February 2020 Australia, Latvia
We strongly recommend you download the
"Bible Companion" app, from where you can access
Carelinks messages, daily Bible readings,
Bible Basics, commentary on every verse of the Bible and audio exhortations on every chapter of the Bible.
For Android / Google Play at
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.carelinks.bc and on the App Store for Apple / iOS at
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bible-companion/id1475914490 You can see the list of exhortations at
http://christadelphia.net/audio.htm Helps for the
Bible Companion readings this week:
Exodus https://n-e-v.info/exoduscomm.pdf Psalms https://n-e-v.info/psalms.pdf Mark https://n-e-v.info/NEVMarkCommentary.pdf UK A reminder that the
UK Carelinks Conference will be held in Croydon on Saturday Feb 29 God willing
AUSTRALIA The
Bible Companion app has had many downloads in Australia, and there has been good response to advertising it on Google Ads . This means that when people search on Google for particular themes, they are shown an advert for our app. So, this enables us to connect with people who are already searching for something. Rather than more general advertising to the entire populace, the majority of whom are perhaps not consciously searching for spiritual things on Google. We really encourage you to try to place such ads yourselves, or contact us for guidance, or, you can use our account. It's a great way to connect with people who are searching.
But there's no immediate contact when a person downloads the app; you can't drill down the statistics very far due to privacy limitations. You just have to wait for people who downloaded it to make contact with you. And that's what happened with two men in Australia. JONATHAN lives in Sydney and contacted us having done
Bible Basics on the app, after having woken up to the fact the Trinity isn't taught in the Bible. John Thatcher met him and after a good discussion, John along with Robin and Steve Jones went to baptize him at his home.
Jonathan's sweet mum also attended:
Here indeed was a convert for Christ. Doctrine by doctrine, all had fallen into place for Jonathan; and more than that, the moral good news of the Gospel, and the reality of forgiveness, had broken through into his life in practice. He was just so excited in the lead up to the baptism. We started a
WhatsApp group for him and others in Australia and there were the most wonderful exchanges on it. Jonathan got up at 4 a.m. the day of his baptism, simply so excited. Here are some clips from the exchanges:
Further north in NSW, again after lots of phone chats and email exchanges, brothers Brad Lawson and Dale Smith from Lismore got up early and drove down to the coast to meet and baptize MARK, who had likewise grasped the Truth fully and clearly from the app. They arrived at the beach to find it closed with a storm and heavy backwash, so they found a river, and eventually performed the baptism in a river overflowing with flood water, and then broke bread. And here's one of Brad and Dale having a breakfast together on the trip:
Brad reports:
" Thursday February 13th was a wonderful day. We drove 2 hours to baptise a man who is dedicated to pursuing truth. We met him along the coast, had a chat about what he had come to believe concerning the Gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ, and then we drove to a river (a cyclone had made the beach too dangerous!) to baptise him into the name of Jesus Christ!
He said it was so different to anything he had seen or experienced before. We prayed together, and then sat around a table sharing some bread and wine for the next hour as we spoke about the journey of his life that brought him to this point. Whilst he had been in a variety of Christian circles for some time, there were things he couldn't understand, and things which didn't add up. He had connected to the Bible Companion app, and pursued the truth concerning many Bible subjects. So many things made sense for him. He was so excited about gaining a clearer understanding of the Father and His Son Jesus Christ, and God's redemptive plan through His own Divine Son, who was a member of the human race, as well as the origin of the internal struggle that he has within [devil / satan issue] and our future hope in glory at the return of Jesus Christ to earth. Whilst he is so excited that many powerful truths has found him, it hasn't made him look down on others who don't see things the same way - his love for them is clear. His passion is to preach Christ, and to baptise others into Christ!
We prayed again before saying goodbye for the time being. We're sure it won't be long before we cross paths again. May the Lord bless our new brother as he continues to grow. May the same blessing be upon all of us! A wonderful day for which we praise our heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ".
Here's a note from our new brother after baptism, still marvelling at how the Lord Jesus really had our nature:
So ... there are people out there. Even in secular western countries like Australia. Do get the true Gospel out there, don't think you have to compromise anything, it's actually the doctrines of Truth which are so attractive to people and make so much sense. And advertising the app seems a good way to do it. People can study at their own pace without pressure, and just get in touch when they're ready, without the angst that often attends turning out to a meeting place for the first time.
LATVIA Dear brother Norman Stock has been an absolute star this week in the kitchen all alone. Sister Esther Hemmings is coming out from Tamworth
UK on Monday so he will now not be alone. Do keep praying for the work at the soup kitchen. The same group attend who have done for many years, many now baptized, with the older ones falling asleep in Jesus these days, but with the great, blessed Hope now before them. And there is real change in lives due to the Truth taking real effect. Those like Viktor who struggled with alcoholism are now walking truly in newness of life, and he now sings a Christian song or hymn for us before our meetings:
PRAYER POINTS: - For the many contacts we now have worldwide who are using the app and getting interested in baptism
- Thanks to God for the real change visible in human lives as a result of the Truth
- For those recently baptized
- For our work in Riga at the soup kitchen
With love from your brothers and sisters of Carelinks