January, 1998

Dear Child of God,

Greetings to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. May our wonderful Heavenly Father abundantly bless your life this day. This is your pal "JAL" writing to you on behalf of the Graesers and the Schoenheits, who join me in sending you much love. They have perused the contents of what you are about to read concerning my recent trip to the Philippines November 20 to December 6. Curiously, they have affixed to it their seal of coherence.

This was my seventh consecutive year to visit the Philippines, but this time neither John nor Mark felt that it was best for them to accompany me. For a while we were in a quandary as to who would go with me, but God is faithful, and He worked in the heart of Jon Zoffka from Scottsdale, AZ to request to come along. Jon paid his own way, as well as taking time away from his job. He worked very diligently to prepare himself, and he did a fabulous job of not only "imparting the Gospel, but of giving his own life also." Jon has become very proficient in prophesying for people and in ministering healing to them, and together we touched many people's hearts in both those ways also. People were strengthened in their faith and in their bodies. I think I can safely say that this trip changed Jon's life, but I will now let him speak for himself.

As a first-time visitor to the Philippines, I found that the words "culture shock" are very inadequate to convey the difference between Scottsdale and Manila. For one thing, I now know what "traffic" really is, and I think I can even grasp the concept of "gridlock." The Filipino people are a remarkable breed, extremely patient and kind. In light of the traffic, this could be an evolutionary thing as the only alternative to extinction via crimes of road rage. God has put a gentle heart in them, and adorned them with luxurious black hair and flashing eyes. The thing that blessed me the most was meeting so many people with hearts ready to receive the truth even when it meant laying down the traditions they  

 Thank you, Jon, for being a blessing. Of course, Jon's biggest challenge may have been putting up with me and my miscellaneous musings. Let me share a few of them with you so you can empathize with him:

• For what life-form are economy airline seats designed?
• Is nicotine really powerful enough to drive someone to destroy an airplane lavatory smoke detector?
• Only the gathering together of the Church will solve the traffic problem in Manila.

When you leave the United States on a Thursday morning as we did, you arrive in Manila about 10 p.m. their time Friday. We stayed in Manila two days. On Saturday we taught one small group of church leaders, and on Sunday we split up and taught at two different churches. Space is at a premium, and each of the places we went was quite small, tucked away in the bowels of the city and jammed with Christians very enthusiastic about praising their God. We planted the good seed of the Word, and we rejoiced with them in the Lord.

On Monday morning we flew to the city of Davao, which is on the island of Mindanao, about as far south in the Philippines as you can go. There we taught the first of two seminars (the second one being in Cebu City) that spanned a five-day period, with the three middle days consisting of teaching from 8:30 a.m.-noon; 2-6 p.m.; 7:30-10 p.m. These two seminars totaled about 175 church leaders and workers, more than half of whom had not been to one of our seminars before. After the second seminar, we stayed in Cebu and participated in a two-day meeting for about 50 key leaders, including the eight elders and about 35 area coordinators whom they themselves have dubbed "Team Philippines." At each of these gatherings we paid for the meeting venue as well as food and lodging for the participants, and also either one or both ways of their travel to attend the seminar. Including my plane ticket and all other preliminary and associated expenses, we spent about $21,000 on this trip. If you were one of those who so graciously contributed to CES  to pay for it, thank you  very, very much .

There was definitely a big difference this year in the receptivity of those attending the seminar, especially considering that for most of them many of their traditional beliefs were contradicted by the truth of Scripture. I attribute this increased receptivity to the faithfulness and diligence of those who have believed the Word we have taught them in the past six years to herald it with boldness. The Word of God has definitely taken root and is bearing much fruit in the Philippines, and the spiritual temperature there is rising. Things are now at the place where there are at least a dozen faithful men and women there who are very capable of teaching to others what we have taught them. I told them that the ministry in the Philippines is their ministry and that we want to soon be involved in it only as advisors, at least as long as we are "paying the bills." Their goal is to be self-supporting as well as self-governing, which they pretty much are already. I opened the two-day leaders meeting and taught a couple of other times also, but, other than that, the elders ran the meeting themselves. How thankful we are for the wonderful nucleus of committed, capable leaders that is now established in the Philippines.

Let me share with you a few highlights of the trip before I bare my heart to you in regard to my overall impressions. Nearly all the elders shared at one point or another during the two seminars, and each of them was absolutely terrific. Several shared how they, like some of the current participants, were at first very prejudiced against what we taught, especially that the "Trinity" is nowhere in Scripture. They shared how their own study of the Scriptures had convinced them of the truth. Others shared how some of their closest friends turned away from them at first, but how some have since begun to listen and be convinced by the Word. It was thrilling to see 2 Timothy 2:2 come alive before our eyes. We have taught "faithful men who are able to teach others also."

Some of the participants shared at the end of each seminar, and here are a couple great comments:

• "All the other seminars I've been to were boring, but this one was brain-stormy. "
• "At the beginning of the seminar I was very upset. I called my wife each night and each night she pleaded with me, 'Don't go back,' but the truth pulled me back day by day. Now I understand."

Other highlights:

• One older gentleman told us that it had been 24 years since he "received the baptism of the Holy Spirit" and spoke in tongues, and that he had never spoken in tongues since then. After we taught the truth about the Giver and the gift, we ministered personally to him and he simply spoke forth a tongue of men or angels. He could hardly believe it was that simple.
• When we were ministering healing to one man who had told us nothing at all about anything wrong with him, we only came up with two things: Jon spoke to structural damage in his left knee and I spoke to gingivitis. Both of us felt kind of "out on a limb," but, when we were finished, the man, who was grinning from ear to ear, told us that he had not been able to sleep at night because of the pain in his left knee, and also that his gums had been bleeding lately. Is God cool or what?

Our 7 years of laboring in ministry with our Filipino brethren have been an indescribable joy. To be part with the process of "Christ being formed in them" and to see the results of them being "built up in their most holy faith" is most rewarding. Certainly it is an awesome and humbling experience to stand together with brothers and sisters who have such a respect for and hunger for the Gospel. Our desire in the Philippines, as well as in any of the other countries where we minister, is to bring them the whole gospel of Christ. We are continually seeking the heart of Christ and His insight into the Word, as well as how to best impart it to others.

After being in the Philippines this year, there are some things on my heart that I really want to share with you. For many of the believers there who have chosen to stand for the truth of the Word we have taught them, it has cost them something, in some cases their denominational positions (salary and house included). Adequate-paying jobs are not that easy to come by in the Philippines, and many of those who have stood for the truth against religious tyranny are suffering great economic hardship. The absolute cruelty they describe on the part of their Christian brothers was appalling to me, and I think one reason this touched me so deeply is because I personally know many believers here in America who, in my opinion, have swung way too far toward "Christian unity" at the expense of truth. Unity is certainly a noble goal, and something that God desires believers to attain, but it is not genuine unity  when one is required to compromise the truth he knows in order to remain part of a group.

I say we should speak the truth in love, like Jesus did, for then, and sometimes only then, can we see the "true colors" of the Christian brethren around us, in particular those considered to be Christian leaders. For example, a precious little 64-year-old Filipino sister named Esperanza Viloria first attended one of our seminars in 1994 in Manila, the last day of which was very deceitfully cancelled because of the truth we taught about who Jesus Christ is, and is not.

During the seminar, Esperanza peppered us with questions, which we patiently answered from Scripture. As far as we know, of the 70 people there, only she and one other man believed the Word we taught. Some time later, thrilled with the knowledge that Jesus is a real human being touched with the feeling of our infirmities, and bubbling with enthusiasm about her new-found love affair with her Lord, Esperanza gingerly shared this with her best believer friend. What happened? The woman panicked and ran to their minister, who told Esperanza that she must keep silent about this or leave the church. Because she has earned the respect of many Filipino Christians during her 40 years of service, Esperanza is now "free-lancing" among several other groups.

Let me say that if I ever attain anything close to the love Esperanza has for God, the Lord Jesus Christ and people, I'll be "satisfied." To see someone with her heart treated so badly by a fellow Christian blinded by religious tradition inspires me to even more boldly stand for the truth that would set him free.

The Word of God asks, "What fellowship has light with darkness?" and I believe we each need to ask, and answer, that question for ourselves. Truth and error simply do not mix. Jesus was very specific about the "leaven of the Pharisees," which He identified as their wrong doctrine. Scripture figuratively equates believing the Word to "eating" and "drinking" it. When it comes to poison , you don't often hear people say, "Oh, eating or drinking a little poison won't hurt me." Jesus said that only by continuing in the Word would we become His true followers, and only by knowing the truth would we be set free. Why should we allow any leaven in the precious Word of God with which we have been entrusted, that Word about which Jesus was "a fanatic," and for which He gave His life?

Paul was also all-out for the Word. Look at some of his final words to Timothy, and to us .

1. The spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.
2. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.

1. In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge;
2. Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage-with great patience and careful instruction.
3. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
4. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
5. But you, keep your heart in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

We now stand at the beginning of a new year of our lives, and one more year in the history of mankind. When I look back at the last ten years of my life, and before that my nearly 20 years in The Way International , I cannot tell you how thankful I am for the awesome truth that my heavenly Father has committed to my trust, and to yours. Therefore I must speak, not as pleasing men, but as pleasing God and His Son, before whom I, like you, will stand one day. The Word of God is like a fire shut up in my bones, and woe is me if I preach not the Gospel, especially in light of the crying need for "the truth" in the Body of Christ. Yes, there are millions of precious saints doing a lot for the Lord, and I love them dearly. In fact, that is one big reason why we in CES  do what we do, because so many pure-hearted Christians are hampered by the errors they believe about biblical issues vital to their lives, and we believe we can help them be more effective.

In this vein, I think about my own life in the past ten years, and how I have often been faced with "new" (to me) truth that contradicted what I previously believed. What has always convinced me was honestly letting the logic of the Word speak for itself, and doing my best to practice it and evaluate the results. I have also had to come to grips with some areas of my life where I knew much more than I practiced in regard to my relationships with other people. My ongoing struggle is not without heartaches and tears, but I am determined to hang on to the Word of God and the hand of my Lord Jesus. I thank my Father that there are people like you I can stand with, and lean on when necessary.

Christianity is a belief system, one that is rational, logical and sensible. Its truth is communicated in the only way possible, by words  that are rational, logical and sensible. We realize that with what we believe and teach, we are in a minority in three ways: First, as Christians, second, within Christianity as a whole, and third, within "Bible-believing" Christianity. But we are anchored to Scripture, and we will not budge without what we believe to be a Scriptural mandate. In the Philippines, we strongly emphasized to those we taught that they should never give up their biblical convictions unless they are convinced otherwise by Scripture. Is it not our job as Christians to convince people of what Scripture says so that they can  change their convictions to line up with Scripture?

In the Philippines, I really saw once again that the harvest truly is plenteous, and the laborers are few. What about you ? Are you laboring in the field of souls (that is, people )? The Lord Jesus Christ is opening more and more doors of utterance for us, and there will be more opportunities for people to go to more places, people who can accurately and effectively teach the Word of God. Is the Lord working in your heart to minister with us? Are you adept at teaching, healing, prophesying or some other area of service? Why not master a particular topic of Scripture and begin teaching it in your own area? God will be faithful to give the increase in your own life and in others to whom you minister. My prayer is that He will kindle (or rekindle) your desire to know and teach the truth until it is a blazing inferno that you cannot keep within you.

I pray you will consider contacting me and asking me for the name of a Philippine leader with whom you would like to faithfully correspond and also help a little bit financially. Many, many of these brethren have become my personal friends, and I am very passionate about soliciting support for them. Even a little bit from you will be a lot for them. I guarantee you that you will be investing in someone who will work hard for the Lord. Please let me know if you would like a Filipino pen pal.

In closing, Mark Graeser and I beseech you to pray diligently for us December 29-January 23 when we go to Tanzania and Kenya. As I write this letter, we have the finances we need for the trip, but there are some logistics that are still up in the air. We know it is the will of God for us to go, and even though we may be to some degree "playing it by ear" when we get there, we believe we will get our foot in the door and find a nucleus of committed saints who will do just what the nucleus we have found in the Philippines has done. Our goal is to lay the foundation for a major move of God's Word across Africa. We want to light up "the Dark Continent." We hope to go back to Africa in September/October for a major assault.

Again, let me say that we all love you very much and that we are committed to serving you to the best of our ability. Thank you for your love, your prayers and your support. We hope to see you next month in California at our Winter Weekend Fellowship.

Still at large,

John A. Lynn

A number of people have already responded to our request for a CES  intercessor team. We have selected a team captain, Gwyn Bowen, to coordinate this effort, and we know it has great potential beyond what we currently see. If you would like to join this team, please let us know as soon as possible and we will get back to you with the pertinent information.

February 1, 1998 is the deadline for the $350 deposit that will guarantee you a spot on the June 27-July 10 Bible Lands Tour, hosted by John and Jenivee Schoenheit. For many people, this tour is a "once-in-a-lifetime" experience. We encourage you to seek the Lord to see if His will that this summer is the right time to go. If so, act soon. We believe this trip will be a great spiritual adventure for all who participate.

Mark your calendars now for the third annual singles weekend May 28-31, 1998. The weekend will be held in Western North Carolina and will be a relaxing time of fellowship, fun and the Word. Call Jenivee Schoenheit at (704) 541-4124 for more information.

Our bi-monthly publication, Dialogue , is now beginning its 11^th year. The 60 issues we've published so far have been filled with many  articles, testimonies, biblical word studies and much more. Via this medium, God's people have reached out and touched many others. Have you ever been a Dialogue  subscriber? If so, be sure to renew for 1998. If not, why not make this the year to give Dialogue  a try and see how it blesses you. The subscription price has never gone up-it's still only $12 for the year. Come on, take a chance.

Actually what we have in mind is one  sign. We would like to get a 4x8 sign of the chart on the administrations in Scripture that accompanied the 1997 bi-monthly tape titled The Purpose Of The Ages . We would like this to be on some kind of material that would roll up and be easily transported. We know that you as a Christian are in the business of signs, miracles and wonders, and if you are also in this kind of sign business and would like to help, please let us know.

This teaching takes the position that one's attitude toward authority is a vitally important factor in his spiritual growth and relationship with God. Believers are hurt and limited by both rebelliousness on one hand and subservience on the other. The teaching provides a biblically balanced view of authority between the extremes of authoritarianism and anarchy, promoting an attitude of responsible

submission to godly authority. Domains of this authority are identified, and the concept of authority is related to its companion concepts of responsibility and need.

Were you a subscriber to the 1997 bi-monthly tapes? If so, have you renewed your subscription yet? If not, why not get a subscription for this year? The January/February tape is titled Take My Word For It,  and deals with the very important subject of faith-the catalyst in anyone receiving something from God. And-the March/April teaching will be A  Matter Of Life And Death . We will handle the issue of death and its aftermath, and we feel this will be one of the most significant tapes we've done, especially in light of the incredible amount of error being taught about the subject. The cost for the year is still $25.

Originally recorded at last October's CES  Fall Fellowship in Charlotte, NC, this seminar deals with what is perhaps the most practically relevant issue in the Word of God: How does a Christian utilize the gift of holy spirit, that is, the divine nature of God and Christ with which he is endowed? How does one use the supernatural tools incorporated in this gift of life?

I Corinthians 12:1 begins by saying that God does not want us to be ignorant about spiritual matters, in particular those that are set forth in the three chapters that follow. Obviously, the Devil wants Christians to be ignorant about those things that God wants them not  to be ignorant about. Therefore, Satan has introduced many errors in regard to the gift of holy spirit and the practice of the nine manifestations of that gift. The confusion about these things currently running rampant throughout Christendom is taking its toll. Many believers' lives are suffering great trauma, and many unbelievers are ridiculing Christianity because of the chaos they can so clearly see in regard to this issue.

You may wonder how a 60-90 minute teaching on each manifestation could communicate that much pertinent information to you. One saint who attended the weekend said he had been through five of The Way International's  "Advanced Classes" and still had very little understanding about the manifestations. He said he learned more at the CES  weekend than he had in all his past teaching. "Simple." "Precise." "Powerful." These are some of the terms we have heard used to describe the teachings in this package. If you think you have heard everything you could on this subject, we encourage you to think again and order these tapes. The teachings are free of any spiritual bravado, and they are not based on emotion or experience. We certainly hope you will decide to hear them for yourself, because we believe that the Lord will teach you a great deal about these vital issues. In some ways, our book, The Gift Of Holy Spirit, Every Christian's Divine Deposit  is a "textbook" for this seminar and, therefore, we are including it in with this package. If you already have it, we hope you will give it away to someone who has not read it. This seminar comes with a detailed syllabus, the cost is $35. The teachings are as follows: