April 2020 Latvia, UK, Italy, Apps
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
We are continuing our online breaking of bread on Facebook on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. GMT, on our Carelinks Ministries Facebook page. And there is an Australian online breaking of bread on Tuesday evenings Australian time using PalTalk.
PANDEMIC
We are now responding to requests for assistance from those we've baptized around the world over the years, who have remained in contact and whom we personally know. We are sending assistance to them as best we can. But obviously this is a situation which requires a lot of prayer and wisdom especially in how to deal with a global economic downturn which affects the vulnerable worst of all. But the Father repeatedly shows in the scriptures that our attitude to the vulnerable, "the poor... widows and fatherless" is of critical interest to Him.
LATVIA
We continue feeding, not just those baptized but more and more local folks are now coming to us. The message on our visibility vests is clear: FREE BIBLES / FREE FOOD. All our humanitarian work is in support of our work of witness. And indeed in the present crisis, our feeding program is indeed an opportunity to reach out in witness. We've had to double the amount of soup we prepare because of increased attendance. The drill remains the same- Cindy ladels the soup and then presents it on a table in the door way, and a food packet, coffee and soup are then taken by the people one at a time. Max and Duncan ensure people remain not only two meters apart when lining up, but also eat two meters apart somewhere in the surrounding streets. It is crowding which has resulted in the other soup kitchens being closed down.
You can see another video of the work at
https://youtu.be/E0AeTOggi3U
UK
People worldwide are turning to God as a result of the pandemic. There are indeed times when man comes down very small before God; but we must stay down. And that's what we pray will happen for the unprecedented numbers of people who are now using our material to study the Bible. But there are others who already were in contact and had been studying our literature, who have now turned to the Lord in spirit and truth. Some of these people are baptizing themselves, but that takes quite a lot of courage. There are others who don't yet have that courage and let's pray for them to retain their interest until we can get to them and baptize them.
So this week GEORGE baptized himself, up in the Highlands of Scotland, UK. This was after much discussion on the phone and contact over a period of time. He was a typical secular Scot, his mother was a biology teacher and he too had accepted the theory of evolution and the general secular explanation of life. But after the 9/11 attacks, George began to think deeper about life; he read the God Delusion [Richard Dawkins] so he was exposed to all the usual secular stuff... but saw through it after reacting against it. Now at 38 he has seen the Truth fully after a lot of searching. He first came across The Real Devil and was persuaded there was no devil and that indeed hell is the grave; and then from that, he went on to read The Real Christ and was convicted not just of the theological truth that there is no Trinity, but of the real Christ. And saw the need for baptism into Him. The app has of course been very helpful to him. It just shows that there is hope for secular folks and we are being led to reach out to them.
You can hear the audio of the self baptism at
https://youtu.be/59bZCknuWh4
although there had been hours of discussion on the phone before that. He is very clear about our doctrines. Despite the strong Scottish accent and poor audio quality, that also comes out in the recording of the baptism.
ITALY
We accept that some are sceptical of self baptism. But we ask you to think it through. If self baptism isn't valid, then presumably the validity of baptism depends upon the presence of others. Where does the Bible say that? The Biblical symbolism of baptism is of an individual in faith connecting with the death and resurrection of Jesus as their new Lord and Master.
The Bible is silent on the issue of a baptizer somehow making a baptism acceptable or not. And if ecclesias are closed or simply don't exist, then is it so that a man cannot come to Christ and the hope of the Kingdom without such a religious structure? Of course, self baptism is far from ideal, but especially in the present situation, it seems to us a totally legitimate way to go.
We're pleased to also tell you of a new brother in Italy, VIKTOR, a Russian-Italian young man who came to us through the Google Ads for the app. Here he is with his Russian NEV Bible which he applied for from the app:
Elsewhere in Italy and Sicily, we have continued sending out funds to assist our African migrant brethren. Some of them are really in a very bad situation. Many who were living on the streets have been put into camps because of the pandemic, but they are kept their under strict lock down with inadequate food. Brother Godson has again been very responsible in accounting for the funds sent him for such work, here you can see him buying the food and then using a friend's car to get it out to those in need:
APPS
We are coming to the point where in God's strength we are looking to roll out the Bible Companion app in French, Spanish and Farsi [Persian].
We're looking for people who know those languages to help us test the beta versions. This isn't a big job, it's not a question of checking out the translation, but just of using the app in one of those languages and making sure there aren't any obvious problems, checking that all the buttons and links work, etc.
The apps are on Android, so you'd need an Android phone or tablet on which to test them. Please get in touch if you know one of those languages and have a few minutes to help.
PRAYER POINTS
- For those recently baptized
- For those considering self baptism, and for those who aren't quite brave enough to do that at this point but would like to be baptized
- For our feeding work especially in Latvia and Italy
- For the development of the app in French, Spanish and Farsi
With love from your brothers and sisters of Carelinks