Welcome to the Nations For Christ Blog where you will find updates about our website and ministry.
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September 2009: Special Announcement
Please click below to read a special announcement concerning the future direction of our ministry.
Click here to read the announcement.
Click here to read a letter from Dr. Dean Hamby of Macedonia World Baptist Missions concerning our resignation from the mission board.
Click Here to see an archive of all of our recent prayer letters.
July 2009 Prayer Update (Late)
I apologize for posting this in August rather than July. This has already been sent out to our supporters via snail mail last month. We mentioned two prayer requests in the letter. One, had to do with our visas. This prayer was answered the same day the letter was mailed!
The other request has to do with a situation with my dad that hindered us from leaving for the U.K. in May. This is still a pressing need. Even though I cannot give a lot of detail at this time, please be in prayer.
Click here to download the Baker Family Prayer Letter for July
Click Here to see an archive of all of our recent prayer letters.
March '09 Prayer Update from the Bakers
Here is our March 2009 Prayer Letter in PDF format. Thank you for your faithful prayers and support!
Click to Download the Baker Family Prayer Letter for March
Click here to visit our website and view our archived prayer letters.
New Book by Stephen Baker
After much work and many revisions our latest Nations for Christ book is finally ready!
Hard Questions: Don't be afraid to ask...Don't be afraid to answer.
Print: $9.95
Download: $1.99
Have you ever had hard questions about the Bible, God and Christianity? Ever wondered why, if God is so powerful, there is so much suffering in the world? Ever asked how it is that Christians believe in one God, but also believe that God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are all three God? Do you think that anyone can prove anything out of the Bible; it just depends on their interpretation? Have you, as a Christian, ever been challenged by hard questions from skeptics and seekers? Here are answers..
Merry Christmas!
We would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. May this season remind us of the birth, death and resurrection of our wonderful Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6, KJV.
May God richly bless you.
Stephen and April Baker
Baker Family Prayer Update: December 2008
Thanksgiving in Northern Ireland
Last month, we were able to spend Thanksgiving in Northern Ireland with some friends. This was a great time of fellowship; I was able to preach seven times; and April taught a group of ladies. We also used this time to do some needed work on our visas. The laws for long-term entry into the United Kingdom have recently changed and become more complex. A missionary friend of mine and I researched the new laws for several days and mailed off information to the U.K. government that will be necessary if we fall under the new laws. It can be rather confusing and we are waiting for some more information to come through. Please pray that the visa process will go smoothly for us.
Soul Saved
God has given us the opportunity to return to the Newtownabbey area near Belfast in Northern Ireland. The Lord has blessed us with a small group of people to work with at Faith Baptist Church, and we are excited about the future. During our recent trip, a little girl in our Sunday School was lead to Christ on Sunday Morning by a lady who got her life right with the Lord while we were there during the first part of the year. God is good!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
We want to wish all of you a very merry Christmas and a blessed 2009. As we continue to travel and go to our final meetings before returning to the field, please pray that our support will come in quickly and that doors will remain opened.
Yours for Christ's Kingdom,
Stephen Baker
Why?
The following was written by missionary Ransom Maggard on his blog:
http://thefieldistheworld.wordpress.com
It is thought provoking.
“Why for fifty-four years of my life did no one tell me about Christ?”
This question was asked by a now fifty-eight year old Moroccan as I sat in a Starbucks in Washington, D.C.. He leaned over the table slightly and his still thickly accented English asked again, “Why for fifty-four years did I sit in darkness?”. I was in Washington tagging along with Aaron and we were meeting this Moroccan to talk to him about some of the work he did now on a Christian Arabic satellite program. As we sat together drinking our coffees (mine), espressos (his), or frappuccinos (Aaron’s) he gave us his testimony. When he came to America in June of 1998 he was living with an American family. He was a Muslim. They were Christians. During the month of Ramadan he would fast and pray five times a day. The Christians he lived with would say ”I respect you so I wont talk to you about religion.” Four years later after the Moroccan was saved, he confronted this man about his ”respect” and told him “You are not a good Christian. You never told me.” As I sat there listening to this man it became real to me something that I would say as I would travel and talk to people about missions; the reason they dont know is because we wont go. The reason this man had been in the U.S. for four years before he became a Christian was because for four years no one spoke to him about Christ-in a “Christian” nation! How much greater is the need in countries where there isnt really any Christian presence? I wonder how many Moroccans, how many Albanians, how many Sri Lankans, how many Americans could stand and point a finger at me and say “You are not a good Christian. You never told me.” Why did this Moroccan sit for fifty-four years in darkness? Because we didnt bring the gospel to him. In II Corinthians chapter four Paul is exhorting the church in verse one “Therefore seeing we have this ministry, (3.6-ministers of the new testament…that the spirit giveth life) as we have recieved mercy, we faint not;” Paul is saying “Keep at it!” He says why in verse three “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:” He says “If we dont share the gospel, if we hide it away, the lost are the ones that suffer!”. As your read this today I hope you will ask yourself this question, the question I asked myself as I heard the Moroccan’s question in Starbucks: What will you do TODAY to bring the Gospel to someone who otherwise would never have it? Will they continue in darkness because of our inactivity? Or will we bring them the Gospel? Will our light be hid to them that are lost?
Gas Prices
This was posted on our friend John Anderson's blog at OperationUk.com. I thought that with the current situation with gas prices it was a really good thought.
Praise the Lord Anyway!
I was filling up our car with fuel the two days ago when I began to have a panic attack, like many of you have had recently, when I saw how the cost of fuel continues to rise. I at first began to complain, then I remembered that fuel costs $10 a gallon in the United Kingdom, most countries do not have a choice of regular, plus, or premium. The countries that do have lower prices are mostly under great oppression by a wicked tyrant that is consumed by his own desires. Then the ultimate conviction came, at least I have a car to put fuel in!!!! As I reflected, I began to realize that God has truly been good to each of us to allow us to live in our country. This does present a great challenge to many missionaries who are driving across the country raising their support. Please pray for these dear families as they follow God's will. We know that God will provide, but please pray that their faith will be increased during this test. As our cost of fuel rises and as we see the world panic, the Lord gave me this verse yesterday, "They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay." - Psalm 18:18 Although the prices may rise, God is our STAY! Praise the LORD anyway!
Update on Aaron
In my last blog, I forwarded a request for prayer for a man named Aaron who works as a missionary to Muslims. He had been coughing up blood and had to return to the United States for medical treatment. The doctors have discovered a tumor in his lung causing the bleeding; but, praise the Lord, it is not cancerous! Aaron will have to have surgery to remove it, and will have to remain in the United States for about three months. Please continue to pray for him.
-Stephen
Urgent Prayer Request
This is a copy of an email that arrived from Trent Cornwell earlier today. Please read it.
We ask that you be in prayer for Aaron with Project North Africa. Aaron, his wife, and his two small children have been living in the country of Morocco for over a year and God has blessed them greatly with the forming of the first independent Baptist church in their city.
Aaron is a missionary with Macedonia World Baptist Missions sent out of Grace Baptist Church in Middletown, OH. He was very instrumental in forming the Baptist Camp for World Evangelism which is held the first week of June every year to help motivate college students in the area of world missions.
Aaron had to be flown in to the states yesterday on the account that he has been coughing up blood. After many tests they have autopsied a growth in his right lung. The doctors say there is a 50% chance it is cancer. However, we know that there is 100% chance that God is in control. The results of this test should come in this Sunday.
Would you please pray..
1. That God would be glorified.
2. That the family would be comforted by the grace of God.
3. That Aaron will be restored to good health.
Would you please have your church pray for this great man of God and his family. We are asking people to mobilize others to pray during the next 48 hours as we await the results.
If you would encourage others to pray through your website, blog, or church newsletter we ask you follow a couple of simple guidelines we use for the safety of our missionaries in closed countries.
We work hard to keep Aaron's full name off of the internet. We do use his full name in email to our lists, in our bulletin, and to any form of media that we countrol the access to.
If you have any questions please contact us at our office. 770.456.5881 Thank you in advance for your prayers for this wonderful family. To learn more about the ministry they serve in you can go to www.projectna.com
Praise the Lord for 10 souls saved!
This week Bro. Tony Howeth was in Northern Ireland preaching for us. For several months, the church has been working with the teenagers in our neighborhood. Every week, the Gospel is faithfully preached, but on Friday night, decision time came for nine teenagers. After the message, there was deep conviction of the Holy Spirit, and the teens who usually can't wait to leave stayed and listened to several of the workers as they shared the good news of Jesus Christ. By the end of the evening, nine had trusted Christ as Saviour!
In addition to these nine, on Wednesday evening, a man who has been attending the church for two weeks with his wife and baby girl came to the house after the service. I talked to him for about half an hour and he decided to trust Christ as his Saviour. He had been under conviction for two weeks. Please pray for David as he grows in the Lord!
We praise God for all that He is doing at Faith Baptist Church. Pastor Martin Wickens and the members of Faith have prayed and worked very hard for this, and we pray that it continues.
-Stephen
Happy Easter!
Dear Friends,
From all of us here at the Nations For Christ, we would like to wish you and your family a very blessed Easter. As we celebrate the Lord's resurrection from the dead in Northern Ireland, we hope that you will have a special time with your family and friends. He is risen!
Jesus Christ is the Plague of Death!
"I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes." (Hosea 13:14)
The Ancient of Days
We have added the latest sermon in our Prophecies of Daniel series, being preached in Northern Ireland at Faith Baptist Church. This sermon talks about what's really important in life. You can listen to "The Ancient of Days" by clicking here.
Have a blessed day!
-Stephen
Happy Saint Patrick's Day!
FACTS ABOUT PATRICK:
1. Patrick was not Irish. He was born in Briton and taken to Ireland as a slave. He later escaped, returned to Briton and went back to Ireland as a missionary.
2. Patrick was not a Roman Catholic. He was part of the ancient British church.
3. Patrick preached the Gospel to and baptized thousands.
4. Patrick and his followers started hundreds of churches.
5. After Patrick, pagan Ireland became known as the "Isle of Saints."
6. As a result of Patrick's work, Ireland became a great Christian nation and sent out missionaries to evangelize Europe.
7. For 700 years after Patrick, the Irish church was free from Roman or British control.
PATRICK ON WORLD MISSIONS:
"Therefore, indeed, I cannot keep silent, nor would it be proper, so many favours and graces has the Lord deigned to bestow on me in the land of my captivity. For after chastisement from God, and recognizing him, our way to repay him is to exalt him and confess his wonders before every nation under heaven."
PATRICK ON JESUS CHRIST:
"For there is no other God, nor ever was before, nor shall be hereafter, but God the Father, unbegotten and without beginning, in whom all things began, whose are all things, as we have been taught; and his son Jesus Christ, who manifestly always existed with the Father, before the beginning of time in the spirit with the Father, indescribably begotten before all things, and all things visible and invisible were made by him. He was made man, conquered death and was received into Heaven, to the Father who gave him all power over every name in Heaven and on Earth and in Hell, so that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and God, in whom we believe."
PATRICK ON GOD'S MERCY:
"I am, then, first of all, countryfied, an exile, evidently unlearned, one who is not able to see into the future, but I know for certain, that before I was humbled I was like a stone lying in deep mire, and he that is mighty came and in his mercy raised me up and, indeed, lifted me high up and placed me on top of the wall. And from there I ought to shout out in gratitude to the Lord for his great favours in this world and for ever, that the mind of man cannot measure."
ONE MAN CAN CHANGE HIS COUNTRY. ONE MAN CAN TOUCH THE WORLD.
“And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.” Ezekiel 22:30
Daniel vs. the Lions
We have uploaded a new sermon in our "Prophecies of Daniel" series being preached at Faith Baptist Church in Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland. It is called, "Daniel vs. the Lions."
You can listen to it from the link here.
-Stephen
New Sermons in Prophecies of Daniel Series
We have uploaded several new sermons in our series on Daniel being preached at Faith Baptist Church in Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland. You can click on the links below to find them.
Daniel 4: Vision of the High Tree
Daniel 5: The Writing on the Wall
Hope you have a great week!
-Stephen
A Prayer Request
Mark Stewart, who is the European director for my mission board, Macedonia World Baptist Missions, has requested a special day of prayer for his wife, Sandra. Sandra, has been suffering with Cancer and has undergone several treatments of chemotherapy. Mark says that her Cancer has not gone away after treatment and that they have one more treatment left. Here is an excerpt from his letter:
FAMILY- Our girls are doing real well in the Christian school that they attend. Both of them are on the A honor roll and it just amazes me at how smart these little one’s can be. They have been an inspiration to me and my wife during these difficult days of fighting this cancer. We want to try to bring everyone up to speed on the condition of my wife. Sandra has one more treatment to go of chemo. After that we are really not sure if the doctors are going to be able to do anything else. Her cancer is still not gone but it hasn’t been growing. The everyday worry is sometimes more than we can bear. We really need a miracle from the Lord!
PRAYER DAY FOR MY WIFE- I am very well aware that many people have prayed for my wife and gotten under a burden for her. You don’t know how much I appreciate that. I am asking that all of you on one specific day will pray for my wife in the church. We are asking that all of you make March 2nd a day of prayer for my wife Sandra and that the rest of the week be spent as a prayer week for the healing of my dear wife. I need her in my life as well as my two precious daughters need their momma. Please, please join us in this special “Day of prayer” for my precious wife.
Please pray for this man of God and his wife. Thank you and may God bless you.
-Stephen
Don't Visit Our Site!
We have just launched a new website called, www.DontVisitOurSite.com
It is a bit different, but its purpose is to be an evangelistic and answers site for teens through young adults.
Check it out @ http://www.dontvisitoursite.com/
-Stephen
A Stranger in a Strange Land
We have just published the first message in our series, "Prophecies of Daniel" on the subject of "A Stranger in a Strange Land." This message was preached on Sunday night at Faith Baptist Church in Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland.
You can listen to it or download it by clicking here.
Hope you have a great day!
Stephen
Congratulations to Pastor Wayne Cofield!
This Sunday will be Pastor Wayne Cofield (my pastor) and Whitfield Baptist Church's 30th anniversary. Thirty years is a great testimony to any pastor, and Pastor Cofield has had a great impact, not just on his local community, but around the world as many missionaries have gone out of his church to start other churches.
We want to congratulate Pastor Cofield for this great achievement and wish him and Whitfield Baptist Church the best on their 30th!