Blog | The Nations For Christ | Stephen Baker

Why?

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 10:18:26 -0400

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

Sat, 31 May 2008 21:50:00 -0400

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

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:23:34 -0400

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

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 21:39:54 -0400

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!

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 13:44:00 -0400

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!

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 16:16:18 -0400

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

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 05:50:40 -0400

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!

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 09:41:31 -0400

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

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 20:01:53 -0400

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

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 13:26:41 -0500

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

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 10:03:19 -0500

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!

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 11:02:51 -0500

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

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:22:20 -0500

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!

Sat, 02 Feb 2008 18:52:23 -0500

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!

New Website!

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 19:33:18 -0500

We have launched a new website to promote our upcoming Sunday night sermon series here at Faith Baptist Church in Northern Ireland. It is called PropheciesofDaniel.com. Check it out. By the way, if you received an email yesterday with part of a sentence, sorry. It was a work in progress that I didn't mean to publish. Take care. -Stephen

Ronald Reagan Christmas address (12/23/81)

Mon, 24 Dec 2007 23:12:38 -0500

Thought you all might enjoy this. Merry Christmas!

Baker Family November - December Newsletter

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 12:10:21 -0500

Dear Friends,

New Support, Souls Saved

For the last several months we have been able to participate in several missions conferences and share the ministry in churches in Georgia and Tennessee. We have gained new support and met new friends. I have also been able to preach in jail and prison and we praise the Lord for over 14 salvation decisions.

New Book Available

Our new book, Hope: God’s Shelter in the Storms of Life is now available. You can see a free preview of it online at: TheNationsForChrist.com.

Upcoming Trip

On December 31st we will be flying out of the country to go to Northern Ireland for four months. During this time, we will be overseeing Faith Baptist Church in Newtownabbey while pastor Martin Wickens is in the United States raising additional support. We believe that God has opened the door for us to be able to have this time of training and internship in preparation for our own church planting ministry on the Island.

Thanksgiving

April and I were able to spend this Thanksgiving with our relatives in Tennessee and Florida. We had a good time of traveling and visiting. We hope that you all had a great Thanksgiving holiday as well!

May God bless you all. Thank you so much for your continued prayers and support.

Yours for Christ’s Kingdom,

Stephen Baker

Psalm 126:5,6

New Games Added to Fun Page

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 23:05:41 -0400

We can't be serious all the time. We've added several new games to our fun page! We also have a new version of Tetris. Check them out here.

-Stephen

NFC Country of the Week: Burma (Myanmar)

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 23:41:08 -0400

This week we are praying for the people of:

Burma

Location:

Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Bangladesh and Thailand

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Texas

Population:

47,373,958

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 62.49 years

male: 60.29 years

female: 64.83 years (2007 est.)

Religions:

Buddhist 89%, Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic 1%), Muslim 4%, animist 1%, other 2%

Languages:

Burmese, minority ethnic groups have their own languages

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 89.9%

male: 93.9%

female: 86.4% (2000 est.)

Government type:

military junta

Internet users:

31,500 (2005)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 1, shortwave NA (2004)

Slavery:

Burma is a source country for men, women, and children trafficked to East and Southeast Asia for sexual exploitation, domestic service, and forced commercial labor; a significant number of victims are economic migrants who wind up in forced or bonded labor and forced prostitution; to a lesser extent, Burma is a country of transit and destination for women trafficked from China for sexual exploitation; internal trafficking of persons occurs primarily for labor in industrial zones and agricultural estates; internal trafficking of women and girls for sexual exploitation occurs from villages to urban centers and other areas; the military junta's economic mismanagement, human rights abuses, and policy of using forced labor are driving factors behind Burma's large trafficking problem tier rating: Tier 3 - Burma does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so

This information comes from the World Fact Book.

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html

NFC Country of the Week: Argentina

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 17:27:31 -0400

This week we are praying for the people of:

Argentina

Location:

Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Chile and Uruguay

Area - comparative:

slightly less than three-tenths the size of the US

Population:

40,301,927 (July 2007 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 76.32 years

male: 72.6 years

female: 80.24 years (2007 est.)

Religions:

nominally Roman Catholic 92% (less than 20% practicing), Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, other 4%

Languages:

Spanish (official), English, Italian, German, French

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 97.2%

male: 97.2%

female: 97.2% (2001 census)

Government type:

republic

Internet users:

8.184 million (2006)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 260 (includes 10 inactive stations), FM (probably more than 1,000, mostly unlicensed), shortwave 6 (1998)

This information comes from the World Fact Book.

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html

New book now available!

Sat, 15 Sep 2007 00:00:10 -0400

Our new book, HOPE - God's Shelter in the Storms of Life is now available.

Click here to visit our online store where you can preview it, and purchase a copy via print or download.

From the back cover:

Hope is a book about the real hope that everyone can experience through the Lord Jesus Christ. “I watched my mother die of a terrible disease, and saw God’s hope in the middle of it. All of us need hope in the world that we live in today. This book will pass along some lessons from God’s Word about how to have hope through every storm of life.” -Stephen Baker

124 Pages

Available from LuLu.com

September Prayer Letter

Tue, 11 Sep 2007 21:08:49 -0400

Dear Friends,

Traveling

The last several months have been filled with traveling as I have preached and shared the ministry in churches in West Virginia, and Georgia. We have had several new churches take us on for support, and promises of support from others. God has truly blessed us with the opportunity to minister for Him.

New Book

I am working on the finishing touches of a new book entitled Hope: God’s Shelter in the Storms of Life. It will be available soon at TheNationsForChrist.com.

Visa

I will also be working in the next few days on applying for a UK Visa for our upcoming trip. Please pray that we are approved without any problems.

Thank You

I want to thank all of you who prayed for my dad after his recent heart attack. He is recovering. Please pray that he continues to get better.

May God bless you all. Thank you so much for your continued prayers and support.

Yours for Christ’s Kingdom,

Stephen Baker

Psalm 126:5,6

Country of the week: Angola

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 22:39:21 -0400

This week we are praying for the people of:

Angola

Location:

Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Namibia and Democratic Republic of the Congo

Area - comparative:

slightly less than twice the size of Texas

Population:

12,263,596 (July 2007 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 37.63 years

male: 36.73 years

female: 38.57 years (2007 est.)

Religions:

indigenous beliefs 47%, Roman Catholic 38%, Protestant 15% (1998 est.)

Languages:

Portuguese (official), Bantu and other African languages

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 67.4%

male: 82.9%

female: 54.2% (2001 est.)

Government type:

republic; multiparty presidential regime

Internet users:

172,000 (2005)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 21, FM 6, shortwave 7 (2001)

This information comes from the World Fact Book.

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html

Earthquake In Peru

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 09:56:05 -0400

I'm sure that you all have heard by now about the earthquake that hit Peru last night. Please pray for the people who live in the areas that were hit as well as the whole country. April lived in Peru for a year and a half and I lived there for 3 months. We have friends in Peru. Although, as far as we know, no one that we know was hurt, situations like this always give a good opportunity for believers to share the Gospel. The Peruvian's hearts may be particularly opened at this time, so please pray for the works going on in Lima, Arequipa and all over the country, that God will help them to reach many people with the good news of Jesus Christ during this time.

Stephen

Country of the Week: Andorra

Wed, 15 Aug 2007 17:46:49 -0400

This week we are praying for the people of:

Andorra

Location:

Southwestern Europe, between France and Spain

Area - comparative:

2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Population:

71,822 (July 2007 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 83.52 years

male: 80.62 years

female: 86.62 years (2007 est.)

Religions:

Roman Catholic (predominant)

Languages:

Catalan (official), French, Castilian, Portuguese

Literacy:

definition: NA

total population: 100%

male: 100%

female: 100%

Government type:

parliamentary democracy (since March 1993) that retains as its chiefs of state a coprincipality; the two princes are the president of France and bishop of Seo de Urgel, Spain, who are represented locally by coprinces' representatives

Internet users:

21,900 (2005)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 0, FM 15, shortwave 0 (1998)

Other Facts:

An estimated 11.6 million tourists visit annually.

Long isolated and impoverished, mountainous Andorra achieved considerable prosperity since World War II through its tourist industry. Many immigrants (legal and illegal) are attracted to the thriving economy with its lack of income taxes.

This information comes from the World Fact Book.

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html

Samuel Martin Wickens is Born!

Thu, 09 Aug 2007 12:31:36 -0400

Samuel Martin Wickens

8lbs 13oz

My friend, Martin Wickens, a missionary in Northern Ireland, is the father of a new baby boy! Check out his website here.

Martin wrote,

"I have no doubts that God allowed Carrie's blood pressure to spike in order to get us admitted to the hospital. I do not know whether the chord was already beginning to go around Samuel's neck or not. One thing I do know, if we had not been in hospital I could be sending out a very different e-mail.

There was a second instance in which I saw the hand of God at work.

Around 9pm they had decided to give Carrie an epidural. The baby still seemed fine and they thought this would help. As the doctor filled in some paper work and the anesthetist waited the baby's heart beat dropped.

So, every one was already present who would have been needed for an emergency c-section. Due to everyone being there the decision was made quickly and the surgery took place immediately.

For a second time in the day the Lord worked out the circumstances for the best."

Country of the Week: Algeria

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 12:03:35 -0400

This week we are praying for the people of:

Algeria

Location:

Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Morocco and Tunisia

Area - comparative:

slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Texas

Population:

33,333,216 (July 2007 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 73.52 years

male: 71.91 years

female: 75.21 years (2007 est.)

Religions:

Sunni Muslim (state religion) 99%, Christian and Jewish 1%

Languages:

Arabic (official), French, Berber dialects

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 69.9%

male: 79.6%

female: 60.1% (2002 est.)

Government type:

republic

Internet users:

1.92 million (2005)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 25, FM 1, shortwave 8 (1999)

This information comes from the World Fact Book.

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html

A New Nations For Christ Site!

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 11:24:43 -0400

We have just updated The Nations For Christ website with a new look. We have also added some new content, and more updates are on the way. Our email or blog subscribers can check it out at: www.thenationsforchrist.com

-Stephen