IN TOUCH IMPACT TEAM
Word to the World
What is one of the most important things Dr. Stanley has ever asked you to do? He frequently voices the challenge, "Obey God and leave the consequences to Him." Obedience is the hallmark of our love and devotion to God. (John 14:15)
One year ago this month, Dr. Stanley challenged worldwide In Touch supporters to join our Impact Team/Prayer Partnership. While we realized people have always prayed for the ministry and Dr. Stanley, we wanted to build a team of partners who would offer unified prayers for In Touch Ministries' specific needs. We do this by sending a monthly e-mail containing requests and answers to prayers. If you do not have e-mail access, you can request a recorded monthly telephone message.
For me, the most exciting part of 2003 was watching first hand how God answered our unified prayers. Month after month, we saw Him impact lives around the globe with the message of Jesus Christ. The call of Dr. Stanley's heart is to reach the world with the Gospel as quickly and irresistibly as possible. These monthly prayer updates are a constant reminder of God's directive for In Touch and His faithfulness to His obedient servants.
The Charles Stanley Institute for Christian Living is one of the ways God is touching lives. A young lady recently sent an email that expressed what these unified prayers are accomplishing:
"Lord, I come to You ashamed, scared, confused. I ask that You please come into my heart. I know that You are the only one that can fill the void I feel inside. I thirst to have an intimate relationship with You. I know that I have turned from You and sinned—I ask that You forgive me of my sin and cleanse me. I know the only true path to heaven is through You. Please come into my heart and make me whole. Please reveal to me the plan that was created for me by the Father. Amen."
The greatest individual prayer that anyone can offer is the prayer to receive Christ as Lord and Savior.
Thank you for joining the Prayer Team—your prayers are making a difference. If you have not joined, please don't wait another day. God can and will use you to impact lives throughout the world. To join, please see the insert in the center of the magazine, and check the box indicating you would like to be a part of our Prayer Team.
—Robert J. Schipper, Chaplain/
Executive Assistant to the President
Obedient Learning
Being disciples of Jesus Christ means we are pupils of an omniscient Teacher. A critical facet of any student-instructor relationship is the disciple's obedience to his teacher. As Christians, we can be uniquely confident in our Teacher's guidance because He knows the past, present, and future. Even before God directs us, He knows the consequences that will proceed from our obedience.
In Matthew's gospel, we find a poignant—and often overlooked—call to put ourselves under the teaching of Christ. "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (11:29, emphasis added). Among the first directives of Jesus is this request that we practice an obedient discovery of Him. The Old Testament records numerous divine exhortations to learn God's statutes and cling to His words. There is a specific reason why this command is so imperative: "For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding" (Proverbs 2:6).
God's knowledge, which is imparted through the Bible and local churches, is now more readily available than either the Israelites or the early church could have imagined. Unlike high school and college students, disciples of Christ never graduate. Instead, we thirstily seek greater knowledge from our Teacher every day of our lives.
With a vision for giving interested disciples a focused curriculum of Bible-based learning, In Touch launched the Charles Stanley Institute for Christian Living in September, 2002. Over 150 people have graduated from the Faith Foundations course. Many have shared their thoughts about the Institute as they progressed through the coursework. One such message reads:
The course is very enlightening. I truly understand redemption, justification, [and] sanctification, or I understand them much better. You have provided answers to many questions I have had as a new Christian. Bible verses I could not grasp now have a new meaning, and I'm only in my second month of [this course]. I love it and I will search to find more just like it. This is going into the world and making disciples. (Matthew 28:19)
Jesus tells us, "Learn of Me" because He recognized how essential His wisdom is to our work as disciples. Obedience to God's Word results in servants who find fullness of joy in His presence and who eagerly share with others how to find the path of life. (Psalm 16:11)
IN TOUCH DEVELOPMENT
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