2000-06-16 - Ocean City Missions Trip

We are going to take a little break from the devotional series we have been doing on Spiritual Gifts, we will continue the series next week. I would like to share with you what the Lord did on a short-term missions trip in Ocean City, Maryland. We need your prayers-perhaps now more than ever. Picture the Atlantic Ocean, sand and a Boardwalk crowded with thousands of teenagers who just graduated from High Schools along the East Coast all zooming in on this beach front community for a week long party.

Unfortunately, for many of them, the festivities included alcohol, drugs and sex. What the Bible in the Book of Proverbs would call: folly. Fortunately (all credit and thanks be to God) the Lord laid it upon the hearts of the people from our church and upon a few others to also attend senior week and to bring along the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The only thing that can change a person and truly bring them what they cannot find in this world are salvation and a peace beyond their understanding.

We stayed at a nearby Christian camp and traveled to the Boardwalk after lunch most days and stayed until the early hours of the dawn.

Much prayer went into this trip. Everyone who attended and many who stayed behind participated in ways that the Lord led them to be faithful in. We thank God for them and their faithful efforts. If you have never participated in a short-term missions trip I urge you to do so. You do not have to know everything-in fact if you know Jesus and are Saved, you know enough to witness to others. The Apostle Paul was not eloquent, nor did he give long winded speeches, he was afraid at times. We were not polished or professional, but then again neither was the Apostle Paul. I guess we were in good company.

1 Corinthians 2:1-4 And I, brethren, when I came unto you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. ² For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. ³ And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in uch.trembling. ⁴ And my speech and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.

What Paul did was to allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide him disregarding the weakness of his flesh. Much of what we did while we were at Ocean City was to walk in the Spirit and allow the Spirit to lead and guide us. We proclaimed the truth in love to the lost and we thank the Lord for that privilege to be His Ambassador and for providing a way for us to do so. The Lord God reaped a Harvest.

The Holy Spirit led us to many hungry souls who thirsted for Jesus. Some accepted the Lord immediately others after hearing portions of the Word of God,some in tears others in utter amazement. Some were led to salvation through seeing dramas performed on the beach, others were drawn to the live Christian music that was played in the evening.

We saw lives forever changed. Again we thank the Lord God for to Him be all glory, honor, and praise. We saw kids set free from the sin that once enslaved them. We shared with kids who listened, planted a lot of seed and warned those who would listen to steer away from the devils devices. And to all who would talk with us and accept something from us we placed the Gospel Tract "Steps to Peace With God" in their hands and encouraged them to take time and read it. We reminded them that people would overdose this week, drink too much, and some may even take home AIDS.

What happens now? The answer to that question is found through more prayer for the people who accepted Jesus this past week and for those who heard the Gospel and had seeds planted in their hearts. Please pray for it to be watered and that the Lord would have a Harvest in them also. Today I would ask that everyone who reads this please spend what time you and the Lord would see fit in prayer. Please pray that those people who accepted Jesus in Ocean City, Maryland would locate and attend a Bible teaching church, read the Bibles we gave them, and continue to develop their prayer lives. May they find boldness to share with others what Jesus did for them when they repented and asked Him to be the Lord of their lives. Please do not forget those in your prayers who heard but did not respond to the invitation. We are doing our best at follow-up and would appreciate your prayer support in this matter.

Once again I encourage you to take part in a mission -- you will be glad that you did. For a more in-depth perspective on this mission there is a testimony tape made by the people who went to Ocean City, Maryland. If you would like one please email us your address and we will send a copy as soon as we are able.

Thank you for the time you take in prayer today.
May the Lord God bless you and keep you, Amen.

In His Service,
Rick & Sandy

liv4yeshua@aol.com
http://www.cfdevotionals.org