1Corinthians 10:24 Let no man seek his own, but every man another’s wealth.

One of the greatest tragedies of modern Christians is how selfish we are. That includes church members, pastors, missionaries and me. We are out to get all we can and can all we can get and sit on the can. That is spiritually speaking and materially too.

We have become so money conscious that we want money. We get to keep not to give. We work so we can get more so we can have more. We are not to see our own wealth.

The verse isn’t written primarily about money but it applies. My life is to be lived for others as a born again child of God. I should be seeking to be a blessing in every way possible.

Why is there so much bitterness in the family, because we seek our own? Why is there so much bitterness between nationals and missionaries, because we seek our own? Why is there so much bitterness between Christians, because we seek our own?

Could we meditate today on how to be a blessing to the other guy? Could we focus on being givers and not takers or keepers?

You can also subscribe to the World Evangelism Today podcasts by putting in the url http://sermonfeed.com/visionbaptistchurch/worldevangelismtoday  in your itunes.

HOLT FAMILY

8.8 Earthquake hits Chile!

Thousands are homeless and hundreds are dead a!er one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded shook Chile to its core.

Invest in Chile

Many donations have been made to help rebuild Chile and provide urgent supplies. We are praying that God will use this tragedy to soften hearts to the gospel.

You can invest in the long term spiritual development of Chile by supporting the Chile Baptist College with a monthly offering of $30. This small investment will allow young people to prepare for full-time ministry while gaining practical experience.

All support for this ministry can be sent to:

Chile Baptist College c/o MWBM P. O. Box 519 Braselton, GA 30517

Thankfully no one in our family nor in our church family was harmed during the massive earthquake, but that is not the case for thousands of Chileans.

We were awakened in the early morning hours of February 27th to a horrendous shaking. Lori and I dashed to our children’s rooms and then outside. After a couple of minutes the earthquake was over. For several days we were without electricity, water, phone line, and cell phone coverage as we continued to experience dozens of aftershocks!

After assessing the gravity of the situation of those first few days, a group of eight men from our

church traveled into the hardest hit regions to deliver food and medicine.

While in the city of Concepción, we also handed out more than 25,000 gospel tracks to the survivors of the tragic quake. Their hearts were definitely open and tender to the gospel after having been abruptly reminded of the brevity of life.

Please continue to pray that God will use these events to bring more people to a personal relationship with Jesus.

We also want to thank all those who have given to the Chile Earthquake Relief project!!

Vacation Bible School

A team of more than 40 teens and adults worked together to orchestrate our second VBS. God blessed the combined effort with an overall attendance of 165 children and 60 professions of faith!!

S ending Church

Vision Baptist Church P. O. Box 442 Alpharetta, GA 30005

Thank you for all you do each month for our family! It is our privilege to be your missionaries in Chile!

Jason, Lori, Katie, Joshua, and Andrew Holt

Email – holt@biblicalmissions.com Telephone – 770-456-5675 Website – www.biblicalmissions.com!

1Corinthians 3:7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.

Sometimes we get the wrong impression. We are serving God. We preach and teach and then God does something. He saves some people He builds the church and we begin to think that we did something. Not only did we not do anything but it says here in the verse that we are not any thing.

We exalt men who seem to have bigger ministries. We begin to lift them up in our minds and hearts. We think that they are something special when it is the Lord that does the work.

The Lord Jesus gives the increase. We get rewarded for the work we do but the real work isn’t even done by us. He does the work.

What an honor it was to be ordained on Thursday, February 18, 2010 by Vision Baptist Church and the ordination council. What an honor to know that my local church, as well as several other ordained men of God who have been serving in the ministry, recognize me as chosen and empowered by the Holy Spirit to exercise gifts for ministry within the church. I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry. It is all about Him!

Many of you have already heard, but two days before I was ordained we received some bad news about the child we are expecting in June. Because this pregnancy hasn’t gone as smoothly as our first one, we were a little worried going into the appointment, especially since we had been given no new information at our last appointment. Well, we finally received some answers that day.

We were able to hear the baby’s heart beat and see it’s profile. We were excited! Then the ultrasound technician had to get the doctor and the doctor came in to look at the rest of the baby’s body. After she was done, she took us into a different room and explained the condition of our little baby.

Our baby has what is known as “Body Stalk Anomaly.” Basically, all the organs from the mid-chest down have developed outside the body and have attached themselves to the wall of the placenta. This condition makes the baby “incompatible with life.” If the baby does make it full term then it will most likely pass away during the birthing process or live very shortly thereafter.

With that being said, please be in prayer for the baby, my wife, and our family. The baby is currently living, and Natasha will continue to carry the baby as long as it lives. We know the Lord is in control, and we will continue as normal to see what the Lord does. If the baby passes away before it is full term then Natasha will be induced and give labor to the baby. This could happen at anytime, so we will be going to the doctor regularly for check ups.

We will love this baby as long as it lives. We will tell it of it’s Creator and the love He has for us. We will tell it how it could soon be meeting Him.

We are thankful that the Lord has given us this child. The LORD gives, and the LORD takes away; blessed be the name of the LORD. As the baby lives we will praise the Lord for everyday He has allowed us to have it, and once it passes on, we will continue to praise the Lord!

Thank you for being a part of our team, Project China, with your prayer and financial support!

In Christ,

Mark, Natasha, & Ava Tolson

You can also subscribe to the World Evangelism Today podcasts by putting in the url http://sermonfeed.com/visionbaptistchurch/worldevangelismtoday  in your itunes.

Romans 16:5-16 Likewise greet the church that is in their house. Salute my wellbeloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ. Greet Mary, who bestowed much labour on us. Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellowprisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me. Greet Amplias my beloved in the Lord. Salute Urbane, our helper in Christ, and Stachys my beloved. Salute Apelles approved in Christ. Salute them which are of Aristobulus’ household. Salute Herodion my kinsman. Greet them that be of the household of Narcissus, which are in the Lord. Salute Tryphena and Tryphosa, who labour in the Lord. Salute the beloved Persis, which laboured much in the Lord. Salute Rufus chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine. Salute Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes, and the brethren which are with them. Salute Philologus, and Julia, Nereus, and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints which are with them. Salute one another with an holy kiss. The churches of Christ salute you.

Paul finishes his letter to the Romans. He can’t close out without greeting all of his close friends and coworkers who were laymen. The word laymen can be misunderstood. It is not a term that refers to people in the church that do not do the work of God. It simply refers to people who love God with all of their heart that are looking for ways they can serve. They are not the called to preach. They do not receive a salary from the church. But work, they do!

Notice all the bold print. Think of all that they were doing.

One gives their home to be used as a ministering point.  The church meets there.  A vital ministry greatly blessed and appreciated by Paul.

Mary worked hard to bless Paul. She no doubt did many menial jobs that no one thought that important but Paul stops to say thank you. Maybe she was involved in the cleaning, cooking, set up and take down of the meeting place.

Some had suffered for the faith just like the apostles. The apostles even knew their names and thought about them.

Others were simply helpers but worthy for Paul to take a few verses to say a special thank you that went down in history.

Others labored with him in the ministry. Not sure if that means they were teaching, preaching, discipling but they were in the battle with Paul.

Where are you today? What are you doing in the ministry? It is important. You are needed. Do not stop. God does take note and the Holy Spirit takes the time to remember their names in the Holy Scriptures!

Romans 8:32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

Do you sometimes think that God is being “nit picky!” You know He seems to always trying to find something wrong with you. You can’t seem to measure up. Tell the truth you have fallen into this trap.

Some how we have picked up the idea that God is never pleased with us. We almost think that it is like “pulling eye teeth” to get Him to love us and do good things for us! We think that God is angry with sin and He is. But He has already taken care of your sin account. That is He has taken care of your sins if you are saved.

Quit falling for the lie. He gave His Son. Jesus was and is the most valuable asset in heaven. God has already given Him. Why to you think that He would be so easily aggravated with you? Why does He seem to “nit pick” so much?

Could it be that He doesn’t but you do? Could it be that you do understand His grace?

Believe me everything is “small potatoes” after the gift of Jesus! Relax, He loves you! Where your sin abounds His grace does much more abound. Your response to that is, what will I say to so much grace? Will I sin so that God can just keep pouring out His grace? No, no, God forbid. I will not just abuse His love for me!

Romans 5:20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: exceedingly:

What a wonderful God we serve! How amazing His grace is to all of us who believe. Some where out in life you may have gotten the idea that God loves you because of how good you are or how well you obey. That is not the truth taught here.

God loves you because He is good. He gave the law to show you how much you didn’t deserve His love. Then He said I love you in spite of your failures so that you would be amazed at how good He is.

He loved you like that before you were saved. He loves you in the same way after you are saved. You will never measure up. That is impossible no matter how crippling it is to your pride. He is never impressed with anything you do, good or bad.

So today rest in the fact that He loves you. Your relationship is not works based, oriented, or any other word you could fit in that sentence. He loves you.

Amazing isn’t it!