"Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake" Matthew. 5:11
October 1999 Newsletter
"Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you,
and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake" Matthew. 5:11
VICTORY OVER THE VOLITILE
For several years now one of our publick ministry fellow-soldiers, pastor Tim Cronan has been very consistent to provide his small town in New Hampshire with a publick gospel witness. We have been privileged to minister with him on several occasions. His town, Littleton, is a quaint New England tourist town in the far north of the state nestled in the White mountains. Neither our Lord, nor his messengers are received very well among these who have grown to become very independent of their Creator. For several years Bro. Cronan and his faithful folk have had to endure the harsh words of verbal persecution from a local independent. He has made himself a complete and total cussing fool for his god. Although pastor Cronan has written letters and made complaints against this devil, his publick rantings have gone unchecked by the police, both local and state. This enemy of the gospel finally wrote a letter to the church protesting and condemning their publick witness and signed it. Bro. Cronan responded with a letter detailing the events of the past years and mentioning that his people, including women and children have only sought the righteous welfare of the community by exposing them to the dangerous consequences of sin and the one and only escape. In this effort they have had to withstand against his obnoxious verbal onslaught. Believe it or not, the heckler apologized. He drove by this past Saturday and waved and smiled as the gospel was once again sent forth unto the people.
"A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger" Proverbs 15:1. Notice several things to be learned here.
His women and children were not hidden away safely at home but were exposed to the conflict and enjoyed part of the victory. To observe sin in its natural setting only strengthens the soldier of any age or gender.
The pastor did not back down or wimp out, but met this challenge in the correct manner. Had his flesh argued publickly against this opposition the result would, no doubt, have been different.
The pastor, his church, and without doubt the town has seen righteousness prevail over unrighteousness and good over evil. This will serve as good public relations for years to come and may supply the next generation of publick ministers in Littleton with the openness and strength to continue.
I’m all for war but we are only to go to war after receiving good advice. Proverbs 20:18. The Bible says "A wise son heareth his father’s instruction" Proverbs 13:1 All of us can learn from this situation which was handled wisely and ended in favor of publick ministry. Good job pastor Cronan, and may your people continue to follow you in your battle.
ON THE STREETS
We joined forces once again with the faithful troops in Delaware and made an assault on a shopping center in Dover. After many tracts and witnesses to the folk coming and going, the theater let out and the sinners made a countercharge against our witness. When the battle was over there were several saved and we had not lost a man. While in Baltimore, MD. we served with veteran publick minister Don Harman and pastor Bill Hanks and some of his folk. We not only ministered publickly to the lunch crowd downtown but also went to a park in the down-and-out part of town to minister food and clothing to the body and bread to the soul. This was a delightful experience for the team and is a great ministry done by this church. They have a motor home that serves as a mobile rescue mission. Back again with the troops in Delaware, we ministered the gospel to many lost souls in Milford, DE. Nine souls came to know the Lord that night and I was honored to lead two young fellows aged 11 and 12 to the Lord.
NOTES OF INTEREST TO PUBLICK MINISTRY
1. Dan Hershberger is a young Amish man who was saved last year through the ministry of pastor Dave Widner of Brewster Baptist church in Brewster, OH. Dan well reflected the Amish culture in that he was extremely introverted. At first it seemed that publick ministry would be out of the question for such a man as he, but his constant exposure to this courage producing ministry has now produced a bold street preacher. Last month Dan was able to go out publickly, even among his own people and preach to them in their native German tongue. He now is in charge of the children’s church and Sunday school and is looking toward the full time ministry. Like I wrote in "Rebuking in the Gate" publick ministry will improve every aspect of your life.
2. Bear’s trial date for disturbance of the peace has been postponed until Nov. 29…..PRAY
3. Ken Lansing’s trial concerning access to Beale St during festivals is Nov. 3 in appellate court in Cincinnati, OH. The outcome will ultimately affect our national convention there.
4.Continue to pray for Billy Eubank’s full recovery. He has really had a bout with ill health.
IN THE CHURCHES
We were honored to minister in the following churches in October. First Baptist pastor Rowland Scott, Marydel, MD, First Baptist, pastor Sam Ingram, Frederica, DE, Blessed Hope Baptist, pastor Bill Hanks, Bel Air, MD, Bible Baptist, pastor Aaron Samples, Gainsville, FL and Open Bible Baptist, pastor Wayne Wells, Palatka, FL.
We continue to have need of nothing but your prayer...
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