1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love,
any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete
my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full
accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit,
but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let
each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests
of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ
Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality
with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form
of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in
human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of
death, even death on a cross.

How Did My Sin Hurt the Church?

Taking Paul’s warning of the danger of selfish ambition seriously, I began to wonder how the church was affected when I became inwardly focused. It took several recent conversations that I have had with missionaries on the field and missionaries preparing to go to the field, to uncover the answer to this question. It is that of missionary care. In my defense, I feel like I was set up to fail in this area, just because of the speculation that surrounds life on mission. The term ‘mission’ even carries with it the connotation that it has a singular focus, holding only those who have been ‘called’ by God accountable for achieving its goal. I was satisfied in taking the backseat, watching God’s plan unfurl without me, thus being lulled into sinful apathy. And it was this same apathy which was the painful thread woven through my missionary conversations.

God did not save me for works of self-indulgence, but gave me as His child the function of obediently humbling myself for the betterment of the church. If the church is filled with saints who don’t act in humble obedience, it becomes blind to the volleys that Satan hurls toward those on the frontlines. Missionaries are assaulted with this hellish fury in the attempt to halt the procession of God’s glory throughout the world. Therefore, we must encourage our brothers and sisters so that they may be strengthened in their mission. Charles Spurgeon speaks of the double edged sword that is the burden most missionaries carry, reaching lost souls paired with hatred of Satan.

‘If the watchman warn them not they shall perish, but their blood will
I require at the watchman’s hands.’ To sit down and spell over the
question—’Am I free of his blood?’ is terrible. I have sometimes
thought I must have a day or two of rest, but I frankly confess that rest is
very little rest to me, for I think I hear the cries of perishing souls, the
wailings of spirits going down to hell, who chide me thus: ‘Preacher,
can you rest? Minister, can you be silent? Ambassador of Jesus can you
cast aside the robes of your office? Up! and to your work again.’… It is a
work so solemn that if you do not encourage your minister, your minister
will probably sink down in despair. Remember that the man himself
needs encouragement, because he is weak. Who is sufficient for these
things? To serve in any part of the spiritual army is dangerous, but to
be a captain is to be doubly exposed. The most of the shots are aimed
at the officers. If Satan can find a flaw in our character, then it will be,
‘Publish it, publish it, publish it!’ If he can lead us to keep back a
doctrine or go amiss in practice, or wander in experience, he is glad
enough. How delighted is the devil to break the vessels of mercy. Pray
for the poor man, whom you expose to perish, if you do not preserve
him by supplication.

If you have ever watched a fight, you know that the weak fighter does not attack his opponent where he is strong, but focuses on his weakness in an effort to cripple him. As missionaries become weakened by the strains of ministry and their endless pursuit of the unsaved, the enemy studies them for the areas in which they are letting their guard down. He lingers patiently until he can strike them. And without brothers on guard, the missionary is blindsided and falls.

Ministry and mission can be heavy. However, the yoke of the gospel mission becomes light when many shoulders of the saints bear it. This usually is not the case, for the church falls prey to the costly lie that missions are a holier breed, of whom sin does not touch. “Well, they looked happy in the picture from their last update, life must be good!” becomes the false thought that we entertain in our heads. Church! Be careful not to make this assumption! A picture cannot capture the suffering and the trials of a missionary that is hidden behind a smile. Let us not wait for the cry of the one who has fallen, but let us be as sentries, looking out for those undergoing the labor of missions and calling the church to their aid. Let us not sit idly silent and then act shocked when they become burned out or are tempted into sin.

God has awakened me to my role in this cycle with questions of conviction. Might it be that the missionary is doing so much work to advance the gospel, that they do not have the time to voice their sufferings? More painfully indicting is the thought that maybe we as a church have trained them not to complain. For we can say to them, “We want only good news.” “We will have to rethink your funding if we don’t see success.” “Christ didn’t complain, neither should you!” These words smell of arrogance, and might I say that frightfully, they generally come out of the mouth of one about to slip down to the pit themselves. So church, be seldom and be wise in your comments of critique, yet be bountiful in words of encouragement. For while it takes many words of encouragement to shore up a soul, it takes but one wayward criticism for it to collapse. Do not make Spurgeon’s words true, “They are more knowing than wise”.

How Do We Encourage Those Who Go?

So brothers, after repentance, we have work to do. But where do we get started? The firstmost powerful and practical step would be to pray for missionaries. Intercede for them as Christ interceded for us to the father. Paul in Colossians declares that Christ is the first over all creation. All things submit to him, for it is through him that all things are sustained. That means there is no power that he cannot overcome. Also, let the missionary know when you pray for them as for what you prayed. Second, speak words of scripture and encouragement to them. Spurgeon writes,

Oh ye that have searched the scriptures through and know its
promises- ye that have been among these beds of spices, and whose
garments smell of frankincense, be sure to quote the promises of
God to trembling hearts, and especially to those engaged in arduous
labor for the Master. Comfort them. Repeat the doctrine of God’s
faithfulness; say to them, ‘He will be with thee, he will not fail thee,
neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.’ Oh that the
wise-hearted in the Lord’s family would be thus employed at all times.

Lastly, there are many creative ways that you can encourage your missionaries:

While missionaries certainly do appreciate the practical gifts that you send, how about sending something that you know that they would
rarely, if ever, treat themselves to.

For missionaries that are married, ask them how their marriage is going. Ask them how they are maintaining God’s view of mission in their
relationships (spouse, children, friends).

Ask married couples what kind of date they would like to go on somewhere near them. They are usually so frugal with their funds, that they
would feel guilty spending lavish money on a date.

Arrange a day that they cannot turn into a mission, but is strictly for the sake of pleasure.

Plan a trip to go and encourage, trips don’t always have to be focused only on some type physical labor, but plan a trip with the focus to
encourage the missionaries heart.

If money is an obstacle for you, here is a website with 13 creative ways to help a missionary that won’t break the bank.

It is a grace that God has awakened me to this blindspot in my life. And as He has shed light on this area in my life, so I want to shed light on this area in your lives as well. But do not be discouraged, for God does not awaken us to areas of oversight or sin that we should dwell there, but He awakens us with a purpose. In the same way you rise out of bed in the morning, not consuming yourself with thoughts of the bed, but about the day ahead, rise from this area of darkness into the light of God’s words with a task to do. If you already are faithful in encouraging, I urge you continue! If this is an area of weakness, start with simple ways to encourage a missionary and see how our God will bless!

This blog post was written by Jesse Bowers, Team Lead for Missions.

Let us look at 2 Corinthians 7:10-11…

10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 11 See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.

While it is easier to praise God than be introspective, we at Apex must not be hesitant to fall to our knees in repentance. For repentance acknowledges regret to God for our shortcomings. As the Holy Spirit reveals error within the church, we must run to our savior for grace and not to ourselves for self-righteous vindication. For within the pain is also found the remedy. As our consciences have been surgically opened and our sin revealed, the extraction of it brings pain, but removal of death brings about new strength.

2 Corinthians 2:11 tells us that repentance bears fruit. As we give up our sins, we are then granted an earnestness to fill the home of evicted sin with gospel truth. We desire to do this quickly, earnestly, making up for the time that sin had devoured. This is not to bring about our own salvation, but is the proper response of one who finally had something to compare their sin to. Death tastes bitter when the sweetness of life in the gospel has touched our lips.

So we run…

We run now to the source of this life. We run to him whose side was pierced for our transgressions. We run to his commands, his authoritative cries of war against death and decay. We run to justice. We run to a hurting world that is still in the throes of the deception of sin.
And as our feet grow swifter, our steps prove with each new impression that we truly have cast off our sin and have become followers who are empowered to do what we once could not.

So, for 2012, sons and daughters of God… repent… then make ready to run!

This blog post was written by Jesse Bowers, Team Lead for Going.

Now that playing field has been leveled, I think that we can rightly look upon the accomplishments of Apex working out God’s mission. Through various Apexers, we were able to reach the following locations: Monterrey & Cancun Mexico, Malawi, India, Pikeville KY, Jamaica, Haiti, Honduras, South Dakota, New York, Zambia, and all of the countries touched by the World Race. This list is not exhaustive, but gives a sampling of how God has mobilized our body to over a dozen places outside of the Miami Valley.

Apart from sending people, we have also sent our money to many places around the world. The missions elders have a heart for the unreached people groups of the world. While many churches choose to send much money and people to places where the gospel has been heard, God has burdened the hearts of the elders to support initiatives that raise up indigenous Christians to take the gospel to their own, many times under oppressive governments. Much of our effort is spent with the organization called TENT that raises of groups throughout India to take the gospel to unreached places. They also focus on creating wealth among the world’s poorest people through reproducible and sustainable microenterprise efforts. Apex Going funds also support many gospel efforts within the 10/40 window, covering areas of North Africa, the Middle East, India, and Southeast Asia. Many of the places that supported are sensitive areas that cannot be reported on, because Christian persecution is so rampant.

Apart from going, we have also seen many people couple. We had the opportunity to see Dr. Vijayam and his wife com from TENT as well as Sunil Daniel who works closely with us, helping to create foundations among some of our ministries, where the mindset among the people for microcredit and microenterprise does not yet exist. Through his efforts, people have been supported in both Honduras and Zambia.

Consistency has defined much of the missions efforts of our church body. One great pillar of world initiatives is our missions cafe. Through Apexers support of the cafe, programs in Mexico for orphans as well as missionaries have been supported. Rita Haworth, who takes on the bulk of the responsibilities of the cafe has been able to travel back and forth to Mexico, establishing relationships and sharing love with orphans who have seen know more of abandonment than of affection. As the new gathering has launched in Xenia, another missions cafe has opened up in that facility to also support missions efforts, with a primary focus on local mission.

This year we were graced with the opportunity to send some of our own into the far reaches of the world. Kaleb and Stacey Elderidge recently departed from America to live amongst the hurting and the poor of Honduras. They are in the process of identifying which village the should choose to become a part of. They are partnering with Heart for Honduras in their efforts. We also had the joy of sending off Kristen Paulick to Cambodia. Kristen traveled on the World race and found her heart burdened for the sex trafficking industry there. Kristen left to live among these hurting girls, sharing the gospel with them and working on ways to teach them to support themselves so that the cycle of slavery can end.

Many ministries have happened this year, too many to mention them all. Our ministry to the world does not overshadow our ministry to our own neighborhoods. Ministries like the Shoes4theShoeless, Target Dayton, Dayton Gospel Mission, Brief Blessings, Family Violence Prevention Centers, ESL Training, Elderly Care, and a host of other efforts have been seen this year, many coming from house churches trying to love on their community.

So Apex, much has been by our church to take the life giving and freeing gospel of our savior to those who are dying and lost. I praise God for His blessing on our church and I pray that He would continue to bless has we abide obediently in Him. We must never be satisfied that we have done enough. Our efforts should grow as our church body matures. We did much in 2011, but we can serve our God more in 2012. Philippians 3 must be our foundation as we look to a new year. What has been done in the past year is done, but we are on a constant ascent to true obedience in Christ. As we serve our Lord, we must remember to invite others who are not yet rapture by God’s heart for the lost and show them the joy that they are missing, if they do not obediently serve. God has blessed Apex and may He continue to bless Apex, and to Him be the glory for all things!

Monday through Friday of this week, you will hear from leaders of the various areas of ministry here at Apex. We hope that these summaries of the past year are not only an encouragement as we move into 2012, but they are a continual reminder of our desperate need for God as we seek to do the things He has called us all to.

We are excited to see what His plan is for us as part of His church, His bride in 2012. We hope you are as well.

by Erin Hoy

Colonial HC, a Kettering-area house church, has had several opportunities this summer to engage neighborhoods with Watermelon Parties. Watermelon Parties are designed to reach kids with the love of Jesus through songs, games, crafts, snacks (including watermelon!), and a gospel presentation.

The house church took time off of their regularly scheduled meeting time to prepare for and host the parties. Using resources provided by Apex, the church passed out fliers and personally invited their neighbors to the parties.

Approximately twenty kids showed up to one of their events, most of whom were non-believers. The kids were attentive during the gospel presentation and asked questions throughout. At the end of the presentation, three kids invited Jesus into their lives. Members of the house church had conversations with those kids after the event. The idea is that house church members will follow up with the families of those who accepted Christ and continue developing the relationships that were started at the party.

One of the Colonial HC members, Scott, was able to teach for another HC’s watermelon party as well. It attracted a large number of people from India. Interestingly, at this party, the adults were very alert to what was being said.

In addition to being an outreach opportunity, these parties served to build community within the house church. Shared experiences and working together as a team foster healthy interdependence and help us to see the value that each person contributes to the body as a whole.

God knows the level of impact that these and other events have on people

The band was set. The hot dogs were cooking. We were praying that God would bring the right people.

Of course He did.

At the end of July, many Apex house churches united together with Chris Brownleigh & the Horlacher house church in Region 3. Their house church has been tutoring and mentoring the kids from the nearby St. Vincent de Paul