Is the Evangelical Protestant Church growing in France?

     According to the President of the French Evangelical Federation, Reynald Kozycki,  Evangelicals in France have grown from 50,000 in 1950 to 460,000 in 2012.  Still 90% of the French population is not involved in any religious activity.  It is the goal of the French Evangelical Federation (FEF) to plant an evangelical church for every 10,000 persons.  Kozycki told the Paris Prayer Conference that there is a great need of prayer support for the evangelical church in France.  There is also a need to pray for acceptance of these new church plants by the civic authorities and the media.  FEF is working hard to maintain good relations with both.  Although Kozycki  said it is sometimes hard to find appropriate meeting places for these churches.  In addition, the media sometimes portrays these new church plants as cults.

     I would like to tell you about a very interesting church plant in one of the affluent neighborhoods of Paris, the 16ieme arrondissement.  This is a district on the Right Bank of Paris with chic stores, elegant apartments and fine dining.  This area surrounds the Arc de Triomphe.  We met Paul Harrison, associate pastor at a Baptist church in Paris.  Paul has been called from his church to move to this expensive neighborhood and plant a church.  If anyone can do it, Paul and his lovely American wife Ana and baby daughter can do it.  Paul has a smile that radiates the love of Jesus.  He is well-educated and can hold his own with conversations on theology, philosophy, science and any other subject his neighbors might want to engage him in.  Paul was one of our guest speakers at the Paris Prayer Conference.  Fielder and I agreed to pray for his ministry as he will be praying for our CBSI ministry.  We attended his church on Sunday evening and after the service he was eager to share with us how his neighbors are very open to discussing topics of faith.  He and Ana are faithful to invite neighbors for an evening of fellowship and conversation.  Perhaps at a point in time they might even use a CBSI study to further engage their neighbors.  Please pray for Paul and Ana as they minister in a very materially self-sufficient area.  Pray that the Lord would open the hearts of their neighbors to recive the sufficiency of Christ.

World Team 2012 Paris Prayer Conference

We arrived in Paris for our 5th missionary trip representing CBSI on Wed, April 11 and on April 12 we began participation in the  11th annual World Team Paris Prayer Conference.  We are attending the conference to share our ministry with the pastors and missionaries associated with World Team with the idea that some might be interested in our in-depth Bible studies translated into French.  After several full days of hearing stimulating speakers, attending churches and talking with our new friends we found that we are on the same page in that we all desire to help the French find spiritual roots through Biblical preaching, in-depth Bible study and Christian fellowship. 

Today, Sunday, we attended a small church meeting 30 miles outside of Paris in the local rec center.  The new pastor is Baptiste who is just starting out in ministry.  He and his wife, Emilie and baby daughter live in subsidized housing as their church isn’t large enough to support them.  They have small part-time jobs to help them with expenses.  They are trusting in the Lord to help them make ends meet. 

 We have shared our ministry of in-depth Bible study with them and they are interested.  They open their small apartment one everning a week to friends and neighbors for fellowship and to be available to answer any questions people might have on spiritual matters.  They might use the CBSI studies for a group such as this.  Baptiste says that the last time they had this everning meeting in their apartment people didn’t want to leave until after midnight!  In a recent poll, 62% said they would like to ask questions about God in spite of cultural bias and personal reticence, but only 1% are practicing Christians.  Baptiste and Emilie are finding a way to help people to feel comfortable to ask questions about God.  Please pray for them.

Prayer and Preparation for Paris Pays Off

Necessity of Preparation Nehemiah 2:1-9
How do you prepare for a task or special ministry that you are involved in? Do you worry, fret or become anxious? When preparing for our Caleb mission trips to Paris, we do all of the above. Of course, as Christians, the correct answer is to pray. When we have spent too much time worrying, we know we must pray and let God handle all the arrangements. It does work much better that way as God is the master planner. He has created us and has made plans which are perfect for us.
Often it helps to consult the Bible and Bible figures to see how they handled times of need in their lives. One such person is the prophet Nehemiah. He heard about the devastation in Jerusalem and wanted to help his people rebuild the walls. He returned from Persia in order to fulfill the task of rebuilding the walls. How did he prepare for this task? Read the CBSI commentary from “If You Will Pray” from Lesson 2:
“Four months pass between Nehemiah chapters 1 and 2. We don’t know everything Nehemiah does during that period or why he waits to approach the king with his request, but chapter 1 indicates he spends considerable time in prayer, fasting, and mourning. He allows himself time to grieve over what grieves God and receives God’s call to repair Jerusalem’s wall. In God’s perfect timing, Nehemiah approaches the king. We can tell from his answers to the king’s questions that Nehemiah is prepared. He has thought about how much time it will take to rebuild the wall, what letters he requires from the king to ensure safe passage to Judah, and what supplies he needs (Nehemiah 2:7-8). The king grants all of Nehemiah’s requests.
When we receive God’s call, wait on Him, and obey His commands, we can accomplish all God asks of us. The mission of Community Bible Study International is to make disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ in our communities through caring, in-depth Bible study, available to all. This mission cannot be fulfilled without much prayer and careful preparation. “ Commentary from If You Will Pray, Community Bible Study International

Thanks to the prayers of many of you and the Lord’s prepartion of us, we have made fruitful contacts
for CBSI during our 3 week stay in Paris. There are now three groups studying “If You Will Pray” based on the book of Nehemiah. This is an 8 week study which allows a group to study and pray together for the purpose of determining future leadership for CBSI classes. We want to pray for these groups as they study, especially that strong leaders will be indentified and step forward to lead CBSI studies so that many more
people can benefit from “caring, in-depth Bible study available to all”.

Presentation on What is Community Bible Study International?

This is a PowerPoint that will help inform you more about CBSI.

Heaven’s Wisdom

What is heaven’s wisdom like ? In James chapter 3 we read that heaven’s wisdom is pure, peace- loving considerate, submissive, full of mercy, full of good fruit, impartial and sincere. Being filled with this kind of wisdom produces results that are remarkably similar to those that come from being filled with the Holy Spirit who indwells and inspires the believer. Can you see evidence of this kind of wisdom at work in your life ? I can only when I get out of the way and allow Christ to work his way in my life. The ministry we are doing in France is his ministry and we seek his guidance daily of how to procede with the ministry. Our time in Paris is soon to be finished for this visit. Now we wait patiently for the fruit of our labors to blossom. We look forward to returning in October and seeing some of the fruits in evidence.

God’s Wisdom, how do we get it?

Fielder and I need Godly wisdom as we fulfill our call to be part-time missionaries representing CBSI in France. Perhaps you need Godly wisdom to perform the tasks God has set before you. Our study of the Epistle of James has helped us know more about Godly wisdom.

“One of the greatest needs struggling Christians face is the need for godly wisdom. In Chap. 1:5 James offers aid: “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God…and it will be given to him.” In the Old Testament, wisdom is equated with understanding, comprehension, insight, and foresight. In the mind of James, a Jewish Christian, wisdom is practical knowledge, the God-given ability to see things as God sees them. This is not worldly wisdom that equips one to earn money or pass tests at school. Rather, it gives us the ability to pass the tests of life; it equips us for life. What a wonderful promise-that we will be able to see things from God’s perspective! James warns us not to be “double-minded” (v.8), trying to make the best of both worlds.”
“It’s In The Book”, James, Community Bible Study International

“Un des plus grands besoins pour les chrétiens éprouvés est le besoin de la sagesse divine. Dans Chap. 1:5, Jacques offre de l’aide : « si quelqu’un d’entre vous manque de sagesse, qu’il la demande a Dieu…et elle lui sera donnée » Dans l’Ancien Testament, la sagesse est l’équivalent de l’intelligence, de l’entendement, de la perspicacité et de la prévoyance. Dans l’esprit de Jacques, Juif chrétien, la sagesse était la connaissance pratique, l’aptitude donnée par Dieu pour voir les choses comme il les voit. Il ne s’agit pas de la sagesse du monde qui prépare a gagner de l’argent ou a réussir des examens, mais plutôt la sagesse qui nous donne la possibilité de réussir les épreuves de la vie ; elle nous prépare pour la vie. Quelle merveilleuse promesse que d’etre capables de voir les choses au point de vue de Dieu. »
«C’est Dans La Bible », Epitre de Jacques, Cours Biblique International

Who is James?

“Jacques, qui auparavent joignait ses forces a celles des incroyants et s’opposait au ministere de Jesus devint profondement implique dans le travail de l’eglise de Jerusalem. It avait ete élevé dans une famille juive fidèle (Luc 2:22; 2:41-52) et prenait un grand intérêt aux Juifs convertis (Juifs chrétiens). Dans 1 Corinthiens 15.7, il apparait que la plupart des chretiens Juifs et non Juifs reconnaissaient Jacques comme le chef de l’eglise de Jerusalem. Luc confirme cela dans Actes 15. 13-21 ou Jacques parle desormais de la position de l’eglise sur quelques sujets importants.” Epitre de Jacques, Cours Biblique International

“James, who previously joined forces with the unbelievers and opposed Jesus’ ministry, became deeply involved in the work of the church in Jerusalem. He had been brought up in a faithful Jewish family (Luke 2:22, 41-52) and took great interest in the converted Jews (Jewish Christians). From Paul’s comment in 1Corinthians 15:7, it appears that most Christians, Jewish or not, recognized James in his distinguished and authoritative position as the leader of the Jerusalem church. Luke confirmed this in Acts 15:13-21, where James spoke forth concerning the church’s position on some important matters. In this letter, James wrote in the form of a typical Jewish sermon, or homily. We may picture him dictating slowly as he thinks of the human frailties that threaten the young church. Whoever took down James’s words did so in excellent classical Greek, while the thought and form of the letter are Jewish.” “It’s In The Book”, James, Community Bible Study International

Read The Epistle of James to find out more about James’s ministry to the early church and to the church today.