Croissance et Vision (Growth and Vision)

Key verse: 2nd Timothy 1, 7

„For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.“

At the start of the new year, France UBF held their fellowship conference, with 42 participants including 8 children and a guest from Germany in Le Rocheton near Paris from January 1st until January 3rd. The topic was growth and vision, along with the prayer that the young shepherds and sheep grew as disciples of Jesus and receive God’s vision for their lives. Another prayer topic was that all coworkers could start the new year with a vision and a decision for staying faithful to the early morning prayer.

Dr. Marc C. gave the opening message on Acts 6:4. France UBF turned 25 in 2009. When he struggled with God’s word during the last year, several wounds were healed in the chapter in Paris, and some sheep even returned. By visiting the missionaries in the french-speaking parts of Africa, he learned to pray with tears and encouraged the coworkers to pray on their knees in the morning, even after the morning devotions at the conference. He found a clear direction through Acts 6:4 for 2010, to remain in prayer and in the service of the word.

The first lecture was given by Shp. Bruno A. on Genesis 1:28 and made a clear point that growth and fruitfulness are God’s original goals for our lives. He prays to bear fruit and let the work in Nantes grow. On saturday morning, Angela L. testified according to 1st Peter 1:23, that all flesh is vain and only God’s word remains eternally. Angela came to UBF three years ago. She testified that it was Jesus’ grace that he saved her with John 4:14 and decided to be a faithful disciple, to put her future in his hands and to grow as a shepherd for her university.

Angelo N. gave the lively message on 2nd Timothy 1 after group bible study. He was an outsider in school as well as frightened and angry, but God healed him from his fear and gave him the spirit of power. He studies Japanology at Grand Moulin University and prays to be a blessing for this campus and weed two french sheep in 2010. The coworkers were encouraged by his change and message and decided to wield the spirit of power, love and self-discipline every day for the benefit of God’s mission in their testimonies.

In the evening, Anthony V. preached on Genesis 15. He lived without a sense of orientation and was tormented by senselessness and loneliness. He accepted God as his eternal shield and received God’s vision of the uncountable stars personally through the message. After his message we heard life testimonies from M. Hanna K. who originally came to Paris for her language studies but has accepted God’s calling as a missionary, and from M. Esther H. who, with her coworker being in Korea, faithfully serves the mission in France with her two children. Afterwards, M. Anna C. and M. Rebekka C. testified about God’s leadership in their mission lives with a lot of tears and honoured God who faithfully led France UBF’s discipleship ministry through many hardships. The young coworkers then staged the frenchspeaking conference 2042 through a funny play full of vision, envisioning that 100.000 missionaries will be send have been sent out to the whole world until then.

The second morning devotion was given by Marc Choi Jr. On John 15. He renewed Jesus’ forgiveness and realized that he was branch at the vine of Jesus. Being 20 years old, he experienced the regular hardships of adulthood, but in his heart he is grateful for God’s love and the love of his parents. He also coworks through singalong and in many practical aspects.

I, Shp. Stefan E., gave the next message in Isaiah 40. 2nd Timoty 1, 7 worked within during the preparations: „but a spirit of power, of love.“ I once again accepted that love drives out fear and could pray to give God’s true before God and out of love. I could also pray to give the message in French, even though I had not spoken French since my school days. God encouraged all of us that he would come with power and that he is with his people, so that we can be influential shepherds in the midst of suffering and difficulties.

The closing message on Matthew 28:18.19 was given by Ene L., the coworker of Liivar L. After the birth of her twins she fell into temptation which allowed hatred and rebellion to take her heart. But God led her to repentance through bible study with M. Rebekka and she accepted her prayer topic to be a mother of faith for others, starting with her colleagues at work. Liivar L. himself is very busy with his promotional studies at HEC and with work, but still attended the conference on sunday and heard God’s word.

Praise God for his vision and the growth of the young coworkers and sheep in France. Anthony, Angelo, Angela, Ene, Liivar and Marc Jr. Grow faithfully. One word kept appearing as an orientation: „to remain“ It is their prayer topic to remain faithfully in the word of God to grow into shepherds. To encourage them to faithfully keep the daily bread, M. Marc gave a „faithfulness award“ to M. Timothee and Angelo, who had kept early morning prayer faithfully in 2009. Additionally, the sheep Dominique and Virgil participated, and two other sheep followed on Sunday.

Senior missionaries and coworkers responsibly served to prepare the environment during the conference: Shp. Bruno, Shp. Eric N. and Shp. Thierry C. gave the announcements, M. Timothee Y., M. Isaac K. and M. Gabriel C. as well as the female coworkers served a lot.

I give my personal thanks to God that I could witness his work in France. M. Dr. Marc C. kept emphasizing our prayer topic to double his ministry this year, they also pray for Dr. Peter C. leadership as well as the upcoming ENDC in Israel. I had a vision that France will be changed into a blessing for all fourty french-speaking countries in the world.

Aside from that, I learned two other things: that God’s power enables us to be influential shepherds through Isaiah 40:10 and the importance of early morning prayer through the coworker’s examples. May God bless our prayer and work in every chapter to double his ministry this year.

France Ubf’s prayer topics for 2010:

• key verse Acts 6:4; M. Dr. Marc C. and his bible study
• daily bread and faithful early morning prayer
• Doubling the ministry: eighty SBC-participants, 120 christmas worship service attendants
• Twelve Elisabeths/Maries and twelve disciples of Jesus
• pioneering 85 universities and 100 colleges in France
• to send one missionary in 2010 and one-thousand by 2041

One word: Doubling God’s ministry this year with the spirit of power and love

Want to see more photos? Please visit France UBF.