An Invitation to Impact South Korea

    Randy Sumrall, a board member of Elijah Ministries, and his family have been serving in Seoul, South Korea for the past 8 months. He has been discipling fifty men! These men and their families have begun or are pursuing home education, a new anti-cultural idea in South Korea. Many of these men are pastors and missionaries. There are more men desirous for discipling, but there is no one to train them, nor is there a curriculum available at this time.

    The Spirit of Elijah Ministries International is linking arms with a new ministry, Family Ministries International, to reach the hearts of men and their families in South Korea with a view to training men to turn their hearts toward God and their children. This ministry is at the heart of the growing homeschooling movement started three years ago.

    My part with Elijah Ministries in this vision to impact South Korea and hopefully other Asian nations is three-fold:

1. Develop a written curriculum for discipling and training men and families that is cross-cultural. I plan to go to South Korea this January to do research and meet with the men and families to evaluate their needs.
2. Invite homeschool families who wish and can go to South Korea for one year's mission experience to train, encourage, and love these hungry, eager new homeschool pioneers. We need one family this next year. Their expenses and housing will be provided and they will serve under the auspices of Family Ministry International.
3. Invite financial support for this mission project. Elijah Ministries needs support for the research trip to South Korea (approximately $4000). We also want to encourage support to Family Ministries International to help put one family on the field next year (they are estimating needed support at around $55,000). 

    Family Ministries International (http://www.familymission.org) was founded this year by Brad Voeller, who has been serving in South Korea for the past two years. I am serving on the board. FMI will be responsible for the logistics of putting the family on the field and establishing the discipleship ministry with new homeschoolers. We are convinced that if the homeschool movement begins with men as the leaders having a vision to raise up the next generation for Christ, the movement will impact the entire nation as well as other Asian countries. South Korea is the most active missionary-sending country in Asia. They have a vision for reaching the nations for Christ. Imagine a force of men and women taking the message of Elijah Ministries around the globe.

    I invite you to pray about joining hands with us in this mission outreach to South Korea. Can and would you and your family invest a year in missions in South Korea? Would you consider investing in this project financially? If you are interested in more information, please contact me by phone or email (830-980-5606 or info@spiritofelijah.com). This will be a life-changing experience for us all as we team together to impact generations to come in this influential country.

Chariot October 2005 - Norm Wakefield

The Holy Spirit Is Our Power

    When you are facing your responsibilities, do you rely on your own strength? It's easy to do. We do it without thinking - without thinking about whom we belong to. We belong to and are connected to our heavenly Father through our faith in Jesus Christ, His Son. One of the astounding blessings of salvation is a new relationship with God. We see with the eyes of faith that the Father of Jesus Christ has become our Father!

    The Apostle Paul wrote to the Galatians, "Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" (4:7). This great truth unveils the second identity principle: Identity has to do with power. As believers in Christ, we have become connected to the greatest power source known to mankind. He is available all the time and in any circumstance. Let's look at what God's Word reveals about the Holy Spirit and His relationship to power in our lives.

Identity Has to Do with Power: The Holy Spirit Dwelling Within Us Is Our Power from God

    The verses below attest to the source of power dwelling in Jesus – it was the Holy Spirit. Jesus' life could not be explained apart from the indwelling and ministry of the Spirit of God.

Luke 1:35 The angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.

Luke 4:14 And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about Him spread through all the surrounding district.

The Holy Spirit's Presence Confirms Jesus Has Been Glorified

    What an indescribable gift we have been given by the Father and the Son! Because we are sons/daughters of God, He has given us His Spirit to fill us and empower us. Let the truth and the abundance of these verses thrill your soul. We know Jesus has been glorified before the Father because the Holy Spirit lives in us.

John 7:38-39 "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'" But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

The power of the Holy Spirit has been given and is available to every believer. It is their birthright.  

Luke 24:49 "And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high."

Acts 1:8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."

Rom. 15:19 in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit; so that from Jerusalem and round about as far as Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.

Rom. 15:13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

1 Cor. 4:20 For the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power.

2 Cor. 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves.

Eph. 1:19 [may the eyes of your hearts be enlightened to see] what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might.

Eph. 3:16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man.

Phil. 3:10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.

Col. 1:11 [I pray that you be] strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously...

2 Tim. 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.

1 Pet. 1:5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

2 Pet. 1:3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.

Eph. 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us.

    Have you ever felt you didn't have the strength to do what God requires? Sure you have! All of us have. We don't have the strength without a conscious reliance and relationship with Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit. How are we to love our children? How are they to love us? How can a husband and wife be faithful and love one another? How can children obey their parents? How can we obey our Lord? The answer to all of these questions is the same: only by the power of the Holy Spirit.

    The verses above inform us of the riches that are ours because we belong to the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. If you belong to Christ, then you have His Spirit. If you don't have His Spirit, then you don't belong to Christ.

Rom. 8:9 However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.

Why Be Connected to Jesus?

    As we have studied the identity principles these past few months (if you missed those articles, they may be obtained free at www.spiritofelijah.com) we discovered that the reason a person wishes to connect or belong to another person is that they obtain something they value from that association. A teen befriends another teen because he or she thinks they can increase popularity or gain certain social or financial advantages. It's about power.

    The same is true about our relationship with God through Jesus Christ – it's about power. Why should you or anyone seek a relationship with Jesus Christ? Because He is the only way to the Father! Because He has publicly and historically demonstrated the power to defeat death, sin, and Satan! Because we are sinners, and His death and resurrection set us free from sin's penalty, power, and ultimately, its presence! Because the Father and the Son have promised the Holy Spirit to those who believe in and daily apply what Jesus has done and promised.

    The Holy Spirit, who empowered the Son of God, Jesus, is the only way anyone can live to glorify God as they fulfill their daily responsibilities to love, serve, and be light. You need Him. Your children need Him. Without Him, you cannot experience fullness in life. Have you been content to live without the fullness of the Holy Spirit? Have you tried to train, teach, and love your children without being filled with the Rivers of Living Water? Have you and your family members been careless in their relationship with the Holy Spirit?       

How is it With You and the Holy Spirit?

    For your family exercise this month, I recommend a Holy Spirit relationship check. After reading through the verses in this article, take some time to consider your relationship with the Holy Spirit. He is the presence of Christ in your life! Have you grieved or quenched Him in any way? Read Ephesians 4:25-5:33, and as a family, make a list of what grieves and encourages the presence and fullness of the Holy Spirit. What do you think one should experience if he or she has been careless, grieved the Holy Spirit, not repented, and made the relationship right? What might one expect from the Holy Spirit if he or she valued a relationship with the Holy Spirit and kept it free from grievances?

    I believe the Holy Spirit will guide you in this exercise. Listen to Him as He tells you where and when you have grieved Him. Express your heart to Him honestly and often. Because you belong to Christ, walk in and with His Spirit – He is your power source!

Helpful Resources for Your Family 

    The Spirit and Presence of Christ: Wondrous Gifts for the Father's Pleasure  

    This book is an excellent resource for your family in thinking more about the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit's role in your life. The author is a very close friend of mine, Jerry White, who has been a spiritual mentor to me for many years. The book is available on our website here.

Would you like to be on the Elijah Ministries Prayer Team?

    The backbone of Elijah Ministries is the prayer team who pray diligently for God to turn the hearts of men to Himself, their wives, and their children. Before I leave to speak, I send out a prayer team invitation to those who will intercede for God to work for His glory in us as a team for the Kingdom. Not only is it a blessing to those whom I speak and myself; but it is also a reminder to the team about the direction of their own hearts. If you would like to enter into the labor together with me, you may go to my website and click on "Prayer Team".

    If you haven't visited our website, www.spiritofelijah.com, please stop by sometime. You'll find:

*   Resources to equip you and your family

*   Previous Chariot articles

*   Norm's speaking schedule

*   Free MP3 downloads  

*   Various pages translated and available in Spanish  

*   An online store to purchase resources and make tax-free contributions by credit card