Moving Christians from the pew to the harvest.” Matthew 9:36-38
January 18, 2023
It’s Kingdom time!
I trust you have recovered from the holidays. What a joyous and exhausting time! We are back to work as usual and it seems very busy. One of the traditions I have created for myself is to take an annual retreat toward the end of the year to get quiet, pray, and listen. This time, I waited until the last moment, spending three days away between Christmas and New Year. As He always does, the Lord talked to me about me. I am still under construction. He also made a little tweak in my ritual this year by directing me to the writings of the Apostle John. Paul’s letters have always been my “go-to” for ministry instruction, but John had plenty to tell me for 2023.
I want to share just a few things to encourage you and inform you concerning the days that lie ahead.
- God wants us to return to the Bible when it comes to grace and sin. He is gracious, but He also wants you to put away sin. The time for license or legalism has passed. Moving beyond sin consciousness into sonship.
- The faith that was delivered to us from the fathers is based on a real experience with the risen Christ. It’s not theology that saves us, it’s Christophany: He’s alive. I know He’s alive. He is dynamically involved in my daily life.
- God wants us confident in our salvation, confident in our prayer life, and confident in our witness to the resurrected Jesus.
- There will be an emphasis on restoring the fallen, reviving the apathetic, and demonstrating more than telling.
- The financial system of the world is going to be shaken to its foundations. It is absolutely imperative that we decide which Kingdom we are going to live in. In this season, it matters!
The blessing of the LORD makes one rich, And He adds no sorrow with it.
Proverbs 10:22 NKJV
You can make money using the world’s methods, and many have done so. For believers, it’s a time for deciding: Who do I trust? This year I’m focused on the importance of the tithe. It is the gateway to Kingdom finances. The idea of godly prosperity, in particular the tithe, has taken a lot of abuse. There is a reason for that: Satan wants you to fail and fall away. The argument these days is that the tithe was under the Mosaic Law and is not for us today. While tithing was included under the Law, that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the blessings of the tither under our new and better covenant. I will be posting material on tithing on www.pastorvirgil.com, as well as teaching and recording a course on it very soon.
News from the front:
Recovery from Addiction. While hanging around in Tucson over the holidays, I was blessed to minister twice at a local rehab. God showed up to touch lives. There are lots of hungry, desperate people looking for something real. We’ve got it. Let’s share it.
Mexico: The annualCongreso of Ministerio de Fe Cristian is coming up January 26-28 in Hermosillo, Sonora. We missed the last 2 years due to the pandemic. (They had the meeting last year, but our entire Tucson team got Covid a few days before and had to stay home.) We are ready to go! My Tucson team includes Pastor John Smith, Pastor Randy Winkles, Rev. Joshua Taylor, Rev. Gabe Rascon, and me. I’ll be teaching an Upper Level class on “The Ministry of the Pastor” in the morning sessions.
Please pray for this conference. The political / cartel situation has been volatile in many places, though so far Hermosillo seems calm. We need safe passage, favor with authorities, provision, and anointing as we minister refreshing to pastors and leaders from several churches. The theme of the meeting is “Restaurando el altar.” (Restoring the altar). It’s time to rekindle the flame, worship our King, and stir up the Church.
Upcoming Events:
January 22. FCF Tucson. 10 AM
January 26-28. Hermosillo. Sonora. Congreso 2023
February 28-March 2. FCF West Regional Meeting. Tucson, AZ.
April 21-22. Southern Arizona Pastors, Leaders and Volunteers Gathering
April 23. His Presence Church. Tucson, AZ. 10:30 AM
May 26-June 11. New York Spring Tour. Details pending
Help Wanted Progress: God has been good. We have new helpers in many areas. We are going forward with the sorting of the “Out of the Abundance of the Heart” emails to form a devotional collection. Now we need some help in updating our books for Kindle publication. It’s relatively easy and can be done by anyone with a computer and internet connection. Any volunteers?
Thank you for your prayers and support. Thank you for your support in what we do. I’m confident that this will be a year of progress for the faithful. As we each do our part, God always does His. I look forward to working with you in 2023.
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 and designate for missions or pastorvirgil and it will get where it needs to go. We pray consistently that God bless you as you obey Him in giving. He is faithful.
Please follow us at 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.
We are yours in His service,
Virgil and Judy Stokes
3141 W. Ironwood Hill Dr.
Tucson AZ, 85745
520-792-3238
pastorvirgil.com 