Method of White Fields

August 13, 2014 By Steve Wheeler

On Air Media Presentation

We are grateful for the opportunity our Director Steve Wheeler had to be interviewed by David Spoon host of the afternoon talk show on KPRZ Christian Radio station in San Diego. You can listen to our interview here. God’s kingdom is too big for any one mission agency to adequately fulfill all the ministry needed to reach our world. David explores the specific and unique ministry of White Fields with our director. Hear about the unique opportunity one of our pastors in the Middle East had to be a witness for Jesus Christ. You can listen to KPRZ at 1210 AM in San Diego.

LISTEN TO PART ONE OF THE INTERVIEW

You can listen along as David and Steve explore how the ministry of White Fields provides a conduit between North American Support Partners and National Pastors and their families. You can also join them in prayer as they uplift the baby daughter of one of our partners as she is approaching an upcoming surgery.

LISTEN TO PART TWO OF THE INTERVIEW

HERE ARE THE LINKS TO THE VIDEOS DAVID MENTIONED IN THE INTERVIEW

White Fields Mission Video

TYPHOONS. . . CYCLONES . . . white fields response

white fields ONLY GOD KNOWS

YOU CAN FIND ALL OUR VIDEOS AT OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL

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August 12, 2014 By Steve Wheeler

Thinking Ahead

What can we do to help people affected by disasters like Typhoons, Cyclones and Tsunamis. The partners that provide the support to start new churches in these poor communities are helping put first responders, with the love of Jesus, right in the places where they will be needed most. By starting a new church and sharing the gospel, teaching and making disciples of the new members–a team of responders are available the next time a disaster happens.

WATCH A SHORT VIDEO ABOUT DISASTER RELIEF BY LOCAL CHURCHES

The remains of a house in the neighborhood of one of the White Fields churches following a typhoon.

Many of the people that live in these communities, live in very simple structures made from the local building materials available. The Pastors and their families help the members of the church reach out in love to assist their neighbors. Often the congregation will share their own limited resources with non-members who have lost everything. This example of self-sacrifice becomes a tremendous testimony of how the love of Jesus is displayed in real life situations.

Our support for the salary to sustain the pastor and his family is designed to provide the means to get the church started. After they get established then the congregation begins to support the ministry and sustain the local church. The ministry keeps helping the community over and over. In addition to the initial response after the disaster – local pastors provide ongoing leadership to help manage resources and get the whole community back on their feet.

We need more partners to share their resources to help start new churches. Then we have a network of local survivors who love the Lord and will minister to their neighbors when a disaster strikes.

JOIN the support team here:

July 10, 2014 By Steve Wheeler

First Priority: The Gospel

In North America we live in an environment that has traditionally been among a majority of “Christians.” Even though we may now be recognizing certain coming limitations on our freedoms to live and speak as Christians, we still have major freedoms — for instance the right and privilege to gather openly in public to worship. Not everyone in the world enjoys that freedom.

White Fields is supporting pastors in places where the restrictions on religious freedom are severe. Some face rules and restrictions from their government. In other places the pastors and their families face the danger of persecution by individuals or groups who vehemently oppose Jesus Christ.

In Myanmar (formerly called Burma) some of our pastors are facing heated persecution and resistance from the local village and Buddhist leadership — like this testimony:

“In the beginning of May, I appointed an evangelist to work in a certain village where there is no existing church. All the people in this village are Buddhist. Sadly, the chief of the village and the people were very angry and they did not want any Christian teacher or evangelist to evangelize their village. So they chased him out. I sent him to another village and the chief allowed him to stay for six months! Praise God for answering our prayers for this!” (Pastor Ngun)

These evangelists are not afraid to bring the gospel to their people — even into dangerous places. They also attribute the success in the other village, even after failing to gain access in one place — to your prayers! God can open the door of the heart of people to hear the gospel. These pastors continue to preach the gospel — just like during the book of Acts. Even when the disciples were persecuted in one place they moved to another place: “Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.” (Acts 8:4 ESV)

In Myanmar there is also a new development in the government. They are considering a new law: The Religious Conversion Bill. This bill was introduced in May by some zealous Buddhist Monks that want the government to make it illegal for a Buddhist to convert to another religion without the permission of a Buddhist Board delegated by the government. Although they say this bill is to protect people from being forced to convert to Islam (A frequent occurrence when Muslim men marry Buddhist women), the bill also makes it a crime to “proselytize.” The bill would provide a one or two year prison sentence to anyone leading a person to convert from Buddhism (The Majority religion in Myanmar) to any other religion including the voluntary conversion to Christianity.

You can read a news article about the bill here: http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/national-news/10811-interfaith-marriage-push-met-with-opposition.html

Our pastors will not quit because of the opposition. They will even be strengthened in their commitment and motivation to reach their countrymen with the gospel. Your prayers can help! Please pray for God to provide wisdom and strength.

During the days of Acts, Peter and John were detained by the high Priests and commanded not to speak any longer in the name of Jesus. The response of the apostles was that they must obey God. “So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had happened.” (Acts 4:18-21 ESV)

We are praying that our brothers and sisters in Myanmar will retain the current freedom to bring people to their house and share the gospel. But, if the law denies that privilege, then we are praying for their strength and wisdom to serve God first and not man. The gospel is the priority. You have the ability to stand with our pastors in prayer.

LISTEN TO PASTOR NGUN’S STORY:

KPRZ — Salem Communication Radio Spot

God is Able

I never cease to be amazed at what God can do. In the days during the Acts of the Apostles, God used persecution to scatter and spread the influence of the church. What the authorities thought would be a persecution to stop the spread, God reversed the intended actions and caused the persecution to spread the gospel even further: “The Church in Antioch Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.” (Acts 11:19-21 ESV)

God is so able to bring good out of what man means to be harm that one of the main persecutors of the church became one of the greatest evangelist — Saul converted to become Paul the Apostle.

But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. (Acts 9:1-5 ESV) But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” (Acts 9:13-16 ESV)

God is still moving among men like this today: “From May 29 to 31, an evangelist came from the city. He is a very gifted preacher, especially among Buddhist people because he was converted to Christ from Buddhism. The people were interested in hearing about salvation. I also met several people through my outreach ministry. U Oo is interested in knowing more about Jesus. Pray he will continue to study about Jesus and the way of salvation.” (Pastor Tam)

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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.

PRAY

On this page, you can follow the progress of our pastors and pray for them. Your intercession will result in thanksgiving to God as He answers the prayers of His people.

Select a Country and Pray for a Pastor:
AFRICA Ι JAPAN Ι MIDDLE EAST Ι MYANMAR Ι PHILIPPINES

“You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.”
2 Corinthians 1:11

Our privilege to bring our requests to the Creator of the universe is amazing. That God would allow us to worship Him, and praise his goodness and omnipotence is believable, but to realize that The Almighty God of the universe allows us, and even encourages us to bring our needs to him is fantastic. Yet that is precisely what we discover throughout the pages of Scripture.

This verse from 2 Corinthians 1:11 expresses several great truths about prayer.

First, notice that we can help and assist others towards positive results in their ministry through our partnership in prayer. The Apostle Paul requests assistance through prayer from the church in Corinth. God will answer our intercession for the needs of ministers working at a far distance from where we are praying. It is God’s prerogative to bless them by answering our prayer requests on their behalf. In this process, we become team members of their ministry.

Secondly, the answers to prayer ignite thanksgiving to God. The result of our teamwork is not higher praise of ourselves, but rather a multiplication of the worship given to God. We are aware of the frontline workers for the gospel, and many gifted preachers may be famous within the Christian community. But, we will not be mindful of the prayer warriors until we reach heaven. God will receive the praise and glory for his answers to their prayers.

Thirdly, we note that there are two groups of the “many” in this verse. God is pleased to have groups of people coming to him with the same requests. He has expressed in Scripture that he is present in the midst of two or three. Here there is a request that “many” should pray. That is a fundamental goal in the ministry of White Fields. We bring the requests from the pastors around the world, translate the prayer reports, edit them for ease to understand, and then distribute them to our prayer partners. I know that God is pleased when “many” seek his face with the requests of these pastors. Maybe it is because it demonstrates our faith that God is able to answer the request even though we are so far away.

The second group of the “many” is on the other end of the prayer request. The people experiencing the answer to the prayer give thanks to God. To help our humanness, God has placed us in the middle of the process of intercession. If God just provided for the needs, but there was no prayer involved, we might not recognize that it was God giving the provision.

To illustrate this connection, let me share an experience I once had. I was in the Philippines just a few hours after sunrise. I made a phone call to my wife, who was standing on the beach in San Diego, watching the sunset. As I spoke with her, she expressed that the sun had just dipped below the horizon. I said, “I’m looking at the same sun right here, and it is rising in the sky.” It struck me then that prayer is just like that.

Someone in some part of the world may feel that they are facing tremendous struggles, (the sun is setting, and their world is getting dark). But, I can pray to our Heavenly Father (who I see is high in the sky), and he will answer the request. When that answer comes, the “many” on the receiving end give thanks to God because he provided the solution to their need.

I call this vital part of the ministry Intercessory Teamwork. I hope you will join us in bringing the prayer requests to our Lord. Our team of translators and editors prepare the monthly reports from our pastors. Click on the link to one of the countries above and pray for our pastors. Together we will bring every request and every praise before our Lord.

Method of White Fields

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