Can I tell you about an overlooked nation in our world—Burma! Burma (also called Myanmar) is a country in Southeast Asia. The population of Burma is 54 million, of which 88% of the people are Buddhists, and only 6% are Christian. One of our LIFE TEAM leaders, “Paul,” is from Burma, but he and his family now live in India. Meaning, he is able to cross the border and conduct our video & food events in both countries. The photo below shows Burmese people worshipping God at our recent event in a church in Burma. Notice the people are wearing coats because it is winter. They have no heating system in most, if not all, churches and homes in Burma (and most third-world countries). So, to stay warm, they needed to wear coats in the church during the event. A total of 68 people publicly accepted Jesus Christ, of which some are drug addicts turning to the Lord for help and deliverance! Our team also gave the people food and salvation tracts in the Burmese language!
Not only was “Paul” recently representing our ministry in Burma, but also in India! The bottom photo shows Paul interpreting our outreach video—The Cross—to a group of people gathered in an Indian church. Paul reported that 35 people in this Indian village repented of their sin and accepted Jesus Christ! And, he said that “many [Christian] backsliders rededicated their lives to Christ and…seven church leaders were encouraged by the cross video message.” Paul said he also “distributed rice and Bibles and many tracts to people.”
Paul’s ministry in Burma and India is one example of the courageous men and women God has brought into our ministry to lead our global LIFE TEAMS. Currently, we have 10 LIFE TEAMS in 6 countries, with over 20 more prospective LIFE TEAM leaders around the world on our “waiting list.” Those on our waiting list cannot be added to our teams until we have more funding. As for our international crusades, I turn down around 90% of the opportunities we have for crusades. Having more supporters will allow us to both add more LIFE TEAMS and to conduct more crusades around the world! I need, and I am asking for, your help and consideration in the following way…
JUST ONE: Would you please tell just ONE of your friends and/or family members about our ministry? If you believe in our ministry, would you take the initiative in the next week or so to have your friend over for a meal, or meet them for coffee, or call them, and simply share with them about the lives God is changing through our ministry? You can give them the included information card and envelope and ask them to fill it out and return to me. And, you can give them our recent newsletters and website: www.scottnute.org. Word-of-mouth from people who believe in our ministry is a primary way our ministry grows! Last year, on average, it cost our ministry just $9.78 for each person we saw make a public decision for Jesus Christ (8,022 decisions in 2018)! So, I feel it would be worth your time investment to tell others about our ministry. You bringing just ONE new supporter into our ministry will not only change people’s lives here and now, but will also compound both the eternal joy, and the eternal rewards, you will be given later in Heaven by God Himself…as the Bible says, “Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account” (Philippians 4:17).
Thank you for believing in us and for joining hearts with us!
For the world,
Scott Nute
One day while I was in the gym (this was around the year 1990, back in the good ol’ days when I was still strong and lifting weights) an acquaintance approached me and asked if I would give him a “spot” for his next set of squats. A spotter is the person who stands behind the person doing the squat exercise, like in the photo, and helps him stand up if he gets “stuck.” The guy who asked me to spot him happened to be a national weightlifting competitor. The amount of weight he had on the weightlifting bar was around 600 pounds, the same as the amount in the photo. I was a bit hesitant because I knew that if he got “stuck” I may not be able to help get him up with that much weight. Typically, for that much weight, you use at least 2 spotters. But, he said one spotter was enough because he could “handle” that weight. So, he went under the bar and raised it up from the weightlifting rack. HOWEVER, he had forgotten to put “safety clips” on both sides of the weightlifting bar, so there was just one side that had a clip. Clips keep the weights from slipping off of the ends of the weightlifting bar, especially when using heavy weights because the bar will bend downward. Well, as you can guess, when he took the weights off the rack, the bar bent and immediately the cast-iron weights on the side of the bar with no clip fell onto the floor like a striking explosion of sharp thunder! THEN, after one side of weights emptied onto the floor, the bar tipped to the other side, which had the clip on it, holding that one side of weights onto the bar. The end of the 45-lb steel bar (like the one on the photo) now emptied of its weights bounced around the metal weightlifting rack like a ping-pong ball, just missing our heads and bodies. The entire crowd of people in the gym turned around because the noise, and the impact, shook the entire building! After this crazy incident I returned, a bit stunned, to my workout. This guy put the weights back on the bar, this time with safety clips on both ends of the bar, and he approached me—again—asking me to spot him. I said NO WAY!
Lately (fall of 2017 through 2018), a certain verse in the Bible has been my anthem! It is 2 Corinthians 4:17, where Scripture says, “Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” I began to memorize this verse and it has been running through my mind the past few weeks. The words in bold are what hit me the most. Notice the contrasting words “light” vs. “far outweighs.” Found in these contrasting words is a crucial life application for us as Christians! In this life all of us have experienced troubles! Such as the loss of a loved one, or a cancer diagnosis, or a major financial setback, or a seriously sick child, or an addiction, or pain from our past…and any, and every, other possible life issues that exist. Personally, the last year has been rough! My mom had a stroke, and a pastor helping in one of our international crusades was murdered for being involved in our crusade, and I reinjured a surgically repaired shoulder, along with other stuff. These circumstances, and “stuff,” along with many others, mysteriously triggered a deeper, and hopefully the deepest and final, layer of trauma I experienced from ongoing, life-threatening, childhood sexual abuse. The “ingredients,” and overall context, contained within the time period I was abused sent (and damaged and changed) my brain’s flight-fight-freeze “emergency” mechanism into Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD), which is the severe form of PTSD. This happened so that when I was that 11-12 year old boy, I would survive what was happening to me. Now, decades later, I am still working through the trauma.
The “weighted” issues we face throughout our lives are real and important! Sometimes our life issues are extremely painful, and even life threatening. The Bible verse given above is not saying we should minimize our troubles, put on a fake smile, “suck it up,” and over-spiritualize the reality of our light and momentary life troubles. Scriptures are not to be used as a band-aid of denial to escape the reality of our troubles! Rather, to those of us who have accepted, and who are following, Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, this verse offers us very real and strong hope! Imagine this verse applying to us this way: the “weight” of losing a loved one to cancer, or of a hurricane taking our home, or of a troubled child, and anything else in life that hurts us and “weighs” us down, is equal to the amount of weight the man is weighed down with in the photo, around 600 pounds—an overwhelming amount of weight! Now, imagine our 600 pounds of “light and momentary troubles” are put on one side of a balance scale, and on the other side is placed a 600 million pound block of concrete. Our “light” 600 pounds is “far outweighed” by the 600 million pound concrete block. This is what life on earth vs. eternity is like! Our “light troubles” throughout our “momentary” earthly life that, on average, lasts 77 years, will “achieve” for us—in Christ—a level of glory, praise, power, love, and peace that will infinitely “outweigh” our earthly troubles in both quality and quantity! That word “achieve” means this in Greek: “work down to the end-point…to an exact, definite conclusion…bring to decisive finality…end-conclusion.” Simply put, the total weight of our pain during our Christian life—if we allow God to work in and through our pain according to His will—will be transformed into, and completed into, eternal glory, joy, peace, and rewards, that will be one million times “heavier” than the weight of our earthly pain! At some specific year, month, week, day, minute, and second in the future, our life on this earth will end. THEN…try and imagine one million, one billion, one trillion years, and then some, of millions of pounds of eternal life completely and totally overflowing our souls and spirits and eternal spiritual bodies with love, joy, and peace…to then share it all—forever—in eternal fellowship with Jesus, and our Christian family, and our Christian friends, and every other Christian who has ever lived! At that second, it will all be worth it!
Achieving eternal glory,
Scott Nute
How many times have you heard someone say, “Don’t judge others and don’t judge me! That is what the Bible says…we are not supposed to judge people!” The next time someone says that would you respectfully and sincerely ask them to explain to you the context of what they mean, and where in the Bible does it say that? There is a chance they will take the Bible out of context in an attempt to explain what they mean. So, it is important for us to be informed of what Biblical judgment means so that we can accurately answer the questions: 1) Are We to Judge Other People? And, 2) Are Christians to Judge Other Christians? The majority of the following blog will focus on question 2.
I am by no means a Greek or Hebrew Bible scholar and have no Seminary degree, and do not in any way want to hint I think I am a Bible expert by writing this article, as I am not even close. Rather, my goal is to cover a general topic using some basic Greek New Testament as evidence. Feel free to look up the following words in Greek for yourself for your own study to formulate your own opinions.
In my personal opinion, the Church as we have it today—the Body of Christ—especially in the United States, slowly began entering a theological “cotton candy” phase decades ago. On a larger scale much of the country and world, due to satellite television and the internet, become exposed to, and began “drifting” toward, an easier, softer, sweeter, more comfortable, self-absorbed “Gospel.” Society in general seems to have subtly moved into the “me, my family, and I” focus instead of others and the Great Commission focus. By that I am not saying we are too neglect our duty to love and care for our families, friends, etc., but rather we must realize that in each of our Christian lives the Great Commission is to be of utmost importance! In this day and age, we are at a point where it is not “politically correct (PC)” to have much, if any, discipline in the church. Nor is it PC to have any confrontation for questionable “gray area” behaviors or outright sinful behaviors. If we do, then people, including many Christians, are quick to whip out their out-of-context Bible knowledge and quote from the “Bible” where it says, “Do not judge others” in Matthew 7:1. But, they just stop after that one verse, which leaves a huge hole in the fuller contextual meaning of what the word “judge” really means. So, let’s look at this word “judge” as we should, in the full context of what the Bible means, as this Biblical word “judge” actually has different meanings and applications to our lives.
First, let’s look at 1 Corinthians, Chapter 5, where the context is serious sexual immorality taking place by Christians. Verse 12-13 says, “What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. ‘Expel the wicked man from among you.’” What Paul was basically saying here is to confront, discipline, and if necessary, expel and “judge” the Christians committing incest. Paul said to expel and to “judge” these Christians in the hope they will repent and stop their sinful behaviors and return to the Church. However, those outside the church, the non-Christians, we are not to “judge” because they aren’t believers yet. If we distance ourselves from every sexually immoral person who is not a Christian, how will they ever hear the Gospel and have the chance to repent and accept the love and mercy of Jesus Christ? In a nutshell, Paul was saying in the world outside the church there is going to be lots of sin, which is “normal” for the satanic world and this should not shock us. However, inside the church where believers in Christ are, there should be much less sin, and if a brother or sister in Christ is in sin we are to “judge” them. Now, the big question is…what does this word “judge” really mean?
In these verses we just read, 1 Corinthians 5:12-13, the word “judge” is the Greek word, “krino,” which means “to divide, separate, to make a distinction.” Imagine taking a knife and cutting open an envelope you received in the mail to see what is inside. This is basically what this word means…to open up, to investigate, and to scrutinize. In this particular text, “krino” does not necessarily mean to judge in a condemning final verdict. Rather, to “judge” by questioning inner content and motives, and by questioning outer choices, and by evaluating the possible effects certain behaviors and such can have on ourselves, and on others, in the short and long term.
This Greek word “krino” is also used in the verse we started with, “Do not judge…” in Matthew 7:1. It is a mistake, however, to stop after the first verse of this chapter, so for context, here is Matthew 7:1-5, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”
In these verses we find the same Greek work “krino” that was used in 1 Corinthians 5:12-13, where, let me say again, the Bible told us we are to “judge” Christians inside the Kingdom of God. Krino is used 4 times in this text of Scripture in Matthew 7:1-5, which means it is an important word to have been used that many times in just a few verses. As we study the entire context, at least two things are clear: 1) We are not to “judge/krino” others if we have not first evaluated our own lives for “planks” of sin, as it says in verses 3-5. Example: if I watch pornography, how can I go talk/judge/krino to a brother in Christ who lost his family due to his pornography addiction? I would be a hypocrite, as it says in verses 4-5. 2) After we evaluate our own lives, and have sought and received outside objective Biblical counsel and accountability, and after we have removed our “planks” in our lives, we are to then humbly and respectfully go to our brother/sister in Christ and lovingly “judge/krino” them—perhaps with tough love—and talk to them about any questionable behaviors they are doing in their Christian life. We don’t “condemn” them, as that is a different Greek word we will talk about next. But rather we confront them on their behaviors and choices for the sake of questioning them, and scrutinizing their choices, and talking to them to see if they understand, and see, that some of their choices and behaviors are questionable and can damage their walk and witness for Jesus Christ.
Let’s move on to a second word used for “judge” in the New Testament. We just alluded to it, it is the Greek word “katakrima” that is used for judging as a “condemnation.” This word is found in Romans 8:1, which says, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation (Katakrima) for those who are in Christ Jesus.” This word, katakrima, is related to the word “krino,” but the addition of the suffix “ma” makes this word the result of judgment. In other words, katakrima is the aftereffects of being judged, found guilty, and sentenced by a judge. One commentator said it this way, katakrima is “the exact sentence of condemnation handed down after due process.” Here is a way to illustrate the difference between these similar Greek words Krino and Katakrima. Let’s say we are in a courtroom observing a trial, and the lawyers are presenting their evidence…the lawyers are dividing, investigating, scrutinizing, and dissecting all the evidence. In a sense, the lawyers are “judging” the person accused of the crime by deeply evaluating all the evidence…this is the word “krino” in action when the lawyers investigate the evidence stemming from the life and circumstances of the accused person standing trial. But, the lawyers do not make the final decision of guilt or innocence. That is what the judge does.
After the lawyer’s “judge/krino” the evidence and circumstances of their case and of the people involved, they then hand their case to the judge who, after hearing all the evidence, makes the final “judgment/katakrima” of guilt or innocence. This is what the word “katakrima” can mean: “a condemnatory judgment based on the evidence presented to a judicial judge who finds a person innocent or guilty based on the evidence.” So, the lawyers have one form of judgment, “krino,” which is to evaluate and present evidence, and the judge has another form of judgment, “katakrima,” which is to decide final guilt or innocence based on the evidence presented to them. This courtroom illustration can transfer to the Kingdom of God in that we as Christians are, in a sense, the “pre-final judgment lawyers” who “judge/krino” the decisions and behaviors—we evaluate the evidence/fruit—of one another in this life to help each other grow and mature and prepare for our final judgment. Jesus Christ, as “The Judge of the living and the dead” (Acts 10:42), will “judge/katakrima”— condemn — every person after death who does not know Him personally. Now, for those who enter death knowing Jesus personally, this then brings up another word for “judgment” in the Bible, as well as gives us a second application of the Greek word krino. Let’s look at the following: 1) the judgment to determine who goes to heaven and who goes to hell. 2) the judgment of Christians before entering heaven.
The heaven and hell judgment is called the “Great White Throne Judgment,” and it is found in Revelation 20: 11-15. And guess what, the same Greek word “Krino” is used twice in verses 12-13, but, it is used in a different form, context, and application. In Revelation 20, “krino” is used to express action that is not continuous but just right now. In other words, the final “Krino” judgment found in Revelation 20 is made by Jesus Christ once and for all—forever—before the Great White Throne. And that is it…all things are over for the person who rejects Jesus Christ! God’s Son will make His final decisive judgement upon the person who did not accept Him and eternal separation from God—hell—begins immediately after His final “krino” judgement has been made. As you read this, if you are not 100% sure you would go to Heaven if you died today, please know Jesus loves you and you can know Him right now and be sure you WILL go to Heaven! Here is how.
Then, we have the judgment of Christians that happens after we die and before we enter heaven. This is where each of us as Christians will give full account for our lives for the time period after we received Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior. I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior and was saved/born-again at age 19. So, I will stand before Jesus Christ and give account of what I did since that age till my life ends. This will take place at what the Bible calls the “Judgment Seat of Christ,” which is found in 2 Corinthians 5:10 where Scripture says, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” The word “judgment” here is the Greek word “bema,” which means “step” or “base.” Basically it means the steps at the base of a throne. To use a court of law again to illustrate, the seat upon which a judge sits in his courtroom is called his tribunal. So the Judgment Seat of Christ will be the Son of God’s tribunal below which, and in front of, me and you, and every Christian, will bow and give an account of our Christian lives in front of Jesus. Another way of describing the “bema” seat of Christ is the platform upon which Olympic judges may stand to watch and evaluate the athletes competing in the Olympic races. When the race is over, the athletes would approach the “bema” platform upon which the judges are standing. Then, the athletes would bow before the judges who then place various medals around the necks of the athletes depending upon each athlete’s individual performance.
Here is how the Judgment/Bema Seat of Jesus Christ applies to you and me today as Christians: for those Christians who served the Lord wholeheartedly to build the Kingdom of God and fulfilled their particular role in the Great Commission, Jesus will Himself rewards these Christians, and it will be a beautiful experience! However, to those Christians who chose to not be wholehearted in their devotion and service to Jesus Christ and to His Great Commission, these Christians will lose some, or all, of their eternal rewards. No one knows exactly how all this will play out, but we do know it is MUCH MUCH better to love and serve Jesus Christ with all of our hearts than it is to live and die as a comfortable lukewarm half-hearted Christian! Clearly, the Bible teaches it is God’s will for each Christian to be totally dedicated to serving in His Great Commission than it is to have any “question marks” and “questionable behaviors” in our Christian lives, and in our Christian witness. Do you and I have any question marks and any questionable behaviors in our Christian life, and in our public and private Christian witness? Have you and I left anything “undone” and incomplete in our Christian life and in our Christian witness? At the “Bema Judgment Seat of Christ” all things will all come out into the open and every Christian will be individually “judged” and rewarded for (or will suffer loss of rewards for lack of the following) using our spiritual gifts, and how we used our time and money, and for our personal evangelism and ministry service, and for obedience and holiness and purity, and for our family, and our motives, etc, etc, etc.
If we really love and care for each other as Christians we will “judge/krino” one another. By that I am not saying we just randomly in “cold turkey” confront Christians constantly about imperfections. But, if a Christian friend/acquaintance of ours has a behavior or something that is clearly and Biblically questionable in their life, it is our duty and responsibility as a brothers and sisters in Christ to go and talk to them about it. I would hope my Christian friends who say they love me would confront me, in love, when I have questionable behaviors in my life. Actually, I have had beloved Christians confront me many times over the years about questionable things in my walk and ministry with Jesus Christ, and sometimes it was not fun. But, once I put my pride and my defensiveness aside, I was able to admit my mistakes and/or my blind spots, and then thank them for loving me enough to do the tough love thing and “judge/krino” me. When they confronted me, or in other words, when they “judged/krino” my behaviors, the end result was they helped me grow as a Christian! And this is what it is all about…helping each other as believers in Jesus Christ to grow! If my Christian friends didn’t really love me, they would have just let me continue forward in my mistakes, and in my blind spots, and in my sins. For all we know it could have brought long-term damage to my life and witness for Jesus Christ if they had not “confronted/judged/krino” me.
Here is a hard truth: if you don’t “krino” me for any questionable choices and behaviors in my life, you are then accountable before God for not coming to me and talking to me about such issues. Likewise, if, after checking my life for hypocrisy, I do not “krino” you, than I am accountable at the Judgment Seat of Christ for not loving you enough to come to you and talk to you about any questionable behaviors in your life! As Christians, every decision and act we make are grounds for “judgment/krino” from other Christians. Both to give encouragement and thanksgiving for fruitful choices and behaviors that impacted our lives in a positive godly way; and, also to challenge and confront questionable choices and behaviors that can potentially confuse, damage, or cause someone to, as the Bible says, “stumble.” So, everything we drink and eat, and what we say and do (and everything we don’t say and do, e.g., evangelism, missions, tithing), should be judged/krino by other Christians because this is what the Bible says Christians are to do: “For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? (1 Corinthians 5:12).
So, what is the conclusion of the primary question in this blog: Are Christians to Judge Other Christians? The Biblical answer is both yes and no. For the answer of no, we are not to “judge/katakrima” another person or Christian as to make a final verdict decision that condemns them. For the answer of yes, we are too lovingly and respectfully “judge/krino” one another as Christians to evaluate, divide, and “check” each other to weigh the evidence and to dissect the fruit of our Christian lives, and when necessary use tough love confrontation for less than best choices that are made. We are to “judge/krino” each other in this life now, but we are to do it after we have checked our own life for hypocrisy. And we are to go humbly to our brothers and sisters in Christ with a posture of equality, not a position of superiority. Imagine this, the “krino judgement” we as Christians apply to one another now in this life is actually a preparation for the “bema judgement” we as Christians will step into when our life in this world ends…when we then stand before our Lord Jesus Christ. We can help each other prepare for eternity, and one way we do this is “judging/krino” one another!
In closing, two questions for you and I: 1) Do you and I have any Christian friends/acquaintances the Lord is prompting us to “judge/krino?” Perhaps for any questionable choices, blind spots, and/or behaviors in their lives that could be hindering their walk with Jesus Christ, and putting questions marks in their public witness for Jesus Christ? 2) Do you need, and do I need, to be “judged/krino” by a brother or sister in Christ? Do you and I have any questionable choices, and blind spots, and/or behaviors in our lives, that could hinder our walk with Jesus Christ, and be putting question marks in our public witness for Jesus Christ?
The two Christians I will tell you about in this letter live in a category of Christianity in Pakistan most of us will never experience. It is humbling for me to share their testimonies because I have no clue what it is like to be beaten for Jesus. May their stories bring humble perspective into our lives, especially those of us who live in the United States of America.
First, let me tell you about “Dee.” At the end of last year our Pakistan leader, “Mike,” contacted me and told me about Dee. They had crossed paths in their Christian ministries, and Mike told Dee about our video & resource & food teams. Long story short, we added Dee as our first female video team leader. Here is her testimony in her words: “I accepted Jesus as my personal Lord & Savior in 2010. I was worshiping hindu gods and followed a pagan group. I first heard about Jesus on TV program during the Christmas 2010 and I found a local church in my area that I went to learn more. I got bible and read it. I raised many questions to Pastor and he explained me and finally I found that Jesus Christ is only the Lord & Savior who give peace and change lives. God changed my life and I became follower of Jesus Christ. When my husband found me praying to God and reading from bible, he stopped me doing this. I tried to explain him and taught him about Jesus but he was very angry and became against of me. I was very upset but I prayed for him. Many times he beaten me. He finally decided to divorce me. I asked God to lead me and Holy Spirit led me and I heard His voice calling me to witness others. I prayed to Him so he open and show me what He wants for my life. I found God want to use me and I started to work for Him. I dedicated my life to Him. He is using me in hindus to come to Him. I am leading a group of people that are Godly people and they have desire to grow in their Faith. My area has many other hindus and I want to reach them.” Through her first 2 video events (top photo), Dee has seen 18 people publicly repent and receive Jesus Christ! Dee also distributed salvation tracts and rice to every person who attended our video meetings, and she has given Bibles to the new Christians as she assists in their discipleship.
Now, let me share the testimony of “Arnold” (center of right photo, with his wife, and our video leader, “Nate”).” Keep in mind, Arnold has only been a Christian since December 9, 2017, when he accepted Christ through one of our video events: “Dear Pastor Scott Nute, I greet you in the name of Jesus Christ, I am “Arnold” from Pakistan. I first watched your video The Cross at event in my area that Brother “Nate” showed it and I was also invited. After watching this video I came to believe that God has great love to human and it is called Agape love. It only is found in Christianity. When I came to believe in Jesus Christ I experienced this love in my life. After about a month, I was talking to a hindu person about Jesus and I told him that Jesus is the son of God and God loves human that He sent Jesus to die for our sins. After discussion his three brothers came and I shared with them again same things. One of them came to me and said why you are teaching about Christianity. He was very angry but his two other brothers skipped and left for home. I was caught by this man and also came others who were religious person. I was become very humble but they treated like animal and they beaten me also. I excused them but I never give up. I prayed for them in my heart and realized that they became also soft by heart after about one hour. They called me again and said who is Jesus that you are not stopping to share about Jesus. I told them that Jesus is God’s only Son and God loves people, even if we ignore God still God loves us. This message touched them. Two of them came to me and said we want to learn more about Christianity. I invited them to movie meeting and yesterday when they came to watch the movie they both believe in Jesus Christ. I was very much pleased and giving thanks to God. I also got some tracts to read and I found great deal of information that helped me understand things. I want to thank you [Scott] and thank Brother Nate who led me to learn about Jesus Christ.”
The reason I began our global video & resource & food teams is to partner with national Christians in third-world countries—especially persecuted Christians—and assist in what God has called them to do by providing financial support, and resources, and encouragement! Because of the support you give to our ministry, we are able to send out people like Dee & Arnold to Reach, Win, Train & Feed their nations with the Gospel of Jesus Christ—THANK YOU!
For persecuted Christians,
Scott Nute
God moved in Manila, Philippines through our outreach & training project on February 5th-10th! The result: 4,778 Filipino men, women, youth, and children, came to the Cross and gave their hearts to Jesus Christ! Your prayers & support made possible the glorious report below—Thank You!
There were 157 pastors and their respective 107 churches trained in advance for this crusade & school project by our Asian Director, Lourdman Cabuenos (who is translating for me at the crusade in the top photo). The average congregation size of these churches was 25-35 people. Hundreds of Christians in these churches were trained in how to tell people about Jesus, and in how to help new Christians get connected to one of the churches for spiritual growth and ministry service! After going through our training, each Christian, on average, brought 3-4 non-Christians and/or un-churched people to the crusade to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ! That was an amazing application of our personal evangelism strategy—Operation Andrew! The significance of the training these Christians received is that they can now use this training for the rest of their lives!
The 2nd photo is two men who, after praying to receive Christ, are filling out their decision cards! The cards were then given to a Crusade Counselor, who then turned them over to the crusade leaders. Then, in the 3rd photo, each decision card was sorted and distributed to the pastors involved in the crusade so their churches can begin the follow-up. Join us in praying for the spiritual growth of the Filipinos who made commitments to Christ! An interesting testimony happened when our crusade director was asked by a school teacher (we spoke in numerous public schools on drug awareness) to pray for his 25 year old son. His son had been in a coma for one month from a viral infection in his brain. After praying for a miracle, the next day our director received a call from the father of the young man in the coma. The father said his son miraculously awoke from his coma, and that he is now recovering! Though our ministry is focused on evangelism, we do sometimes witness God do a miracle in the life of someone! To summarize this crusade & school project, here is what our director said, “the grand outcome of the crusade was unprecedented, the churches that were involved are now doing the follow-up, and they are seeing great harvests in their churches!”
We rented public transport buses that brought thousands of people to the crusade to hear all about Jesus! Plus, due to your support, not only did we provide free transportation but we also gave over 2,000 pounds of rice (4th photo: our team standing in front of the rice) to 3,207 people (5th photo: each family member was given a portion of rice)!
Special Update: you may remember in May of 2017 two pastors on Siargao Island of the Philippines were ambushed and shot while helping our ministry prepare their island for a crusade. A youth pastor, age 30, was killed during the attack. The island police recently caught one of the men involved in the shooting. He was hiding in the island mountains. Upon being arrested, he confessed that he and another man, who are both members of a local violent cult, were paid money by a leader in the cult to shoot the pastors. They shot the pastors to stop our islandwide crusade from taking place. Let’s pray for this man to repent of the evil he did and for him to turn to Jesus for forgiveness & salvation!
Till World Harvest is Complete,
Scott Nute