MINISTRY UPDATE: NOVEMBER 2021
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Thankfulness
1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 says:
"16 Let joy be your continual feast.[j] 17 Make your life a prayer. 18 And in the midst of everything be always giving thanks, for this is God’s perfect plan for you in Christ Jesus.[k]
19 Never restrain or put out the fire of the Holy Spirit.[l] 20 And don’t be one who scorns prophecies,[m] 21 but be faithful to examine them by putting them to the test, and afterward hold tightly to what has proven to be right.[n] 22 Avoid every appearance of evil.
23 Now, may the God of peace and harmony set you apart, making you completely holy. And may your entire being—spirit, soul, and body—be kept completely flawless in the appearing of our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One. 24 The one who calls you by name is trustworthy and will thoroughly complete his work in you."
In the Passion translation, Brian Simmons has some great footnotes about these verses that inspire and challenge me:
1. 5:16 The Aramaic can be translated, “Be joyous in every season.”
2. 5:18 Verses 16–18 identify three areas our lives we must focus on: (1) unbounded joy, (2) praying continually, and (3) giving thanks to God no matter what happens in our lives. These three virtues combine to form the wonderful expression of Christ’s life within us.
3. 5:19 See Song. 8:7.
4. 5:20 There is an implication in the context of vv. 19–20 that we put out the Spirit’s fire when we scorn prophecy. Prophecy is a valid gift of the Holy Spirit needed by the church today. There is no place in Scripture or in church history that indicates the gift of prophecy has ceased or disappeared. It is an active function of the Holy Spirit in the church around the world. We must not ignore, despise, or scorn any true gift of the Holy Spirit. Putting out the fire of the Holy Spirit (v. 19) is connected to scorning the prophetic ministry. We need prophets and prophecy to keep the fire (inspiration) of the Holy Spirit burning in our hearts. See 1 Cor. 12–14.
5. 5:21 The Aramaic can be translated “Regard everything seriously and choose what is best.”
When we look at these footnotes, we can be challenged to be joyous in every season: the season of sowing seeds and waiting for the roots to form and the seed to break through the ground can often feel like nothing is happening! But we are to be joyful in this season. When it is the season to care for and nurture what has been planted, we are to be joyful - even when there are many weeds to remove and we are tired from extending ourselves to all the care tasks! The season for harvesting is what we yearn for... yet when it comes, sometimes our equipment breaks down and we often wonder where the workers are! Even in the season for resting, the ground can have tensions. However, our joy is to be a continual feast as we make our lives a prayer - giving thanks in the midst of everything (the sowing, the waiting, the weeding, the harvesting, the resting... in it all we give thanks!). This is God's plan for us in Christ!
We are to FOCUS on unbounded joy, praying continually as we live out our lives, and giving God thanks no matter what happens in our lives!
I find it interesting that after these words to be joyful and thankful follows the admonition that we are not to restrain or put out the fire of the Holy Spirit. I believe this is because when we focus on these three virtues they combine to form the wonderful expression of Christ's life within us (see Brian's notes from the TPT above). This life of Christ within us comes because of the Holy Spirit that Jesus gave to us when He ascended (John 16:7). When we focus on the world, our loss and failures, our selves, any and all idols; when we complain and make our life about comparison, competition, strife and bickering and not a life of prayer - we quench this fire of the Holy Spirit within us - because we are not living out the wonderful expression of Christ within us... which is the Holy Spirit.
So, as we begin to plan our Thanksgiving celebrations - I challenge us all to make our life a continual prayer and a feast of joy as we give thanks in ALL things - even the hard things - so that the fire of the Holy Spirit will flow through our lives and words, setting us apart as holy and whole, trusting that He will complete His work in and through us.
Text by Robyn Owen-West, Shores Recife Missionary
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Giving Tuesday is less than three weeks away! Will you ask the Father how you can partner with us?
Our goal for Giving Tuesday this year is $40,000! You might be asking yourself why we chose this amount. Well, God has provided miraculously this year and during the pandemic, but we still need approximately $40,000 to close our books for 2021 and start 2022 with a clean slate as we:
- prepare to inaugurate our new home for Vila Betania
- begin preparations on our new rescue home for babies, children with special needs, and teen moms
- pay salaries to our non-missionary staff at Vila Betania and CICAF (our Legal Defense Center)
- continue all of the beautiful missions work we are doing through our various outreaches in Brazil and in Philadelphi In our last newsletter, we also shared about how two of our faithful partners inquired about the possibility of donating stocks to Shores. After consulting some friends who work in finance, we opened a brokerage account with Fidelity. Individuals and companies can now donate from their brokerage accounts directly to Shores of Grace. If you are interested in donating this way, consult your financial institution, as there can be significant tax benefits for donors. We have included our brokerage account information and instructions for donating below:
Name of Broker Company: Fidelity
Broker Address: PO Box 28016, Albuquerque NM 87125-8016
DTC#: 0226
Our Acct Number: Z40-291341
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ECFA Accreditation
We are so excited to announce that as a ministry, we were approved by the ECFA, better known as the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability! According to the ECFA, "ECFA accreditation is based on the ECFA Seven Standards of Responsible Stewardship™, including financial accountability, transparency, sound board governance and ethical fundraising. Shores of Grace Ministries joins a growing number of Christ-centered churches and ministries across America, supported by over 14.6 million donors that have earned the right to display the ECFA seal. When an organization is accredited by ECFA, it demonstrates its willingness to follow the model of biblical accountability."
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Shores Fortaleza - Somos a CasaWe want to share a quick testimony from our Fortaleza base! Our Molotov team (Brazilian jiu-jitsu outreach for the community) has been needing more floor mats for their training sessions. Many of the floor mats they have been using are not in great shape, and the kids are growing and more mats are needed. A few weeks ago, the parents of the kids gathered together to come up with a fundraiser to purchase the needed floor mats. Everything was organized and going well when they received word that someone wanted to donate everything that was needed! Someone decided to purchase and donate all of the needed floor mats to the Molotov team. We are so thankful and blessed to have the support of the community and families who take part in the Molotov team.
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We appreciate you, Billman family!
This month at Shores we celebrated the 11th anniversary of when our ministry's founders, the Billmans, moved to Brazil! We as a staff are so thankful for Nic, Rachael, and their children Christian, Forrest, Leila, and Cassia for all they have sacrificed and sown into at Shores and into Brazil! We know the price has been great, but the recompense has been greater! We celebrate you all and are thankful for you and your yeses! In the photos below, you'll see the Billman family arriving to Brazil in 2010 (left) and the Billman family together in Brazil earlier this year (right)!
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Praises“I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.” - Psalm 9:1 - Our Legal Defense Center, CICAF, was awarded a grant that will allow us to expand our team and help with monthly expenses!
- Our schools are returning in 2022!
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Prayer Requests“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” - Romans 12:12 - For financial provision, both for the lot we purchased and for year-end expenses to close the year well
- For the new Vila Betania house project which has hit some setbacks and is now projected to be completed after the end of January
- For a new girl that we received at Vila Betania; she is 14 and has special needs, so please be praying for her and for our team as we seek to provide the best care possible.
- For the families and children we work with across all aspects of the ministry as holidays approach, as this can be a difficult time of year for many of them.
- For favor with local government and judicial authorities, and for wisdom as we work in partnership with them.
- For prayer for all of our missionaries who serve Jesus and our people so faithfully and fearlessly.
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