December 2007

Dear Friend,

The infinite and personal God of the Old and New Testaments is our Creator. He also sustains His
creation with His wisdom and power. The Christian is to live in anticipation of God’s next move. Anna
and Simeon lived like that and were rewarded in an extraordinary way.

[T]here was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. When he saw the baby Jesus he proclaimed, “Now Lord, Thou dost let Thy bond-servant depart in peace, according to Thy word; For my eyes have seen Thy salvation…” (Luke 2:25-26, 29-30).

And there was a prophetess, Anna… And she never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers. And at that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem (Luke 2:36-38).

Paul, in his Galatian letter (4:4) expressed God’s unique, historic move this way: “But when the
fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son.”

The redeemed of God’s Son, Jesus Christ, are now the largest body of believers in the world. He alerted us to anticipate His next move. The night of His arrest, Jesus told His followers, “…I will come again…” (John 14:3) but first they must be His witnesses to all peoples everywhere (Matthew 28:19 TEV). In a prophetic statement He even told them when to anticipate His return:

And this Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come (Matthew 24:14, emphasis added).

Anticipation! We are the Annas and Simeons of our day–fasting and praying, awaiting God’s next move. We are to toil until He comes. He said we must work while it is day, for a time is coming when no man can work (John 9:4).

Here at FaithSearch, God has provided for the past five years of incredible growth which we’ve
called “Extending the Vision.” (See “Good News for All the People” in our newsletter.) Consider this:
Could we possibly hasten the return of our King Jesus by even greater diligence to the uncompleted task
of proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom to the whole world? What a motivation! What anticipation!
Would you continue (or begin) to invest in FaithSearch International toward that end? God
has greatly expanded our opportunities for ministry in the United States and abroad–faster than the
financial resources available to us to fulfill them. If we do not find additional funds within the next six
months, we must cut back our outreach of the Gospel with evidence–and our staff. We are in great
need of your help.

I have summarized our immediate and ministry project needs in the accompanying chart. This is truly God-sized anticipation!

Operational Expenses		Extending the Vision: Projects which need funding in order to be fulfilled
$75,000	Estimated December expenses	$17,000	India Matching Fund (will double to $34,000 if met)
$120,000	Amount expenses have exceeded income for the year	$24,000	New Translations (Arabic, Nepalese, Indian (2), Chinese)
$195,000	Operational Subtotal	$27,000	Vision for America Fund (outreach with church partners and colleges)
		$32,000	Roy Kruse Transition Fund (amount remaining of $135,000 goal)
		$100,000	ETV Subtotal
		$295,000	TOTAL End-of-Year Goal

This total would balance the entire 2007 calendar year expenses, AND fund these United States and international ministry projects through June, 2008!

Will you help meet our year-end goal? If you wish, you can designate your gift to a specific need on the response form. Otherwise, we will apply your gift where needed most.

A Christmas Meditation

In the newsletter, I wrote how God is calling us to renewed prayer. As an addendum to that article, may I say that there is a deeper dimension to prayer which must not be missed—no matter how much attention, preparation and practice we give to it.

In my own recent journey, I have rediscovered this crucial dimension. I have been concerned that our financial resources are not adequate to sustain our current level of ministry, and this means cutting back both outreach and staff. We have already begun this painful process.

Over the past three years I have worked hard, seeking the money we need to finance the fulfillment of God’s call on the ministry of FaithSearch. With continued shortfalls, I turned to prayer and sought His promises to meet the need. The entire staff, board and friends of the ministry have redoubled their commitment to take our need before the Lord. There is daily progress, but to date a response adequate to avoid further cuts has not been seen.

Every morning lean thine arms awhile Upon the window sill of heaven And gaze upon thy Lord. Then, with the vision in thy heart, Turn strong to meet thy day.

Then the insight and conviction came: God is holding out for love–longing to see desire for the Giver rather than the gift. An unknown author has captured, in the poem to the right, the not-so-subtle nuance in perspective I have been experiencing.

It is easy for us to “gaze” upon the needs before us rather than on the Lord. And though it is not at all difficult for our God to provide “exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20) His spiritual economy places a premium on our relationship with Him. Jesus said it is the greatest and foremost commandment: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37-38). It’s not the need, then, that is of first importance. It’s not even the act of prayer. It’s love, and if you will, He desires our time with Him to be “love talk.” We are to pray with a motivation of love for God and intimate relationship with Him. If we do not love God, we will not likely pray. If we pray without love, we will likely ask with wrong motives (James 4:3).

Christmas—American marketing messages notwithstanding—is the celebration of God’s love: “For
God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish
but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Jesus said, “…abide in My love…” (John 15:9). That’s the prayer of the FaithSearch board and staff
for you this season and throughout the year. We are deeply grateful for your ongoing friendship and
faithfulness.

Praying with anticipation,

Don Bierle
President

 

PS: If you send a gift of $50 or more before December 31, I will send you the new DVD of my message
“Jesus’ Resurrection: Hoax or History?” This inspiring message will encourage your faith throughout the
year, not just at Easter. It provides details on the importance of, and the evidence for, the resurrection
of Jesus. It will help you to be prepared this Easter to refute those who deny the resurrection. Be sure to
request your copy when you send in the response form with your gift.