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May 12, 2014 By Steve Wheeler

Partnership Expands Ministry

“And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20 ESV) Those are encouraging words of promise that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ shared with his disciples just after he delivered the Great Commission to them. Our pastors take the gospel into unreached communities to start churches and this can be a lonely ministry for many reasons. One is that there may be no other believers in the target area—so the pastor’s family alone needs to be the witness for Christ until others begin to believe. Another reason could be that they are isolated by distance and difficult travel from other cooperative ministries—mountainous villages accessible by unmaintained dirt roads, for example. Another reason may be that they are sharing the gospel in a community highly opposed to Christianity and they face persecution daily.

Van Lal Ruat in Magwe, Myanmar shares an example of the persecution his congregation faces in his recent prayer report: The members of my church were converted from Buddhism, the majority religion of our country. When the people in our community discovered their faith in Jesus they persecuted them. One example: our government tried to help poor people by providing loans to start livelihood businesses. But, the authorities said, “If you are Christian, your pastor will have to provide for whatever you need”—and other excuses like this. As such, my members could not get the loans.

Having tea in the home of a church planter. Encouraging times.

We can’t leave our brothers alone! White Fields comes alongside these pastors in partnership, becoming the hands and feet of our Lord in fulfilling the promise he made that they are not alone. The Apostle Paul experienced this partnership with the Philippian church and he expressed thanksgiving for their participation with him in the gospel ministry even in his low days of prison and through the persecution that he experienced. He expressed to them:

Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble. And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. (Philippians 4:14-20 ESV)

These believers shared in Paul’s troubles by sending help on multiple occasions that supplied for Paul’s needs. In this way they kept Paul from being alone.

They were partners, even though they were a long distance away from the frontline action. They were not in the direct ministry like Paul, but their partnership through financial support to Paul advanced the gospel ministry and was pleasing to God. Paul concludes this descriptive partnership by expressing that God will supply all the needs of the givers. In this way God receives praise and worship twice, once when the supplies are given to the worker and secondly when he blesses the faithful giver. He deserves all our praise and worship.

Our Director Steve Wheeler traveling through Africa with our partners in ministry.

Consider for a moment how God has chosen to advance his mission. God could deliver supplies to meet the needs of church planters through any method he would like. He could miraculously have had supplies sprout directly out of the ground—he is, after all, the creator of the world. But, God chose to provide for his ministers through the faithful giving of fellow believers. He incorporates us into the process by allowing us to be faithful stewards—then he promises to supply the givers with blessings. In this way God allows us to act faithfully and present our gifts as “fragrant offerings”—worship to our Lord.

Your participation with White Fields allows us to sustain the gospel ministry of these pastors. It allows us to provide for their needs and accomplish the effective starting of new churches. It also lets us provide livelihood projects for new believers thus proving that God will supply all their needs.

Your partnership advances the gospel. Here is the testimony of a new family in Myanmar who came to faith in Jesus:

I praise God that He used a little girl named Pah Pah Soe to tell her parents of Him. (Pah Pah Soe attends our Sunday school.) Praise the Lord! Their names are Mr. Thein Tan and Mrs. Ma Nge Ma. Mr. Tan shared how they came to know God: “My daughter always prayed to God before meals and before bed. She also prayed whenever she would wake. Several times I forbade her not to believe and follow this other religion, but she always refused me. Many times she told us that there is a living God in heaven and His Son Jesus is the Savior of all men. She would tell us that our god is not living, that we should not worship it because it is just an idol. She said if we continue worshiping it, we will be thrown into the lake of fire. Her words were rooted in my heart and since the first week of February, we have tried to go to Sunday service—my wife and I—and the preaching of the pastor touched our hearts. My wife and I prayed to God and have been studying about the Christian God for several weeks. Eventually we have come to understand clearly that there is a true and living God. Both of us are very happy and have decided to join Pastor Maung Hlaing’s church. Praise the Lord!” This couple was baptized March 16, 2014.

April 24, 2014 By Steve Wheeler

Because I Needed It.

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Cor. 1:18 ESV)

Our pastor shared in his Easter Sunday sermon about an encounter that he had with a five-year-old boy leaving his pre-school class earlier that week. “What have you got in your box there,” the pastor asked the young man. Some boys would just respond, “stuff,” but this boy proceeded to open the container and began to share all the objects that his teacher had used to explain the events leading to the crucifixion of Jesus.

When he pulled out a thorn, he described how the soldiers had made a crown of thorns and shoved it down on Jesus’ head and made him bleed before they eventually hung him on the cross. After hearing about several of the objects in the boy’s box our pastor asked him, “Why did Jesus have to die, why did those people crucify him?” The little boy responded, “Because I needed it.” It is thrilling the way God can work in the heart and mind of a five-year-old to bring them to a genuine understanding of the meaning of the gospel and the death of Jesus for our sin. He died because we needed it. “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21, ESV)

We should never underestimate the power of the gospel when believed by a child, even a five-year-old child. I receive with great joy the testimonies that our pastors around the world share of children who have received Jesus Christ and then are used by God with great power to influence others and even lead their entire family to believe the gospel and serve the true and living God.

Pastor Thawng, our Field Director in Myanmar, shared about a little girl attending the pre-school at the church of Pastor James. One day she came home at the same time a Buddhist monk was visiting her family. He asked her what pre-school she was attending. When she expressed that it was the Christian pre-school he began to rant about how “Christians are bad,” and he was furious with the mother for letting her daughter attend the Christian pre-school. But, after a few minutes of this tirade—the little girl spoke clearly and strongly to the monk. “You better not say bad things about the Christian God or He will hurt you.” The monk backed to the door and as he departed he told the mother, “I must go now or she will take all my power.”

The next day, the mother came to Pastor James and asked, “What power does my daughter possess that would make a Buddhist monk fearful like that?” He shared with her the gospel and explained how to believe in Jesus. He expressed that her daughter had confessed faith in Jesus and that belief meant that she now had the power of God through the indwelling Holy Spirit. That whole family has believed in Jesus Christ, they have been baptized and joined the church.

Here is another testimony of how God used a little girl as told by Pastor Hlaing:

“I praise God that he used a little girl named Soe to tell her parents of him. (Soe attends our Sunday school.) Praise the Lord! Their names are Mr. Tan and Mrs. Ma. Mr. Tan shared how they came to know God: ‘My daughter always prayed to God before meals and before bed. She also prayed whenever she would wake. Several times I forbade her not to believe and follow this other religion, but she always refused me. Many times she told us that there is a living God in heaven and his Son Jesus is the Savior of all men. She would tell us that our god is not living, that we should not worship it because it is just an idol. She said if we continue worshiping it, we will be thrown into the lake of fire. Her words were rooted in my heart and since the first week of February, we have tried to go to Sunday service—my wife and I—and the preaching of the pastor touched our hearts. My wife and I prayed to God and have been studying about the Christian God for several weeks. Eventually we have come to understand clearly that there is a true and living God. Both of us are very happy and have decided to join Pastor Hlaing’s church. Praise the Lord!’ This couple was baptized March 16, 2014.”

I hope that you are encouraged by hearing what God can do, even through small children. He does not need to use mighty and powerful people to expand his kingdom. In fact he often chooses to use the weak and simple to confound the wise.

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” (1 Cor. 1:18-31 ESV)

The support provided by White Fields allows the indigenous pastors and their families to fulfill their mission. They reach children and their families with the hope and peace available only through Jesus Christ.

March 15, 2014 By Steve Wheeler

Radio Interview on KPRZ – Salem Broadcasting

You can listen to a Radio Interview of our Director Steve Wheeler on the David Spoon Experience – The afternoon talk show on KPRZ 1210 am – a Salem Broadcasting Station.

We hope you’ll take a few minutes to listen as Steve answers some questions and explains more about how White Fields ministers through indigenous pastors.

Director Steve Wheeler presents a Commissioned Water Color painting to our Japanese Committee Chairman commemorating our partnership for 50 years.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (14.9MB)

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February 22, 2014 By Steve Wheeler

Reaching Children

The goal of White Fields is to establish self-sustaining new churches. We provide the start-up salary to an indigenous pastor, so that he can minister full-time, sacrificially serving a community that needs an evangelical church.

“Your support helps the children of these communities receive a quality education and relief from poverty.”

Children in poor countries do not automatically receive free education. In some cases school is not available to them without their own supplies. The local church, under the direction of the pastor, establishes ministry outreach to these underprivileged children. The pastor and his wife often start preschools, provide school supplies, and give a foundation that helps children and families rise out of poverty caused by the lack of education.

The church also provides Bible schools that share the gospel, teaching Bible stories and providing opportunities for biblical character development. A community depressed by generations of little or no education—both academic and biblical—is transformed through this ministry.

Because our pastors are from the culture in which they serve, they strategically meet the needs of children and families within their community. Parents can often be reached because of the improved behavior of their children who’ve been transformed by the gospel. Parents and community leaders are often drawn to Christ by observing the compassion of the church toward the weakest children in their community. Street kids, children thrown into a life of begging or prostitution are rescued by the church and given new hope through a relationship with Jesus Christ and ongoing fellowship with a supportive community of Christians. These children will grow into young adults and one day will establish their own families based on Christian principles.

“The character development taught to children through Bible lessons improves the quality of future leaders in the communities, families, and churches.”

In poor communities our pastors establish feeding ministries supported by the members of the local church. Genuine compassion is a natural out-growth in the lives of forgiven and transformed new Christians. Through these ministries a healthy meal shared with the malnourished and less fortunate children of the neighborhood—by the local church members—dramatically impacts the whole community.

By supporting the pastors of White Fields you make possible the generous relief to children through the ongoing ministry of a local church congregation.

But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 19:14

“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me.” Matthew 18:5