Dear family and friends:
“The house of Stephanus…have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints…” (1 Corinthians 16:15)
When the Lord opened the door to Macedonia, Achaia, Asia Minor and Rome before the Apostle Paul, it resulted in his taking on “many adversaries” along with the deal. (1 Corinthians 16:9) He knew the message of the cross that he brought to these regions was offensive to their ears, (Galatians 5:11), and that it had been predicted of his ministry that he would suffer great things (Acts 9:16) for Jesus’ name’s sake. Owning the cause of Christ meant taking on the enemies of Christ…and Paul had been among the chief of those, so he had some idea of what was in store for him.
He also didn’t know some of the blessings that awaited him. His benefactors—those who made it possible for him to do the work of ministry, like Stephanus, (1 Corinthians 16:14-18)—were those about whom he “boasted” incessantly. (2 Corinthians 11:10) The Philippians’ sacrificial giving resulted in the soaringly joyous letter to them, beginning with, “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,” and ending with “my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
We say so often that one of the most inspiring things about our ministry is getting to meet some of God’s most amazing people, (future trophies! Eph. 2:7), and seeing Him move in their hearts when they hear about lives being changed through the power of the Gospel. Here are a few statements showing God at work in them on our behalf:
“God has just put such a love for you in my heart! I pray for you every day.”
“The time I make the check for you each month is my time to pray for you. This is the most important check I make out. I support you because God told me to. I mean that.”
“You are such a blessing to me. I usually run from people like you, only because I have no control over your abundant loving heart, but I’m learning that you can’t run from one of God’s blessings.”
“God told us to increase our giving as a real step of faith, [unknown to them, it precisely replaced what we had lost the previous day—Mike], and as a result, He has blessed us twice as much as ever before.”
“It was just amazing how the Lord worked in bringing us together.”
“You’re the couple from California with Campus Crusade? I have heard my friend speak often about you and your work. I really need to meet you.”
“Really, this is a privilege for us. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to invest in your ministry.”
“Guess I’d better close…I’m literally on my 2nd pen and it’s 5:00AM—just felt called to get up and pray for you.”