Wait as long as you can before retiring and then buy a beach home and spend your final years playing golf and relaxing by the water.” When looking to secular, American culture, this is the mentality we are trained to conform to and abide by in order to live a happy life worthy of our limited time on Earth. John Piper, beloved pastor and author said it best while speaking to a group of college students when he made the statement, “the main tragedy is having a happy, safe, secure, American life of superficial pleasures until you die in your lakeside rocking chair, wrinkled and useless, leaving a big fat inheritance to your middle-aged children to confirm them in their worldliness. That’s the main tragedy.”

So what happens when the few of us “fortunate” enough achieve this materialistic goal actually do it? According to recent studies on the American population as a whole, we are currently the most addicted, overweight, and medicated human society in documented history. The results speak for themselves and are gravely concerning. We at Alpha Ministries cannot help but grieve the fact that there are millions of Americans spending their entire God-given lives seeking to achieve material and monetary success. Worst of all, at the end of the day, they come to realize that they’re more miserable and discontent then they could have ever prepared for.

 

What Scripture Says…

In Matthew 6:19-20, it says, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” In two simple verses, the secular standard and expectation for how we should prioritize our time and material pursuits are shot down in an instant. We learn through God’s word that our focus should be on eternity to come, righteous pursuits of holiness, and service to others. In the book of 2 Corinthians, the church in Corinth is instructed to give of themselves to others rather than to their own worldly comforts. Paul writes in chapter nine, “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” While we may have our lists of nonprofit organizations and ministries that we love to give to (perhaps Alpha Ministries?) can we honestly step back and claim that we are living biblical lives marked by giving? If not, take heart and understand that we are broken, confused people who are desperately in need of God’s grace every day. Know also today that the American standard for success and biblical characteristics of what true achievement look like are polar opposites. You were created to live a life of abundance and not the cheap version of worldly materialism you often are told you should pursue.

 

Ways to Grow…

When faced with the reality that we are called as Christians to live a lifestyle that counters what the culture we live in says to do, we can often feel overwhelmed and defeated. But in reality, our calling is simple. Rather than wasting our lives on the pursuit of material goods, let’s become givers who sacrificially put the needs of others before our own.  Let’s love each other so well that the world around us is forced to take notice. Watch and see how God will bless your life with a richness that goes far beyond what any material possession or worldly security can offer you. Today, we at Alpha Ministries want to encourage you to take inventory of your life, look to see what you are pouring your time and energy into, and ask yourself if you are truly investing in eternity.

 

For more information on our organization and the eternal investments we are making every day, visit our website and contact us.

… And The Deaf Will Hear

 

TODAY we ask that you take a moment and pause to reflect on something that has been actively weighing on the hearts of all of us here at Alpha Ministries. Throughout the years of countless ministry opportunities and specific initiatives that aim to serve and relieve the suffering of vulnerable people around the world, we still find ourselves heartbroken when encountering new stories of those in need. Today, we are privileged to share with you the work we have in place to serve a uniquely challenged group of people who face profound hardships while also informing you of how you can get involved in helping them.  Whether you are reading this on your lunch break at work, at home with your morning cup of coffee, or simply had a friend send you the link for this article, we’re glad you’ve found yourself here at our blog and hope that you leave encouraged, inspired, and motivated to serve others.

 

Their Plight

IN South Asia, the efforts put forth by Christians on spreading the Gospel have been met with unmatched resistance, persecution, hostility, and systematic oppression. For men, women, and children living in this part of the world, the opportunity to hear the good news of Jesus Christ is extremely limited and unfortunately for many, never comes. When the rare opportunity does arise for an unknowing unbeliever to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the very first time, they are often overjoyed to hear the sweet words of truth that their souls have always longed for. However, for those who lack the ability to physically hear, the chance to know this truth for themselves is often lost. The deaf men and women of South Asia have often gone unnoticed, underserved, and cast aside even by those who mean to evangelize in their communities. Without the ability to properly communicate with those who come bearing the good news, many are unable to accept Jesus Christ into their hearts. While this news is heartbreaking and seems far beyond bleak, their Heavenly Father sees their need and has been faithful in coming alongside of them.

 

Their Value

IN Scripture, we see exactly how God views those who society has cast aside or deemed defective, broken, or burdensome. Throughout many recorded accounts of Jesus’s earthly ministry, we see that He took the time to acknowledge, help, and revive the lowly spirits of the men and women whose communities had long forgotten them. Whether Jesus was healing leapers, raising the dead, empowering women caught in sin, or befriending tax collectors, it was apparent that His heart was always fixed on the broken and needy.

 

While the suffering of people has remained well in tact in our world today, we find comfort and peace knowing that God will one day make all things right. For those around the world suffering through deafness, we know that for those who give their hearts to Christ, eternal hope of salvation and complete restoration is available to them. In the book of Isaiah chapter 35, it is written, “… the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped.” We at Alpha Ministries hold this passage of Scripture close to our hearts and let it inspire us when serving the secular deaf community around the world.

 

The Solution

AT Alpha Ministries, we refuse to sit idly by as the deaf unbelievers of South Asia crave and go without the eternally satisfying truth of Jesus Christ. For this reason, we have implemented a significant ministry program specifically developed to minister to those who lack the ability to hear. Through videos of evangelists physically signing out the Gospel message along with countless other passages of scripture, we have seen a remarkable work done on behalf of the deaf in South Asia and are seeing many come to know Christ through this initiative. As we continue to send our Frontline Messengers into this particularly unreached and needy part of the world, we are now doing so more effectively by being able to minister to those who lack the ability to hear as well. With Christ as our example in all things, our organization is striving to love this particularly vulnerable group of people who are learning about the incredible way Christ cares for them. Won’t you join us? For more information on how to be a part of our ministry caring for the deaf community of South Asia, visit alphaministries.com