Giving for His Glory
It is 1:00am in the morning and I am writing to you from my room in Tumbang Tarusan. I had just finished the last of the Christmas celebration services in the base churches in Katingan. What a joyous feeling to be among God’s people at this time of the year. In every service, they were soaked in the sweet presence of the Holy Spirit and they worshipped like I have never seen them worshipped before. Tears were flowing down their faces and there was this continuous utterance of “Jesus is so good!” Newcomers to the church gave their lives to Jesus and they were baptized in the Holy Spirit almost straightway. The angels must be rejoicing, and what a sight to behold! My heart was so overwhelmed with gratitude to be called by our Almighty God to serve Him. This must be the highest privilege and honor to be bestowed upon a believer of Jesus Christ.
Progress Report
I am so proud of all the pastors and workers who are under the care of Dehes Ministries. All of them have worked so tirelessly throughout the year, fully committed to the tasks on hand and dedicated to preaching the Gospel to the unsaved. They have not faltered in their calling to serve the Living God. When I asked the pastors about their journey thus far, they were effusive in gratitude. One of the pastors expressed his sentiment this way, “Before the days of Dehes Ministries, my ministry lacks authenticity. I preached the Gospel but I was living in lack in a shack. It was extremely difficult to convince anyone to believe that I serve a God who cares and loves me because in the natural, there was no such evidence in my life. Today, the situation is very different. There is a fully-furnished and equipped house of God and pastori in the village. The villagers know that I am well-supported because they see the stream of visitors who keep coming to our village to visit me and do ministry. They are eager to find out more about this Person called Jesus and through this, I am winning souls for the glory of God. Recently, I was invited by the manager of a nearby logging company to conduct Sunday church service in their business premises every week! I am absolutely delighted with this opportunity to preach the Gospel. Now, on every Sunday I run three church services. My family and I have been so blessed and we are so excited to be serving God. We want to bring more and more people to His kingdom.”
The above is one of the many good results which we are seeing in Katingan. We have been sowing in fertile soil and by the grace of God, we are now reaping the harvest of souls. The lives of the pastors, workers and people of God have been wonderfully impacted by the generosity of all the supporters of Dehes Ministries. In days ahead, I believe we will be seeing more and more of the miracles of God at work in astounding ways in this region of Katingan.
A year passes by so fast and in this very short span of the last 365 days, Dehes Ministries has completed the first satellite church in Buntut Bali, finished about 80% of the second satellite church in Tewang Panjang and completed almost 70% of the church construction project in Tumbang Samba. If all goes according to plan, we expect both projects in Tewang Panjang and Tumbang Samba to be completed by March 2011.
Giving for His Glory.
As I reflect on the ongoing work being undertaken by Dehes Ministries i.e. the monthly financial support which we give to about 30 pastors and workers, the church planting and construction projects, the maintenance costs of the churches we have planted so far, the hectares of land which we had purchased for the pastors to plant rubber trees and farm to support their own living, the maintenance costs of all means of transportations i.e. motor vehicles, motor bikes, klotoks and a variety of other work, I am drawn to the story of Joseph. The Bible says, “The famine was spread over all the face of the earth” (Gen 41:56) and Joseph, the man of authority at that time, opened those great vaults and released the contents to anyone who needed food. Joseph, the man who reaped the rewards of righteousness because God prospered him, freely shares his abundance with others. There was no reluctance at all in his heart to do so. On this point, I want to go on record and state that I personally believe some of the choicest saints in the family of God are those who have walked in integrity as God blessed them with abundance and wealth, and they use it for His glory. By the grace of God, Dehes Ministries have been blessed immensely by the Josephs of this generation. These saints of God worship Him and they go beyond that, they worship Him tangibly with their givings. Generosity is one of the characteristics of the heart of God and the supporters of Dehes Ministries have clearly demonstrated this admirable attribute by their willingness to give for His work. May God continue to bless you as you generously use your affluence for His glory, and your influence and success to make His Word and truth known to the world.
Projects for year 2011
Another agenda which God has been impressing in my heart is the Children’s Ministry. The churches are drawing in an increasing number of children and youth, and this ministry is crucial for the future generations of Christians in this region. We have formulated plans to invest more in this ministry and nurture these children in the ways of the Lord. The land in Tumbang Samba can accommodate a residential home (hostel) for the children and at an opportune time, we are going to build this hostel.
For year 2011, we are also praying that we will be able to embark on the project to build the medical clinic in Tumbang Samba. This will be an iconic project as we step up our efforts to reach the wider community in Katingan. Besides this project, in my last survey of the surrounding villages around our base churches, there are 3 to 4 villages which are showing promising prospects for us to plant satellite churches. Again, we are seeking God’s direction and approval before we build the next church.
All of the above are plans with many components and moving parts, and we at Dehes Ministries are committed to progressing them in a manageable way for the Gospel to be proclaimed and Jesus to be made known more and more. We know that there will be challenges and humbly, we ask that you keep us in your prayer.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2011
At Dehes Ministries, we have had a wonderful, exciting and fulfilling year. I thank all of my fellow colleagues in the ministry who had taken time out from your hectic schedule to minister to our people in Katingan. You have been a great blessing. To all the supporters of Dehes Ministries, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for standing with me this year and supporting this work with your prayers and finances. I know that God will reward your faithfulness and obedience to Him.
As we draw close to the end of year 2010, in my opinion, it is the best time to reflect. Thoughtfully. Silently. Alone. At length. A kind of solitary worship. I pray that 2011 will be the year for you to deepen your roots in the soil of God’s love and grace. May you, your family and church have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Blessings
Sebastian
The Future Generation of Christians in Katingan.
The exciting mission work in Katingan.
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