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Sitting on His Shoulders

6/26/2017

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We can rest in Him and in His ability to carry us completely.
 
“But He commanded the skies to open; He opened the doors of heaven,”
Psalm 78:23 (NLT).
 
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take,”
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT).
 
How often do you find yourself focused on the chaos and uncertainty of life rather than on the One who created you? If you find yourself getting distracted often by life’s inevitable storms, you are not alone. As believers, we must constantly refocus our gaze. In fact, to fully experience the freedom of His promise, we must hold fast to our faith--at all times. If He can “command the skies to open,” and open “the doors of heaven,” surely He can carry all of our burdens! The hardest part is knowing that we must sometimes leap before the net appears.
 
I want to share with you a powerful testimony, sent in by one of our ministry friends. The story shows what happens when we truly give everything—all of our fears, dreams, etc.—to the Lord. Our friend sent us a testimony about Sandra, the wife of an international student whom she got to know. They met in an English conversation class, and became friends. Sandra expressed interest in the Bible, and the two women began meeting weekly in the basement of the library to read and talk together. Our ministry friend writes,
 
“One day, in an attempt to explain the Gospel, I shared the following illustration: There was once a professional tightrope walker who enjoyed doing public demonstrations. He began slowly, by crossing a large ravine in front of a breathless audience. When arrived at the other side, he asked an audience member if they believed that he was able to cross that wide ravine again. ‘Yes!’ The audience member replied. The tightrope walker then asked that same audience member if they believed it enough to sit on his shoulders while he did it. Most of us can understand why the sheepish audience member shrank back from this opportunity. Intellectual belief is good, but it falls short of the goal.
 
To fully experience the freedom of trust, a bigger step was needed. I explained to Sandra that trusting Jesus for salvation means that we choose to ‘sit on His shoulders’ with our lives. Jesus is able to carry us over the ravine of sin into the presence of God, and if He is able to do that for us, then He is able to manage our whole lives as well. We can rest in Him and in His ability to carry us completely. The following week, Sandra told me that she would like to ‘sit on Jesus’s shoulders.’ What a delight to my heart. She prayed to receive Christ as Savior, and continues to walk as a believer to this day.”
 
How complicated we try to make the Gospel sometimes. And yet how simple it is, when we remember to sit on His shoulders, trusting Him to care for our sin, our efforts, our family, our entire lives. Jesus is able to carry it all!
 
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take,”
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT).
 
For More Information
Did you know that there are over 4.5 million international students who study at universities across the world? If you have a heart for international students, and would like to learn more about becoming an ISI Prayer Partner, click here.


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Such Perfect Unity

6/19/2017

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May our heartfelt prayers draw others closer to His throne.
 
“I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me,” John 17:23 (NLT).
 
“They all met together and were constantly united in prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus,” Acts 1:14 (NLT).
 
“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results,” James 5:16 (NLT).

How often do our prayers affect nonbelievers? Of course, we cannot know for sure, but seldom do unbelieving students turn down the gesture! It is our experience, here at International Students, Inc., that many nonbelieving students excitedly report how God has answered!
 
Not only do we get to witness the power of prayer here, we often get to see the bond that students—believers and nonbelievers—form when they fellowship and pray together. One of our ministry friends shared a story about the power of prayer. She writes:
 
“Our women’s M28 study group had met through the spring semester. When it came time to bring the study to a close for exams and summer break, they wanted to continue to meet into the summer. Our bond had grown strong and although only one of them was a believer, all of them had helped to facilitate the study throughout the semester. Most had come from not really knowing anything about God or Christianity, to voicing simple prayers. With the help of the one believer, I had carefully explained and modeled for them how to pray. We detailed the protocol of prayer; describing a respectful address, offering thanks and praise and making requests.
 
Though none had made a profession of faith, over time, everyone participated in sharing prayer requests and reporting answered prayers. They had clearly come to the conviction that God exists and He is good. Mostly we prayed about day-to-day concerns like exams and health, but I remember one time we prayed earnestly for the healing of my brother-in-law suffering from a serious respiratory infection. God answered marvelously, and he recovered enough to travel and oversee some major renovations of my mother’s house. This did not go unnoticed by the ladies.”
 
I love that these women not only got to witness God’s incredible healing power, but they got to witness it together--in unity! The best part is they get to hear the Good News and learn about the perfect unity we can have with Christ our Savior!
 
Through our M28 program, we continue bringing God’s truth and healing power to believers and nonbelievers worldwide. I am excited to announce that at our upcoming Singapore conference this summer, we will be able to offer an M28 seminar! We will also be hosting a returnee gathering, a convergence of international leaders, and three key Asian leaders from totally different denominational backgrounds.
 
The focus will include an emphasis on China, as well as key leaders from India and another leader from the world’s largest Muslim nation: Indonesia. Again, we’re seeing unity in the body of Christ, and a springboard for even more oneness as our staffers deploy across Asia to visit and fellowship with their returned students.
 
Friend, I thank you for your support, love and concern for international students. May our heartfelt prayers draw others closer to His throne.
 
“I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me,” John 17:23 (NLT).
 
For More Information
Would you like tools to put God’s Word in the hands of truth-seekers accessible—right at your fingertips? Learn more about ISI’s M28 Global Discipleship App!

Learn more about M28.


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Knitting Our Hearts Together

6/7/2017

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The best thing we can do for returnee students is pray and trust God for their every need!
 
“Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God,” 1 John 4:7 (NLT).
 
Making friends with international students comes easily for ministry staff and volunteers. The hardest part can be the reality that one day the deep bond they have formed with students will likely be interrupted by geography. Many international students return to their native countries after completing their studies in the US, and having to say goodbye can be one of the hardest things we must do!
 
Though we can keep in touch, we often wonder how our friends are doing. Have they adjusted back to their home countries? Have they found other Christians with whom they can fellowship? Are they moving toward their faith? One of our ministry friends shared about her experience with students who returned to their home countries. She writes:
 
“As we get to know our international friends, year after year, God knits our hearts together. He interweaves our stories, and we learn from each other. I am in constant awe at this gift of sharing our lives together. What beauty, pain and redemption unfold before our eyes. Still, our hope is in the One who is our Redeemer—the One who exchanges lies for truth and sorrow for a crown. As these students leave us, returning to their home countries, it continues to be difficult for me, even after 15 years of ministry! Though it feels like a loss, we trust it is not forever. 'God...You are in our comings and goings.' Recently, beneath a tree in Central Park, we said goodbye to good friends who were on their way back home to China. They shared that they had talked together about praying to accept Christ and being baptized before leaving. They are on the brink, recognizing that is this is the most important decision they will ever make. I believe that they will make that decision in due season. I trust God will continue His work in them.”
 
Friend, if you are in this situation and are missing a student who has returned home, I encourage you to lift that former student up in prayer. The best thing we can do is pray and trust God for their every need. We can also find ways to encourage them long-distance as much as possible. We do what we can do, and we turn our love to the next friendship and the next redemptive opportunity!
 
“Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God,” 1 John 4:7 (NLT).
 
For More Information
Do you have a heart from international students? Learn how to become an ISI Friendship Partner!




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