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Thanksgiving Thoughts

By
Dr. Stan DeKoven

 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Col. 3: 16

Happy Thanksgiving. This holiday, which I will be celebrating even though not all memories of this festive holiday were warm and fussy while growing up, it was and remains for me a most important celebration; a must be, even more than Christmas or Easter (and I love those times too). I suppose when you move into the last third of your life, it is normal to be a bit nostalgic, and often we can have selective memory. But my memories of Thanksgiving, with mom and dad, with Karen and my girls, and now with my daughters and grandchildren…well, they are precious to me.

Of course, I would be lying if I said I did not like the meal…it is always sumptuous, but it is much more than the meal, and truly, we always have much more food than can be in good conscious consumed. It is the remembrance…remembering all we have to be truly thankful for, as members of a family, as residents of a great nation, and even more, as citizens in the Kingdom of God.

The Bible reminds us to remember 168 times (in the New American Standard Version)…and yes, there are things we need to forget, but first we have to remember what we are to forget.  Anyway, remembering just a few things this Thanksgiving will no doubt make it a richer, fuller gathering…especially if we remember to be thankful.

Give Thanks

In this passage of scripture, Paul, addressing the persecuted church in Thessalonica, reminds the believers that there are many things to be thankful for, in spite of their circumstances, as they patiently await the coming of the Lord. Here are four specifics:

  1. Give thanks because God chose them, and subsequently all of us. He has saved us, and sanctified us by the truth and the Holy Spirit. For certain, the believers in Thessalonica were first fruits, and we are the continued fruit of God’s love and grace. Thus, before we sit down to eat our overstuffed Turkey, I will give thanks, and share again how the Lord saved me. I would encourage you to do the same.

For our family, our road to salvation began with the tragic and forever memorable assignation of President Kennedy, which drove my mom, eventually my dad and the rest of us kids to give our hearts to Christ at the little Evangelical Methodist church in San Diego, led by Pastor Lee Speakman.  My walk continued as I dedicated myself to full time service at age 12, was filled with the Holy Spirit at 17, and on we go. From an early age, the Lord placed in me a hunger for the Word of God, to read, to hear and to preach/teach….and for this I am forever grateful.

2. This leads me to a question. What should we be thankful for? Who should we be thankful for? How do we express it?

Well, the Word states, in just a few instances,

  • It is good to give thanks…Ps. 92:1…in fact, mental health professionals state, and much research confirms that a good attitude, an attitude of gratitude is one component of both long life and a more productive one.  Both in the natural and spiritual, giving thanks makes good sense.  Further, once we start giving thanks, we need to…
  • Keep giving thanks…Eph. 1:16…regardless of circumstances, we are to give thanks…and we often do this best through…
  • Prayer & and Thanksgiving, which go together like peanut butter and jelly…or better yet, Turkey and dressing.

3.  For me, much of my thankfulness comes as I remember that I, and all of us, have been called for glory, which the Lord defined for Moses as Goodness and Compassion…Ex. 33:18-22

In fact, it is God’s Compassion, demonstrated in the life and ministry of Jesus that is a key to expressing our gratefulness.  (Mark 1)…we are eternally grateful for all the Lord has done for us, beginning and the cross and resurrection, and continuing until the Kingdoms of this world become the Kingdom of our Lord and his Christ…for he does reign. It would be good to remember compassion, love in action, this Thanksgiving, by some act of kindness and generosity to someone less materially blessed than we are.

And because of all that Christ has done, we can, in gratitude and strength, Stand Firm!

I was thinking about a book I read in the 70’s written by Watchman Nee, titled Sit, Walk and Stand. In a very brief summary, we are taught to:

      • Sit…remember we have entered into our rest in Christ, as he is our Sabbath, and we are presently seated in the Heavenlies with Christ (Eph. 2:6). Thus, we can know that we are chosen, holy, beloved, and of infinite value to the Lord. Once we know our identity, and truly enter our rest in God, we can then…
      • Walk in the Spirit (Ga. 5:16), which includes walking in Love (Eph. 5:2), walking in the Light (1Jn. 1:7) and walking in the Wisdom of God (Col 4:5), which leads us to…
      • Stand…thus we need to…

“Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done in love.” (1 Cor 16:13). Our faith, which is God and his Word, is what sustains us, and grows as we stand on the Word of God. Finally…

4. Paul reminds the church that there are traditions that have been passed on to the church, to remember and to remind each other with.

*The traditions I am thinking of include the Eucharist, the weekly or more gathering of the saints together (church), giving thanks at meals, daily devotions and study of the Word, times of pray and even fasting’s. These are Traditions of the Kingdom, things that are tried and true (Matt. 13:51+)

*All of these traditions, and others as summarized in Acts 2:42-46 are what sustains us in our walk…especially as we continue to devote ourselves to prayer and the ministry of the word.

Concluding Thoughts

This Thanksgiving, a uniquely American holiday, will be celebrated wherever Americans gather. Even if you are not from the United States, you might consider setting aside a day or days to focus on giving thanks. As you do, remind yourself of the many things you can be thankful to the Lord for. I will choose to remember:

  • My salvation
  • My calling
  • My family (including my mom and grandparents and wives in heaven)
  • My friends (including the dedicate Vision staff and Leaders around the world)
  • My health
  • My nation
  • My many, many blessings, bestowed on me simply because I am in Christ, and he is in me…all spiritual blessings, now and for eternity…Thanks be to God!

 

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Arise Shine

Dear Friend of Vision;

I have the privilege of attending and speaking at a number of conferences each year…some of which feature Vision and Vision folks.

This year, along with the Harvest Conference in September with Dr. Manon Gurley, the Gathering of Apostle and Prophets conference with Dr. Tim Hamon, (which was rescheduled for February due to Hurricane Michael) and World Cast Ministries with Harold and Linda Eberle in July, I will be at the AGIF Conference (Executive Director Steve Ekeroth), which this year features our graduate and Missiologist Dr. David Shibley http://www.davidshibley.com/.

It would be an honor to connect with you and other Visionites at the conference in San Diego (see attached information)…this will be outstanding, as Brother David is truly an outstanding and anointed minister of the Word. Blessings, and hope to see you there.

The dates are January 22-24, 2019 at the Dana Hotel and Resort on Mission Bay. The cost for one person, including a banquet lunch on Wednesday and breakfast Wednesday and Thursday mornings is $225 and for two people sharing a room the cost is $275.  We hope to see you there!

You may register by clicking here...

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From the desk of Dr. Stan

Vision Update…from South Africa

Dear Friend of Vision…and me!

I am writing this brief letter from South Africa, where I will be ministering for the next 10 days. I must say I am already missing Joan…but it is also great to know that I have a partner that more than understands, she fully embraces my call and sacrifice.

I am here for two reasons. First, to strengthen the leadership of our International outreach here in Southern Africa. We have many schools here, and in Zambia, Namibia, etc. Dr. Kobin Archary, our Director has done an outstanding job. We are seeing much growth in the programs we can offer here, and the best days are still ahead. He has organized a busy itinerary for me, including two Vision Graduations. I will be speaking about 10 times over the next few days, so thanks again for your prayers for me and Vision.

As you know, VISION INTERNATIONAL is an educational ministry designed to assist in the task of “equipping the saints for the work of the ministry,” (Ephesians 4:12). In essence, we are here to equip the equipper (provide to the local church leadership) the tools necessary to equip the saints of God. Our International Network of Bible Colleges in local churches spans the globe, working with pastors to develop quality-training centers for their congregation. VISION, established in 1974, has over 4,000 campuses in 140+ nations, serving thousands of students worldwide. Also, through Vision International University and our degree programs, we are raising up leaders in the 21st century. It is always an honor for me to pioneer the work in new areas and nurture the schools God has allowed us to begin.

Again, I want to thank you for your faithfulness in your generous giving to Vision. Without faithful partners like you, we could not do what we do…or at least as well. Your gifts, whatever size, is good seed into excellent soil, and blessings returned to the giver. Your gifts are being used to support our international student body and the planting of local churches around the globe.

Brief Story

I was just with our South East Asia Director, Dr. Paul Ai and his wonderful wife Ruth. We were ministering together at the Harvest International Ministerial Fellowship gathering, sponsored by The Tabernacle Church, and our Board of Regents member and Francophone Director Dr. Manon Gurley. Paul shared on the many schools, located in the deep jungles of Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, along with outreaches in Malaysia and Indonesia, where literally hundreds of students are studying our materials in English or their own language. Most of the translation of these materials have been done by volunteers…but they are effective, and of course, more is needed. Paul teaches in intensive seminars, and from the teaching plants churches around the region …

Oh yes, Vision in Ramona is not holding its breath in terms of tuition sharing…there is no money to share, which is why your donations are so important…and we are believing God for benefactors to under write language groups, so we can increase our outreach and effectiveness for the Kingdom of God.

Finally, please continue to pray for our transition to the new offices and the most judicious usage of our new campus. We have lots of ideas, but really want the mind of Christ fully. We still need help to finish some of the work on the property, but all is well, and we are grateful.

Again, thank you for your gift, for which no goods or services were provided, which helps us take the whole word to the whole world. 

Blessings from South Africa. Enjoy the articles in this month’s update, brought to you with excellence by Dr. Kathy Smith, our Director of Communications and Publishing.

Dr Stan

 

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Dr. Paul Ai … From Witchdoctor to Apostle

Dr. Paul Ai has an amazing testimony of deliverance from Buddhism and witchcraft.  After his radical conversion, he became a leader of the underground Vietnamese church network. Dr. Paul now spends his time ministering in Cambodia and around the world.  He is the South East Asia Zone Leader for Vision International.

Dr. Paul Ai was born into a strong Buddhist family in Vietnam.  At a young age, he was sent to a pagoda to become a Buddhist monk and became one of the top monks in his town. As he grew up, he realized there was no hope and no power in the doctrines of Buddhism, he was disappointed so he studied black magic and became a witch doctor. He served 3,366 gods, who gave him power to perform many miracles and he was bound in their strongholds. He became very disappointed in the devil’s power when a Christian crusade came to his town in 1970.

Dr. Paul was determined to stop the Christian meetings with the power of his gods, but at the end of the crusade, he found out that they were no match for the God of the missionaries. Paul lost the battle in the spiritual realm, but he won in Jesus. He found all the answers to his questions in the Bible.  Paul gave his life to Jesus at the end of the crusade, and started serving Him.

Dr. Paul faced many persecutions after he accepted Jesus Christ. He was disowned by his family and rejected by the community, he was persecuted by the government. He served over 10.5 years in Vietnamese communist prisons for his beliefs in the gospel.  In all those dark places, God has always shown His faithfulness.

Dr. Paul studied the Bible and later became a pastor and church planter.  He has planted over 600 underground churches under communism. He was the founder and the 1st  Superintendent of the Assembly of God of Vietnam for over 15 years and had thousands of pastors and cell leaders under his leadership. Dr. Paul received his BA in Theology, MA in Leadership, DR in Theology, and PH.D in Managing Leaders from different Seminaries, Colleges, and Universities.

Dr. Paul is now the founder and president of Vision Outreach International (VOI) and he is the South East Asia Zone Leader for Vision International.  He is currently serving in the Kingdom as an apostle and evangelist traveling around the world with his lovely wife, Ruth Ai.  Paul and Ruth have established many Vision schools, in underground churches throughout the regions.

Here’s a link to his web site: www.paulai.com.   

We have some primary courses translated into various languages, but we need more. Please consider sponsoring students and leaders being trained for a great harvest in Asia.   God bless!

 

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AGIF 2019 Conference

Please join us in January for our annual AGIF conference in San Diego, California. It promises to be a time of refreshing of the spirit. Our theme verses are “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you.” Isaiah 60:1–2 (NIV)

The dates are January 22-24, 2019 at the Dana Hotel and Resort on Mission Bay. The cost for one person, including a banquet lunch on Wednesday and breakfast Wednesday and Thursday mornings is $225 and for two people sharing a room the cost is $275.
We hope to see you there!

You may register by clicking below or if you would prefer  you may download this registration form and send it to our office with your payment. If you are planning on coming to the conference, but do not need hotel accommodations, please register (without cost) so that we may know that you are coming. The conference registration is free. The cost is only for the hotel and meals.

Vision Publishing