URGENT PRAYER REQUEST FROM THAILAND - OBEDIENCE - Update Oct 14, 2019

Dear Friends, Family, Partners in Ministry,

I realize that many of you are wanting to know where we are with the building and we will give you an update very soon but during this whole building process one of my roles as Vice President and Director of Field Operation for NTIM is to help us all maintain focus upon what God is doing, why we are here in Northern Thailand, and what He is doing each and every day in the hearts and lives of people.

We still have many things to share with you about the building but please let me ask you to remember that we need your prayer not just for the whole building process but we need your prayers every single day as we seek to be deeply involved in making disciples and giving our lives out every day for the advancement of the great commission to some of the least reached people groups in our world today.

Today, I want to ask you to pray for me personally as I begin this Monday morning preparing for the important work of speaking God’s Word this coming Sunday morning here in Northern Thailand among both missionaries who need to be feed and among dozens and dozens of people who are genuine 1^st generation followers of Jesus. God is raising up a new generation of believers to reach this part of the world and what we do here every Sunday morning is important to building the right kind of foundation in God’s church that we call Baan Athitaan Church.

Please pray for me as I begin to seek God's understanding and heart and begin preparations for preaching/teaching this coming Sunday morning on the very important topic of "Partial Obedience" from the life of Saul in 1 Samuel 15. Such a very rich passage and so many things that could be said.

Please pray for me that I would discern the most important things to say and to say them in a way that others may hear to Spirit of God speaking to them. Our church is filled with dozens and dozens of 1st generation followers of Jesus and there are many things that are will be difficult for them to hear but important that they understand the Holy and Righteous God that we serve that says, "to obey is better than sacrifice." 1 Sam 15:23

Much Love & Prayers from Northern Thailand. Michael

“For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake.” 2 Corinthians 4:5

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Financial support can be given through NTIM....

Northern Thailand Impact Ministry (NTIM), P.O. Box 26115, Birmingham, AL 35260 USA Main Website: www.gontim.org

NTIM is a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization based in the USA. We are committed to connecting people in need with people who care and are focused in the heart of Southeast Asia where poverty is high, education is low, needs are great, unreached people groups (UPGs) are all around us, and the love and message of Jesus is needed to transform lives.

Reaching, Teaching, Discipling, Equipping, Training, and Serving People in some of the least reached people group areas of God’s World today through acts of love and compassionate is what NTIM and our ministry team is all about.

A Call To Renew The Tenderness Of Your Heart - Update October 12, 2019

This update will be a very different than our regular updates. Today, we want to speak renewal in the heart of all of our friends, partners, and prayer warriors.

Today I feel a special need to speak some encouragement in your personal relationship with God. 

I simply ask you to do 3 simple things, 1) Open your heart to hear what God wants to say to you through this song, and 2) Click on this video clip and take 4 minutes and carefully listen the words that are sung, and 3) thank God for His goodness to you in your life.

May you draw near to God…..He will draw near to you my friends.

Here is the song: 

May God continue to be pleased to use broken vessels like us for His glory and the advancement of His Kingdom.

Michael, for the team.

"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." James  4:8

God Is Raising Up A New Generation . . . . Update Oct 9, 2019

Hello Friends. My name is Michael Johnson. Well over 20 years ago, the Johnson family sensed God’s call on our lives to leave our country of origin in the United States and follow God’s leadership to a place literally on the other side of the world that we call Thailand. We moved to Thailand as an act of willingly surrendering our lives to join God in taking the love and message of our Great Savior to the people living in this beautiful country of Thailand. Over the 20 years that we have lived here, God has allowed us the great privilege of seeing hundreds of Thai people and other Asians become the 1^st or 2^nd persons in their entire family lineage to become followers of Jesus Christ. As a matter of fact, just yesterday, one of our staff members was able to lead a Chinese university student into the loving arms of Jesus. Yet, still today, 1 in every 100 Thai persons is lost without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and the staggering reality that grips our hearts all the time is that most Thai people have never even heard a clear presentation of the gospel. 

Yet in the midst of millions who have never heard, God is at work transforming people’s lives. Here is a recent testimony of one of our awesome Thai Staff who has been serving the Lord with us for almost 16 years. She was the first person in her entire family to become a follower of Jesus from the 3^rd largest Unreached People Group (UPG) in Thailand. She is now serving as one of our key “mentors” and meets every single week for one-on-one discipleship with 12 university students most of whom are also 1^st generation followers of Christ. Take just a moment and listen to her testimony before reading on.

It is clear to us that God has been moving and working in the hearts and lives of Thai people drawing them to Himself but we sense that God wants to do something very special this Christmas season of 2019.

We have almost a dozen Christmas Outreaches planned already targeting some of the least reached people groups in our world today. But in order for these outreaches to truly make a difference for the advancement of the kingdom of God, we are coming before the universal body of Christ and asking you and the local church you belong too to help us make a difference in Thailand this Christmas Season. 

What are the three ways each of you can help us? 

1) The first area you can help us make a difference is through your individual prayers. The Bible over and over encourages us to pray and even tells us in James 5:16 that, “…The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much."

The famous Christian prayer warrior Corrie Ten Boom once said this, “the wonderful thing about praying is that you leave a world of not being able to do something, and enter God’s realm where everything is possible. Nothing is too great for His almighty power. Nothing is too small for His love.”

Please pray for the millions of Thai people to hear and receive the gospel this Christmas Season and for their hearts to embrace Jesus as their Savior. The first area we need your help is in the area of your individual prayers.

2) The second area you can help us make a difference is through advocacy and mobilization. Please tell others about this opportunity to make a difference in Thailand this Christmas Season. Help move other people onto God’s Agenda and forward this message to other followers of Jesus. Advocate and share this message with any Christian small groups you are involved in. Share this message with the leaders in your church family and ask them to pray as well. One person can truly make a difference but if we mobilize others as well, then our effect is significantly multiplied and others will be moved more onto God’s agenda. Let’s make a difference in a special way in Northern Thailand this Christmas Season through advocacy and mobilization.

3) The third area you can help us make a difference is through your giving. Jesus tells us the importance of storing up treasures in heaven. Your gifts, your donations, and your generosity toward missions is the 3^rd way you can help us truly make a difference among some of the least reached people groups in our world today.

We seek to provide good quality evangelistic outreaches that touch the heart. We do not consider these “expenses” per se but rather we consider them “investments” into the lives of people for the purpose of the expansion of God’s Kingdom and for the glory of God. We are estimating our “investments” for all of our Christmas outreaches in Thailand to be somewhere between $6,000 and $10,000. Please prayerfully consider making a special donation to NTIM to help and to join God in what He wants to do in Northern Thailand this Christmas Season. We begin doing Christmas outreaches in November and do them all the way up to Christmas. Your generous donations allow us to be the hands and feet of Jesus here in the heart of the 10-40 Window.

We realize that some of you give to a Christmas offering like “Lottie-Moon” and I, too, give to that as well and, we would encourage you to continue to give to those offerings this year as well. However, let’s also make a difference this Christmas Season specifically among some of the least reached peoples in our world today through giving generously to NTIM on behalf of reaching the unreached in and around Northern Thailand.

May God richly bless you and your church as we join together to make a difference in Northern Thailand 1) through our Prayers, 2) through our Advocacy and Mobilization, and 3) through our generous donations for the advancement of the gospel among 100s of UPGs in and around Northern Thailand.

Until all the people in and around Northern Thailand have a chance to embrace our great Savior,

Michael

For those living in the USA, click here to make a tax-deductible donation to NTIM:

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