Equipping Christian Leaders to Fulfill the Great Commission

20 December 2006

Spiritual Warfare

This fall, I read aloud to my family Frank Peretti’s novels about spiritual warfare in the fictional town of Ashton. (See our son Amos’ drawing to the right!) It has been a good reminder that we are in a spiritual war here in Manhattan, as we seek to plant a church. In our first six months here, I have had to deal with:

· interruptions of my prayer time by screams outside my office door (children arguing),

· debilitating sickness that has struck when I was about to start evangelism projects,

· the theft of almost all the funds in our bank account,

· people outside our church trying to control and harm our fellowship,

· sudden breakdowns of appliances on Sunday morning as we are preparing for church, and

· headaches and mental blocks at key times when I am trying to study the Bible and prepare sermons.

This is a spiritual war; we are extending the kingdom of Jesus onto turf Satan claims. Only one in six people in our neighborhood goes to church, which is apparently higher than average for our area. If every church building in town was full (and they’re not), they would only be able to seat 20% of the town’s population. The minister’s alliance is so liberal that the few evangelical pastors have had to back out and form their own alliance which is not recognized by the city council. One out of every five people in our county lives below the poverty line, and some 2/3 of the people in the neighboring township of Ogden are on government aid of some kind.

But God is working among us:

· In addition to the three founding families, He has gathered four students and two soldiers to us for regular worship.

· God has given me surprising ability to preach through the book of Isaiah. (I’m not a naturally-gifted speaker.)

· We have organized as a church and accepted our first members.

· A missions budget has already been started to support three mercy ministries and four missionary families internationally (see photo to left, where we are preparing packages for Christians in persecuted churches around the world).

We believe that God is powerfully in control and that the very gates of hell will not prevail against the growth of His church!

Kids Corner: Joshua Tanner

Hi!  The big thing this year is that our mom signed Beni and me up for a debate class this past fall. After taking the class, we participated in a practice tournament in Topeka and are hoping to compete at state in March. Pray that our new baby will arrive in early March so Mama can come to the state tournament with us! I'm considering going into law, so debate is great practice. (I'd like to pursue professional soccer, too!) Winners of the NCFCA national debate tournament get scholarships to Patrick Henry College, which beat Oxford in a mock courtroom debate! Other colleges I'm considering are West Point and, of course, K-State. I'm ahead on language (I just finished Hebrew and like to help Papa on his Isaiah sermons), but please pray that I can catch up in math.

A Survivor’s Guide for Manhattan, KS

· Don’t let the incessant machine-gun fire and mortar explosions rattle you. It’s just the soldiers at Ft. Riley practicing.

· Brush up on your military vocabulary, including acronyms like MRE, PAO, CAB, MP, etc.

· You can blend into the crowd by wearing either desert camouflage or royal purple. It also helps to have a K-State Wildcat symbol on your car, person or house.

· Synchronize your schedule to the university; avoid Wal-Mart the first week of school.

· Politics are very important. Kansas is where the War Between the States began, where Prohibition started, and where the biggest battles over late-term abortion are staged.

· Kansas State football is more important.

· This is still the Midwest; excessive displays of emotion or excitement are frowned upon.

 Prayer Corner

Praise God that our church was able to receive her first members at Thanksgiving; please keep praying for Nate as he works to ordain elders and pastor the church.

 Praise God for open conversations we’ve had with over a dozen neighbors, and pray for God to bring a good number with prepared hearts to the Bible study we’re starting in Jan.

 Pray that we may engage the spiritual battles well and stand firm in faith – in our personal lives, our family, our church, and our community.

 Pray for the health and safety of Paula and our new baby due in March!

 Pray for our son Josh to continue to grow excellently in Godly manhood and gain a clear vision for God’s call on his life.

God rest you merry and bless you in the new year!

Donations: Christ the Redeemer Church, POB 1007, Manhattan, KS 66505 * 785-537-9377 * www.ctrchurch-mhk.org

www.NateWilsonFamily.Net