Moving Christians from the pew to the harvest.” Matthew 9:36-38
I’m grateful for the faithful.
I trust that God has been good to you this summer. He has been good to us. The last month has been very busy, though I have been home in Tucson most of the time. Thank you for your continued prayers and support. I can’t really put into words how much it means that you continue to have confidence in us.
This year, I have been concentrating on the writings of Paul as they reveal his attitude toward the churches. One thing that stands out is his emphasis on character and relationship. He never commended anyone on their great preaching. When he sent someone as his representative, he never said, “You’ll love Timothy. He’s got a great fresh revelation on prosperity.” He always referred to their relationship to him, and on their faithfulness in service. Notice a couple of things he said about Timothy:
For this reason I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church.
1 Corinthians 4:17 NKJV
But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may be encouraged when I know your state. For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus. But you know his proven character, that as a son with his father he served with me in the gospel.
Philippians 2:19-22 NKJV
Here’s Tim’s resume: “He is a faithful son. He will teach you what I taught him. He loves you as much as I do. He’s not self-centered, He’s all about the message and the people. You know his character because you’ve seen how he serves me. When he brings me a report, I know it will be true.”
I am blessed to have so many in my life who measure up to this standard. As the years go by, the importance of these connections grows more obvious. In the midst of the process, it’s easy to get focused on problems, and that includes problem people. The pain and inconvenience caused by the unfaithful is easy to remember. The quiet faithfulness of the loyal is less dramatic, but they outnumber the other kind. Maybe take a little extra effort this month to appreciate the faithful who just get the job done.
Great news on Hermosillo and beyond:
A big “Thank you” to FMTI grad Gary Ford, for helping us with our plans to live-stream classes and pastors’ meetings in Hermosillo. Gary provided us with a portable sound and video set-up, then he and his friend, Michael, took the time to teach me how to use it. These guys are real pros, and I appreciate their gifts very much. This will make what we do available to many more people.
In another answer to prayer: Vanessa Valenzuela has been helping us with translation, both for our Zoom Leaders sessions, and the Ayuda para Sanar healing videos. She is extremely busy with school and work, but she has made time to assist us. Thank you, Vanessa!
Upcoming Events:
- August 20: Memorial Service for Rev. Dennis Cook. 4 PM at Heartland Church 3611 State Rte. 19 Sharpsville, IN. 46068
- August 21: Faith Fellowship Ministries in Fairbury, Illinois.
- August 26-28. Water Walkers 520 Men’s Retreat
- September 12-14: Recovery in the Pines. Prescott AZ
- September 29–30: IEMFe 2. Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico
- October 1: Pastors Breakfast. Hermosillo, Sonora
- October 23-31: New York tour. Details TBA
Help Wanted: I’m still looking for some help with getting our written material ready for publication. Pray for us that we can find two people: one to prepare written materials for publication, and another (or more than one) to help with translating them into Spanish.
Thank you for your prayers and support. I run out of creative ways to express how much we appreciate you. I guess you will have to settle for “Thank you!”
Financial support can be sent to Faith Christian Fellowship of Tucson at the address below or given online at www.fcftucson.org. Make checks payable to FCFT, you can designate for missions or pastorvirgil and it will get where it needs to go. Thanks for hangin’ in with us.
PLEASE!!!! Don’t forget to visit www.pastorvirgil.com. There’s new stuff every week. You don’t want to miss it. Share it with your friends. You can help by looking at the Pastorvirgil.com Facebook page and hitting “Follow.” Whenever you see a post, share it. This will help us reach more people. We also maintain a Facebook page in Spanish @IEMFeonline.
Yours in His service,
Virgil and Judy Stokes
3141 W. Ironwood Hill Dr.
Tucson AZ, 85745
520-792-3238
pastorvirgil.com 