Warm greetings in the Savior!
I trust that you are living in victory and joy, rooted in gratitude for how good the Lord is to you, and in the eternal plans He is working out through you and your service for Him!
As I write, I am in my fourth week away from home. (Glenda was here in the field with me at the first part of the journey.)
And here’s what I’ve observed in these four intensive weeks: It’s sensational how much can be accomplished when you stay at the big tasks!
In Spain, we’ve been working on expanding the ministry into more areas of the country, AND the acquisition of a campus for the next phase of ministry, AND a major leadership transition to make our work even more effective. “Busy” doesn’t begin to describe it! But it’s not tiring—it’s inspiring!
These are three BIG assignments, but they constitute a huge step forward in the ministry to Spain, to Europe, and beyond. There is great enthusiasm among the students, the teachers, and the leaders as we unveil dreams and plans, and grasp the amazing potential they represent!
Manny III and friends from Washington visited, taking in a whirlwind tour of the country and our ministry sites. It was wonderful to share and show what God has been accomplishing through your generous giving and faithful prayers for many years now!
This was one of those foretastes of heaven where “the root meets the fruit.” People who join the Lord in His work get to see what joys we will share in heaven!
It all happens because we’re working on projects that God prepared beforehand for us (Ephesians 2:10). We have a cherished position! We celebrate God’s goodness toward us, as we become channels of blessing—with eternal results!
The friends who visited with us in Spain are just beginning the journey that you and I have been on together for so long. They’re just beginning to experience the joys! You and I have had the privilege of serving in the company of the Godhead at their work. . . .
- The Father wills His work into existence.
- Jesus is the Agent who does the will of the Father.
- The Spirit is the empowering Energy that gives us the ability to do the work which the flesh cannot accomplish.
The effects in real time are exciting! We see this theology unfolding in the lives and ministries of our students as they engage in ministry, evangelizing and discipling and planting churches.
It’s literally a dream come true! More than 30 years, I had this specific thought:
If the proposed vision takes root, we should hear joyful conversations of students who have gone out to the neighborhoods and towns and villages.
They should come back rejoicing bringing in the sheaves . . . sharing how God showed up wherever they went . . .
. . . and how people got saved, and joined them in the Gospel, and in Bible study, eager to discover the abundant life that God promises and delivers!
And we’re witnessing it now! It’s cause for celebration!
Oh yes, I know, there’s a famine of joy, a lack of abundant life, in many parts of our nation, and all around the world. There are troubles and hardships.
But Paul says, even in a tough, harsh world of circumstances, “we are more than conquerors.”
“We overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37-39).
Paul prays that as we learn how we fit into the work of the Godhead, we will discover the full dimensions of God’s love (Ephesians 3:14-19):
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,
from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name,
that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory,
to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,
so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;
and that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length
and height and depth,
and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge,
that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
This wonderful passage gives us the coordinates of the abundant life God intends for us to enjoy!
This is not mere “philosophy” or “theory.” This is not some floating concept that lacks substance, some puff-ball type of reality. Our joy, our abundant life, is built on a stronger-than-steel structure—an ocean liner of realities that translate into a POWERFUL Christian life!
God asks rhetorically, “Is my hand so short that I cannot ransom you from trouble? Or do I not have power to deliver you?” (Isaiah 50:2, paraphrased). God is saying, When I showed up, no one came around!
He is eager to come to help, to rescue and save, to empower us in the difficulties of life. He did not write a certificate of divorce to abandon His people. He is not a delinquent or absent Father.
God has made a rich, substantial commitment to us; He wants us to understand that as we join Him we need not be threatened by the false idea that our resources and strength are small and restricted. He comes to us—and as we grow in our obedience and trust, we will serve Him effectively, by His power, His grace!
There is a beautiful section of the book of Isaiah known as The Songs of the Servant (portions of Isaiah 42, 49, 50, and 52). In these passages, Jesus our captain is in view, and He is the perfect example of God’s Servant. He illustrates for us how God the Father has prepared Him for great service.
Hear these words of life, the foundations of Christ’s excellent service, in Isaiah 50:4:
“The Lord has given me the tongue of disciples” . . . Intimacy with the Father had taught Him what to say in His ministry.
“That I may know how to sustain the weary” . . . This is how Jesus could say, Come unto Me all you who are weary and I will give you rest.
“He awakens me morning by morning, He awakens my ear to listen as a disciple. The Lord has opened my ear; And I was not disobedient. Nor did I turn back.”
The Lord gives us, as His servants, the ability and the willingness to hear His voice and to respond in obedience to His instructions. And the servant does not turn back from what He has heard!
Even when the Servant Christ had to give His back to those who used whips on Him, he was obedient: “I gave my back to those who strike me, and my cheeks to those who pluck out the beard; I did not cover my face from humiliation and spitting” (Isaiah 50:5,6).
The horrendous agonies that Jesus endured for you and me are the foundation for our gratitude and our service. Our motivation for service is that we have the privilege of serving as a conduit of His great love. We let His sacrifice flow through us, out to a world He wants us to reach with His grace and compassion.
We are seeing these truths in action everywhere God sends us, the world over.
Just around the corner: a new field in Central Asia!
We’re scheduled to meet with leaders there at the end of March and the first of April. Fifty young men and women eagerly await whether they have qualified to join us as church planters.
May the lost hear the message that unto them was born a Savior! May the people who walk in darkness see His Great Light!
In April, beyond the launching of the first 100 church plants in this field, I’ll go with a larger team from the U.S. and our home office to a gathering in Cuba organized by Manny III. This venture will help friends see first-hand what the Lord is doing through you in Cuba—and replicating in other countries: Venezuela, Asia, and a growing list of others.
Yet even with all this activity, God’s love has not run out. He so loved the world that He gave His Son—and the Son has called us to go into all the world with the Good News!
Every day, it seems, there’s another God-given opportunity to obey.
A student recently said to me:
“I’ve been talking to the leaders in Peru, and they want to ask—for the third time—if you will come to Peru and be the speaker for a week of missions meetings.
They know you keep busy and have schedule limitations. So they want you to choose the week of the year when you can come.
They asked if you can please be prepared to sit down with them and help them strategize how we can do accelerated church planting in Peru.”
The Lord has opened my ear. I hear His instructions. I will not turn back. Even if smiters smite me!
But I need you to go with me, in spirit, in prayer, in giving. Please let me hear from you. I urge you to ask God how generous you can be. May He bless you for following His leading!
Thank you for opening your ears; thank you for hearing His voice; thank you for pressing on! I have decided to follow Jesus—no turning back, no turning back!
In the Footsteps of the Servant,
Dr. Manny Fernandez
P.S. Not everyone can go in person. But everyone can go in spirit. Each of us can do what God has equipped us, personally, and individually, to do. I know you will do your part today! Thank you again! May God bless you.