A Digital Newsletter from Living Stream Ministry
For many years, trainees in the Full-time Training in Anaheim have participated in domestic and international gospel trips. One of their main activities during these times has been to distribute the Recovery Version of the New Testament and the ministry literature. The most recent gospel trips concluded at the beginning of February. As the following testimonies demonstrate, the Lord’s abundant blessing upon the spreading of His word was manifested once again. This is a continuation of the reports published in our February issue.
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole inhabited earth for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come (Matt. 24:14).
From January 22 to February 5, over 230 trainees and serving ones in 36 teams coordinated with local saints in 23 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America to preach the gospel of the kingdom. As part of their gospel service, teams set up tables on university and college campuses to distribute free copies of the Recovery Version of the New Testament, volumes from the Basic Elements of the Christian Life series, and other ministry publications. We offer the following reports as a sample of the testimonies of what the Lord has done through the coordinated spread of His word and as an encouragement to all of us to continue sowing gospel seeds through the ministry publications in our daily lives. Enjoy!
A student who attended our Bible study was impressed about John 1:12-13 on being begotten to become children of God and said, “So can we say that we are born of God to become God?”
A student came to our Bible study and heard about the ministry concerning Ephesians 4:16. His eyes began to glow, he became super excited, and he underlined the verse in his Bible. Also, when he read the footnote on John 1:18, he was very happy and shared it with others.
One young person was impressed about what received means in John 1:12 (“But as many as received Him…”), asked what it means to receive, and then looked in the footnote which says, “To believe into is to receive.”
A college student who was already a Christian came to the table and looked at the various ministry books we offered. After hearing the description of Basic Elements of the Christian Life, he took one for his friend and explained that he thought it would help his friend very much.
A woman approached the table and expressed her support for what we were doing. She was already a Christian and was excited to learn about the free ministry books we had to offer. After hearing our description of each book, she received a copy of The Normal Christian Life and The All-inclusive Christ.
At the table, one student read footnote 2 on John 1:51 and was helped to make the connection to Genesis 28 through the study Bible. This solidified an initial discussion on God being contactable in the human spirit.
At one campus we visited, we learned that the club was almost entirely composed of new students and that many of them were very interested in the publications. They met together one-on-one to read them regularly.
During one of the campus Bible studies we joined, we read the second chapter of Basic Elements of the Christian Life, volume 1, entitled “The Assurance, Security, and Joy of Salvation.” The group consisted of trainees, local saints, and believers who were met on the campus.
One brother spoke on the campus about the consummation of the Bible, asking students if they knew what it was. After showing them verses from Genesis and Revelation, he told them that he learned all of this from the Recovery Version’s footnotes. Many admitted to never having seen this and became interested in the free Recovery Version New Testaments handed out on campus.
After reading the book Eating the Lord, the contents of this book became our outflow to students on the University of Montana campus. Many students were open to hear about eating the Lord as the tree of life and enjoying Him being the way to grow in the Christian life.
A lady from Ethiopia walked up to our table inquiring about the study Bible. She told me about her favorite verse in the Bible, so we showed her how to use the footnotes along with the cross references. She was impressed with the content of the footnotes and the other related verses.
We contacted a student on the campus who is from Congo, and she took a free New Testament with footnotes. We had a follow-up appointment with her the following Friday where we read the parable of the seed in Matthew 13 with the footnotes. After that time, she was smiling and said that she was so excited to have such a Bible that made sense.
On one of the campuses we met a student who was a believer already, but she only had a few minutes for us. So, to feed her something we opened the first page to Basic Elements of the Christian Life, vol. 1, which showed a diagram of the three parts of man with the verse reference on 1 Thessalonians 5:23. When she saw how the ministry opened up 1 Thessalonians 5:23, she was so surprised to hear about her human spirit for the very first time.
There were two open and seeking students who approached the Bibles for America table at the University of Arkansas. Aside from receiving a Bible, they also got all five ministry books we were offering on the table (Basic Elements of the Christian Life, The Economy of God, The All-inclusive Christ, The Knowledge of Life, and The Glorious Church).
An alumni of the University of Arkansas came by the Bibles for America table and took a Basic Elements of the Christian Life for her friend who was a current student at the university. The friend enjoyed reading the first part of the ministry book together with her and later came back to the table to get a Bible.
While handing out New Testament Recovery Versions at Florida International University in Miami, many students with diverse backgrounds were very open and interested in learning about the footnotes in the Bible as well as The Mystery of Human Life, a tract that was passed out along with the Bible. It was very encouraging to see a diverse range of students coming to the table to receive a New Testament and then ask if there was a group of people they could read the Bible with on campus.
Students from the University of Florida have been getting into the book of First Corinthians using ministry excerpts and the Life-study of First Corinthians for their Bible study times on campus. New and young believers who attend this meeting have commented that the ministry portion provided for each time truly opened up the Bible to them in a way they could understand and enjoy.
At the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, we met many students who were beginning to touch ministry books in their pursuit of the Lord. We joined some of the students in reading excerpts or books like The Economy of God and the Life-studies. Many were very open and receptive to the content and the life within the words and appreciated how the ministry publications opened the Bible to them.
During and after reading one chapter of The Economy of God with a college student, we had a good conversation about God’s economy. We discussed the steps taken by the Triune God to reach man, and how His person and all that He has accomplished are made available and experiential to us. Her responses were very positive and insightful.
While meeting with another one of the students in a home, we had the opportunity to share a portion from Eating the Lord with her. The student appreciated the portion and commented on her experience with the Lord. She appreciated how simple it is to receive the Lord and liked that the Christian life was about enjoying Him.
While presenting ministry materials on a table at the university with Bibles for America, we met several students who were seeking the Word of God. In one instance, we handed a gospel tract to a student and told her that we were giving out free Bibles. The student was busy at the moment, but later came to the table on her own accord and was shown how to use the New Testament Recovery Version. She appreciated the footnotes and the references.
A staff member of a university’s athletics department came to the Bibles for America table and was interested in grabbing a study Bible for their child in high school. After explaining the Recovery Version and the help of the footnotes, the person happily took a second copy for themselves as well.
In 1 Timothy 2:1 Paul says, “I exhort therefore, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings be made on behalf of all men.” We could feel the prayers of the saints covering this gospel trip. In one instance, we met a student who was very open and friendly. He even joined us for lunch! During lunch we shared with him concerning Christ being food to us. He was nourished and prayed to receive the Lord! He came to multiple club events and became connected with the serving saints and students. Before the gospel trip was over, he was baptized at a home meeting!
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