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Reverend Dr David Smethurst is in his 70s and for many years has developed several international missional identities all of which are faith financed based.
One of these is associated with Eastern Europe’s Baltic States where he has several major orphanages which the various States recognize and support by having such children sent to these faith based aid-houses.
Another are his well established trusted links with the military in those States where he is invited to evangelise and preach and run seminars and engender workshops ….
Another is as an international evangelist and preacher - England, Africa, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Zimbawe, South Africa, USA …. plus plus plus
In one of our many conversations over the years, succession plans have come up, and David Smethurst has affirmed that the Lord has raised him up in these specific areas of ministry.
In other words what happens when he is called home to Glory is out of his orbit, the Lord will undoubtedly raise-up someone else and inevitably, things will be done differently, new sources of resources will be found - it is in the Lord’s hands.
Reverend Simon Manchester
In 2002 at an ‘Around the Tables’ missions gathering in Sydney, the North Sydney St Thomas Anglican Senior Minister Reverend Simon Manchester spoke and his focus was on the Lord’s trust in you at this time to fulfill His purposes.
At another time and place, possibly long after each of us have gone, the Lord will continue to raise up others – not to follow in your footsteps like a pet on a lead, rather something new and fresh and challenging and exciting in that time and era.
The Lord has no grand-children in ministry / ministries. The Lord has given ‘you’ as an individual missional causes and objectives and outreaches - this is unique to you, your personality, your character, it cannot be passed on. Our calling in ministry is to focus on today.
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Fear of the future
Reading Harry Richardson’s article in the Pickering Post titled “Islam will only be defeated … by Islam” - makes some foucs points in a similar vein to the above.
Islam he points out grows through violent conquest as we saw with ISIS. He says there may be long periods where Islam is relatively peaceful and occurs when Islam is not powerful. That is the Islam we have since the end of WWII until very recent times. He points out Muslims have converted to other religions or abandoned it.
Richardson states that Islam is indefensible in rationale debate. When debate occurs Muslims over and over again are shattered. They are raised to believe they must never question. When Islam is shown to be little more than a self serving bandit creed, those with an education lose Islam incredibly quickly.
We have already seen this where Muslims become free to pursue life, love and happiness in this life rather than the next. What stands in the way, Richardson says are our own leaders who pretend cultural relativism (are cultures are equal). Our leaders insist on flooding the West with such to “enrich” and “strengthen” diversity.
Islam, he says is a supremacist ideology, oppressing women and non-believers. It’s hallmarks are slavery, violence, theft, murder and cultural destruction … extremist Islam will only expose the hypocrisy of its own dogma. Both Islam and moral relativism need throwing in the dustbin and relearn the importance of western culture and values.
This illustrates freedom, economic prosperity and the subjugation of our leaders to the “we the people” – until then, young Muslim men and their victims will die by acts of violence. Young Christian girls and non-Muslin girls will continue to be trafficked as sex slaves. The West will continue to experience Jihadist campaigns of mass murder. Until such thinkers in the West rise up and force from power these relativists, Richardson noted.
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All three
What do all these three (above) reflect.
First, The Lord trusts each one of us, especially in Christian leadership roles to joyfully accept His Grace and leave the future to the One who knows best.
Second, each us has a uniqueness that no one else can copy or should copy. Rejoice in the Lord’s blessing in ministry and leave it to the Lord.
Third, Richardson points out Christianity has been around for a long time. Nazism lasted for a few years but its moral vacuum saw it destroyed. Russia’s communism similarly, it died from within. So too he believes will Islam. ISIS is an example of this, there comes a time when …..
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Dr Mark Tronson is a Baptist minister (retired) who served as the Australian cricket team chaplain for 17 years (2000 ret) and established Life After Cricket in 2001. He was recognised by the Olympic Ministry Medal in 2009 presented by Carl Lewis Olympian of the Century. He mentors young writers and has written 24 books, and enjoys writing. He is married to Delma, with four adult children and grand-children. Dr Tronson writes a daily article for Christian Today Australia (since 2008) and in November 2016 established Christian Today New Zealand.
Mark Tronson's archive of articles can be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/mark-tronson.html
Dr Mark Tronson - a 4 min video
Chairman – Well-Being Australia
Baptist Minister 45 years
- 1984 - Australian cricket team chaplain 17 years (Ret)
- 2001 - Life After Cricket (18 years Ret)
- 2009 - Olympic Ministry Medal – presented by Carl Lewis
- 2019 - The Gutenberg - (ARPA Christian Media premier award)
Gutenberg video - 2min 14sec
Married to Delma for 45 years with 4 children and 6 grand children