Blessing Others With The Lord’s Message
By Rich Carmicheal
In His covenant promise to Abraham, the Lord revealed His great desire not only to bless Abraham, but also to bless all the families of the earth through Abraham and his descendants. He declared to Abraham: "And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing…and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed" (Gen. 12:2-3).
The Great Commission also reflects the Lord’s desire that His people bless others throughout the earth: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you…" (Matt. 28:19-20). The Lord went on to give His disciples this charge: "But you shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:8). The Lord not only blesses His people, but He also calls and empowers them to reach out with the gospel to all nations, even to "the uttermost part of the earth." The early church, filled with the Holy Spirit, took this instruction to heart and shared the Gospel with Jews and Gentiles throughout the known world.
The Lord’s call to spread the gospel has remained constant through the centuries. This call is upon every believer and many Christians through the years have given themselves sacrificially in order to share the message of the Lord with others. Some have given up homes, possessions, comfort, health and even their lives in order to preach and teach the gospel. Through their willingness to be used as the Lord’s instruments, many other people received salvation and were strengthened in their faith.
Like those faithful servants who have gone before us, the Lord desires that you and I share the gospel near and far. What a great privilege and awesome responsibility it is to be entrusted with such a task! You are to be commended for any work that you are doing in order to share the Lord and His Word with others. Press on and "be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as you know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Cor. 15:58). May the Lord continue to allow His Word and His life to flow through you into the lives of others!
Sowing the Printed Word
We offer special thanks to all of you who partner with the Herald ministry as one of your ways of blessing others with the Lord’s message. Through the prayers and support of readers such as you, the Lord is using Herald of His Coming and other Herald literature to challenge and encourage many people worldwide at this crucial hour.
Sister Moore, co-founder of this ministry, often referred to the Herald as a "paper preacher." Certainly, there is much preaching power in the printed word! D.M. Panton described this power as follows: "The Life is not in the sower, but in the seed! …In scattering divine literature we liberate thistledown, laden with precious seed, which, blown by the winds of the Spirit, floats over the world." What a beautiful and powerful illustration of what occurs when we sow the Lord’s message through gospel literature.
We praise the Lord for the many letters from Herald readers testifying how this precious seed is taking root in their lives. At the time of this writing (late August), the Herald office is receiving many good testimonies regarding the impact of the July and August issues and, in particular, Sammy Tippit’s message "Return to Me" and Henry Blackaby’s message "Corporate Revival: A Fresh Encounter With God." Many readers are being stirred to repentance and to seek God more earnestly for personal and corporate revival. Praise the Lord!
The longer I work with the Herald, the more I am convinced that the primary reason why the Lord is working through this rather plain-looking "paper preacher" is because of the heart of all of the people who stand in partnership with this ministry. He provides messages and touches readers through the prayers of you dear friends who faithfully lift up this ministry to Him. He blesses readers in response to those of you who joyfully and sacrificially give so that others might freely receive. He graciously gives His anointing as Herald friends genuinely seek Him and seek to bless the Church and the lost. We appreciate all of you who are standing together with the Herald in this way! What a joy it is to be working together with you to share revival literature and salvation literature with precious souls all around the world!
"Lord, thank you for those who are praying and giving so that others may receive your message through Herald of His Coming and other Herald materials. May You continue to anoint and use the Herald ministry to accomplish your purposes and to serve as a source of blessing to readers worldwide. Amen."