April 7, 2004
Dear Friends and Partners:
I would like to start this quarterly letter by giving you an update on the ministry:
1. We are currently believing God for land and a building for our church. The Lord directed us to sow our current building fund into other ministries/churches that are believing Him for new facilities or renovation their current facility. We are to believe Him to supply ours supernaturally. It would be natural to have a building fund for a period of years that we labor to attain. It would be supernatural to sow and bless others with what we have and then have the Lord bring a harvest to our congregation outside of our natural means. One of the main Scriptures the Lord has us sowing in faith is Deut. 6:10-11. In reference to the Promised Land, the Lord mentioned giving them large and beautiful cities which they did not build, houses full of all good things which they did not fill, wells which they did not dig, etc. The point is they would get the benefit without the labor. All they had to do was believe and they would enter that rest (Heb. 4:3). It wasn’t the giants that kept them out of God’s best it was unbelief. Likewise it is not our inabilities or our great opposition keeping us out of our Promised Land – it is our lack of faith. Like Joshua and Caleb, we have spied out the land and we have a good report – “let us go up at once and take possession for we are well able to overcome it” (Num. 13:30).
2. In March, The Voice of One aired on local cable TV14 in Kenosha and the surrounding areas. We are on at 6:30pm on Tuesday and 10:00am on Sunday. We will soon be airing in Milwaukee, Waukegan, and Zion. If you live in those areas, look for us to be on in the month of April or May. We will let you know the actual dates and times in our next letter.
3. I will be going to the Philippines to conduct a pastors and church workers conference in the month of May. I will be gone from May 18th to June 2nd. Pray for utterance and boldness in the preaching/teaching of the Word as well as for the gifts of the Holy Spirit to be in manifestation. We are expecting approximately 150-200 pastors and church workers to be at this conference. We believe they will go back to their churches more fully equipped and with renewed strength to fulfill the plan of God for their lives.
Secondly, I’d like to share some things with you that the Lord recently shared with me from the Word. I believe that you’ll find this to be encouraging to you as it really encouraged me. Several weeks ago, I had begun to be somewhat discouraged because it seemed like for every one good testimony, I could think of two or three bad testimonies. For example, for every one that gets saved, I could tell you two or three that didn’t. For every one that becomes a disciple (a committed follower of the Lord), I could tell you two or three that didn’t. For every one that is continuing in the ministry I could tell you two or three that aren’t and the list goes on. While it is thoroughly Scriptural to be touched with the feelings of people’s infirmities (weaknesses), it is not okay to become depressed by them. There is a balance between being overly optimistic with pie in the sky thinking where you put your head in the sand and pretend that nothing bad every happens, versus being overly pessimistic where you are always looking at the negative. The Bible tells us in Philippians 4:8 to think on things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, good report, virtue, and praiseworthy. Notice we are to focus on the good report! We are not to focus on the negativity of what is going on around us and at the same time we are not supposed to ignore it and pretend it is not happening.
This is where the balance comes in. For instance, when David came up against Goliath he didn’t pretend Goliath didn’t exist. He confronted and defeated Goliath. A lot of people today that are so called “faith people” would have pretended that Goliath wasn’t there. That’s not faith – that’s fear. God didn’t pretend that man wasn’t fallen and in need of a Savior, He acknowledged man’s need for salvation and did something about it. The Bible doesn’t tell us to ignore the devil or pretend he doesn’t exist. It tells us to resist the devil (1 Peter 5:8-9). In Luke chapt.4, when Jesus was being tempted by the devil in the wilderness, He didn’t put His head in the sand and pretend the temptation wasn’t real nor did He become negative and say the devil’s after me. He acknowledged the enemy, confronted the enemy, and defeated the enemy! We are to acknowledge the situation then confront and defeat it with the spoken Word of God. Hallelujah!
The Lord ministered to me from Psalm 1:1-3. This is awesome! Turn your Bible and read it with me. Notice in verse #1, He begins by telling us not to walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor to stand in the path of sinners, nor to sit in the seat of the scornful. Look at the progression – first, you’re walking with them. Next, you’re standing with them. Before long you’re sitting down with them in the same seat they’re in, scornful of God and His Word and His followers. This is progressive and does not happen overnight. We are blessed if we don’t walk, stand, or sit with these types of people.
In verse #2, He tells us we are blessed as we delight in the law (Word) of the Lord and meditate in it day and night. Then in verse #3, He tells us that we’ll be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither, and whatever he does shall prosper.
Now I want you to understand this word picture given to us through this Scripture. Psalm chapter one was written in a desert climate. For instance, I have a video at home that teaches about the deserts of Africa. In this particular desert, there was little to no life. Everything was barren, dead and dry. The amazing thing was that there was a river that ran through the middle of this desert. Up close to the river, everything was green and plush, there were lots of fruit, trees, plants, water, and the animals were fat and healthy, but just two miles away from the river everything was dead. The Lord gave me revelation about this. That’s the way life is. If you love the Word and meditate in it day and night you’re going to be like that tree in the middle of the desert planted by the rivers of living water bringing forth fruit, not withering, and prospering in all you do. However, you’re going to look around out there and see many people dying and wasting away in the dry desert. You will see the lives of people getting worse instead of better. You’ll see marriages fail, kids go astray, immorality increase, etc. You can still be that tree that’s producing fruit in its season.
Friend, there will be plenty of bad reports and testimonies. For example, the size of the desert is much larger in proportion to the size of the river. In size, the death in the desert far outweighed the life by the river. You’re going to see junk. It will look like a majority of people are going to pot but you stay by the river and you’ll never experience what they experience. Psalm 91:7-8 says “a thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand but it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you look and see the reward of the wicked.” Notice the words, thousand, ten thousand, and you. There will be a majority of bad reports all around us but we shall have a good report! Dear friend, stay planted by the rivers of living water, bring forth fruit in your season, your leaf will not wither and whatever you do shall prosper. Stay focused on the good report – the written Word of God.
In closing we would like to offer you a tape series that I taught recently in our church. It is a two-tape album entitled “Praying for Those in Sin”. In it, you will learn how to pray effectively for: 1) Fellow believers that are living in unconfessed sin, 2) Those who are not yet saved, 3) your family members. Request it by filling out the prayer/praise report card stating your desire to purchase “Praying for Those in Sin”. Please send us your name and mailing address along with your check made payable to No Greater Love Family Church in the amount of $12.00, which includes the postage. Please allow a couple of weeks to process your request.
Thank you for you prayers and support.
Staying by the River,
Stephen M. Robbins
