THE ONGOING MINISTRY AT THE MISSION OF HOPE AND THE HOME OF GRACE

Most recently, I completed an outreach meeting at the Home of Grace in Vancleave, MS. This is a ‘faith- based’ addiction recovery program, which has been operating since 1965. A dear brother in Christ, who is a biblical counselor at this program, messaged me after this 3-day outreach meeting, and said that several men are declaring that they have been converted to Christ during those 4 sessions! I am so grateful for the opportunity to proclaim the only message that is able to set the captives free!

I have also been extremely blessed to teach a ‘systematic 13-week study of the Beatitudes’, every Wednesday night when I am home, at the Mission of Hope, located in West Mobile. Last Wednesday evening was an awesome time of ministry, as we completed the 6th Beatitude, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they (and they alone) shall see God". One of the other teachers at the Mission of Hope sent these words of encouragement this week. “The Beatitudes are piercing into the hearts of many men. Brother Ed, God has given you a voice with these men”. Beloved, I consider every opportunity with these approximately 140 men to be a personal privilege, ‘to study to show myself approved unto God; to rightly divide the Word of truth in the power of the Holy Spirit, and to plead with these men to be reconciled to God! Each of these men, who enters into these facilities, possesses a never-dying soul, which is just as valuable as anyone whom I have ever preached to in any church, small or large. I count it an absolute joy to issue the Gospel call and the Gospel commands to these men, who each possess an eternal soul, which is valued more than this entire world! (Mark 8:36) Friends, would you please pray that there will be ‘fruit that remains for the glory of the Lamb’! We realize the ultimate test of authentic conversion will be manifested when they get back out into the world. However, we desire to be faithful handlers of the Gospel call that all men everywhere will repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

THE LORD BLESSED US WITH GLORIOUS SEASONS OF REFRESHING IN 2 SPRING BIBLE CONFERENCES

I am so very grateful that some of the churches within FL, TN, LA, TX, and Al, have begun to hold ‘extended meetings’ in recent months. Here are a few words of testimony from two of the meetings, which both occurred in FL. The first is from my dear brother in Christ, Jeremy Tatom, Pastor of Fellowship Baptist Church in Steinhatchee, FL. Pastor Jeremy testifies “Once again, the Spring Conference at Fellowship Baptist Church in Steinhatchee was a great blessing to all who attended. You are such an encouragement to us! We consider the partnership that we have with Ed Lacy Ministries, to be a true blessing from God to our church. As a pastor, your visit could not have come at a better time. I was in need of sitting under Biblical teaching to be fed, strengthened, and refreshed. Providentially, the series that you delivered on the topic of ‘The Full Armor of God’ came at just the right time in the life of our church. In this world, our adversary is continuing to attack us with flaming arrows of doubt, discouragement, distraction, and despair. Thank you again, my dear brother. We always look forward to the next time that you will serve us the Word of God. Meanwhile, we will be praying for you, that many doors of opportunity will open and remain open for you to proclaim the glorious gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ; and also to be able to continue in the training of pastors around the globe to rightly handle the word of truth. Grace and peace to you in the Lord Jesus Christ!

Also, the following word of testimony is from my dear brother in Christ, Robin Thomas, Pastor of Joppa Baptist Church in Trenton, FL. “Your love for the Lord and concern for His people is always evident in the ministry of the word. I thank you, in the Lord, for your willingness to bring such rich and powerful truth to us. The ‘Redeemed to Worship’ series was a welcome refreshment after the turmoil of 2020, which caused us to examine every aspect of our worship considering the events of the past year. The fresh reminder that we live for Christ (Philippians 1:20-21) laid the groundwork for a wonderful week in Christ. It served to remind us that the supreme purpose of our lives is the worship of our Lord. As the week continued, Joppa was encouraged to worship with ‘heat and light’ (from John 4) and to offer Him our reasonable worship (from Romans 12). The Spirit of God powerfully spoke to our church through the final evening and your teaching from Job.

We were all personally and corporately reminded that it is both our duty and privilege to worship God in the dark valley of adversity. Never were these precious truths of God more needed for a church family than for us. We have recently seen a significant loss of life within our Church family. We conducted eight funerals in eight consecutive weeks to begin 2021. This included our loss of the sudden death of our much beloved worship leader. We desperately needed encouragement to worship God in a new and fresh manner. Brother, God used you to lovingly bless us with that profound and powerful message. Our souls have been refreshed! Our hearts have been encouraged! Our worship has been refocused on the Giver of life, even and only upon our Lord Jesus! Dear brother, many believers in this church have been encouraged to continue in their walk because of the ministry that the Lord has so graciously given you. I pray for your continued faithfulness to complete the work God has provided you. You are indeed a faithful brother and mentor to this pastor. Joppa Baptist Church loves you Bro. Ed."

GOD IS ABLE TO MAKE ALL GRACE ABOUND TOWARD YOU

Our Heavenly Father has extravagantly bestowed the funds that have been necessary for ministry, enabling us to be a channel of blessing to scores of pastors’ and church planters’ conferences, ongoing financial support of church planters and Gospel workers on four continents, numerous constructions of church buildings for needy church planters in third world nations, and basic supplies of food and water. In every opportunity afforded to us, we have as our primary goal, to be pleasing to the Lord, as the seed of the Good News of the Gospel is scattered in every outreach.

Oh, precious friend, our God has accomplished all of these things, through His faithful people whom voluntarily, joyfully, and bountifully support this ministry with your love, your intercessory prayers and your financial gifts. The promise found in 2 Corinthians 9:6 stands faithful. – “He who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully”. This elementary and indisputable precept declares that the spiritual harvest is directly proportionate to the amount of seed sown. Brothers and sisters, the eyes of this itinerant preacher has seen a magnanimous spiritual harvest in 20 nations, in the lives of untold thousands of people, because of your love, prayers and ‘grace-giving’ to this ministry. Almost daily, I receive testimonies, by phone, email or Facebook, of ‘lasting spiritual fruit’ in the lives of numerous pastors, church planters and believers, which are directly connected to your partnership with this ministry. Dianne and I are acutely aware that, each gift that you have given to this ministry is primarily offered to God, for the extension of His kingdom and the magnification of His Son! Beloved ones, please know you are loved!

Thank you for your faithfulness in all of these things. The way you have partnered with us on this journey is no small matter. You are such a blessing to us; and you have made friends and increased your spiritual family through your love, your prayers for us and for others, along with your faithful giving toward these outreaches. You have been such a tremendous source of encouragement to us, as well as a great testimony of the love of God that has been shed aboard in your hearts. We are looking forward to that soon-coming day, when we will worship the Lord and the Lamb together forever in glory. But until that day, may we all declare together, “Thanks be to God for HIS UNSPEAKABLE GIFT”!

WE OFFER THE SACRIFICE OF PRAISE TO OUR GOD AND GRATITUDE

“Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.” Friends, the Lord continues to use your intercessory prayers and your gifts of love to this ministry, to bear much fruit for the magnification of the Savior! Many of you have faithfully stood with us, on the ‘front lines of this spiritual warfare’ in 21 different nations in this world. Our mighty Commander has employed your love, your prayers, and your financial gifts to enable this soldier to go on the offensive into enemy territory, in both the evangelism of the lost and the edification of fellow soldiers in the army of the Lord! Our hearts overflow with gratitude and love for each one of you.

Dianne and I realize these days have been very difficult for everyone. Oh how we need to pray for one another! Several of our precious co-laborers have suffered greatly during these long months of uncertainty. Some are grieving from the unexpected loss of their loved ones, others are presently in a battle with life- threatening illnesses; and some families are facing challenges with their jobs and incomes. This unprecedented time has also been difficult on many of our pastor friends and their churches. They have encountered situations which most have never had to face before! So please know, we are praying for you. As all of these circumstances encumber our lives, they are being used to make us more aware of our frailties, and prayerfully, causing us to see the answer to our great need is found in the Lord.

There is no doubt in our minds that these days are surreal! But, precious friends, we have a God who is seated on the Throne. More than ever before, we are convinced that the Lord has left us here, during these unusual and evil days, “For Such A Time As This! He has His soldiers in their needed place; and He has not left us without our Spiritual Armor. In our weaknesses, He is our Strength! In our sorrow, He is our Consolation! In our confusion and lack of understanding, He is our Wisdom! In the time of conflict and affliction, He is our Refuge and our Help. In the middle of the storms of life, He is our Peace. We can fight the good fight of Faith, because we have a Commander that is Victorious.

OPEN DOORS

I am also extremely grateful for the new ‘foreign door’, which the Lord has opened to me within the nation of South Africa. In July, I am scheduled to teach the 2nd conference among these brothers, whether in person or by Zoom and Facebook Live, (that remains to be seen). The leaders of these conferences are indigenous church planters, who are under the umbrella of the Heart Cry Missionary Society. The opening words of their mission statement ring truthfully and powerfully in my heart, “When considering the worthiness of any missionary endeavor our three greatest concerns should be doctrine, integrity, and practice. DOCTRINE: The Great Commission is not about sending missionaries, but about sending God truth through missionaries. INTEGRITY: Those who preach the gospel must adorn the gospel with their lives. PRACTICE: The Scripture determines strategy—proclamation, intercessory prayer, and sacrificial service.” These dear brothers in Christ, who are organizing this 2nd conference, are filled with ‘light’ and ‘heat’. I consider it to be a tremendous privilege to serve among them. Also, I will be teaching ‘The Armor of God’ series, as well as the ‘Redeemed to Worship’ series in the upcoming weeks in Florida. I am so grateful for the churches that are willing to give invitations to preach the Word, even in the midst of these pandemic conditions! Please be in prayer for these opportunities in the midst of these challenging days.