May 2013

Hello friends and family,

I pray that all is well with you and yours today! With all the events that have taken place this past month in Boston, MA and West TX, we have a lot to be thankful for if we were unaffected by these tragedies. However we are praying for any of you who were. If there was ever a day to lift our voices in a nation where sin abounds, it’s today. Where sin abounds, that much more does God’s grace. Our job is to proclaim Christ and release His grace!

Over the past few weeks I have been deeply disturbed at the direction our culture and nation is headed in. I feel now more than ever it’s time for the Body of Christ to lay a fresh plumb line of God’s word in our nation. A few short weeks ago the most famous female college basketball player came out and said she was a lesbian. She is one of the top female basketball athletes ever and will probably be drafted number one overall in this years W.N.B.A. The fact that she came “out of the closet” was not a shock, but was celebrated by the commentary on nationally and internationally sports television. A certain commentator during a primetime hour stated this and I quote, “She is a role model for young girls everywhere.” They went on to say that this is a great day for young ladies and wonderful for this generation. I was blown away! I want to preface what I am about to say with this; ever since I got saved and began ministry we have reached people in a gay and lesbian lifestyle consistently for around 15 years. We believe they have every right to state how they want to live and that God loves them and we should love them like anyone else.  However, we should be tolerant but not accepting. I do not accept that a women coming out saying she’s a lesbian is in any was shape or form a “role model”.

If we remain silent on this topic now when we have an opportunity to share the truth, our silence will break the sound barrier and be heard loud and clear throughout our nation for generations to come. If we refuse to act now, our lack of action is action itself. Right now the Supreme Court is weighing out if they will allow same-sex marriage to be the law of the land. We are in a spiritual battle for the nation we once had.

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”                   Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act, is to act.” -Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point that the world and the devil are at the moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christ. Where the battle rages is where the loyalty of the soldier is proved, and to be steady on all the battlefield besides, is merely flight and disgrace if he flinches at this point.”               Martin Luther

As you know, I normally don’t take this much time to speak on a certain topic outside of sharing testimonies but I believe this is from God and it correlates with the need for evangelism in our nation now more than ever before. Allow God to stir your heart to prayer and ask him what you can do as a Spirit-filled believer. When He speaks, act; because time is running out. Remember God’s word, “Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world and God has not given you a Spirit of fear”. Amen!

This month we are continuing to meet and work with two other states that want to adopt the process we’ve put into place in North Texas. This represents between 400 and 500 churches. I’m flying out to one state to meet with their leadership and am sending a final draft proposal to the other. Also, I will be headed off to Orlando, FL next week to meet with Evangelist Daniel Kolenda.   He is the president of C.F.A.N. (the ministry Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke founded). We will be discussing strategies to train and mobilize entire cities to reach America in conjunction with crusades lead by Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke. This is a tremendous opportunity to reach multitudes with the Gospel and work with two great men of God that I respect dearly. Their ministry literally impacts millions every year and this is one of the highest honors any evangelist could be asked to do.

While in Oklahoma we were able to see the God of MIRACLES at work once again. Before the close of the service I began to minister to those bound with arthritis. I felt what Jesus said during His ministry, “The presence of the Lord was present to heal the sick.” People were instantly healed from years of battling this infirmity. One lady had intense pain all in her right side along with arthritis that caused great difficulty; she received an instant miracle. If I recall correctly, this had gone on for over ten years. Others suffered from 5-10 years plus with chronic pain that never subsided. During the time of ministry, all pain vanished. Thank you Jesus for releasing your miracle working power!

This past month has been very fruitful as well. We were able to minister in North and South Dakota, Alabama, Oklahoma, and Texas. Many souls were saved, miracles took place, and churches were challenged and trained to reach their communities. We have also been in the process of working with two Bible schools to develop a track specifically for the office of the evangelist to be trained and released.

Thank you so much for all of your prayer and support. We are truly seeing TOGETHER God’s mission being fulfilled on earth. If you have any prayer requests please let us know and we will hold you up before God.

Together in the harvest,

Joe Oden