Nelson Newsletter–February 2015

Alexandyr On Super Bowl Sunday I got a call from Alexandyr who told me about his father’s upcoming surgery. I asked how his wife was doing. He said that they were still living separately and it didn’t seem like she would return. I asked him, “What prevents you from giving your life to Christ right now?” He said, “Nothing.” I led him in a prayer of repentance and faith on the phone. You see, we had numerous conversations on the phone about salvation. I had even driven two hours south to Warner Robins, Georgia to share Jesus with him in person a month before, but he was not ready. But, that Sunday evening God forgave his sins and made him a new person! I met him a few days later and he is reading the Word of God and learning to trust Him. Please pray for Alexandry to grow in Christ, and for his wife  (in the photo) to see her need for Jesus too. Thank you!

Rich’s Testimony This month we feature Dr. Richard Suplita’s personal testimony. We have been friends 15 years, ever since we met at UGA when I was doing campus ministry. Enjoy!

Parenting Seminar Danelle and I travel to Jacksonville, Florida this Saturday, February 21^st, to teach an all-day parenting seminar. We are acutely aware of our inadequacy in ourselves, and covet your prayers for us and all those who come.

Mark I met Mark a year ago. He is an entrepreneur who has been developing a defense contract for several years, sinking all his savings into this project. This week he wrote, “Please pray for me. My business has failed and I lost a huge sum of money. I am feeling very depressed. I have not been a religious man but think I must reconsider. Thanks.” I shared the gospel with him on the phone. Afterwards he wrote, “The hole in my heart is soooo deep it will never heal.” Pray that we can meet face to face so that I can share Christ with him again, and for God to save him!

Prayer Requests

1. Parenting Seminar Feb 21. Pray for effective communication, & the parents to be encouraged.

2. Alexandyr. Pray for him to grow and learn to trust God. Pray for his wife’s salvation.

3. Ukraine. Please continue to pray for safety, justice, and peace for Ukraine.

4. Mark. He would see that only Jesus can fill the hole in his heart and remove his depression.

With profound thanksgiving for your partnership,

Steve and Danelle

A Life Examined

The great philosopher Socrates is credited with saying that “the unexamined life is not worth living”. Like many, I turned to higher education in a quest to examine life. I eagerly began to study psychology and the human brain and earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in those fields. As I embraced this new perspective on the human mind, the religion I had grown up with in West Virginia seemed increasingly outmoded and irrelevant.

In search of fresh answers, I turned to the natural sciences and secular psychology. No longer having to answer to God, I created my own agenda, made up my own rules and lived to pursue my own selfish desires. But rather than bringing fulfillment and understanding, I found life lacking in meaning and ultimate purpose. In short, I had neither hope nor peace.

In His wisdom and providence, God put a few spiritually-mature Christian men in my path to speak truth into my life. I witnessed how they lived their lives, loving God and putting Him first in all of their affairs. These men deeply loved their families and poured their lives into serving others. Having surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ, they were empowered by Him to live with authenticity, compassion, love, commitment and great purpose!

As it happens in all of our lives, I faced some stormy trials. I experienced the heartbreak of divorce, followed by a trail of painful relationships when I turned to romantic love to give me a sense of purpose and significance. In what proved to be the last straw, I was unexpectedly released by my employer from the position I had held for over a decade. Angry and depressed for having been terminated unfairly, I felt the strongest urge ever to turn away from God completely. How could I believe that He was truly looking out for me when everything was so chaotic and uncertain? I would rid myself of the last residue of belief buried beneath layers of pain and frustration.

However, I found myself doing the complete opposite. Driving late at night to ease my mind, something deep inside me simply trusted like never before. It was as if a veil had been removed from my eyes, and I saw clearly that Jesus would take the brokenness of my life, would forgive me for trying to do life my way, would heal me, would walk beside me through present and future trials, and would never abandon me or reject me! Alone in my car, I simply uttered the words “Yes, I believe this. I trust you with my life, Jesus”.

Since then, He has walked by my side daily and is at work in my heart to bring forth new life from the inside out. I have been given a new direction for my career. God is giving me the strength and wisdom to seek Him first in my relationships. More than ever, I am living with a real and eternal sense of purpose and meaning, amid the trials and uncertainties of life.

I discovered that Socrates was onto something in challenging people to examine their lives. Jesus said, “I have come that they (we) might have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). May I encourage you to ask God to help you examine your life and show you how to experience real life in Him. He will! Please contact me if you have any questions.

Rich Suplita      rsuplita@gmail.com 

Evangelism Help – “The Right Question Gets the Right Answer”

And a man was there whose hand was withered. And they questioned Jesus, asking, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" - so that they might accuse Him. Matthew 12:10

Asking the wrong question will always get you the wrong answer. Guaranteed! The Pharisees were not interested in knowing the truth when they questioned Jesus. They wanted to expose His faults and turn people away from Him.

How many times have you heard this question, "Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?" This presumes the goodness of man, when in fact he is by nature selfish and self-centered. The Scriptures teach the opposite: "Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; as it is written, 'There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; all have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one'" (Romans 3:9-12). Of course the devil appeals to our pride and wants us to think we are basically good, so that we will try to do good deeds and work our way into heaven. Impossible!

If it is true "there is none who does good," then it is remarkable that a holy, just God would do anything good for bad people. Instead of asking about "good people" suffering unjustly, we should be asking, "Why does a holy God make good things happen to evil people-like us?"

It was God's love that motivated Him to send His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross in our place, with our sin, for our good! Ask the right questions, and you will find the right answers.

Steve Scott Nelson

Nelson Newsletter–January 2015

Faithwalkers Conference, Dec 27-30, 2014. God did answer your prayers for the 683 people at our conference in Asheville. Our house church was refreshed by God’s love for the world and motivated to continue the work of evangelism and discipleship right here in Atlanta. Steve and Brian Bridgeman enjoyed teaming up to speak on, “The Comparison Trap,” and Steve’s seminar (photo below), “Lifestyle Evangelism,” had an overflow crowd. What a joy to see a room filled with folks eager to be more effective ambassadors for Christ! Listen to any of the teachings using this link: http://www.gccweb.org/conferences/faithwalkers/east/2014_teachings or this one, http://www.gccweb.org/podcasts/episode-2536/lifestyle-evangelism.mp3 for Steve’s seminar.

Parenting Seminar Danelle and I were invited to Jacksonville, Florida to teach a seminar on parenting on February 21^st. Most of the Florida Great Commission churches will attend, so we appreciate your prayers for our preparation, that God would bring everyone He wants to attend, and that they would have teachable hearts.

Family Update Our tribe continues to increase. Presently we have 11 grandchildren and are expecting 3 more this year. Our family is praising God! Maria is due in May, Whitney in June, and Amanda in July. (Amanda’s recent sonogram below) Danelle and I are considering buying a hotel so that we can host our future family gatherings.

Financial Support Thanks to all of you who sent year end gifts for our ministry, as well as to each of you who give monthly to our work. We are asking God to continue to expand our influence in 2015 here in Atlanta, as well as with the churches in the southeast and overseas. As always, you may send gifts to the address below, or give online using the GCM website. Know that your gifts and prayers are vital to this mission and greatly appreciated!

Prayer Requests 1. Parenting Seminar Feb 21. Pray for our preparation, & for God to meet needs of the attendees. 2. Grandchildren. Please pray for healthy babies, safe deliveries, and for all our grandchildren to come to know and love Jesus Christ!

With Christ’s love,

Steve and Danelle

Great Commission Ministries, www.gcmweb.org , 11002 Lake Hart Drive, Suite 100, Orlando, FL 32832 Our personal website: www.gcmnelson.com

Steve’s Testimony in Japanese

素晴らしい期待

ある道を下って行った時、のちにそれが自分の期待していたものとは違っていたことに気づいたことはありますか？

私はかつてサッカーをするために生きていました! それはとてもエキサイティングで、止まることなくプレーが進む、私がとても得意とするスポーツでした! 1970年代、私はジョージア州アトランタで高校時代ともにプレーしたチームメートたちを追い、クレムソン大学 (Clemson University) へと進学しました。私の最も仲良しな友達たちがそのチームにいたのです。私は自分が描いていた夢の中を歩んでいました。しかし、そのとき何かが私の生活の中で欠けていて、私はそれが何なのか認識できませんでした。

私は大きな期待を持ってその年を迎えました。しかしすぐに、来る日も来る日もベンチに座って友達らがプレーする姿をただ見ているという状況に気づき、その期待は間もなく崩れ去り、焼け落ちてしまいました。神様が私の注意を引くためにこの機会を用いておられるとは、知りもしませんでした。その頃の私は自分でも驚くほどに、コーチに向かっては怒り、またチームメートに対しては嫉妬の念に駆られていました。反対に、私がプレーする機会を得たときには、結局それは1年生のときたった一度しか訪れませんでしたが、とても幸せな気分になりました。なぜ、私の感情は自分の置かれた状況のためにこうも激しく揺さぶられていたのでしょうか? それは、私が自分自身の神だったからです! 物事が思い通りにいったとき、自分の欲しいものを手にしたとき、私は幸せでした。物事が思い通りにならないとき、私は怒り、落ち込み、そして他の人を妬みました。この自己中心性を聖書は罪と呼んでいるのです。そして、この罪が私を神から、そして本当のいのちから離れさせていたのです。私はこの自己本位からの自由と、結果として生じる罪の意識が、イエス・キリストを通してのみ来るものだということに気づきました。

ある学生たちが私に、神様が私のことをあまりにも愛してくださったので、イエス・キリストがたくさんある私の罪すべてのために、十字架の上で死んでくださったことを教えてくれました。そして、イエスは自らが神であることを証明するため、奇跡的にも死からよみがえられ、今もなお天におられます。聖書は、「あなたがたは、恵みのゆえに、信仰によって救われたのです。それは、自分自身から出たことではなく、神からの賜物です。行いによるのではありません。だれも誇ることのないためです。」と言っています。私は19歳のときこの無償の賜物を受け取り、私の人生の主権を神様に完全に明け渡しました。

イエス・キリストは、40年以上にわたって私の期待を遥かに超えてこられました! 彼は私に、自分以上に他人を愛する力を与えて下さいました。そして私は、いま自分が死んだとき天国に行くことを知っています。

あなたは、個人的に神様を知りたいと思いますか？そして自らが天国に行くことを知りたいですか？質問などございましたら、ぜひご連絡ください。

Steve S. Nelson

steve.nelson@gcmweb.org

Nelson Ministry 2014

Enjoy this short clip of highlights from our ministry in 2014!

Nelson Newsletter–December 2014

“Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.” Philippians 1:27

House Church Conference On Nov 21-23^rd our house church met with a house church from Gainesville, Florida to “strive together for the sake of the gospel.” God united our hearts as we sang praises to Him, heard challenging messages, such as Timmy Power’s, “Making Christ Supreme.” We were refreshed in our relationship with God as we studied Colossians privately and together. We were reminded that we are all full time ambassadors for Christ on mission for Him daily. We broke down into small groups to discuss how these truths give eternal significance to our employment, families, and daily tasks. We enjoyed getting to know others who are seeking to do God’s will in a similar context of a simple/house church. Thanks for praying! (Andrew spending some quiet time with God)

Thanksgiving in NYC Danelle, Merry, and I spent a delightful Thanksgiving in NYC with our daughter, Julie and her family. We went to the Macy’s Day parade in the snow, enjoyed delicious meals together, gave God thanks, & had fun sightseeing and shopping together.

Ministry Year In Review We put together this short You Tube video to give you an idea of some ministry highlights from 2014. Go to www.youtube.com and type in “Stephen Nelson Ministry.”

Faithwalkers Conference, Dec 27-30, in Asheville, NC. Pray for God bless this conference. Our house church will be attending, and Steve will be teaching a seminar on Lifestyle Evangelism. Thanks!

Prayerfully consider a special year end gift for our ministry to help us begin 2015 with the financial resources to serve churches in the southeast and overseas, as we did last year. We thank each of you for your generous support and faithful prayers! We know this ministry would not be possible without you.

Merry Christmas!

Steve and Danelle

Send financial gifts to: Great Commission Ministries Account #5951 11002 Lake Hart Drive, Suite 100 Orlando, FL 32832-0101

Or give on line: www.gcmweb.org