Moving Christians from the pew to the harvest.” Matthew 9:36-38
June 30, 2023
God is good. Pass it on!
I trust you are having a good summer. It’s very hot here in Tucson, but then it is a desert, after all. The toughest part for me has been my restricted activity this month. As you may remember, I had a Moh’s procedure on my hand that required a skin graft, which subsequently became infected. I am happy to report that the infection was treated successfully, the graft seems to have taken, and I am almost back to normal. I had another, smaller cancer removed from my face on June 15. This one did not require a graft, just some fancy stitching. Stitches came out this week and I should be able to shave again on Monday! That makes 3 of these procedures in 10 months. I am done!
Important New Class: The strategy of the devil is always to cripple the local church. Apathy and division are two of the prime weapons in his arsenal, but deception regarding finances is right up there. In recent years, there has been quite a controversy about the tithe. In our crowd, those who came in on the Word of Faith wave, the tithe has been sort of a given in our financial teaching. Recently, however, controversy has reared its ugly head. In the ditch on one side of the road are those who assert that the tithe is a law, and that those who don’t tithe are subject to a curse. The ditch on the other side of the road is occupied by those who contend that since the tithe was under the law, it is no longer applicable to the Church. It’s time we got back in the middle of the highway.
In July and August, I will be teaching a course on the importance of the tithe. I began a serious study of the subject some years ago, and I believe that it’s time to share. The class will be at FCF Tucson on Wednesday evenings at 6:30 PM beginning July 12. It will last 8 weeks, and is open to the public. Those who wish to get Faith Ministry Training Institute credit can preregister, attend at least 6 of the 8 classes, and satisfactorily complete the homework assignment. The classes will be videoed and posted to YouTube when they have been edited. Here are the objectives for the course:
- Identify what is meant by something being “under the Law.”
- Understand the biblical history of the tithe: before the Law, under the Law, in the Messianic transition period, and in the New Testament.
- Enable the student to engage in discussion of the subject from a sound biblical perspective.
- Develop a paradigm for applying the principle of the tithe in the New Testament Church.
- Equip the student to exercise their faith to receive the blessings of the tither.
IEMFe in Hermosillo: I am so pleased with the work of our Hermosillo group! They are finishing the first level of IEMFe and have done a wonderful job. I am including a couple of pictures of things that warm my heart. One is just a class outline open and laying on a chair during a break. It reminds me of all the people who help put these things together, and all those who then take this material and teach it to others in places I may never visit. That’s the nature of the second picture: one of our grads teaching a class in the Bible school in Hermosillo. Those images keep me going. Thank you for making it possible.
I am planning a return to Hermosillo in September to begin the 2nd level course on “Powerful Prayer.” Those of you who have taken this course know that it will bring light to many of the areas where precious Christian people struggle in their prayer lives. Pray for us to get the schedule worked out.
Rescheduling New York. As you may remember, I had to miss my Spring Fling in New York due to being one-handed and recovering from my little health issue. I am now re-scheduling and will be publishing the Fall schedule next month. Pray for God’s guidance and wisdom in putting this trip together.
Thank you for your prayers and support. Many of you have been hanging with us for a long time. We are grateful for your ongoing confidence. God is doing great things and we are in it together.
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 missions or pastorvirgil and it will get where it needs to go. There’s more to come, so let’s stay together and keep moving!
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 