Frank's Bible Blog

Psalm 72--How to Pray for Your Children

If you are a parent, most likely you have spent a lot of time praying for your children no matter their age. If you are like me, you probably have found yourself praying for your children all throughout the day. And if you are like me, most of those prayers were for immediate things—for that algebra test they are taking, the relationship problem they are encountering, the new opportunity they have, the decision they need to make and so forth. But how often do we pray for our children from a big-picture perspective? That is what struck me as I read Psalm 72 today. This was David’s prayer for his son Solomon who would follow him as king of Israel. Scholars would be quick to point out that this Psalm also foreshadows Christ as the King of kings, and that’s true. But for today, let’s use it to focus on six things we should pray for our children:

1. Pray for their character (verse 1). A life filled with both the justice of God and the righteousness of God will handle any situation the right way.
   
   
2. Pray for them to make a difference with their lives (verses 2-4, 12, 13, 14). That starts with them being others’ focused and continues as they look for ways to make a positive impact on other people.
   
   
3. Pray for their success (verses 5-8). There is nothing wrong with praying that they will succeed in whatever endeavors God leads them into! Pray that they will learn the lessons they need to learn and make the right kinds of decisions so that they can be successful.
   
   
4. Pray that they will be respected (verses 9-11). Pray that they will live lives worthy of the respect of others. Pray that they will treat others in such a way and have the kind of work ethic that others will want to honor.
   
   
5. Pray for their legacy (verses 15-18). Most of us don’t even think about our own legacy, let alone our kids, but we should. Pray that your children will leave a lasting legacy that impacts the generation that follows them.
   
   
6. Pray that they will praise (verses 18-20). Pray that they will be true worshippers of the Lord who recognize Him in everything and lavishly bestow their praise on Him.

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 So today, Amber and Jacob, I prayed these verses over you. I prayed that your character will be marked with godliness, that you will make a difference in this world, that you will succeed in your life calling, that you will earn the respect of others, that you will impact your children and grandchildren for Christ, and that you will live a life of praise to God’s glory. Just like I prayed for you before you were even born, I will continue to pray for you each day that you will reach your full potential in Christ. I love you! --Dad

Will You Help Me Celebrate my 46th Birthday and 25 Years in Ministry?

January is a momentous month for me. I’ll turn 46 on the 4th (this Saturday), celebrate 25 years in “vocational” ministry, and mark 33 years of preaching (I started preaching in nursing homes when I was 13 and a year later in churches). It’s also the month that MaxPoint was launched nine years ago.

This year for my birthday I’m asking family and friends to do something special, something that will make a lasting difference in the lives of some wonderful people. I’m asking that you give a gift equal to my age to help MaxPoint transform impoverished villages and train leaders in East Africa.

You can make your $46 gift now at www.VillageBirthday.info . You can be anonymous if you want, but I would be thrilled if you use the Dedicate My Donation feature on that webpage to let me know about your gift. It will ask for my email, which is frank(a)maxpoint.org.

Thank you in advance for making my birthday extra special by helping MaxPoint transform villages into Christ-centered, self-sustaining communities!

Blessings,

Frank


P.S. Want to do something special for your next birthday? Then join me in this “Village Birthday Club” by encouraging your family, friends and social network to make a gift in your honor to help East Africa. All you have to do is post a link in your email or social media sites. Get that link and all the info at www.VillageBirthdayClub.com.

The Homeless and the Aged: How Will You Serve in 2014?

Galatians 5:13b “But do not use your freedom to indulge in sinful nature, rather, serve one another in love.”

Last Sunday—the Sunday before Christmas—our family had the privilege of working with our church to serve the homeless of downtown Dallas. In the pre-dawn hours the homeless began to line up on one side of a parking lot, while others mingled around hot coffee on the other side where the weekly outdoor church service and breakfast would be held. The line, I learned, was to get clothes. One shirt and one pair of pants per person. My assignment was to enforce that “one and one” rule. Most people were very respectful of the rule, but then there was one guy who tried to leave with his arms full of clothes. We got him to put a couple things back that clearly would not fit him, but he begged us to let him keep the rest. “Construction workers threw everything I owned over the bridge,” he said. Apparently he had been making his “home” at a nearby construction site. We let him keep the extra clothes.

As the sun rose the church service began. I stood on the side and watched as people began to take their seats on cold metal chairs. One woman caught my attention. As soon as she sat down she started to cry. I slipped into the seat beside her. “Is there something I can pray with you about” I asked. “Yes,” she sobbed. She then began to tell me how child protective services recently took her three children. “All I want to do is tuck them in bed at night” she cried. “I’ve been real good lately. I stopped doing drugs. I don’t know why I lost them” she said. I shared the gospel with her and she told me that she had accepted Christ as Savior several months ago but had stopped going to church because she felt she wasn’t good enough.

Fast forward three days—Christmas Day—and our family found ourselves out early once again, this time to sing Christmas carols at a nursing home during their breakfast hour. We try to do something like this every Christmas that we are in town as one way to model service to our now-teenage children.

That brings us to my quiet time this morning. I read the familiar Galatians 5 passage about the fruit of the Spirit, but what really struck me were the verses leading up to them, particularly verse 13. It seems that many people struggle living by the Spirit because they don’t practice serving others. As I read this verse what came to my mind were the faces of the homeless man who lost his possessions, the woman who lost her children, and the elderly men and women who I talked with in that nursing home. I thanked the Lord for these opportunities to serve them with my family. These service opportunities were different from my normal “ministry” and it helped remind me of the importance of serving others and living by the Spirit, not just at Christmas but all year long.

So what about you? As you think about the upcoming year, how are you planning to serve others in love? You may find that it is much easier to live in the Spirit when you are walking in service to others.

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P.S. Yes, it’s been a long time since I’ve written a Bible blog! 2013 has been a very busy year for me and our ministry, MaxPoint Missions, with trips to East Africa and assisting with work literally all over the world. In case you haven’t kept up, I would encourage you to visit our website at www.maxpoint.org to see what is going on these days and to sign up for our periodical eNewsletter.

God is Answering Your Prayers: Thank you!

In Jaunary I asked my blog readers to pray wisdom, clear direction from God and provision for MaxPoint (our ministry) and my family. I’m glad to report that many people accepted that challenge. Since then, I have been sprinting to catch up to all that God is doing—and that is a direct result of your prayers. Thank you!

Through that season of intense prayer, God showed me that clarity is absolutely vital, that wisdom often calls for thinking outside the box, that provision follows responding to God’s direction (not before), and that pride is an obstacle to realizing God’s provisions.

It became clear that direction was the most important of the three things we prayed about--even more important than wisdom. While the two are related, I see wisdom as showing us how to walk once we have chosen where to walk. During this process the Lord cleared the fog and clarified the vision for MaxPoint: Change the world by transforming villages into Christ-centered, self-sustaining communities (see more at www.maxpoint.org).

Second came the wisdom to know how to move within that path. God started bringing people to me who shared my vision and were interested in joining in its fulfillment. In order to fully utilize them, however, I would have to think outside the box. For MaxPoint, this means becoming a missionary sending agency with missionaries living both abroad and in the U.S. It also means a name change from MaxPoint Ministries to MaxPoint Missions, which our Board recently approved.

God convicted me a lot about my third request which was for provision. Even though I knew better, I had slipped into backwards thinking: Where God provides that’s where He guides. I had been looking for ways that God might provide rather than looking for the ways He was guiding. Throughout Scripture and history, however, we see God guiding first then providing for those who step out in faith.

I also saw that pride can block God’s provision. God is reminding me that when He gives a vision it is usually much bigger than the person He gives it to—and it requires the participation of others to be realized. Pride says don’t ask anyone for help. Pride says you can do this alone. But vision says you must bring others onboard, which means mobilizing laborers, prayer partners and financial supporters. When the Apostle Paul invited others to financially support his ministry, he gave them an opportunity to experience the power of God in their lives and receive His blessings (Philippians 4:10-20). Recently I shared my ministry vision and strategy with a friend and invited him to become part of our support team, which he gladly accepted. “Thank you for letting me be part of your team. I’m glad that I get to help reach these villages.” His words were a flashback to what Paul said and a reminder that I have to get pride out of the way and allow others to share in the blessings of the Lord’s work.

In the days ahead I will be reaching out to many more people to share this vision and the various ways they can get involved with MaxPoint. I would love to personally connect with you! If you have any interest please call, email or reach me through the “Contact Us” page at www.maxpoint.org and let's talk. Who knows but the Lord just might want us working together to impact this world for Him!

Thank you for your prayers—both past and future.

--Frank

Will You Please Pray for Me?

A Special Call to Prayer this Wednesday…

In the eight years since I started MaxPoint Ministries, we have never had a global call to prayer for our ministry or family. But this Wednesday, January 23, we are humbly asking people all over the world who in some way have been touched by our work to pray for us.

Maybe you receive my Bible Blog (www.franksbibleblog.com) or we have worked together on mission trips. Maybe I was your pastor in Ohio or a colleague in global ministry. Maybe you have attended a MaxPoint seminar, used 24-7Discipleship.com, read my book or utilized our ministry’s mission trip services. Maybe you read my wife’s blog (www.GodandMe2theMax.com), had been a part of her Groupies4God Bible memorization program, or were encouraged by her cancer healing (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCN2MGSzym4). Maybe our children have touched you in some way—our 16 year old daughter’s numerous mission trip outreaches and public speaking (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfpKq-1rH4A ) or how our 14 year old son has overcome so much in his young life. Or maybe we’ve never interacted at all; you just saw this post or someone passed it along to you.

Whatever the case may be, I would humbly ask that on Wednesday you lift up MaxPoint Ministries (www.maxpoint.org) and our family—Frank, Beth, Amber and Jacob--before Father. We would ask that you pray for three things: 1) Wisdom 2) Clear direction from God and 3) Provision.

Just as Gideon saw a mighty miracle take place as God used him and 300 soldiers, I am asking God to give us 300 people who will commit to pray for us on Wednesday. You can tell me of your commitment through Twitter by tweeting “praying” to @frankbanfill, by “liking” the call to prayer at www.Facebook.com/maxpointministries, posting on my Facebook page (if we are already Facebook friends) or leaving a note on my blog (www.franksbibleblog.com).

Of course please pray as the Lord leads, but here are some Scriptures that we will be praying this Wednesday:

“Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who hope in me will not be disappointed.”--Is. 49:23b

“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”--2 Cor. 9:8

“I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut.”—Rev. 3:8a

“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault and it will be given to him.”—James 1:5

Thank you in advance for your prayers! We truly appreciate them.

Yours for the Harvest,

Frank Banfill

Sumner's Last Email

If you could write one final email before you died and send it out to tens of thousands of people all over the world, what would you write?

Yesterday (Christmas) my long-time friend and mentor, Dr. C. Sumner Wemp, went home to be with Jesus after a very long and full life. But before he died, he wrote an email and asked that it be sent after his death. I have included it below.

For many years Sumner was a professor of evangelism, Christian living and pastoral theology. He preached in some of the largest churches in America. But most of all, Sumner was a soul winner. He had personally led someone to Christ in almost every U.S. state and many other countries. He radiated Jesus to everyone who came in contact with him--even if it were just a couple minutes in an elevator. The last few years he wasn’t able to travel and preach any more, but he developed an expansive email ministry that touched tens of thousands of people all over the world. I’m sure I’ll write more about Sumner later, but for now please read his final email:

Sumner Wemp's Last Email

My partner in this email ministry, Steve, asked me to write something to send to you when Jesus calls me home.  Well GLORY!! If you are reading this, it means I’ve seen Jesus! He has called me home and has spoken those cherished words, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant!” (Matt 25:21)  I’ve seen my beautiful wife, Celeste, and others who went to heaven ahead of me, those who may have read a gospel tract that told of how much Jesus loved them!
 
To those still thinking about trusting Jesus:
What are you waiting for?  God loves you and sent His Son, the Lord Jesus to suffer and die for your sins and mine. He paid the eternal punishment for all you and I both have done wrong, all of our sins for “the wages of sin is death” and Jesus paid the debt in full, rose again and was seen alive by hundreds of people. If you will believe Him, that Jesus really did pay for your sins too and receive the Lord Jesus as your Savior, He will save you and will give you a home in heaven, instead of sending you to hell.  And I will see you someday again!
 
To those already saved:
You and I have been given the awesome and eternal privilege of giving everyone a chance to get saved, to get their sins forgiven and go to heaven instead of hell. We have been commanded by the God who saved us and told to “preach or give the gospel” to every person. Of course we must be as courteous as we can and do it graciously which I genuinely tried to do. Out of the thousands of tracts I gave over my lifetime, less than a few dozen people have refused them or were rude to me. But as happened a couple of months ago, I gave a tract to a lady on an elevator and she blurted out. “Oh, I need to be saved, tell me what to do.” In just seconds we got off the elevator and I had the thrill of giving her the gospel and the thrill of praying with her as she understood and accepted Christ as her Savior. Minutes later when I got outside the building, I started weeping and wanted to fall on my face and thank almighty God for the inestimable privilege He had just given me. So help me, witnessing and winning people to Christ will give you the most wonderful experience of your life. If you are not caring and sharing the gospel to lost human beings just like you once were, Satan is robbing you blind of eternal rejoicing and rewards that such precious experiences bring. Why don’t you do the logical and sensible thing and obey God and get in on the greatest privileges of your life? Help people to go to heaven instead of hell. Make sense?
 
“Father, You are so wonderful to let us have a part in this eternal privilege. You said, we shall catch men. Dear God please help each one reading this get in on it! In Jesus’ name”
 
Oh, how I wish I could have known each of you personally and how I long for you to be so mightily used of God!  My race is finished but God can still use you.  Won’t you get in on it?  You too can win souls. There is nothing greater, more lasting, more rewarding you will ever do. I implore you to stick with it and do what the Word of God says. I LOVE YOU, all because of Calvary, Sumner

 

Special Christmas Blessing from Bukabwa's Children

Merry Christmas!

As you gather with family and friends to celebrate the birth of our Lord, I have a very special treat to share with you today. It is a video of Christmas coming to the once-forsaken children of Bukabwa, Tanzania. Some of my blogs have featured stories from my work in Bukabwa and other places in Tanzania over the past two years as I have coordinated a partnership between an American church near Dallas, TX and an indigenous Tanzanian denomination. The children of Bukabwa have no toys, no books and most are not able to attend school (too far). But God's love was demonstrated to this village as this Christmas 200 children received children's Bibles and "Hope Packs" filled with toys, candy and hand-written notes from generous Americans. Their parents also received something special--a Bible of their own. So turn up the volume on your computer and check out this video--but grab the Kleenex first!

P.S.--the man in the video on the bicycle is Pastor Samuel, who leads the church that we planted there. His wish was to have a bicycle that he could use to travel across this expansive village to share Christ with its 6,000 residents. Now he has one! For more on my work in Africa, and more Bukabwa videos, please visit my ministry website at www.maxpoint.org.

Merry Christmas!

--Frank Banfill

P.S.S. For those of you getting this post via email, if you do not see the video below you can view it at www.FranksBibleBlog.com.

 

 

Trailblazing Leaders: Why Adversity Precedes Great Leadership

“It was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.” --Genesis 45:5

Joseph was a leader in Egypt—he was the Jew whose godly foresight saved countless lives by preparing for a massive famine. If you are not familiar with his story you can read it in the Bible, in Genesis chapters 37-50. Notice two things about leadership from the verse above. First, leaders are sent ahead of others. That is the very nature of leadership—to be out in front blazing a path where few or none have gone before. Second, leaders are prepared ahead of others.

How was it that Joseph could be sent ahead of anyone? It was because he was sold into slavery, falsely accused of a crime, and forgotten about in prison. In particular, it was because he excelled in each of those situations as he determined to exalt God regardless of his circumstances.

While it may seem that some leaders become leaders through the “fast-track” of family or professional relationships by getting placements and breaks that others don’t, the reality is that most leaders are forged over time. And that forging process is often painful, dark and sometimes even depressing. Great leaders more times than not have had to overcome great adversity—in fact, this is one thing that separates leaders from everyone else. For it is in adversity that leaders-to-be learn how to overcome problems through faith, focus, positive attitudes, and ingenuity. And it is problem-solving that most people see as the primary contribution leaders bring to the table.

Now, for those of us who are students of leadership, we know the importance of vision, seeking out opportunities, and balancing emotion with reason, but the average follower only sees the immediate and the problems before them. Good leaders solve problems.

Joseph was such a leader but he became that way because he was sent ahead of everyone else. In a sense, he experienced the hardships so that others wouldn’t have to. He went ahead of them in suffering so that he could one day be ahead of them as a proactive leader who saves lives.

What about you today? What is your attitude and approach to difficult times? The struggles you are encountering now may be just what you need to mold you into a problem-solving trailblazer who saves and helps lives.

Isaiah 60—Why I Don’t Like Grocery Stores

It happens to me every time I go to the grocery store (or any store for that matter).

I pick what looks like the shortest check-out line but it always ends up being the longest. No exception yesterday. I scan the registers, spot a line with one person in it who has just a few items, and make a mad dash to get there. But it didn’t take too long to discover that I had found the world’s slowest clerk.

Now I don’t mean to be critical—I’m sure she did a better job than I could have done—but this lady was in slow motion for every item she scanned. Then came the decision—which bag should she put each thing in? She starts to put the tortilla chips in one, then pulls it out and goes for another before finally opting for a third. This was repeated for each item in my very full cart. I stood there watching in awe—I just couldn’t believe this process was taking so long.

Obviously patience is not one of my virtues. Like many, I want to get things over as quickly as possible—especially painful things like grocery shopping. I want things done fast!

Today I noticed this verse in Isaiah 60:22 “I am the Lord; in its time I will do this swiftly.”

The last part of that verse really resonated with me, “I will do this swiftly.” I like that! I like for God to move and move quickly. But then I had to stop and re-read the first part.

“In its time.”

That is the part I don’t like…but it is a reminder that God’s timing is perfect. He is not slow to respond. In fact, just the opposite is true. When it is the right time God moves quickly and in an amazing way—but it has to be His time. We wait on the Lord, not because He isn’t moving or can’t figure out what to do next, but because He is moving people and circumstances to get things ready for that right time.

I always remember the words a veteran ministry leader told me when I was starting into vocational ministry. “Frank, there are people making decisions today that will affect your life five years from now.” Meaning that God is moving today in a way that will benefit you tomorrow—you just have to wait for it all to come together.

That’s a good lesson for all of us and one that I am still trying to learn.

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Frank Banfill is an international speaker and leadership developer who seeks to help individuals and ministries realize their full potential in Christ. Please forward this to your family & friends. To get Frank’s devotionals delivered free to your inbox, or to request reprint rights, visit www.FranksBibleBlog.com.

 

Isaiah 46—The Man from a Far-off Land

To them we might as well have been creatures from another planet, anomalies that some had only heard about but had never seen. Children who one minute were playing beside the road and the next were jumping and shouting “wazungu, wazungu” (the Swahili term for foreigner). Seeing a vehicle full of light-skinned wazungu bouncing along a remote East African road was sure to catch everyone’s attention.

Having made four previous visits to the “forgotten” village of Bukabwa, Tanzania, I had grown accustomed to the shouts and hand waves of excitement. Those previous visits by me and various teams of Americans, working in partnership with the African Inland Church of Tanzania, had brought the gospel to a place where time had stood still and witchcraft was openly practiced.

Standing in the center of the village where we have planted a church I looked at my iPhone app and notice that we were almost exactly 10,000 miles from home. Who in this forgotten place could have ever imagined that wazungu from a far-off land would one day be sitting in their huts telling them the story of Jesus and the message of salvation?

But then I read Isaiah 46:10-11. “My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please…from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do.”

God has a plan, and He will move heaven and earth to see that it is accomplished, even if that means dropping men and women from a far-off land into a village that isn’t on any map.

But what if we hadn’t gone? What if we skipped riding 24 hours one way in airplanes, squeezing into dusty 4-wheel drive vehicles and bouncing along stretches of land referred to as “roads”? What if we hadn’t answered the call or responded to the vision?

God would have found someone else. He would have found another way to fulfill His purpose. His eternal plans are not held hostage to our whims.

But what about us? What if we hadn’t been obedient? What if we hadn’t joined in what God was doing on the other side of the world? We would have missed out on seeing the Creator of the Universe demonstrate love to “the least of these.” We would not know first-hand the power of God to destroy demonic strongholds. We would have missed the smiles of the previously hopeless who now have an unspeakable joy. We would have never heard the stories of families delivered and restored from alcoholism and years of physical abuse. We wouldn’t have met people willing to walk two hours to get to the church. We wouldn’t have the satisfaction of knowing that the only reason there is any church in the area was in part because of our efforts.

Truly God would still have worked His plan but we would have been the biggest losers.
Sometimes God sends people from far-off places into our lives to fulfill His purpose for our lives. Sometimes He sends us. The question we each must ask is, “are we willing?” Are we willing to allow God to use others so speak into our lives—even if they are from a distant land, another generation or a different social status? Are we willing to be the man or woman from the far-off land who speaks into the lives of others—even if they look different than us, speak a strange language or eat unrecognizable food?

God will fulfill His purpose. We can either join with Him to see it accomplished or we can watch from the sideline.

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Frank Banfill is an international speaker and leadership developer who seeks to help individuals and ministries realize their full potential in Christ. Please forward this to your family & friends. To get Frank’s devotionals delivered free to your inbox, or to request reprint rights, visit www.FranksBibleBlog.com.