The capitol city of San Salvador has a lot of drug addicts, alcoholics and prostitutes in various neighborhoods. This Christmas I will be hitting the streets to pass out "Bolsas de Amor" (Bags of Love) filled with soaps, toothbrushes, tooth pastes and toilet paper. I want these people on the streets to know that there is a God in Heaven and people in this city who love and care for them. Addictions can be lonely, and especially during Christmas. Please donate today to help me purchase a minimum of 50 Bags of Love filled with toiletries and gospel books. THANKS!
Hello friends of the ministry,
Sometimes you just do not know what God is doing with your prayers for me. I am so grateful that I have prayer warriors such as you! In my last prayer letter I did not mention that I was ill and growing worse. I had contracted Dengue from a mosquito bite, which led me to becoming very ill for six weeks. In particular, for two days in October, I sensed that my soul was ready to depart for Heaven. I requested the Lord that He might allow me to live if there should be more souls that I could be part of seeing saved and discipled. I had extreme high fevers, body aches, bronchitis, weakness and fatigue. I eventually went to an emergency room and tests revealed that my body was filled with infection. Much rest, a lot of medication, and the grace of God have given me my strength again. I feel almost like the Lawrence I know. It really is a joy to be back involved in the lives of people instead of lying in bed for weeks. One teenager from our church, Kevin, has a hunger for God. Each Thursday we meet together to study important topics from the Bible. Last week he asked me a question that gave me great joy. God is patiently doing a good work in his heart. Kevin informed me that he's trying to encourage his friend William to do weekly Bible studies. Kevin asked me if I could disciple his friend William. I told him that we could pray for William and that I would talk with him about it sometime. Would you also pray for both of them? The President of El Salvador for the past couple years has elevated his war against all the gangs. Since the end of spring this year, it seems the government has eradicated all gang members. Tens of thousands have been arrested and sentenced to decades of time in prison. Meanwhile, many other gang members successfully fled to Mexico and the USA. Since there are no gang members to serve and minister with the gospel of Christ, and the government will not allow us to do prison ministry, my pastor and I have been praying about many other troubles that afflict people here. Satan is still busy destroying lives through drunkenness, drugs, and sex trafficking. It is common to see drunks and drug addicts passed out lying on streets in many communities. There is one neighborhood, in particular, where women sell themselves for less than $5 in small brothels lined down the streets. The sights are appalling and my heart is burdened for these people. These souls are enslaved by Satan and need rescued. I request your fervent prayers! We need God to get involved and do something, which is a matter of God doing the impossible. On a couple of occasions I have driven to this neighborhood and walked the streets to talk with individuals about Christ. These people remind me of gang members. They are outcasts to society. The world has been cruel to them. We must go to these outcasts and declare that Jesus Christ offers life. Please join me in praying for these people. Next month is Christmas. For the first time in my life I will not be spending the holidays with my family in the USA . I have decided to stay among Salvadorans and be a blessing. My church and I have a beautiful plan for Christmas. On Christmas day, some of us are going to drive over to this wretched neighborhood and share the love of Christ with these forgotten people. We plan to prepare sandwiches along with small kits to distribute to everyone on the streets. The kits will include a toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, and a John & Romans booklet along with a gospel tract. We desire these individuals to know that there is a God, a church and people who love them. We are praying that God will in His time do something marvelous in their lives. We need your help. Would you be part of this Christmas project and financially give to help us purchase all the needed items? You can give through Venmo, Zelle, Cash App, or online at www.MissionFrontier.info/give. You also can send a check to Mission Frontier, 686 Edendale Court, Columbus, Ohio 43207. Thank you so very much, Lawrence Bowman Dear Friends of the Ministry,
God amazes me! Such as how He can lead us along to talk to the right people. On three separate occasions during this past month, God has allowed me to help three ladies come to meet Christ as Savior. One of the ladies, Kathy, is a real estate agent who greatly assisted me to locate a new apartment to rent. I asked if I could meet her at a restaurant and talk to her about something important from the Bible. Over lunch, she listened with tears as I showed her scriptures of how much Jesus loves her and [was] calling her to Him. There in the restaurant, she bowed her head and lifted such a beautiful prayer to God. I too almost cried. I found an apartment that sits on the side of our local volcano. (I can’t believe I am living next-door to a volcano!) My apartment has a balcony that overlooks the city. Each morning, I get to sit on my balcony and spend time with God in prayer and reading the Bible. It’s my favorite time of the day with God. I just finished reading the fascinating book of Job. God amazes me! God has given us one holy book filled with stories of His choicest servants, and yet God unabashedly doesn’t hide their irresponsible failures and insubordinate offenses. Job was God’s servant who feared God and eschewed evil. Nonetheless, Job was arrogant: he challenged to judge God; he disannulled God’s judgment, and he condemned God (Job 40:8). Yet Job repented and God greatly blessed him again. If that doesn’t motivate someone to serve God, I don’t know what will. I love serving along with my pastor and church here in El Salvador . Our small church stays active with many activities to see people saved and grow in God’s Word. Pastor Rosales and I recently were talking about how great it would be to host some friends to come serve alongside us in a short mission trip for 7 to 10 days. Would you be interested in getting your feet wet in mission work in a needy third-world nation? I promise that you will leave El Salvador as a different person. Lamentations 3:51 reminds us that, “Mine eye affecteth mine heart.” Please contact me if you might be interested. God will amaze you! Since September 4th my Facebook account has been disabled and Facebook won’t let me create a new account. I filed a report with the FBI regarding the hacking that occurred last month; now it out of my hands. I truly appreciate God’s co-laborers who pray and financial give to the work here in El Salvador. THANK YOU. You, too, are always welcome to write me. I love receiving emails; it is an honor for me when someone writes, requesting if I join in prayer for various concerns. Some of you know that my dear friend, Missionary Bill Pierce went Home to be with Jesus. I dearly enjoyed talking about God and praying with Bill often. He certainly was a man who communed with God, and you could hear it in his voice when he prayed with God. Bill immensely loved and knew God’s Word. Bill’s heart had a heartbeat for God and souls, and he labored greatly for souls. Bill personally helped hundreds of gang members and criminals find Jesus Christ. He loved outcasts so much that each week for over 30 years he wrote sermons and distributed thousands of them. Bill understood that faith comes by hearing of the Word of God, and the heart of man only can be transformed by the Word. Bill longed for people to know what God says about a topic more than his own opinion; therefore, his sermons were filled with more scripture than his commentary. Bill was an author of two books—one book regarding the rapture of the church—and the other book entitled So Great Salvation. So Great Salvation can still be purchased on Amazon and other book stores. Bill wrote So Great Salvation in simple language with much scripture in order to plainly explain the many precious treasures that we believers have in Christ. It truly is a book that everyone must have in their library. I miss Bill, and I look forward to fellowshipping with him again soon in Heaven, along with many of you too. Many of you follow me on Facebook to keep aware of what God allows me to do here in El Salvador. I have relied on Facebook interaction for many years to keep many of you update to day almost daily with posts. Last night it seems my Facebook account was hacked while I was attending a wake. Here in El Salvador they do wakes at night time. My account has been suspended on Facebook because the hacker posted a vile picture of a female child. In an email that FB sent me, they said that my account was logged in from: Windows Operating System Browser Chrome IP address: 174.251.65.109 Carrier: Verizon. I do not own a Verizon phone or computer. My phone is a Consumer Cellular phone, and my computer is a DELL. I do not know anything about IP addresses, but I would assume that an IP address can show that it was not me. Some friends in the United States have told me that this IP address detects a location in Tennessee. In addition, my Google Maps shows that I have been in El Salvador and not in the United States. Could you please pray about this horrible matter? And if you know of anything about IP addresses or if you know a way to help me, could you let me know? I would appreciate it. I have filed a detailed report with the FBI at their website www.IC3.gov. Thank you. Lawrence Hola! Much of the world views the nation of El Salvador as insignificant; but God views these six million people as significant, indeed. Last year on August 10th I believed God and boarded an airplane bound for this tiny nation. From the day I stepped foot onto this needy land, God has enveloped me with His peace and filled my heart with a love determined to serve these beautiful people. I cannot believe one year has flown by so fast. The evidence of God’s grace has been magnificent. So many times over these twelve months God has given me great opportunities to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with MS13 gang members. Their behaviors personify malignant fighters, but their eyes yearn for love and peace. They wander like sheep without a shepherd, but when the Shepherd’s Bible is declared they pause to listen. Their minds are suspicious of all, but their hearts possess interest to hear and believe God. Evil and injustice are the mainstream but grace does much more abound. If there is one matter that I have learned more than any other this year it is a better understanding of injustice and grace. My own eyes have seen grievous injustices inflicted upon people—anguish committed by gangs, as well as distresses caused by government authorities. My heart has lifted up many prayers to God for those suffering. Many people fear the gangs as well as their own government. Many people know of a loved one who has been murdered. Many others can testify how they have been unreasonably robbed of fundamental human rights. It is by God’s grace that I happily continue to serve the Salvadoran people. Whether my personal troubles are brought on because of myself or because of the wrong decisions of others, I am reminded of the words of King David in 1 Chronicles 21:13: “…let me fall now into the hand of the LORD; for very great are his mercies: but let me not fall into the hand of man.” Whenever we are troubled on every side, I have learned that we should humble ourselves before God and beg for grace and mercy. Man very seldom knows how to extend abundant grace and mercy but God delights to demonstrate His loving-kindnesses through mercy and grace. I recently got back to El Salvador from a trip to the United States. The most important part of my trip was for me to sit down face-to-face and talk with some of you. Although I did not get to meet up with everyone as I hoped, perhaps the future will grant us personal time together one day. As mentioned in my previous two letters back in June and May, I made a mess of things which caused dilemmas in my life. I made some corrections (and we are still praying that soon I may get to sincerely apologize to Mrs. C.) God sustained me. Many friends reached out to me. THANK YOU. And I have been able to move forward. I am grateful so much for the care, concern, prayers and honest words of friends God has given me. Proverbs 27:6: “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.” I also traveled to Mexico for a scheduled trip. God opened the opportunity for me and a friend to talk with gang members associated with the cartels. At first we were met with dark opposition but God gave us great grace. We declared the gospel of Christ’s light in a very dark locality. We pled with various individuals to give their lives to Christ and to watch God miraculously free them from Satan’s strongholds. Oh that more Christians would bow the knee and pray for them! Please pray for them as well as the movement of gang members in Colombia, Central America, and Mexico. These are individuals who have an eternal soul who need Christ. In another city my friend and I got very lost using the city bus transportation. We asked a college student sitting next to us for directions. He went out of his way to help us. He didn’t just give us directions; he got off the bus and walked us over a couple blocks to another bus stop. Then he boarded the next bus with us, sat and talked with us until we arrived at our destination. Thank God for kind people! You just don’t meet too many people, especially young people who will go out of their way to help like that these days. The greatest news is that in our conversations with him, we got to talk about eternal matters. When we all got off the last bus stop, we thanked him for his help. Then my friend point blank asked him, “We’ve explained the gospel. Do you want to receive Jesus right now?” I was so happy to hear the young man respond, “Yes.” Right there on the street he called on Christ to save him! We were grateful that we ended up getting lost. Our getting lost importuned us the divine opportunity to help a spiritual lost man find his way to Christ! PROVIDENCE! Oh how God prearranges everything in life. Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” I cannot express how grateful I am to you for your prayers. THANK YOU. I hope you always remain a partner who intercedes in prayers on my behalf before our God’s great throne. Lastly, any future financial support that God would invite you to help in the work can be given through Zelle, Venmo, or Paypal at www.MissionFrontier.info. Thank you! Sincerely, Lawrence Bowman For personal reasons, I am requesting that you contact me if you would like a copy of my Spring 2022 Prayer Letter. Please click on Contact and send me your name, email and phone number. And I will be in contact with you. Thank you for your patience and understanding!
Hello friends of the ministry!
During the past six months it has been a joy for me to live with Pastor Rosales and his family here in El Salvador. Our friendship has enriched my life, and the Rosales family has taught me much. I am happy to report that on the 1st of February, I moved into my own apartment! As I did when I lived in the United States, I desire to use my home with an “Open Door” policy so that I may be a better servant to the people around me in various ways. I can't wait to host prayer meetings, dinners, and game nights. We have such a kind God, and over the years I have learned that He always provides for our needs. One way He provides is through your giving! For example, back in late November, I began to ask God to provide the ministry with a much-needed truck. Within a few weeks, a Salvadoran pastor heard that I was looking for a truck. We talked about it, and he agreed to sell me his Ford pickup truck for only $4,000! Then within a month, God provided all the necessary funds through the generous giving of supporters. And I must express how thankful I am to so many of you who give of your resources to co-labor with me here in El Salvador. THANK YOU! The truck is used often to pick up youth for church services, Saturday Youth Clubs, and many more activities! THANK YOU. Each week I have the privilege of meeting new youth on the streets in neighborhoods where I visit to share the gospel. I love going out and talking to people about our wonderful Lord Jesus Christ. It breaks my heart that so many people are deceived by Satan in various degrees of darkness. One manifestation of Satan is through the gangs. The devil has so many thousands of youngsters blinded by deep gangs. Yet God gives me great grace and favor to get to know gang members. Just last week I met another gang leader. “D” told me that he had just gotten out of prison. “D” allowed me to spend 15 minutes sharing the promises of Christ with him. He listened carefully, and he agreed that he needs Christ and that his sins do not satisfy him. But sadly he thinks, “Today I can’t, but tomorrow I want to give my life to God.” I cringe every time I hear those words because I understand that for most people “tomorrow” shall never come. PLEASE fervently pray that these youngsters will understand that TODAY IS THE DAY OF SALVATION and that they will have thirsty hearts to join in Bible studies and activities so that they can grow in their understanding of God’s Word. I want to thank you so much for faithfully praying for me! One reason I covet your prayers is so that God would shield me by placing a hedge of protection around me always. Although I feel peace and security, I continually seek to be ever more sensitive to God’s Spirit. There have been a couple of times when the Spirit altered my plans, which turned out to be His providence. I am always amazed that God gives me favor among gang members. They most generally are respectful and kind toward me. They permit me to talk about spiritual matters with them as we get to know one another. Back in November, God allowed an interesting incident to occur that turned out for His glory. While I was visiting friends in another city, I learned about a gang in a section of that town. A faithful brother from a friend’s church took me on his motorcycle to go and search for the young guys involved in that gang. When we found them and parked the bike, all of a sudden about 15 gang members surrounded us. They were very agitated and began to strictly question us. I felt no fear; instead, God filled me with compassion and love for them. I quietly prayed as I held my red Bible, and I tried to speak to the leader. I kept repeating to him, “Jesus loves you very much. I love you. And I just want to share Jesus' words with you.” And then God got involved! I don’t have words to describe the divine intervention, but instantly the hostile environment became an indescribable peace. The gang members' mannerisms, speech, and eyes were completely transformed. The gang leader then said that we could talk, and he would like to hear what the Bible says. I spent an hour with them getting to know them and sharing various Bible verses of Christ’s promises with them. Amazingly, the leader, "M" asked me to come back another day to do another Bible study. And he was serious. Two days later he texted me, asking when I would return. I have gone back one time to teach the Bible. I often stay in touch with "M" via text, and I am planning to travel back to his city this month to do a third Bible study. Please pray for them! There is one last matter I ask you to pray about with me. The Bible says that Jesus went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil (Acts 10:38). And in 1 John 3:18 we are instructed: “…let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.” I cannot heal people, but I do preach the truth, and I desire to do more good with these youngsters so that God can heal their hearts. One grave problem many youngsters face is feeling no purpose in life because there is little work to be found. Therefore, I and several dedicated believers here are preparing to open a panadería (bakery) ministry. We need $4,000 in capital to start this important ministry. It will allow us to give youngsters an opportunity to work (a sense of purpose) so then their minds can be at ease and we can train them in spiritual and practical truths. I desire not just to “fish for a man and feed him for a day." I desire to "train a man to fish so to feed him for a lifetime.” If you have any questions, please contact me anytime. In addition, if you ever need someone to pray for you about something, please email me and I will be happy to spend time in prayer for you. THANK YOU. Lawrence Bowman p.s. For months Adan has been selling to me my vegetables at a local market. I gave him a gospel track 2 weeks ago. Last week he told me that he read it. So I got his phone number because I was curious if he might have learned from the Bible verses. Tonight he went to church with me and afterwards we went out for pizza and to study the Bible. For 90 minutes we examined the scriptures about what does salvation mean. Adan decided that he should receive the Lord Jesus into His heart by confessing His sins to God. It was beautiful to pray right inside the restaurant! He feels as if a load has been lifted off of him. And he is correct. The load of sin has been lifted at Calvary. Hallelujah! Dear Praying Friends,
Psalm 126:3 says: "The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad." I AM GLAD! In these three months of living here in El Salvador, I have seen the mighty hand of God graciously do great things for us down here; whereof we are glad! Several times each week I visit neighborhoods where Satan has strongholds in gang activity. My heart is so burdened for these young men and boys. They must hear the gospel that Jesus Christ loves and cares for them! They must be confronted so that they can have life and not death! People literally are killed down here everyday! Though I've only met about 75 gang members out of the estimated 60,000 who live in El Salvador, most of these young men have kindly given me some of their time to share the gospel with them from my red Bible. My time with them is crucial. I try to be a true friend, someone they can trust. My friendship with them is important to me because I want to encourage and serve them in their many needs so that one day they can learn to humbly walk with God. They listen, but when confronted to make a decision to follow Christ right now, they respond, "It's beautiful what you teach from the Bible, but tomorrow." Hell must be full of people who intended to trust Christ tomorrow. They believed the gospel, but never trusted Christ. They were so close to Heaven's gates, but they believed Satan's lie of "tomorrow," not knowing that the death angel was nearby to throw them into hell's abyss. Therefore, we must persistently warn people! I praise the LORD that He has made it possible for our church to undertake some new ministries. One ministry that Pastor Rosales and I initiated is a Monday Soccer Ministry. I must admit that soccer two-and-a-half months ago intimidated me very much. But over these past months I have been learning to play soccer. Now I am loving the game! I enjoy the aggressiveness of playing with friends. It makes me feel like I am a child again. On a serious note, each week I get to teach a brief gospel Bible message to the guys who come to play. I've been able to make friendships with some of the guys, which I hope may continue to be enriched with them coming to walk with Jesus! A month ago, we were able to begin a weekly Youth Club on Saturday evenings. Youth can get off the streets and play games, enjoy good food, and learn practical, important Bible lessons for their lives. I am really enjoying this, and I am so happy that we have this important ministry. I am only surprised that more teenage boys are attending than young ladies. May God raise these youths up to be servants of Jehovah God! We also have added a Sunday School hour to our Sunday-morning services. Pastor has given me the responsibility to lead and teach the teens class. Which I am enjoying very much. God has allowed me each week to take time and meet one-on-one with youngsters to mentor them. We study Bible doctrine, and we also talk about matters of life that they face down here in El Salvador. Sometimes we have a Bible study in the living room, and other times we go to an ice cream shop. It's pretty cool to see a teenager eating ice cream with his Bible open in a public setting. We have a great time talking about God's Word. I just wonder what God wants to do through their lives over the next decades. I want to end this letter by sincerely thanking you for taking time to pray for me. I do have many obstacles (opportunities for God to show Himself) in my life. I still have not been able to locate an available home for me to rent. I am so thankful that Pastor Rosales and his family and I get along great, and I am still living with them. A Catholic elder man has offered to sell his land to me near our church. It is beautiful land that would be perfect for my ministry to construct a Mission Ranch. Although this is something I was hoping to do a year from now. I have not given him an answer because we are praying and seeking the Lord's heart, as well as I wonder how God would supply the money for what seems to be a great opportunity. We shall see how God leads. THANK YOU to all of you who pray for me and who faithfully give to my ministry. You can always go on Facebook to see pictures that I regularly post, or you also can visit my website, www.MissionFrontier.info. Please contact me anytime if you ever need someone to pray for you about something specific. I believe it is an honor for me to pray for each individual and the churches who lift me up through their prayers and financial support! THANK YOU! Lawrence Bowman Dear Praying Friends,
Today makes six weeks that I have been living here in the beautiful nation of El Salvador. Almost immediately, God began to give me great ministry opportunities to serve people in many ways. I am grateful for Pastor Ernesto Rosales and some of the members of the church I serve with. Their hearts for the lost to be saved and a desire to see young people discipled is something that greatly encourages and challenges me. Five weeks ago I took a city bus to visit a new friend who is part of the church. During my time with him, I got my hair cut. We talked about the ministry which God has put into my heart. The woman cutting my hair was excited to hear my plans to help her people. Because she has a salon, she knows a lot of people. Afterwards she took me down the street to meet one of the leaders of the street gang. And gloriously, these past five weeks I have taken a bus to go visit these young men who are ensnared by Satan. Each time I go visit them, God gives me great times with them. I get to explain the gospel over and over; I get to answer their questions, pass out gospel tracts and give them Bibles. I am convinced that God is doing a patient work in their hearts. Over the past two weeks, God has allowed me to begin doing one-on-one Bible studies with several teenagers. Please pray that their hearts will continue to be tender to God and that they should learn to walk near our wonderful LORD and cherish His Bible. One teen in particular has had a troubled life as well as involvement with gangs. My heart cries for him. I hope that he will give me the opportunity to be a friend and demonstrate some stability in his life. One reason youth get into gangs down here is because of the absence of a father and the lack of structure. The Lord is faithful and abundant in grace to daily give me joy, strength and a focus on Him in the work. Though at the present, I lack many things that we Americans take for granted, I am refreshed to trust God and be content with Him. My greatest work that I personally need, which I find to be the most important, is to spend extra amounts of time alone with God in prayer. The need here is overwhelming spiritually and physically more than I can explain. My heart grieves often because almost everyone I meet allows me to share the gospel with them, but they have a grave problem: their hearts are indifferent. There is such an overwhelming amount of fake Christianity that many people’s hearts have become dull of hearing the precious name of Jesus Christ. They do not consider that they must make a decision with Heaven’s glorious name JESUS CHRIST. I still need a home. We have diligently been searching for a house that I could rent. I even have had a realtor look for a house, and to no avail there are no houses or apartments for rent in this area. Meanwhile, I continue to reside at Pastor Rosales’ home in an extra bedroom he has. There are plenty of properties for sale, but nothing to rent. Therefore, we are seeking the LORD to understand if perhaps I should somehow try to buy some land in order to build upon. Of course, this would be much sooner than I had been considering. So please keep these matters in prayer. THANK YOU for your financial support and prayers!!! And thanks for writing me. Lawrence Bowman P.S. I have had great difficult getting my computer access to internet. I was able to email my Quarterly Prayer Letter four weeks ago. If you never received it, please email me or contact me on Facebook, and I will send it to you again. Thank you for patience! Dear praying friends,
Hello from the beautiful country of El Salvador! I have finally arrived! A glorious new chapter of my life is just beginning, and I am truly looking forward to seeing how God will glorify His Son, Jesus Christ, during the next weeks and months, as well as the years ahead (that is to say, if Christ doesn't rapture us soon). Pastor Rosales picked me up at the airport. For a brief time I will be living with him and his family until I can find a suitable home to rent. He is patiently assisting me with the heap of necessary paperwork as we jump through many hoops required by Immigration. I have been told by several people that if one little jot of my paperwork is incorrect, I will have to restart the application process in the coming months. It is my prayer that I can obtain my Resident Visa as soon as possible. Without it, I will be classified by the government solely as a "Tourist," and that would limit my effectiveness in ministry here. In addition, I would be required to leave and re-enter the country every 90 or 180 days. So please keep this in prayer! Thank you! Before moving to El Salvador, my schedule for the past three months was very active. I traveled here and there, visiting churches in California, Florida, Georgia, Ohio, and Tennessee. Meanwhile, I had to sell my home, as well as sell or give away most of my earthly possessions. God surprised me with a big relief just one hour before my realtor was to put my home up for sale on the market. A buyer offered me exactly what many of us had been praying for! Hallelujah! And so the house was sold without ever being listed by the realtor. While visiting churches in the U.S., I was blessed to go out and do some soulwinning in various towns. In California, one church I visited hasn't let the government mandates stop their evangelization efforts. Instead of going door-to-door to share the gospel with folks at their doorsteps, we went out into parking lots of big-box stores. I was surprised that not one person refused a gospel tract from me. And several people allowed me to share the gospel with them. One man in particular told me that he had been thinking about finding a church because of "everything that is going on in the world." He had some good questions, and it certainly was a joy to show him the answers from God's Holy Bible. Back in June, I was able to visit and speak before a college ministry from my alma mater. One young man expressed his desire to learn how to approach people on the streets and share the gospel with anyone. I wish every Christian had the same desire to learn to do what God commands and demonstrates in the Scriptures. So one afternoon, this young man and I hit the streets in his town with the sole purpose of walking up to strangers and talking to them about eternal matters such as hell, sin, judgment, and Jesus. Near the end of our time of witnessing as the young man and I began walking back to his car, we met a young, oppressed man named Travis. We spent a good amount of time talking to Travis, showing him many infallible proofs from God's holy Word. Travis turned and looked at me and asked, "How can I get saved?" As Paul and Silas did in Acts 16:31-32, we showed Travis the word of the Lord, and said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved." And right there on a street bench, Travis called out to Christ to save him. Hallelujah! I always need to express a heartfelt thank you to so many of you for the kindness you have shown toward me this past year. It has been a sincere joy to my spirit to get to know many of you brothers and sisters in Christ. I have enjoyed our conversations, suppers, times of pray walks together, playing games, soulwinning together, and many other activities. My heart is filled with many wonderful memories. In addition, recently, some of you have contacted me through Facebook and email to let me know that you are praying for me. THANK YOU. Your words are refreshing to my spirit. Each time I hear from friends, it means so much to me to know that someone is praying for me. THANK YOU! Lastly, please keep in mind that my home/sending church in Ohio does not have a full-time secretary. I ask that you remember to send all financial support checks to All Points Baptist Mission, who is assisting me from the American side. Their mailing address is: All Points Baptist Mission, P.O. Box 977, New Philadelphia, Ohio 44663. And please remember to write on the memo line of the check: "Lawrence Bowman." Thank you! Lawrence Bowman PLEASE ENJOY this five minute presentation video! I want to thank Brett Weston for taking the time to create this short presentation video about my upcoming ministry in El Salvador. I am not a good photographer, but he skillfully was able to take my amateur pictures from my Fall 2020 Survey Trip to create this delightful video. I hope you enjoy and are inspired! Dear friends of the ministry,
As July is approaching, my hope and enthusiasm increase about moving to El Salvador. I cannot wait to make friendships and preach Christ among the young men who are ensnared in Satan’s MS13 and Calle 18 gangs. There truly is a cause to serve Christ; and there truly is a cause for Christians to stop what we are doing and pray to God. Prayer is so vitally important, and so I want to sincerely thank each Christian who spends time praying for me and El Salvador. I covet and beg for prayers more than anything! Our Lord over the past three months has allowed me to present my ministry before churches in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Florida, and in California, where I am presently. Though I have need for the brethren to faithfully financially support my ministry, my greatest need--of which I inform churches everywhere--is that I plead greatly, seeking for people to co-labor with me in prayer each day. It is by prayer that we find God’s favor and good hand upon us. I am grateful that God is allowing me to get to know more brothers and sisters in Christ. Being on the road constantly driving hundreds of miles is wearisome to my body and mind sometimes. I have great joy and consolation in the love from the family of God, because the saints often refresh my spirit. For example, one church I visited in Wisconsin allowed me to hang out with one family after another; it was just exactly what I needed. Then another church I visited in the south showed great kindness to me, and it was exactly when I needed it. A church I visited in Pennsylvania had a choir that lifted my spirits; the choir members sang so beautifully that I gloriously sensed we were sitting before the Throne of God in Heaven. Traveling much does come with opportunities when I can see God demonstrating His faithfulness. On a late evening, one of my tires blew out. God spared me from getting into a wreck, and I was quickly able to get off the highway onto a parking lot. It was almost midnight, but I thank the Lord that I was able to find a tow truck to assist me. The young man driving the tow truck went out of his way to help me. He took the wheel with my destroyed tire to a 24-hour shop where the workers replaced it with a new tire, and he didn’t charge me for the extra service. During our time together, he related to me that his previous client had been telling him about Jesus. I told him that God allowed my tire to blow out just so that I, too, could emphasize his great need to repent and turn to Christ. I was able to share the gospel with him. He didn’t get saved right then, but he came to understand that he was on his way to hell and would think about what we discussed. I am a firm believer that sometimes God allows troubles in our lives so that we would trust Him and share Christ with those around us. At 3 a.m. I was able to finally get back on the deputation road. In California, I have been able to go along with people from a church for their weekly time of evangelism. We went out to the parking lots of big box retailers to find and talk to people about the Lord. I was encouraged that every person I approached gladly received a gospel tract from me. Some even thanked me for the scriptures. And quite a few gave me the time to talk with them about eternal matters. One man by the name of Rob told me that he had not been to church in a very long time, that he was a critical thinker, and that he would like to visit the church. I gave him the pastor’s phone number and strongly suggested that he pick up his Bible and consider the words in the book of Romans. Please pray for Rob that he will learn to rest in Christ and begin meeting with other believers. Thus far, on my schedule for the month of June, God has given me only one church where I can present my ministry. If your church would be interested in hearing about my work, please do contact me. Or you can go to the homepage of my ministry’s website and watch a 30-minute presentation video about my work, found at www.MissionFrontier.info. Whenever I have been home in Ohio, my parents and I have been working to sell most of my possessions. We held a moving sale for four days, and during that time several hundred people passed through my home and bought a lot of things. I also used the opportunity for an awesome time in soulwinning. We were able to give most guests a gospel tract and tell them my story. People were curious about my reason for moving to a third-world nation. I was able to share my testimony, share the gospel, and explain their need for Christ. Revelation 12:11 tells us that our personal testimony is powerful to overcome Satan. I think that’s why the apostle Paul in his writings was always sharing his life story with people: he told about who he was before he met Christ; how Christ saved him; and what Christ was doing in his life after salvation (such as in Acts 9). Sometimes people won’t listen to the gospel; however, I have discovered that they will listen to a personal testimony, and while I share my story, I include the gospel in the edgeways for their hearts. Then the Holy Spirit can do some more work in their hearts in wooing them to Christ! We have an awesome God who enjoys doing the impossible! I need to sell my house before I can move overseas. A few weeks ago when I was in Ohio, my realtor came over to take pictures of my home so he could list it on the MLS for sale. That afternoon before he listed my home, a lady came over and gave me an offer that I couldn’t refuse. It was exactly what my church and I had been asking the Lord for. I gladly accepted her offer and we are presently in contract. Please keep this ongoing transaction in your prayers. On a number of occasions many individuals have asked me if I fear to go live in El Salvador, a nation that has for decades been known for its profound troubles. I appreciate their concern and questions, and I am always delighted to magnify Christ. I do not sense fear or apprehension; the Lord has filled my heart with divine joy, daring love and a firm concern for the people. God has given my mind rest through many promises from His Word, such as Joshua 1:5: “There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart that many people are dying without Christ and entering an eternal damnation. I am filled with profound conviction that Christ is worthy for souls to be saved so that for all eternity they should bring forth the praises due to the worthy Lamb of God. Please contact me at your convenience if I may be of any encouragement to you. We are co-laborers together with Christ: Praying, giving, and serving together with God. Your friend, Lawrence Bowman In the last five days, against Israel, over 1,500 rockets have been fired out of Gaza at innocent Jews throughout Israel, and over 35,000 incidents of terror have been committed out of Gaza. The land of Gaza was given unto the self-proclaimed Palestinians by Israeli generosity in 2005. No other Muslim nation wanted them. One would think they would be saying "Thank you" to the Israelis for allowing them a place to live in peace. The Palestinian political structure, from Arafat and before, is based upon terror. They terrorized the neighbors everywhere they have lived, and they continue to make themselves as proxy enemies against Israel.
At the same time, Facebook and other social media sites refuse to take down posts which are calling for the expulsion of the Jews or telling Hitler they miss him, meanwhile they continue to illegally censor conservatives off of these social media sites. The news media is trying to paint the Palestinians as the victims even though they are the enemies who started the bombings against Israel. When Israel retaliates and tries to defend itself outcry comes from liberals everywhere calling for Israel to show restraint. The Palestinians and liberals always blame Israel for something that they, the Palestinians and liberals, are guilty of doing. It is very obvious the Terrorist organizations are emboldened because President Trump not in the Whitehouse. With Biden in office the terrorist groups have been taking advantage of his weak leadership, which in turn causes innocent people to die. Many of this week’s rockets are of longer range and have been reach Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Such are the type provided by Iran and Russia and smuggled into Gaza through various means. I wonder how much of the billions Obama, Biden and Kerry gave to the Iranians was used to manufacture these rockets? I wonder how much of the $50+ million Biden has given to the Palestinian terror led structure this year was used to manufacture today's rockets? As far as choosing sides it is very simple. The ministry of Mission Frontier and myself choose the side God is on and that is the side of His people, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Jewish people. We have made our stand and will continue to do so for Israel. Dear reader take your stand. Take your stand in the pulpit preacher. Take your stand in the classroom teacher. Take your stand in the home father. Take your stand! Don’t try to play both sides. Your either for Israel or against Israel, there is no middle ground. Don't just say you are for Israel. Do something about it. Recently I was at a church who gave me 30 minutes to thoroughly explain my new upcming ministry in El Salvador to reach the MS13 and Calle 18 gangs for Jesus Christ. Here is a video from that evening. I hope you will watch it and be encouraged and provoked. If you have any questions, please contact me. --Lawrence Bowman www.MissionFrontier.info Thank you everyone who has registered Orphan Frontier with their Amazon Smile, ebay Chairty, and Paypal Giving Funds. Each time you shop online, your shopping helps to support the ministry, and this month they gave $50 toward the ministry!
To register, simply visit their websites and click on their charity links and choose "Orphan Frontier." If you are not yet registered, would you please do so? It is free to you and each time you shop online, these organizations donate a little of the profits to Orphan Frontier. Thanks!! **[Orphan Frontier is the parent charity of Mission Frontier] Many of you have asked if you can donate to my ministry work through ZELLE. Yes! It is now possible to send money through ZELLE! 1. ACCESS ZELLE…Get started by enrolling your email or cell number through your mobile banking app or with the Zelle app. 2. TYPE IN MY EMAIL address lawrencewbowman@aol.com or my cell number. 3. ENTER THE AMOUNT you want to send. **As of right now, donations received through ZELLE are not tax deductible. If you wish to receive an IRS tax receipt from Mission Frontier at the end of the year, then you should give through one of four ways found at www.MissionFrontier.info/give.
Dear Friends of the Ministry,
God is so good and has given us so great salvation! I really am enjoying this present time that God has me in. God is affording me opportunities to meet and get to know more Christians, and oh what a blessing and joy it is to expand my heart in knowing more of God's people. In December 2020, I began contacting churches about my upcoming/planned ministry to El Salvador. Some pastors have already allowed me to come and visit their churches and talk to their people about what God is doing through my ministry. One good thing about getting to meet pastors and become acquainted with their churches' congregations is that people freely give me good words of wisdom, encouragement, and advice. I am always appreciative of people's caring words. And then sometimes I do occasionally get funny/unusual questions, such as "Do the people in El Salvador have cars?" I must chuckle, but yes, the people there have cars, horses, and all the technology we have in the U.S. Since back in the fall of 2020 when I officially informed everyone of my plans to move to El Salvador in 2021 for ministry, I have been busy working on various preparations for the next glorious chapter of my life. I have finished the application and interview process with All Points Baptist Mission (A.P.B.M.). It was a joy to be accepted by that organization so that they can assist me in missionary matters. One avenue of assistance is that now any financial donations for my ministry can first be processed through A.P.B.M. This provides an extra benefit of accountability and transparency for me and my ministry, which will continue to be held accountable by my local church, my ministry's board of directors as well as a third-party accountant. All financial donations by check should be made payable to A.P.B.M. with my name on the check's memo line. A.P.B.M.'s address is P.O. Box 977, New Philadelphia, Ohio 44663-0977. I am really looking forward to moving to El Salvador. I really believe that El Salvador is one of those places on earth where the people live next to the gates of hell. In the capital city, San Salvador, there is actually a neighborhood called The Devil's Door. El Salvador recently ranked among the worst places in the world for its high homicide rate per 100,000 inhabitants. Most of those who have been killed were individuals ranging in age from 15 to 25. For decades, people influenced by Satan have terrorized countless young men and boys into joining forces with the violent MS 13 and Calle 18 gangs. These young people are outcasts in society, abhorred and feared, and have been for the most part a people group unreached by Christians for far too long. These youngsters need Christ! The gospel of Jesus Christ is the ROCK that these youngsters need; and Jesus Christ declared that "...the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (see Matthew 16:18). I am so grateful for Pastor Ernesto and the Iglesia Bautista Fundamental La Palma (La Palma Fundamental Baptist Church) in San Salvador. This local body of believers truly has a heart for its community and the world. Though presently the congregation is small in number, the people's enduring patience and faith through tribulation sound out the word of the Lord and spread abroad. When I was with Pastor Ernesto's church back in October 2020, I noticed that this church does a glorious work for the Lord, all tracked by foot and city bus. After I returned to the States, in November the Lord impressed upon my heart to ask God to supply $7,000 so this church could purchase a vehicle. Within two months' time, God brought into my ministry that $7,000. I called Pastor Ernesto two weeks ago to surprise him that he would be receiving this money for a vehicle. He was flabbergasted and so thankful for God's generosity. The story gets even better. He related to me that his church was preparing to have a Missions Conference. He had been praying that God would show the people that God loves missions, God supports missions, and God bestows His grace upon those churches who abundantly, joyfully, and liberally give out of their deep poverty. After the money was wired to Pastor Ernesto, God brought him into contact with a woman in another town who was selling a minivan. God touched her heart to sell the minivan for less than its value, and Pastor Ernesto was able to make the purchase right before the Missions Conference. The church has been greatly encouraged. The church has already been using the minivan to expand its efforts to win souls, pick up people, and more. I sincerely with great joy want to express a heartfelt THANK YOU for your giving to the ministry. One matter of importance God has taught me over these years is that we are co-laborers together. I am confident of this very thing: some of us go and serve the Lord in a foreign land while others remain who support in prayers and giving. My labors on the mission field are given so that fruit may abound to your account when you stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ (see Philippians 4:17). Lastly, I want to express as Paul expressed in 1 Timothy 1:12: "And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry." Would you consider preparing yourself to be a laborer on a foreign field to reach an unreached people group? God is seeking more Christians to join this eternal cause so that Christ should receive the reward of His sufferings. May 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 encourage you, "For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence." Thank you, Lawrence Bowman
Within the last two months, God has brought together various donors who have given $7,000 to the ministry so that we can purchase a vehicle for Iglesia Bautista Fundamental La Palma (La Palma Fundamental Baptist Church). THANK YOU!
Pastor Ernesto and his church was were greatly shocked when they learned of your great gift. They are very thankful for God's generosity through your givings. The church has been greatly encouraged. Now the church has their first vehicle to help expand their labors to win souls, pick up people, and many other activities and errands. We sincerely with great joy want to express a heartfelt THANK YOU for your giving to the ministry. One matter of importance God has taught me over these years is that we are co-laborers together. I am confident of this very thing: some of us go and serve the Lord in a foreign land while others remain who support in prayers and giving. My labors on the mission field are given so that fruit may abound to your account when you stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ (see Philippians 4:17 ). I am very excited to be moving down there later this year and co-labor with them in the Lord's harvest. Christ is soon to return and we must work while it is still day and pull people out of the fire. THANK YOU. Orphan Frontier is now becoming Mission Frontier. The mission is still the same--serving needy youth. And the frontier is still the same--on the bounds of life in difficult places.
Mission Frontier exists to serve youth living in perilous regions of the world resolved to courageously take the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ to them and to compassionately teach and train them in God's Holy Bible so that they should grow into fruitful persons of God making a difference in this dark world. (Jude 21-23) Dear Praying Friend,
This past October I celebrated my ministry's 7th year in the service of the King! I thank Christ Jesus our Lord that He counted me faithful and put me into ministry to serve abused, abandoned, and needy kids. God graciously sure has privileged and enabled me to help kids in difficult places, orphanages, and children's ministries around the world. God has helped me to be a warrior in the fight against sex trafficking, as well as advocating before churches, Senators, Congressmen, and politicians in various nations to discuss children's needs. The Lord on numerous occasions has opened doors so that I could preach His gospel in unique opportunities at public schools, government offices, Buddhist and Hindu temples, on a television program in India, as well as at churches and on the streets all over the globe. Back in August 2018 the Lord began to burn within my heart to pray regarding the possibility of my living and serving in another country. Then earlier this year God brought to my attention the nation of El Salvador (which means "The Savior" in Spanish) and the country's dismal troubles concerning fatherless youth and the vicious MS 13 gangs. I began to pray more specifically as well as to do research. Months later I met with my pastor to discuss my prayers, and he began to pray with me over the next several months about God's will and the vision which God poured into my heart. Central America, and more specifically, El Salvador, has a crisis! Many of the country's young people are caught up in the dangers of rival gangs "Calle 18" (18th Street) and "MS 13". Both of these gangs began several decades ago in Los Angeles, California. The 18th Street gang first involved mostly Mexican then later Salvadoran immigrants; MS 13 was formed by Salvadorans. When Salvadoran gang members were arrested and deported back to Central America, they became part of the out-of-control violence there. These gangs cause much havoc in people's lives, and sadly, the "church" has done little to reach these troubled young men and boys for Christ. I understand and sympathize with many Christians who are fearful about ministering to gang members. Nevertheless, we still have a great commission and are commanded by our Lord in Mark 16:15 to "preach the gospel to every creature". Last month God gave me the opportunity to fly down to El Salvador. During the whole month of October I traveled, meeting with many pastors to discuss the vision God has burned into my heart; in turn, the pastors shared their hearts with me, and I sought their wisdom. Two Salvadoran pastors in particular were thrilled to hear how God is leading me. For years they've prayed that God would raise someone up to reach the gangs. Only two churches in El Salvador have distinct ministries for reaching gangs. In addition, God opened the doors for me to meet with the warden of the notorious Izalco Prison. He is excited about my desires, and he has requested that I start a prison ministry. God also allowed me to talk with four police officers as well as with a high-ranking federal security official. In addition, I got to do a lot of street evangelizing, meeting the Salvadoran people, and sharing Christ with them. On several occasions God allowed me opportunities to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with gang members. One time, two pastors and I entered into a very dangerous neighborhood, MS 13 territory. God gave us great grace and favor! We were permitted to clearly explain the gospel of Jesus Christ to many gang members, including one of the street leaders, who looked me straight in the eyes and attentively listened to the message. He read Scriptures from a Bible we gave him, and he asked some good questions. He was amused to hear that an American desires to live in El Salvador; meanwhile, many Salvadorans want to live in the USA. I told him I want to live in El Salvador because Jesus loves him and his "brothers" and God has put a love in my heart to help him and his friends. The Lord has been directing my steps for some time into this new endeavor. I happily believe that the Lord is calling me to move to El Salvador in 2021 and work alongside a Salvadoran pastor and his church who have a passion to reach youth and young gang members for Christ. God has given me a plan in how to reach out to gang members. I have sought the Salvadoran pastors' wisdom, and they believe the vision God has given me is an appropriate way in which to minister to troubled youth and young men associated with gangs. I covet your prayers, first of all! Please continue to bring my name before the Throne of God. Second, I need to raise extra monthly financial support so that I can relocate to El Salvador to serve in this unique ministry. Some of you already give financially to my ministry, for which I am greatly appreciative! If you or your church does not presently financially support me, would you please seek God and ask if He would have you or your church to partner with my ministry? Please feel free to contact me with any questions. I would be delighted to come to your church and share more details about this outreach! Meanwhile, I will keep you updated as I progress toward this new great endeavor with the Lord. Lawrence Bowman www.OrphanFrontier.org/elsalvador Good evening,
It appears that God is allowing me to fly down to El Salvador this Friday. It is my plans to be there until the end of October for the service of the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore I am writing with sincerity to seek your faithful prayers. This is a very distinct trip. A faithful brother (evangelist) in Central America is setting up meetings for me to get to know various pastors, as well as their churches. I desire to get to know them on a personal level. Additionally, pastors and I are going to discuss the challenges associated with the MS13 gangs as well as the concerns I have for children who are being coerced and forced into gangs. God wants to save the souls of the heathen as well as the barbarians. I surely desire your fervent prayers! Often times during this trip God's work is going to take me into places of great danger, because there is a great need for His gospel be taken to those individuals who are living next door to the gates of hell. Here are my PRAYER REQUESTS: 1. That the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified. (2 Thess 3:1) 2. I desire a more passionately servant's heart which is humble before God. (Jn. 13:4-5) 3. That we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith. (2 Thess. 3:2-3) 4. I need God to arrange my daily contacts and direct me to divine appointments. 5. I desire God to knit my heart with His choice servant(s) for the ministry. (1 Sam. 18:1) 6. I desire God to grant me favour and good understanding in the sight of the Lord and also with men. (Pro. 3:4 & 1 Sam. 2:26) My friend, please know that I am grateful for your prayers. You and I are a team with the LORD. My heart's sincere desire is that fruit may abound to your account before the Judgment Seat of Christ (Philippians 4:17). You can learn more at www.OrphanFrontier.org/elsalvador or visit my Facebook page while I am in El Salvador. Thank you, Lawrence Bowman Dear friends of the ministry,
Soon we Christians will be Home in Heaven! I am so excited that I can almost smell my Jesus hugging me to welcome me Home. "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words." (1 Thess. 4:16-18) It is my desire to comfort as well as to encourage ourselves in the Lord while we live through these opportunistic days. In these past three months I have had countless times to clearly share the gospel with individuals on streets, in parks and even at stores. These unprecedented times are turning out to be great opportunities for the gospel. Men's hearts are failing them for fear as God is shaking the whole world (Luke 21:26). God is opening a great and effectual door unto us amidst many adversaries (1 Cor. 16:9). Governments are increasingly restricting fundamental liberties, people are confused and apprehensive, and good is now evil while evil is now good (Is. 5:20). God is graciously purging the church so that "he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish" (Eph. 5:27). Christians are experiencing more dependence on God and less value on this world. I was supposed to be in Mexico right now. But that trip got canceled. Since many borders are still closed, I am happily serving my church here in Ohio. I have been weekly mentoring a young man and doing Bible studies with him. I also regularly give my time to serve other guys teaching and training them about evangelizing and investing our lives into others. It has been a great joy to be with my Ohio church family. On many occasions I and some other members from my church have gone out onto the streets with the intention to approach individuals simply to ask if we can pray for them. Every single time we have prayed with individuals, we then have been allowed to share Christ with them. At other times we have visited public parks. We walk around passing out gospel tracts, and so many people sit down and permit us to explain the gospel. Truly the harvest is plentiful and ready. Therefore, as Jesus said, "Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest" (Jn. 4:35). If someone tells you that ministry is over because of the chaos in the world, nothing could be further from the truth. Don't believe it! Ministry today is more opened than any other time before. People are searching for answers. They want peace. And they will listen to the gospel if we simply go and give them Christ. If Paul and Silas in Acts chapter 16 could continue ministering while chained in a dungeon, then we certainly can continue praying, singing hymns, witnessing and serving people, even when the government places restrictions. With governments placing devastating lockdowns and various restrictions, what are we to do? In the beginning, governments in the name of "health and safety" insisted that restraints and control were for our good. They said it was supposed to be a short-term stopgap measure, with the goal to “flatten the curve”. Now here we are in our fifth month with death rates at .03% living with unrelieved restrictions and still many churches are told not to gather. Interestingly major public events that were planned for 2021 are already being canceled, signaling that officials are preparing to keep restrictions in place without an end in sight. So what are we Christians to do? How are we to obey the command of our Lord and government officials? I like how Pastor John MacArthur wisely answered this question. Here is a summary I have put together from his extensive letter he wrote last week. Christ is Lord of all. He is the one true head of the church (Ephesians 1:22; 5:23; Colossians 1:18). He is also King of kings—sovereign over every earthly authority (1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 17:14; 19:16). As His people, we are subject to His will and commands as revealed in Scripture. Therefore we Christians are bound by God's Holy Bible not to acquiesce to government-imposed moratoriums on our corporate gatherings. Compliance would be disobedience to our Lord’s clear commands. Some will think such a firm statement is inexorably in conflict with the command to be subject to governing authorities laid out in Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2. Scripture does mandate careful, conscientious obedience to all governing authorities [in Peter’s words, “not only to those who are good and gentle, but also the froward (unreasonable)” (1 Peter 2:18)]. Insofar as government authorities do not attempt to assert ecclesiastical authority or issue orders that forbid our obedience to God’s law, their authority is to be obeyed whether we agree with their rulings or not. In other words, Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2 still bind the consciences of individual Christians. We are to obey our civil authorities as powers that God Himself has ordained. However, while civil government is invested with divine authority to rule the state, neither of those texts (nor any other) grants civic rulers jurisdiction over the church. God has established three institutions within human society: the family, the state, and the church. Each institution has a sphere of authority with jurisdictional limits that must be respected. A father’s authority is limited to his own family. Church leaders’ authority (which is delegated to them by Christ) is limited to church matters. And government is specifically tasked with the oversight and protection of civic peace and well-being within the boundaries of a nation or community. God has not granted civic rulers authority over the doctrine, practice, or polity of the church. The biblical framework limits the authority of each institution to its specific jurisdiction. The church does not have the right to meddle in the affairs of individual families and ignore parental authority. Parents do not have authority to manage civil matters while circumventing government officials. And similarly, government officials have no right to interfere in ecclesiastical matters in a way that undermines or disregards the God-given authority of pastors and elders. When any one of the three institutions exceeds the bounds of its jurisdiction it is the duty of the other institutions to curtail that overreach. Therefore, when any government official issues orders regulating worship (such as bans on singing, caps on attendance, or prohibitions against gatherings and services), he steps outside the legitimate bounds of his God-ordained authority as a civic official and arrogates to himself authority that God expressly grants only to the Lord Jesus Christ as sovereign over His Kingdom, which is the church. His rule is mediated to local churches through those pastors and elders who teach His Word (Matthew 16:18–19; 2 Timothy 3:16–4:2). Therefore, the recent numerous government orders requiring churches to limit or suspend all meetings impose an overreaching of their legitimate jurisdictions. We Christians should not observe the restrictions but steadfastly submit to our faithfulness in Christ and His commands. Said another way, it has never been the prerogative of civil government to order, modify, forbid, or mandate worship. When, how, and how often the church worships is not subject to Caesar. Caesar himself is subject to God. Jesus affirmed that principle when He told Pilate, "Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above" (John 19:11). And because Christ is head of the church, ecclesiastical matters pertain to His Kingdom, not Caesar’s. Jesus drew a stark distinction between the two kingdoms when He said, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's” (Mark 12:17). Our Lord Himself always rendered to Caesar what was Caesar's, but He never offered to Caesar what belongs solely to God. Pastors and elders of churches should not hand over to earthly authorities any privilege or power that belongs solely to Christ as head of His church. Pastors and elders are the ones to whom Christ has given the duty and the right to exercise His spiritual authority in the church (1 Peter 5:1–4; Hebrews 13:7, 17)—and Scripture alone defines how and whom they are to serve (1 Corinthians 4:1–4). We have no duty to follow orders from a civil government attempting to regulate the worship or governance of the church. In fact, pastors who cede their Christ-delegated authority in the church to a civil ruler have abdicated their responsibility before their Lord and violated the God-ordained spheres of authority as much as the secular official who illegitimately imposes his authority upon the church. The honor that we rightly owe our earthly governors and magistrates (Romans 13:7) does not include compliance when such officials attempt to subvert sound doctrine, corrupt biblical morality, exercise ecclesiastical authority, or supplant Christ as head of the church in any other way. The biblical order is clear: Christ is Lord over Caesar, not vice versa. Christ, not Caesar, is head of the church. Conversely, the church does not in any sense rule the state. Again, these are distinct kingdoms, and Christ is sovereign over both. Neither church nor state has any higher authority than that of Christ Himself, who declared, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Matthew 28:18). An additional point needs to be made. Christ is always faithful and true (Revelation 19:11). Human governments are not so trustworthy. Jesus stated that Satan is "the prince of this world" (John 14:30), meaning he wields power and influence through this world’s political systems. Jesus said of him, “he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). History is full of painful reminders that government power is easily and frequently abused for evil purposes. Politicians may manipulate statistics and the media can cover up or camouflage inconvenient truths. So a discerning church cannot passively or automatically comply if the government orders a shutdown of congregational meetings—even if the reason given is a concern for public health and safety. The church by definition is an assembly. That is the literal meaning of the Greek word for “church”—ekklesia—the bodily assembly of the called-out ones. A non-assembling assembly is a contradiction in terms. In addition, meeting together via technological devices is not assembling ourselves together. Assembly necessitates bodily joining ourselves together. Of course if an individual is sick with the flu, covid, etc., that individual should stay home. But if a whole church is locking the church doors and doing services on-line, then you are disobeying God's Bible. Christians are therefore commanded not to forsake the practice of meeting together (Hebrews 10:25)—and no earthly state has a right to restrict, delimit, or forbid the assembling of believers. Freedom of worship is a command of God, not a privilege granted by government. When officials restrict church attendance to a certain number, they attempt to impose a restriction that in principle makes it impossible for the saints to gather as the church. When officials prohibit singing in worship services, they attempt to impose a restriction that in principle makes it impossible for the people of God to obey the commands of Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16. When officials mandate distancing, they attempt to impose a restriction that in principle makes it impossible to experience the close communion between believers that is commanded in Romans 16:16, 1 Corinthians 16:20, 2 Corinthians 13:12, and 1 Thessalonians 5:26. In all those spheres, we must submit to our Lord. Although we in America may be unaccustomed to government intrusion into the church of our Lord Jesus Christ, this is by no means the first time in church history that Christians have had to deal with government overreach or hostile rulers. As a matter of fact, persecution of the church by government authorities has been the norm, not the exception, throughout church history. Indeed Scripture says, “and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). Historically, the two main persecutors have always been secular government and false religion. Most of Christianity’s martyrs have died because they refused to obey such authorities. This is, after all, what Christ promised: “If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20). As government policy moves further away from biblical principles, and as legal and political pressures against the church intensify, we must recognize that the Lord may be using these pressures as means of purging to reveal the true body of Christ. Succumbing to governmental overreach may cause churches to remain closed indefinitely. How can the true church of Jesus Christ distinguish herself in such a hostile climate? There is only one way: courageous allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ is the one true head of His church, and we should intend to honor that vital truth in all our gatherings. For that preeminent reason, we should not accept and should not bow to the intrusive restrictions government officials now want to impose on congregations. We must offer this response without malice, and not out of hearts that are combative or rebellious (1 Timothy 2:1–8; 1 Peter 2:13–17), but with a sobering awareness that we must answer to the Lord Jesus for the stewardship and commands He has given to us. To government officials, we should respectfully say with the apostles, “Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye” (Acts 4:19). And our unhesitating reply to that question is the same as the apostles: “We ought to obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29). My prayer is that the body of Christ made up of countless autonomous churches across the world will courageously stand in obedience to our wonderful faithful Lord as Christians have done through the centuries. Your co-laborer in Christ, Lawrence Bowman Dear friends of the ministry,
Acts 14:27 tells us, "And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles." I would like to take this time to thank so many of you who partnered in the Lord's work in which God privileged me to minister down in Peru. You and I can be assured that God heard and honored your prayers. During this trip God opened many doors for the gospel. In addition, I did face a number of unique troubles and predicaments. Nonetheless, I am grateful that our LORD GOD intervened for my safety. It is by God's grace that He daily allowed me to meet many individuals who need to comprehend their need for Jesus Christ. In my hundreds of encounters, I was able to clearly explain God's saving gospel, answer individuals' questions, and point people to Christ. On several occasions I was asked to preach and teach in various youth group classes as well as to the adults during church services. During the weekdays I got to meet up with Christians to exhort them from the Bible in practical matters, such as why and how to daily have a Quiet Time with God each morning. My most beloved scripture on this important teaching comes from Exodus 34:2-3. On many instances I also got to train and exemplify before believers how to more effectively share the gospel with strangers on the streets. So many Christians over the years have told me that they don't share the gospel because they're afraid. And I always honestly responded, "I too have fear. But fear is a good thing. Fear lets us know that God is doing something. We just have to obey God, and in obedience we then get to see what He is doing." The church I was serving in Lima, Peru, is located in a dangerous district called Callao. In this neighborhood there are a great deal of youth who are daily confronted with countless temptations. I was greatly encouraged to see God's favor on this small church serving their community burdened with big problems. The pastoral staff have a big heart to train and teach hungry believers to grow up and do the work of ministry within their daily lives. Discipleship is a big part of their activities during the weekdays, with many adults as well as their youth. I am at a loss for words to describe the true spirit of giving which exists within the hearts of the pastor and his wife. I bear record from firsthand experience that week after week I witnessed them open their modest home to so many people. Although they suffer through personal trials, their joy in the Lord keeps them strong. Out of their poverty they still abound to liberally give and help others in need. Many days and nights I witnessed them open their home to sit down and feed guests and then to supply a place for guests to sleep overnight for rest. During my time in Peru an unexpected $1,000 donation came into Orphan Frontier. I was in communications with one of Orphan Frontier's Board Members about their wonderful testimony. We immediately knew why God provided us these funds. We agreed to have the $1,000 directly wired down to Peru to help this church and their youth ministry. They are making a wonderful impact in their community, and we at Orphan Frontier want to help and encourage God's servants to persevere forward in faith despite any temporal conflicts. The hysteria of COVID-19 prompted the President of Peru to abruptly lock down the whole nation without any forewarning. All borders were closed. All airports, bus stations, and many other businesses were immediately shut down. Life literally overnight changed from freedom to a police state. It seemed as if ministry was shut down, too. I began to fervently pray and seek God in His Word to reevaluate biblical ministry options. God greatly encouraged my troubled spirit, and through several examples in the Bible, God gave me an idea of how to continue His ministry. During my remaining three weeks in Peru I saw God do the impossible almost on a daily basis. Although I nearly got arrested two times, God intervened and showed me favor and great grace. He gave me opportunities daily to discreetly minister to individuals. I even got to see a 19-year-old call on Christ for salvation, and a young woman in her twenties got saved too! Eventually I was told by the Embassy that I would be evacuated. And finally my opportunity came up for me to take a repatriation flight back to the United States. The generosity and concern of so many supporters in the United States has greatly encouraged me. When I was in need many of you rose up and provided the funds for me to pay for these expensive airplane tickets back home. It means so much to me that supporters like you not only care for needy kids around the world, you also care for me. I am so very appreciative of your love! Thank you so very much! Lawrence Bowman We express our gratitue to so many people who over the years have supported Orphan Frontier. It is because of God's love shown through your generosity that we have been able to help thousands of children around the world.
On this GIVING TUESDAY we are seek to raise funds so that we can continue doing good in the USA, Cuba, Israel, and other regions of the world. Would you donate today and help us to love one more child? Donate now @ www.OrphanFrontier.org/donate |
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