December 2015 Update –
Many nations are in near panic as the spectre of ISIS threatens places once deemed safe. At the same time, western civilization is casting off the last constraints of Christendom for oblivion while election candidates promise the trembling faithful to renew the old ways and restore home-field advantage.
We just returned from a month of fruitful ministry in Kraków, Poland where kingdom advance is in stark contrast to the gloomy backdrop of headline news. Kraków is a beautiful city at the epicenter of European history where ancient kingdoms of bygone kings are only evidenced by the castles they left behind. The Nazis plowed through with horrific destruction, but they are also gone. The same will be said of ISIS.
“Then the seventh angel sounded;
and there were loud voices in heaven, saying,
“The kingdom of the world has become
the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ;
and He will reign forever and ever.”
Rev 11:15
According to scripture it is a forgone conclusion that God’s kingdom will be restored but not by wishful candidates who cater to those who make choices too-often based on fear. It is God and God alone who will make that which is wrong into that which is right, but we can be the prelude to that day by not shrinking back in fear but forging ahead in faith and love in obedience to the Great Commission.
The background noise of world events requires that I make this long introduction, but we often require a reset so that ears can rightly hear. When I said that the kingdom of God is advancing in Poland – actually in every nation – I meant that Christians are advancing it. In our last newsletter we had just arrived and started ministry at Christ the King Church in Kraków, and the second half of our trip was highlighted by bringing campus leaders from Lviv, Ukraine to Kraków for encouragement, equipping and strategic planning.
The Kraków team will visit Lviv next spring for an outreach among students, and we also cast the vision with these teams to scout out and start outreach in Cluj, Romania next year. Another major aspect of our ministry in the church was four seminars we taught focusing on team dynamics, healthy leadership and how to better engage the world around us with the Gospel.
We will continue this theme on a longer trip next May, and before that we will be ministering in our first Ukrainian church planting boot camp in February. No, this isn’t an army obstacle course – other than the expected snow – but it will prepare our pastors on how to better do what we have already done and how to do more of it.
In all of this we thank you for standing with us in this critical mission because it is your generous faith that sends us. God bless,
God bless,
Mike and Myra
Pray
1. Increase in financial partners
2. Safety while traveling
3. More campus ministers for Europe
4. Peace in the region
Contact
mike.watkins@everynation.org
