Hello and a belated happy new year to you and your loved ones! Thank you for taking the time to read my blog today! It is my hope and prayer that you and your family are well and that you have had a blessed Christmas season. Although our celebrations were not the same, our God is the same. His Word and His promises are sure, even in these times of uncertainty.
In times like these, it is more important than ever to teach the Word and to share the Gospel. I continue to teach my classes each day during the week. It has been difficult to maintain a strong connection with my students online, but I still have a faithful group that continues to attend and to hear the Word of God. I had a very good Christmas spending time with my girlfriend and her family. Now the New Year has begun and I’m looking forward to what God has planned for me this year!
I have been reflecting on a number of things lately. As one year ends and another begins it invites us to look back and to look forward. Looking back at 2020, we might think that it was a disaster. Natural disasters, a global pandemic, societal and political upheaval in the United States and elsewhere around the world. All of us have been affected by these things but I believe that Christians should view them in a different light. The Lord has spoken to us through His Word and gave us advance warning of things to come.
“He replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them. When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.” ”
We should not be surprised that we have had a year like 2020. What we should be thinking about and focusing on is what the Lord is communicating to us and what He would have us do. Our Heavenly Father has placed us where we are for a reason. He has given us gifts and talents for a reason. He has given us resources for a reason. Now more than ever, we should reflect on how we are using what He has given us for the Kingdom work that He has called all of His people to participate in. To be attentive to what God would have us do we must be attentive to Him. In a world so filled with distractions and distortions, consistent prayer and the reading and meditation on God’s Word are essential. How can we speak the truth if we do not know it ourselves? How can we live in integrity if our minds and our hearts are not filled with the things that are above?
“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”
It is easy to get distracted. It is so easy to complain about the state of our nation and our world. But complaining doesn’t solve anything. The Lord has commanded us to love Him and to love our neighbor. This love is not a passive love. The love that Christ showed us was not a passive love. It was active. So I encourage all of you who are reading this today to be actively praying and seeking how God would use you in His service and to take concrete steps for putting it into action. The world needs to hear the message of the Gospel, the Word of Truth. But, perhaps, you are thinking that you are just one person. So start with just one person. If God uses you to change the life of one person this year, you will have done something truly amazing. Talk to that one person today. Call them. Go and see them if you can. Because if this past year has taught us anything it’s that people can be here today and gone tomorrow. So let’s reach out to our neighbor. Let’s love just as Christ loves us.
Thank you so much for reading my blog today! I thank you so much for all of your prayers and support! I am so grateful to God for allowing me the privilege of serving Him here in Ecuador. A special thank you to all of you who have given to my ministry! God has blessed me and has blessed my students through you! I have some new opportunities to expand into other areas of ministry and outreach but for that I will need your continued support! I also will need new partners to join with me in reaching the people of Ambato, Ecuador with the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. If the Lord has led you to give to my ministry there are two ways that you can give online. You can give through Global Outreach International by clicking the following link: https://globaloutreach.org/giving/missionary-details/jonathan-green Or, if you prefer, you can give through Dahlonega Baptist Church being sure to designate the funds to “Jon Green Ministry:” https://app.securegive.com/dbch/dahlonega-baptist-church/donate/category
I would like to thank you again for taking the time to read my blog and I pray that you and your family are well and that the Lord would bless you and lead you as you walk with Him!
Blessings,
Jonathan Green