Why Give
His pirate ship shot out from beneath him and most of his barbarous mates dead, he floated unconscious to shore. Natives found him, nursed him back to health, and introduced him to Jesus as Savior.
He turned himself in to the Philippine government and spent 15 years in prison. After his release he became a pastor. Covenant Church sent funds to help his ministry. Because we invested in him other churches and pastors believed he had been chosen to lead. They came under his supervision.
When Covenant Church was in a building program and was challenged, the Philippine congregation sent a sacrificial offering of several months of a man's salary to encourage us to trust the Lord.
The canoe had to be man-powered between islands. The missionary and his wife crossed dangerous waters to take the gospel where it had not been heard. Covenant Church sent money to help buy a boat.
The missionary's wife had TB. Covenant Church sent medical funds for her to have treatment.
Rowing the new boat the missionary would putter. His wife would ask, "What are you doing?" He would answer, "I am sounding like the motor God is going to give us."
Covenant Church gave $900 to purchase a motor for the boat.
Sam Yegnazzar is Iranian and married to an Iranian. He is the mentor of Raji, our Dear Brother in Mumbai who has led a team to witness to more than 10,000 prostitutes, recovering hundreds of them out of sexual slavery to become followers of Jesus.
Sam and his wife Lynn founded an Iranian church in London, which grew large and has been transferred to another pastor. Sam's primary challenge is a Bible college that he founded to train Iranian missionaries. The Bible college meets in various parts of the world, sometimes secretly, to train missionaries who come out of Iran, or who are going to Iran.
Recently, the Iranian government approved a new law that sentences to death anyone who is not a Muslim, if they do not convert to Islam. If a person is Islamic and turns to another faith they are also under sentence of death.
In the next few weeks numerous Iranian missionaries will meet to be trained, refreshed, and spend time in prayer before they return under sentence of death to continue to share the gospel.
Sam has stood in Covenant's pulpit. We know his heart for Christ.
Call him the Radio Man. He was a much feared and fierce policeman and Muslim in Indonesia. Highly skilled in Arabic and studies of the Koran, he rose to the level of Imam (priest) as a Muslim.
He gave his heart to Jesus. Living in the middle of a Muslim village he built a compound, obtained crude radio transmission equipment, put up a bamboo pole for signal, and at night would send out messages about Jesus.
Gradually, through gifts by Covenant and many other churches and people the Radio Man improved equipment and transmitted to all of Indonesia. He could engage intellectual Muslims in conversation, confound them, and was successful in having many Imams of Islam come to Jesus.
His son took the ministry after his death. His son died in a tragic motorcycle accident. The Radio Man's daughter is struggling to keep the ministry going.
Call him Axel. He may have been the son of a mobster. A non-kin woman became his mother in Puerto Rico.
From a highly prosperous lifestyle, God called him to Jesus. He totally gave his heart to follow, and successfully built a missions organization that established international connections. In time he was asked to bring his organization alongside a larger native mission organization and lead the both of them. He is humble, self-effacing, and asks for no recognition.
Even as I write this he is in Palestine. He lives and breathes missions. He is passionate about going where many would fear to go. He can tell stories like putting a Bible on a dashboard, turning off headlights, and holding a flashlight on the Bible while driving down narrow streets lined with guns to kill any one not trusted.
Jordon, Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine are in this trip. He is seeing, encouraging, and gathering information to share with supporters here at home.
Three times each week Hope Community Center sends a van through Charlottesville. Homeless persons are transported to the Center where they can bathe, change clothes, have soap and deodorant, get some food and water, and check on computers for jobs.
You could visit Hope Center after school one evening and see children from a needy neighborhood in a computer lab with UVA student mentors. It would do your heart good.
Fact is, doing good things takes money. For these stories and a thousand more I plan to go to Church, take my tithes and a mission offering. If I live I will see you at Covenant Church Sunday. I love to give and be walking along in faith with giving people.
Much love
Pastor Bare
Ezekiel 16:49,50