One Act Of Kindness In those days, while Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king’s officials from those who guarded the door, became angry and sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. But the plot became known to Mordecai and he told Queen Esther, and Esther informed the king in Mordecai’s name. Now when the plot was investigated and found to be so, they were both hanged on a gallows; and it was written in the Book of the Chronicles in the king’s presence. - Esther 2:21-23 Mordecai was in the right place at the right time to save the king’s life. He chose to disregard his fears and the danger of reporting the murderers. If they found out, they likely would have killed him! Mordecai’s act of kindness was recorded but unrewarded. Life went on for the Jews who were captives in Persia. We underestimate the effect of our good deeds on people coming to Christ. We often think that our faithful deeds of kindness go unnoticed or have little effect on people turning to Christ for eternal life. Later in this story we see the sovereignty of God as Mordecai’s deed was rediscovered and, as a result, the plot to annihilate all the Jews was thwarted. Nothing is truly coincidental or unnoticed by God. Recently, a friend of my wife’s family told me how I helped him 40 years ago learn how to clean a paintbrush while simultaneously sharing the gospel with him. He later gave his life to Jesus. I was pleasantly surprised! We rejoiced together. God used one act of kindness to open his heart to the gospel. Don’t underestimate the power your one act of kindness can have on the eternal destiny of others. Here are the last words of Esther, “And many among the peoples of the land became Jews, for the dread of the Jews had fallen on them.” May God bring many to Jesus through our acts of kindness!

Nelson Newsletter - December 2019

“He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” Romans 8:32

Merry Christmas Dear Friends!

Our God is the ultimate Giver! At Christmastime we celebrate the birth of Jesus - God’s greatest gift!  What makes God’s giving so profound and beautiful is that He gave His only Son to deliver us from sin and judgement while we were His enemies! That is grace! It is unmerited, undeserved, and beyond any human capacity to imitate. Thank God, if we come to Christ in sincere repentance and faith, He gives us new life! “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 It is our prayer that you have received God’s gift of Christ. If not, why not now?  Who do you know who needs this gift? Go tell them! Here are some people we worked with this year who want others to have The Gift!

Church In St. Petersburg, Florida

It has been exciting for Danelle and I to see God this lead this group in a new direction. He gave them teachable hearts, patience, and unity. Danelle and I traveled to St. Petersburg numerous times this year to encourage, train, and support these dear believers. We had many phone conversations with Jon and Pam Trunk - praying for God’s wisdom and direction. He heard your prayers and gave grace!

He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, "God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble." James 4:6

New Church In Virginia Beach In August, God gave David a job at Old Dominion. He, Stephanie, and their four children moved in August. He gave them a beautiful home where they have started meeting as a new church. God gave them new Christian friends, Michael and Denise and their children, to follow Jesus together. He has also given them many unbelievers to love. They plan to join us in January for our annual house church conference.

“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord gives grace and glory; no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.” Psalm 84:11

                                        Prayer & Praise

1. Atlanta House Church Ask God to give us comfort and strength to move forward despite the personal difficulties some face. Please continue to pray for the future of the twins Grace & Ward are fostering and hoping to adopt. The court hearing today was positive. We are trusting God and placing our hope in Him.

2. St. Pete Church Pray for these saints to continue giving their hearts to Jesus and allowing Him to give to others (both believers and unbelievers) through them. Ask God to deepen their Biblical convictions about being the church and living that out daily.

3. Virginia Church Plant Pray for them to grow in trusting the Lord Jesus and one another. Pray for the Spirit to lead them to broken people they can give the good news to who will give their lives to Jesus.

4. Faithwalkers Conference (December 27-30) Pray for God to give us grace to teach a seminar, “Making Sense of Prayer.” Ask God to give the college students hearts to learn and obey truth.

5. House Church Conference (January 24-26) Ask God to unite our hearts to give Him praise and to give one another support and encouragement in following Christ. Folks from 4-5 states plan to be there.

6. Our Granddaughter Please pray for our seven-year-old granddaughter, Wilhelmina. We just found out that she has bone cancer in her leg. We don’t know the extent of the cancer at this point. She will begin chemo next week. Pray for her parents, Matt and Amanda, to trust God to give them grace, peace, and strength for this journey. Ask God to heal Wilhelmina and to give her courage and peace. Thank you!

7. Our New Grandson Our daughter, Merry, gave birth to this little guy, Elijah Daniel Evans, on December 5^th. He weighed 8 lbs. 6 oz. and was 20.25 inches long. Praise God for this gift! Merry and Nathan are exhausted but thankful and happy! Elijah will join his 16 cousins around the Nelson table. We are building a longer table!

Thank you for giving to us (with your finances, prayers, and words of encouragement) in 2019!  

Yours in Christ’s unfailing love,     

Steve & Danelle   

Please consider giving a special end of the year gift of any amount, or becoming a monthly partner with us in ministry in 2020. You can use this link, https://reliant.org/steve.nelson?newGift, or visit the Reliant website below. Thank you for being vital partners in this ministry!

                                

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