Because He First Loved Us

February 2010

Dear Friend of Mary Craig Ministries,

What happens to a man or a woman, to a young man or a young woman, that leads them to leave the comforts of home, go to another nation, learn that nation's language and culture and folk religion, live in conditions comparable to that nation, and do everything they can to give witness to Jesus Christ? What compels them to speak with the greatest clarity that they can about this Jesus? What constrains them to live their lives in front of the people of this or that nation so as to be the very best ambassadors of Jesus that they can be? What is it when deep calls to deep such that a man or a woman, a young man or a young woman, can not do otherwise but answer that call?

I received a call from the Holy Spirit to go to Angola to break strongholds of poverty and to break the blood curse that plagues that nation. When we could not obtain the necessary papers and visa, we determined to go to the Angolan Embassy as a stand-in proxy. And then God did an amazing thing for us. He connected us with missionaries to Angola, a wonderful family currently in the States and in the process of renewing visas to go back into Angola. We joined forces to complete the spiritual warfare the Holy Spirit was asking of MCM.

Angola? You don't see big cruise lines making a stop there. You do see "big oil" since Angola is a rich oil-producing nation. The Chinese are there. Socialism-Marxism is there. The Roman Catholic Pope visited there. A handful of "religious" denominations are allowed, with permission of the ministry of culture.

Electricity is there for only about 2% of the nation. One is hard pressed to find good roads, although that is improving. Ministries seek to dig wells to help folks have clean water; but that can pose difficulties.

Does it hold back the Holy Spirit? Witchcraft tries. People there are into "bones." Angola is a birthplace of slavery. Spiritism lurks in dark corners. People's roots go deep into the soil of Satan's kingdom of darkness as they involve themselves in practices designed to give them power from the dark side. But that, too, is changing.

Let the nations be glad. God, the one true and living God, is seeking worshippers, those who will worship Him in Spirit and in truth. And this One True God loves from a heart that is holy, pure, good, compassionate, merciful, and gracious. Be thankful it is so. Be thankful that the One True God is also the Creator. No excuse. Every one knows. Many just suppress the truth in unrighteousness. (Romans 1)

What is that truth? It is that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten, one and unique, Son that those who believe in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. It's more of a "who" than a "what."

Our visiting missionary was asked by someone in our fellowship what he saw as being America's error when it comes to our own "folk religion." The answer? For the American, it is the Jesus I want, not the Jesus who is.

The Jesus who is came from heaven to earth to give His life as one righteous act so that any one who believes in Him, in His sacrifice for our sin, might have eternal life as a gift of grace from God the Father and receive the Promise of the Father, who is the Holy Spirit. Whoever has the Son has life and knows love.

Love. Because He first loved us and gives us the Holy Spirit, we are empowered to love one another, to love others. Because God's love reached into the darkness and depths of our being to command the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ to shine into that darkness and to lead us out from among the dead into the land of the living, we are emboldened to witness to that love, to worship that One, to walk worthy of our calling, to war against the powers of darkness in Jesus' Name. Because God's love strengthens us with power within, we are encouraged, the Comforter filling us with the new wine of His Spirit.

God demonstrated through the life of His Son, Jesus Christ, that He is faithful to His Word, to His promise. Many have good intentions, they are willing; but then they break promises, even promises to themselves. Sometimes they are not able to keep their promises; sometimes their promises are really lies; or sometimes they cannot take a thing to completion. God is faithful; and He also will do it. His promises are yes, and amen. They have a reliability founded and grounded in who God is.

The missionary families we know have encountered and experienced the Living God. They walk and talk with a fearlessness that comes only as "perfect love casts out fear." (1 John 4) They walk filled with the Holy Spirit and devils tremble before the Presence of the Living Christ indwelling them. So when they receive the call to go….they go. They obey that call because the love of Christ constrains them, the love of Christ compels them, and the love of Christ carries them through whatever trials and sufferings they must endure. There is persistence, endurance.

Many look at "real" missionaries and see them as a class of Christians all their own. But I think it is what God wants of all believers. I think He wants every believer to GO and BE a witness to the real Jesus, to who Jesus is, and to DO whatever He asks of us. God seeks worshipers that He might be glorified and that His glory might fill the heavens and the earth. It is our purpose; and He would have us enjoy Him in the process.

There is a radiance about God, a radiant energy flowing from His Being, an effulgence, a brightness.

God who at sundry times and in divers manners spoke in time past
Unto the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days
Spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things,
By whom also He made the worlds; who being the
Brightness of His glory, and the express image of His Person,
And upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had
By Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of he
Majesty on high; being made so much better than the angels,
As He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent Name than they.
(Hebrews 1.1-4)

"Keep yourselves in the love of God," Jude writes, "looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life." (Jude 21) "Little children, keep yourselves from idols," John writes. "Amen." (1 John 5.21)

March 1-10 a five-member MCM mission team goes in response to the fourth call of God to Israel, to the Galilee and to Jerusalem. Many prophetic words have come concerning this specific call. If you are interested, you can find them at www.marycraig.org in the prophetic section of the web site. Likewise, our web manager has an excellent article on Jerusalem's Destiny, which can be accessed through the site's internal search engine. I encourage you to investigate!

There is also a call to China and back to Asia as the Lord wars with the king of death and destruction. By God's grace we will press in to new nations this year, in His Name, for His glory.

At Craighouse® we are actively ministering to those seeking healing, deliverance, help, and hope. For the current schedule, go to www.craighouse.org. If you're in our area, please know you are welcome.

We thank you for giving as we take the gospel around the world and across backyard fences. You are touching lives through your gifts to MCM; and we pray God's richest blessings upon you.

Serving the Lord of Glory,

Mary Craig

P.S. Go to www.marycraig.org. Order books from our Catalog section using PayPal. Worship with us 4:30 p.m. Sundays. Grow and flourish in small group ministry at Craighouse®, located in the Pompano Plaza at 114 E. McNab Road, Pompano Beach, FL 33060. Log on to www.craighouse.org for a map and more events and Bible studies. Reach MCM at 954-491-7270. Send in your prayer requests.