Numbers Matter To God

WE ARE ALL ABOUT THE NUMBERS.

Every number, every statistic, represents a life that was changed: A life filled with hope and purpose, a story of redemption and grace, people far from God filled with life in Christ.

"Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day." -Acts 2:41

"But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand." -Acts 4:4

"So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers." -Acts 16:5

"Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession." -Psalm 2:8

Over the last 18 years we have seen approximately:

• 3,263 baptisms
• $7,030,299 given to missions locally and worldwide
• 1,000 - 1,500 in ministry
• 564 missionaries in 73 nations

Our future goals include:

• 1 soul a day saved and moved into discipleship
• 2,750 in worship each week
• 100 in Celebrate Recovery each week
• 100% in ministry
• 100% in Bible study
• 600 people to go on 30+ mission trips

WE ARE ALL ABOUT THE NUMBERS.

Every number, every statistic, represents a life that was changed: a life filled with hope and purpose, a story of redemption and grace, people far from God filled with life in Christ.

Aim at the Target, Part 2 of 5

Often the pastoral staff at Tomoka Christian Church, where I am privileged to serve, is asked this question, “What do you do for evangelism?” We pondered this question the first time we were asked, but now have a standard response of “Everything!”

Every ministry that Tomoka Christian Church is a part of is an evangelistic weapon. The church was given only one mission.

“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’ ” –Matthew 28:18-20

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” –Acts 1:8

Why do churches think they exclude evangelism and still please God or even be called the church of Jesus Christ? We have one target, one aim, one victory: SOULS SAVED! Paul said it this way in 1 Corinthians 9:19-26: “Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.”

What an amazing statement of purpose. Paul says that whatever it takes we should win souls for Jesus! He also says we should become all things to all men so that some might be saved. This vision should drive the church of Jesus to work both locally and globally. Soul winning should be the goal of all ministries. If it is not, the ministry should be eliminated as dead weight from the body of Christ.

Therefore, a few of the evangelism ministries that Tomoka Christian Church is involved in are:

• Nursery Ministry
• Preschool ministry
• Grade School ministry
• Middle school ministry
• High school ministry
• College ministry
• Amazing Grays (Senior citizens)
• Daytona Outreach Center
• Celebrate Recovery
• Worship & Creative Arts
• Sandwich Ministry for homeless
• Prayer Ministry
• Church Camp
• Vacation Bible School
• Nursing Home ministry
• Prison/jail ministry
• Food Pantry
• Hispanic Ministry
• Home School Ministry
• Jesus Clinic – free medical care
• Sports Ministry
• Angel Food Ministry
• Biblical Counseling Ministry
• Hospital Visitation Ministry
• Life Groups
• Holy Ground Café (benefits mission teams)
• Sermons on CD Ministry
• Thrift Store (proceeds benefit missions)
• Biblical Counseling
• Adoption Ministry
• Celebrate Recovery
• Parking Ministry
• Christian Motorcyclists
• Fall Carnival to the community
• Legal Counsel Ministry
• Community Clean-up Ministry
• Guest Relations
• Military Ministry
• Homeless Sandwich Ministry
• Pro-Life Ministry
• Radio Ministry
• Transportation Ministry
• Sermons online
• Weekly Email Express
• Ministry to shut-ins
• Widows Ministry
• Griefshare Ministry
  

Collectively, we get to be one big evangelistic weapon, namely individuals who love their Savior and their church.

Next we address the big issue of global evangelism. One of our goals at Tomoka Christian Church is to plant a church in every nation in the world and every state in the United States, in every major city in Florida, and in key cities in Volusia County. This is being carried out through our Missions Ministry.

More tomorrow!

Aim at the Target, Part 1 of 5

I recently completed coursework for a doctorate in theology. I worked for months on my thesis on church growth, researching thriving churches and interviewing their leaders on various topics. I thought I’d share a chapter, one portion of it each day this week.

During World War II, America was focused on one objective, simple enough, to “Win the War.” The goal was not to make politicians happy, build relationships with other countries, or to appease Americans. The goal to win the war was obvious, so all of America participated.

• Men went to war.
• Women went to work.
• Everyone contributed goods for recycling for the war effort.
• Families planted victory gardens.
• Families bought war bonds to support the one aim – defeat our enemies.
  

Today, in the midst of a great battle against terrorism that is far more global in scope than our enemies in WWII, America cannot seem to find the target. One writer has stated: “America is not at war, our military is at war. America is at the mall or a Hollywood screening.”

With multiple objectives and no reason or passion for victory, even if victory could be defined by the politicians, victory is nearly impossible. The only way that war can be successful is with one target as the goal and that target being victory over our enemy.

I penned these thoughts for they are an exact replica of what has happened to leadership in many local churches in America today.

• No consensus about what war to fight.
• No consensus that there is a war.
• No consensus on what victory is in the Kingdom.
• No consensus as to how to invest resources to reach a victory.
• No consensus as to a spiritual purpose or calling.
  

This is a tragedy of immense proportion when we remember that Jesus left the local church on earth to finish His work of building the Kingdom of God. One writer has said, “The local church is the hope of the world.” We are the “Body of Christ,” therefore:

• We bring good news
• Visit the sick
• Feed the hungry
• Build hospitals
• Clothe the naked
• Build orphanages
• Plant churches
• Train leaders
• Disciple believers
• Go into every nation, city, and house with the Good News of Jesus

Part two will be posted tomorrow.

Evangelizing in the darkest corners of the world

A 59-member team of young evangelists in Ethiopia that those of Tomoka Christian financially supported has returned to their home base after a month of mission work to dangerous Orthodox- and Muslim-dominated Ethiopian cities. Shelly Hilvety, their mentor in the capital city of Addis Ababa, recently threw a party for them all to celebrate their safe return. At the party, the young evangelists shared many victories with her — including healings and conversions of those they met, but also beatings and a failed poisoning attempt of team members by those dead-set against the gospel. Below are some details from Shelly.

Greetings from Addis Ababa. Just wanted to share with you what I know of the 59 young people who went to the countryside to cities to share the gospel in Ethiopia. In one month's time they shared with 9,964 people. Those who accepted Christ will be discipled by the host churches in those cities where the young people stayed. We still don't have a complete account of how many accepted Christ. In these cities, residents are mostly Orthodox and Muslim so the conversion rate will be lower than what we expect. But their job was to plant the seeds and God will bring the increase.

God's hand was completely upon this trip. In one city they cast out six demonic spirits. In another city many deaf people were healed and backsliders came back to Christ.

With all these victories came many persecutions. The water was bad, the food was not good and the sleeping conditions were not something that any of us would have accepted. Some had stones thrown at them. Others were told they would be killed if they shared the gospel, but they shared and no one was killed. One person was whipped and two were beaten by police in the jail. A whole team would have been poisoned if it hadn't been for a waitress telling them to order something else. This happens often when people try to share the gospel.

Upon their return, I bought three sheep for the celebration camp fire and they ate and ate and ate! But the food was not the blessing. The joy on their faces as they shared what had happened was amazing. God's glory was all over those young people. I had the chance to challenge them to continue to share the word in Addis Ababa and the villages. This work is God's work and He protected them all the way.

Thank you so much for allowing these young people to experience mission work in their own country. Thank you that your faithfulness to bless us financially, allowing for 9,964 people to hear the gospel message in one month’s time. Please keep these young people in your prayers because when victories come here, Satan in not very far behind trying to choke out the joys of all the work that was done.

A glimpse of the providence of God

One of our missionaries in the Arab World shared an inspiring story related to Bibles that Tomoka Christian donated. Our missionary’s account is here:

I was speaking at a lecture recently in Alexandria, Egypt. During one of the breaks, a Sudanese man came up and introduced himself. He expressed appreciation for the work of Christian Arabic Services, which I lead and which Tomoka Christian supports, then proceeded to share a story with me that is so unusual that it could only be the result of God’s hand.

The Sudanese man told me an unbelievable story that happened to the Bibles which Tomoka Christian donated and shipped to Sudan. The man chosen to deliver the books, Mongo, is a Sudanese evangelist trained by Christian Arabic Services years before. He planned to take them to the Nuba Mountain region and use them to begin mission work in that area of few Christians. But on one leg of the trip, which was by boat, he suddenly realized that two of the 13 boxes he was certain he had left with was missing or had been taken. The boxes held about 250 Bibles!

Mongo kept on with the boxes he still had, well aware that the area he was headed was full of extremists who had slaughtered (together with the government troops) thousands of Christians in the last 40 years. After a short visit with family living nearby, Mongo headed to the area where he had a vision and a plan to evangelize and start a church. Upon arrival, he stopped by to visit the Sultan of the area (like a president for the tribe) just for acquaintance — though he was strongly warned by friends not to go because the Sultan was very prejudiced.

Surprisingly, after a few minutes of getting acquainted, Mongo found a few of the missing Bibles in the Sultan’s office! He deduced from the number of questions the Sultan was asking him about Christianity that he had been reading the Bible, at least for a few weeks, and that he knew about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.

To Mongo’s astonishment, the Sultan allowed him to evangelize in his area and allowed him also to start a church in the Nuba Mountain region — where there are no churches of any denomination at all!

Please pray for Mongo’s safety, because since that report no word has been received from him. Prayers also are needed for mission work in Sudan and the Arab World.