Dear Christian Friends,
We
certainly cannot thank you enough for your prayer and financial support. It
has been such a blessing and help to us in so many ways. We are truly grateful
to God because He has allowed us to labor together for the cause of Christ.
Thank you for being our partners in the Gospel.
We are doing well and the ministry is going great. Please pray with us to see
souls saved. We have seen some saved, but there has been a greater move
among believers.
Please continue to pray for Debbie's health. She is having problems with her
back again, and she is very weak and tired all the time. By the way, I want to
thank all of you for showering her with your love, prayers, cards, and gifts.
You have been a tremendous blessing to both of us. Your thoughtfulness is
greatly appreciated.
Debbie and I had a great time together with God's people during the week of
meetings with Pastor David Smith at Ladysmith Baptist Church in Ladysmith,
Wisconsin. God's people responded well to the preaching of His Word. The
meetings were well attended by church members, and we had visitors too.
After Ladysmith, we made our way to New Lisbon, Wisconsin. Our Friday night
meeting went well with Pastor Delbert Oatsvall. We thank the Lord for the
spiritual decisions that were made by several during the meeting.
Our all-day Sunday meetings went well with Dave Barna at Calvary Baptist
Church in Platteville, Wisconsin. No one came forward to receive Christ as
their personal Saviour; but God’s people made decisions before the Lord, for
which we praise the Lord!
On Wednesday, we were with Pastor Brad Burglund at First Baptist Church in
Cannon Falls, Minnesota. We were a blessing and an encouragement to the pastor
and the congregation.
The meetings were a success with Pastor John Horner at Liberty Baptist Church
in Minier, Illinois. It turned out to be a wonderful week of fellowship and a
time of encouragement for those dear folks and their pastor. We were blessed
by the love expressed to us by God's people. There was a great response at the
invitation. Life-changing decisions were made.
It
was such a blessing to be with David Lynn at First Baptist Church in Creve
Coeur, Illinois. I had a great time together with God's people during the week
of meetings. God's people responded well to the preaching of His Word. The
meetings were well attended by church members, and we had visitors every
night. A lady received the Lord as her personal Saviour after the Thursday
night service, and a young boy received the Lord as his Saviour after
the Friday night meeting.
In
closing, we want to thank you again for your love, prayers, and financial
support. Fruit is being added to your account. Please keep us in your prayers
as we seek to serve the Lord.
His
servants,
Norman and Debbie Stevens
BELIEVERS' COMMENTS
Dear Norman Stevens,
You
may or may not remember me, but about 1 year and 8 months ago, you were at
Greendale Baptist Church hosting some evangelistic meetings. During that week
of meetings I found a flyer on my windshield, and decided to come and check it
out. The night that I came you preached and the Holy Spirit convicted. To
make a long story short, I received Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. A lot
has changed in my life since then.
Recently, God has been working in my life, and helped me realize that He wants
me to go to Bible College in order to better serve Him. I thank Jesus Christ
for saving me from my sins, and just wanted to thank you too for serving Him,
and telling others like myself about His saving grace. I believe that God is
calling me into the ministry. I'm not sure which area yet, but I do know that
He wants me to serve Him, and that I need to be obedient to His will.
I
want to encourage you to continue in His work of leading others to Him. In
2007, I was lost in my sins, and on my way to hell. Instead, someone like
yourself decided to live for Him and not yourself. I am now Saved by His
Blood! I know He gets all the glory, but thank you for doing what He asked of
you.
Dear Brother Stevens,
I wanted to write to you and share with you what God did in my heart this past
week. But first let me set the stage. I have been saved for eighteen
years. I have never doubted my salvation and I can honestly say that I felt
called to be used of God in the ministry when I was at Bible College. Ever
since my husband graduated from College in '94, I have been serving the Lord
as a Pastor's wife.
Though I have been saved for eighteen years and have been in the ministry for
nine years I have been living a carnal life. Time and time again I would
question if being saved was even worth it. I felt as though I wanted to give
it all up. For years I have not been able to totally commit myself to serving
Christ. On the outside I have looked the part but on the inside I have been
struggling. I really wanted my Christian life to be different but something
was missing.
On
Sunday, you preached on the Spiritual man and the Carnal man. I knew right
away that I could not call myself a Spiritual man. When I compared myself
with others I didn't look so bad, but when I began to look at myself through
the eyes of Christ I was humbled. The Lord began to do a work in my heart
from that moment on.
The
four days that you spoke I listened intently. My heart was searching for what
was keeping me from totally living for the Lord. On Sunday, you also spoke on
being crucified with Christ; how that a crucified man has put to death the
flesh, and how the crucified man does not allow the flesh to control any area
of his life. Galatians 2:20 started to make sense to me.
On
Monday, you spoke from Mark chapter eight verse thirty-four. From Scripture
you showed us that it is a conscious choice that we must make a willful
decision on our part to follow Christ. And I feel that at Bible College I made
that choice to follow Him wherever He would lead me.
However, I have never been willing to take up my cross and deny myself and
follow Christ completely. My flesh has ruled my life for a long time. I
never have doubted that God is good, but I have never been totally consumed
with Christ. I have lived for myself for many years. I have wanted things
done my way. I have had no compassion for people. My heart would not break
for them. As a Pastors wife, I have been giving the people a lot of knowledge
but not showing them much love.
I
want you to know that God used you in a tremendous way in my life. When we
spent time with you or I should say when you spent time with us I felt as
though I was walking with a great man of God. You showed my family and I so
much love and you didn't even know us. For the first time in my life I felt
unconditional love from another believer. You had what I wanted in my life.
It
was finally on Friday morning that I got on my knees and told God that I would
deny myself and take up my cross and follow Him. I would no longer allow my
flesh to rule my life. The statement you made about the man who had been
sentenced to be crucified and you said that his final act was to carry his
cross to his death is what finally spoke to me. I finally could see what
Christ wanted me to do. Through many tears and much prayer I have been
broken. I am no longer content with being just saved. There is so much more
to the Christian life after salvation. I want to have the heart of compassion
for people as Jesus did. I want to love them unconditionally. I want to live
out what I know to believe is true. I want others to see Christ in me without
me even having to speak one word.
I
have truly had revival in my heart and it is all because you were willing to
allow Christ to work through you to show me His love. Your life is a
demonstration of Christ. You are doing just what God calls us to do and that
is to be a reflection of Him. Thank you so much for investing your life into
me and my family. I know that as a family we have gained a dear friend.
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