Vision Publishing

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Author Spotlight May -June 2017

Dr. Harold and Linda Eberle from Worldcast  Ministries sharing from the heart.  Click above to hear more.

 Victorious Eschatology

A biblically-based optimistic view of the future. Along with a historical perspective, Harold R. Eberle and Martin Trench present a clear understanding of Matthew 24, the book of Revelation, and other key passages about the events to precede the return of Jesus Christ. Satan is not going to take over this world. Jesus Christ is Lord and He will reign until every enemy is put under His feet! (See how you can get a discount off this book below.)

  Worldcast Ministries

Worldcast Ministries & Publishing was founded by Harold and Linda Eberle in 2000. They began their ministry by pastoring a church for six years in the Northwest US, beginning in 1980. After a fruitful season pastoring, Harold felt a call to travel and minister to the larger Body of Christ. Since that time, Harold has become known in churches around the world. He is a popular conference speaker and visiting instructor at numerous Bible Colleges. In 2015, Linda joined Harold on the road full-time, after she retired from 15 years of teaching second and third graders.

About 1/3 of Harold’s energies are invested in foreign nations, while the rest is invested in the USA. He has ministered in dozens of countries, with special focus on three regions. In 1990, he began working in the Philippines helping Pastor Eddie Deita establish a Bible College, facilitating strong leaders on the island of Mindanao. Then in 1996, Harold began spending extensive time in central Africa, where he worked with Dr. Weston Gitonga to establish 11 Bible Colleges in seven countries.

Since 2010, Harold has focused his ministry in the Middle East, where he is working and investing time ministering in the Muslim-dominated areas of the world. Harold and Linda helped build two Bible Schools in the Middle East and have a third one planned to open this year. They are involved with several other projects in other nations as well.

Since 2013, Harold has been recording a 30-minute television program for Isaac TV and Eternal Life Ministries. Linda has been his co-host since 2015. They are having the time of their lives, reading and teaching through the New Testament together.

Harold and Linda Eberle in Pakistan 2016

Harold has authored over 30 books, dealing with many issues: Church leadership, life-centered Christianity, Kingdom finances, Church history, victorious Christian living, and various areas of theology. His latest book is Father Son Theology-A Systematic Theology for 21st Century Believers. Several of his books are used as textbooks in Bible Colleges and seminaries throughout the world. Harold and Linda have been married for 39+ years and live in Yakima, Washington, US. They raised three children who are grown and living happily on their own.

Our biggest claim to fame though is that we are friends of Dr. Stan’s.

We have a GREAT deal for you!  

Like to buy the book?  

Great.. as a Vision Publishing fan you can get a $3.95 discount off the book. But hurry this special is for a limited time only.  Click here and use the coupon code VISION.

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Communion in the Kingdom

By Stan Newton 

Reformation in the church is a continuous process, at least it should be.  Understanding and putting into practice Scripture is a life time pursuit for Christians and for the church.  For several decades we have seen reformation in the areas of eschatology, grace, the covenants, church order, worship and other areas of importance.  As I have surveyed the church’s landscape over the years I have been waiting for another reformation; a reformation of The Lord’s Table.  For traditional denominational churches communion has found a comfortable place in the schedule of the church.  Yet, within Pentecostal/charismatic churches communion has fallen on hard times, if not disregarded entirely.

The fresh waves of worship with emphasis upon freedom, spontaneity and worship bands is a true reformation in how we conduct our church services.  With our sound systems, lights, even fog machines, church is exciting and filled with emotions. Yet, there is a cost to this ‘overly subjective’ form of worship.  When we get used to a certain level of emotion, we want increasingly more.  Then, the pastor announces, “Next week will be communion,” and people roll their eyes and make sarcastic remarks about ‘being religious.’  What is a Pastor to do?   What many have done is postpone the communion service and crank up the emotion to another level and hope the congregation is satisfied, at least for a while.

 A reformation is needed as to how we understand and receive communion.  When we see the Lord’s Table as a celebration of the King and his kingdom, maybe we will do it more often.  When we see communion as ministering a distinct presence of Jesus then, churches may restore it to its proper place as a vital part of our worship service.  I believe we have fallen into a religious trap.  We maintain our communion services to be ‘sin focused,’ rather than a celebration of the new covenant life.  We hold tight to these traditions even though most are no longer interested in them.   Therefore, leaders skip a month or two, maybe five or six months before holding the congregation hostage to endure another communion service.  There has been a slow demise in many Pentecostal/charismatic churches in coming to the Table of the Lord with any regularity.

I wrote Kingdom Communion to direct our attention back to basics and to look forward to the opportunities that receiving from the Lord’s Table offers. It is basic to our Christian faith.  It helps the saints to mature.  It brings churches closer together.  The people of God experience his presence in a unique way. We experience a renewing of the covenant.   Yet, it also has a rich kingdom dimension of reaching forward into possibilities not yet seen. Communion is more than remembering, it reaches into our future with Jesus and by faith brings heaven to earth.  Remember, Jesus said he would wait until the kingdom before he once again drank the cup with us (Mark 14:25). We are not waiting.  The kingdom is here!  Lift your cup to the Lord and proclaim, “Hail to the king.”

We are living in the day of the kingdom.  Communion in the kingdom is our present experience.  The problem many churches have is the lack of kingdom understanding of the Lord’s Table.  We have separated the communion table from our normal worship.  We pray every Sunday, we sing every Sunday, we preach every Sunday and we take an offering every Sunday.  What we fail miserably at is regularly celebrating the kingdom by coming to the Lord’s Table.

Have we downgraded our communion service?  Yes, I believe we have. Here is a partial list of how our communion service has suffered and suggestions for a remedy.

  1. We misread 1 Corinthians 11.  We concentrate on ‘personal sin’ and judgment if an unworthy person partakes. The main issue was the church’s profound selfishness which brought about division in the church.
  2. We think communion is only about the death of Jesus.  It is not.  It is a comprehensive service rejoicing in all aspects of Christ’s ministry, including his kingship and kingdom.
  3. We maintain an atmosphere of a funeral.  How about a communion service which is a celebration? Think of a wedding.
  4. We keep our children far from the Lord’s Table.  How about allowing covenant children to partake and experience the presence of Jesus in the communion.
  5. We hold to the doctrine of ‘memorialism’ which reduces communion to mere remembering.  There is a real presence of Jesus at his table.

When we combine these together no wonder church leaders keep postponing the communion service.   Reforming the Lord’s Table will balance our ‘subjective’ approach worship and add a dose ‘objectivity’ to it.   What is lacking in many worship services is any sense of intellectual or objective worship.

We are in days of Reformation. God is restoring fresh understanding of the kingdom and new covenant living.  Let’s continue to see the church reformed.  It is time to make changes, it is time to include communion as a regular part of our worship service.  It was in the New Testament church and it can be now.

Churches that serve communion every Sunday find that people respond to it.  In our hearts, we know it is right. A Sunday service which concludes with communion sends the church out with a fresh encounter with the presence of Jesus and a renewed sense of God’s covenant.  Let’s celebrate the king! Come to the Table of the Lord.

When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat (1 Corinthians 11:20).

This book will be released in April 2017 by Vision Publishing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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What Will You Do with the Fish?

While many focus on evangelism and church planting, catching fish is the easy part. What you do with the fish is what sets one apart as a disciple maker, leader developer, and church planter. With that in mind, we chose Steve Fitzpatrick as our Vision Author of the Month!

After receiving our request, Pastor Steve Fitzpatrick (on his way to Nicaragua) penned the following article. You see, Steve does not just talk about leadership development, he does not just write about it, his leadership development book was literally birthed in the trenches around the globe. You may equate Steve to a spiritual midwife. He assists in the church birthing process by equipping the leadership. Please keep Steve in your prayers as he travels around the world to do the work of the Lord.

Kathy Smith, Director of Vision Publishing

Character, Conduct, and Content

 Steve Fitzpatrick

“Starting churches seems to be the easy part,
The difficulty is in developing the leaders to shepherd those churches.”

 

I consider it a great honor to be asked to preview my book for you – and that you would consider reading and using it. After I complied and wrote this book I started thinking about how to market it. So I went to Amazon to see how many other books like this there were on the market, and with whom I was competing. Books on Leadership? As you can guess the list was boundless. But then when I narrowed the search to exactly what this book was, a book based solely on Biblical principles on how to develop leaders around the world, I was stunned. I could find no other book on the market in this category. That made me nervous. Had I totally missed something? But then I came back to the core reason why I even wrote the book and realized, no, this is a much needed help to pastoral leaders everywhere. Let me quote from my preface now as I describe what the book is all about.

This workbook has been a lifetime in development. I have taken topics that I have taught, preached and developed in seminars around the world and compiled them in this format. A few years ago I was just finishing a seminar with Pastor Aguayo in Lima, Peru when he said to me, “Why don’t you put this material into a book format and I will help you get it into print.” After publishing this book first in Spanish, this new and edited version is finally in English.

For years I have been training pastoral leaders and strengthening local churches in over 40 countries. I can clearly see that God is moving around the world. In country after country the church is exploding with new believers. Statisticians tell us that currently there is someone being born into the Kingdom of God at a rate of one every two seconds. Praise God for that as it’s nothing short of miraculous. But with the explosion of new believers in the Kingdom there is also a corresponding problem that must be addressed.

A few years ago I was heading to one of my seminars being held in Argentina. I was travelling in a taxi with Pastor Gonzalez when I casually asked, “So, what’s been going on in your ministry lately?” To which he responded, “Oh, last week we just opened another church in a nearby town.” So I asked him, “Wow that’s great, so how many churches have you opened altogether?” Amazingly he said, “Praise God that was the 200th church we’ve started!” I was astounded, and I guess my dropped jaw told him so. “But, Steve,” he said, “you’ve got to realize that this is what the Holy Spirit is currently doing throughout Latin America. Where in years past we suffered great persecution, and getting people saved was so very difficult, now that has changed. I have the faith today that I can go to any town, start preaching on a street corner, and in a matter of two weeks birth a church. Starting churches seems to be the easy part, the difficulty is in developing the leaders to shepherd those churches. And that is why I am so thankful for your efforts. We need help in training leaders!”

Leadership Development
Also Available in Spanish

I have come to realize that the training of leaders needs to cover three basic areas; character, conduct and content. Character is who you are. Conduct is how you function in your ministry. And Content is what you believe. If you, as a leader, can have basic training in each of these areas then you will be much better prepared to serve the Lord in the ministry to which you have been called.

With these thoughts in mind I have prepared the following material in a catechismal format. For centuries this format has been used to educate students. Catechism is simply instruction through the use of questions and answers. With a catechism format this book can then be used by an individual for personal study, by a group with an informal leader, or in a classroom setting with a formal instructor. Unless otherwise stated all scripture references will be from the New International Version. However you choose to use this workbook I trust that you will be blessed and further established in your faith and leadership gifting.

Pastor Steve Fitzpatrick,  Herald of Faith

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Author Spotlight

In our Author Spotlight,  one of our new features for 2017, we will highlight one of our fabulous Vision authors on a regular basis.  This month we would like to introduce our newest author to Vision, Pastor Brian Weeks.  His book, Musings will be released next month.

Pastor Brian lives in Rehoboth, Massachusetts with his wife Donna of 45 years; they have two adult children. Pastor Brian began ministering in 1972, first as a youth pastor, then a pastor to young adults, an associate pastor and for the past 24 years he has been a senior pastor, missionary and church planter.

His ministry has taken him to Haiti, Ukraine, India, Romania and Neah Bay, Washington with the Makah Indians. In recent years, he has been encouraging and stirring people, from very diversified “movements” with his prophetic gift. He has been blessed to minister in Evangelical, Charismatic, Episcopal, Catholic, Black Pentecostal, Dutch Reform, Vineyard and Faith churches and many diverse churches internationally.

Pastor Brian’s passion is to see lives transformed by the power and love of God. Desiring that God’s sons and daughters would not only discover their gifts and talents but more importantly comprehend how much God delights in them and how affectionately they are loved. To know they were created for a divine purpose. His prophetic ministry helps people grasp these realities and empowers them to take a step(s) towards their tomorrows. One of his greatest joys is to see people in the presence of God and to see God’s people enjoy and cherish their relationship with the Lord and His people.

Pastor Brian has co-planted two churches and has planted three other churches. His most recent church plant was birthed on Christmas Eve 2009. With his rich diversified experience, he loves encouraging and mentoring other pastors about the Holy Spirit, as well as helping them grow and develop their churches into their future.

As a part of his ministry, Pastor Brian has been publishing a thought for the day. Now he has compiled the work into a devotional book titled Musings. The book will be released by Vision Publishing in February 2017. You can get a prelaunch special by ordering your copy today for just $19.95.  To order you copy at the reduced price please contact Pastor Brian at:

brianweeksministries@gmail.com. or visit the church website at www.solomonsporchonline.com

What Others Are Saying

Pastor Brian has a very powerful prophetic ministry.  I have had the opportunity to minister with him on several occasions (he is a regular guest minister at my parish) and I have watched the Lord speak amazing words of encouragement over many people through him.  The prophetic words that he has spoken over both me and my wife have been very encouraging and have come to fruition!

Pastor Brian also has a deep heart for the Lord and his people.  I would not hesitate for a moment to recommend his ministry to anyone looking to grow in the Lord and expand into the prophetic ministry.

Fr. Jim French
Rector, Holy Trinity Anglican Church Plainville, CT 06062

I have known Brian for more than 30 years.  If there is one thing that I can say about his life and ministry it is that he is focused on hearing and speaking from the heart of God.  He is not interested in just speaking any old word, but the fresh, intimate, life changing word of a loving Father addressed to His children.  And when God speaks, it is important to take the time to hear Him out and understand just what He is saying.  That is why “Musings” as a title is so fitting.  These essays are a compilation of thoughts, spoken diversely in a daily walk pattern that must be contemplated in order for us to receive the heart and mind of God and walk in a way that is pleasing to Him.  In a world that is more focused on amusement (not thinking) than musing (thinking), may this book challenge that pattern and cause all of us to ponder the great thoughts of God and follow after Him.

Ronald L. Bernier, Senior Pastor
Master Builder Ministries

More than a quarter of a century has passed since I first met Pastor Brian Weeks. If I were to honor three men of God who have impacted me the most in my life, and in my work for the Lord, PB is one of them.

He has earned this place because:

  • His flexibility to hear the voice of God
  • -His pedagogy: Even when the topics are of a complex nature the moment he speaks he brings clarity and understanding to his audience and people are convicted that God has spoken to them.
  • His sense of duty. Everything he does he does well and with a spirit of excellence. These attributes inspire other people to follow his example.
  • He is a visionary.

During this last decade PB and I have journeyed together through many parts of Haiti. Whenever we go God uses him to speak to people prophetically. There is one question that is continually asked, “How does he know that?” My answer is I know that PB has the mouth and eyes of God having read what is in people’s lives.

So PB is and remains a divine tool, a vessel of honor, full of integrity, a dispenser of truth, rightly dividing the word of God. All this is summarized by saying he is a simple servant of God.

Jean Carlo Thomas
Founder and President of New World Missions for Christ

For 25 years, Pastor Brian Weeks has been a friend to our family; an encouraging mentor to me – a pastor in a denomination not known for comfort with the charismatic experience of Holy Spirit; and a colleague of great integrity. That integrity is nowhere more evident than in Brian’s transparency of character and soul. To be trusted by him is one of the greatest compliments I can imagine.  His willingness to share freely with others what he is learning, and his willingness to join in the spiritual adventure of others also marks Brian Weeks as a man of courage.  He is no fool who rushes in with a word that may be ‘out of season’.  He is a careful pastor with others; but with the revelations in his ‘musings’ blog, Pastor Brian took a further risk.  In both, Brian has opened a door for others to experience how personal, how loving and how challenging it is to be in the embrace of Holiness and Perfect Love. There is nowhere else he would want to be. For those of us with that shared passion, I say thank you, PB.

The Very Reverend Susan Baker-Borjeson, M.Div, Retired, Diocese of Albany
President, Jubilate Deo Ministries Inc and Missionary

Pastor Brian is one of the most uniquely gifted ministers of the gospel I have ever met. I think the secret of his success lies in his potent combination of being both able to hear what the Lord is saying in a remarkably clear way, and being brave enough to convey what the Lord is saying in a clear way regardless of the context. The result of this combo is a pure sounding trumpet blast from heaven that, in my experience, sends shock waves into the lives of everyone that attends his meetings. I have experienced first hand the positively life changing impact God can have on an entire congregation through the ministry of a prophet of the Lord of Brian’s caliber. Praise be to God!

 

Tyler Slade

Former Youth Director of the Episcopal Diocese of Albany

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New Beginnings

I overheard an evangelist relay the following:

“Several years ago I went to preach a three-day crusade in a Western city. The Spirit of God moved in such a great measure that what started as a three-day crusade, lasted for six weeks. During that time, there were several first-time decisions for Christ made daily. The Spirit of revival was tremendous, as many people came into a personal knowledge of our precious Savior, Jesus.

“Approximately one year later I returned to visit the same church. I asked the pastor if I could meet some of the new converts who had been harvested during the crusade. The pastor stated, with some anger and discouragement in his heart, that from the dozens saved, there were only three people that had been planted into the local church. I too was angered and sought the Lord as to why this situation had occurred. I believe the Lord gave me a key to be implemented if we are to stop this tremendous loss of precious souls.”

In this church, to no real fault of the local pastor, and much like most American churches, there was no structured follow-up program for new converts. The new Christians were left to their own devices, truly like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus commanded us to preach the gospel and to make disciples. A disciple-making follow-up program would have helped this church  to  retain  the  fish,  initially  gathered  into  the  nets  of revival, to build the Kingdom of God.

In this book, one-on-one discipleship in the rudimentary teaching of the Word is presented. Through the proper utilization of Dr. DeKoven’s guide, new converts can be adequately grounded in the precious Word of God. Further, as discipler and disciple work and share together, a necessary bond that links people into the local church will be formed. I strongly encourage the usage of this material to ground people in the things of God and to firmly establish their “New Beginnings.”

Dr. A. L. Gill
World Evangelist and Teacher

Vision Publishing