When we Christians think of Christ, what instantly comes to mind? Is it His compassion? Is it His mercy and grace? Is it identifying with His suffering? Perhaps it is His yearning for the lost to come to a saving knowledge of Him? Naturally, there could be other thoughts about Him which immediately come to mind as well, all of which are recorded in a book of remembrance, as shown in Malachi 3:16, “Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.”
Here in Tasmania, we have been privileged to enlarge our reach for the lost in this new year, such as that which has recently opened up in the town of Ulverstone to the west of Devonport. Praise God for the fact that we keep seeing a stream of visitors to church, some of whom already testify of knowing the Lord and others who need follow-up for salvation. We thank the Lord that most of the mandates pertaining to COVID have been lifted already.
Praise the Lord also for the repeated opportunities He has given Laura and me to pursue the unsaved in downtown Devonport. Just last week while in our local street mall, Laura and I met five young single men, each of whom allowed us to see them humbly receive Christ as Saviour: Tom, Eric, John, Masing, and Manase.
Meanwhile, what is probably most challenging is identifying with Christ’s suffering when any of His followers are suffering. Since early February, I have been seeking to get Laura to a cancer clinic in Mexico for treatment. The cancer spread to her liver in January, and there are no more treatment options available in Australia. However, my visa application required for this trip is being held up in the U.S. Consulate in Melbourne. It was “escalated” over two weeks ago, and we were told to wait. We are praying for the Lord’s will to be done in this matter.
Prayer Requests
1. That my visa application with be answered in a timely manner
2. That Laura’s tumors will either heal or stop growing altogether
3. That we not only see the recent salvations of those five young men visiting church but that other repeat visitors will also return
4. That two married ladies in the church will have a safe delivery of their little ones
Just because our world seems more troubled than it has in previous years ought to be compelling enough for each of us to accelerate the charge of Christ to reach more souls for Him and His glory in 2022. After all, it was His suffering that has enabled us to gain the victory, amen! Thank you for believing in us way down here in Tasmania to share with you in those same victories.
In the service of our King and Saviour,
Bro. Andrew L Steers