The Wilkes Team

The rich man cried, ” Father Abraham, have mercy on me , and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.”

Abraham said, “Son,…between us and you there is a great gulf fixed; so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.” ~ (Luke 16:19-31)

In eternity there is a great gulf fixed between the children of light and the children of darkness! For those in darkness there is no getting back to the light. Decisions made on earth affect our eternal destiny!

On earth there is no gulf between us and the lost! They are all around us! As ambassadors of Jesus Christ we have been charged with the responsibility to tell them about the marvelous grace that can reconcile them to God through Jesus Christ. Yet too often we do not.

Have we created a gulf on earth between them and us?  Fear of the unknown, lack of faith, an unwillingness to be vulnerable and to risk potentially failing in our presentation, and the list could go on.

All of the above are lies from the enemy! Satan’s goal is to get us focused on ourselves. If successful we become ensnared in a pattern of thinking that breeds fear.

Following Christ calls for us to lay down our life and to deny ourselves. Faith calls for a response! If you have given your life to Christ then by faith you can step forward knowing that Christ will never give you more than you can handle.

~ Last week we as a family joined two other families down on the front steps of the Lincoln Memorial. We gathered with one purpose and desire in mind – to be used by God to touch another life for Christ!

The Beall family with ‘Great Commission Families’ spear-headed this event. They printed over 600 tracks to hand out that day! These tracks shared the story behind the Cherry blossoms of D.C.

Since the cherry trees were in full bloom it was a wonderful way to place in the hands of many the history of the 3,000 cherry trees given to the United States by Japan as a symbol of friendship and reconciliation between our two nations. The track didn’t stop there though! It then lead beautifully into explaining the great price Jesus Christ paid so we might be reconciled to God!

We didn’t know what the afternoon would hold. By faith we stepped out and followed the leading of the Lord. God took each one of us where we were at and encouraged us on to new levels of boldness and delight in seeking the lost.

After spreading the word of God to more than 600 people we gathered around the Washington monument to pray for those who were given the truth.

Thank you Beall family for creating a atmosphere of learning, discipleship, and practical experience in fulfilling the great commission!

5 Comments » | posted in Family News, Ministry Reports, Photography

It is so easy to develop a self-centered mind set focusing on what we think is important. When that happens we  lose opportunities to bless and serve others.

Not long ago our church had the opportunity to bless two families from our fellowship; the Butlers and Potters with various projects around their homes. Digging a trench from the house to supply water and electricity to a barn,  building a patio and walk way, painting, planting, re-grading, etc!

The Joyful spirits everyone had were contagious! Each person desired to help and serve in any way possible. It was a joyous sight to behold.

Each person, with their own special gifting and in working together as a team, accomplished much in only a little bit of time.

It was a blessing to see the discipleship, the determination, and the joy and fellowship which surrounded those days.

But most importantly it was a time for being together, encouraging one another in the ways of the Lord, singing, and giving God glory through everything we were doing.

John 13:34″ “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”

1 Comment » | posted in Family News, Ministry Reports

The attacks on the family will only increase with the passing of time. Praise the Lord that He is raising a mighty generation to stand in the ever widening gap within our land. He is preserving a remnant – oh may we as families be sober, vigilant, and having done all to stand.

One of the purposes behind the Family Encouragement Weekend is to encourage families to work together, impact their local communities for Christ, and to leave a Godly legacy for the generations to come. Each FEW Conference contains rich seasons of prayer, exhortation, and fellowship with families whose desire is to live according to the Word of God.

What a blessed weekend this was! We walked away from this conference so encouraged, inspired, uplifted, and ready to continue on in the small corner of the world that God has placed us!

There are several other meaningful reports on this past weekend:

- From the Neely Team – From the Girotti Family

- From the Hynes Family

We also look forward to having a copy of the messages uploaded to: www.FEWconference.com. This will be provided shortly.

6 Comments » | posted in Ministry Reports

There is no doubt that America stands currently under the judgment of God. For too long, we have neglected those Biblical principles upon which our nation was founded. God will not be mocked, and sin has its consequences.

Nevertheless, amidst the great atrocities of evil and the oppressive power of darkness, there are signs of reformation within our land.

During the month of June, our family had the joy of attending a day conference hosted by the Scott Brown of the NCFIC.

He came bearing a message of hope and a challenge to the Biblical family. It is time for families to live Biblically. As Thomas Manton once put it, ‘family is the seminary of church and state.’ Lawful worldly amusements must be exchanged for intense family worship. Our time is an indicator of where our priorities lie. Lukewarm Christian families are unsavory to our Lord. But amidst these challenging words, the hope comes from focusing not upon our failure but upon repentance and following our Savior. The steps will be little at first but through perseverance it shall yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness.

Pastor Brown exhorts that, “When the focus of our churches or our families is anything other than the glory of God we should expect them to be cursed rather than blessed.

If we change the focus of our families for our own sakes and because we want a better family, we have missed the mark…….

….Has God changed your heart so that it desires to glorify God? Do you believe He is your only hope? Is it He the one you truly admire? This is the heart of all true reformation.”

Pastor Brown and his team have purposed to travel across and around our nation to exhort, challenge, and edify the local body of believers. Our family left the day conference encouraged and with an even greater desire to reform through conforming our lives unto the image of the Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Comment » | posted in Ministry Reports, On the Issues, Proclaiming the Truth

My thoughts were elsewhere as I headed to the garage door. Unsuspectingly I walked through the kitchen, then the laundry room, all the while hearing a soft roar. I turned the knob of the door to enter the garage, pulled on it, and then whaaammm….. my ears drums were plummeted with sound waves of incredible dimensions; sound waves emitting from the roaring of a table saw.  The noise actually hurt and I slammed the door shut. Once again only hearing the soft roar.

Right now, at 8:21 PM, Mon. evening, I’m hearing my wonderful sister Sarah playing the piano, just like the table saw it is a noise. Gratefully the comparison ends there because this noise is harmonious.

In Psalms 100, the psalmist talks about the important subject of noise. He declares: “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord all ye lands…” (Psalms 100:1) This is not a suggestion but rather a specific command. The command is for the land, which includes all that lives on the land, to make a noise unto the Lord. Of course this is also the human race and even those who are the chosen of God.

Making a joyful noise is actually what part of our church family participated in last Sunday evening. Though there was snow 21in. deep covering the landscape and temperatures  below 35 degrees, we went Christmas caroling. In years past when we have caroled, our caroling, though joyful, might easily compare to a table saw’s roar. Of course not as harsh, nor even as dissonant, but definitely missing some needed harmony. This  year the noise actually carried more harmonious congruence – actually comparable to a piano. The result was an increase of joyfulness in all participants both listeners and singers.

It was so much a privilege to reach out to our neighbors in  this way. Through the noise, the joy emanating, and the harmony balancing, I believe we were able to be a blessing: showing we had prepared and cared. We also were able, through the message of the songs, to manifest the true reason for Christmas. It is not about saints, fictional characters, trees, presents, but it is all about the birth of the Messiah, the Prince of Peace – Jesus Christ.

A joyful ‘harmonious’ noise is so important. So much of this world is like the roar of a table saw. We need the counter-noise of a piano. Not the roar of entertainment, greed, lust, and selfish success,              but the exquisite sounds of humility, of heavenly peace,    of loving truth, and of the wonderful gospel of Jesus Christ. 

7 Comments » | posted in Family News, Ministry Reports

Jesus is the reason for this CHRISTmas season!

How easy it is to say these words without any testimony of it being worked out in our life. How grateful we are for the ministry of Child Evangelism Fellowship and their focus on communicating to others the saving message of Jesus Christ. They are reaching the lost in local communities across the United States and are thereby providing opportunities for Christians to be doers of the Word and not hearers only.

It was our distinct joy to host the Northern VA CEF committee Christmas Dinner earlier this month. This dear group of Christians gathered together for a special dinner and time of uplifting fellowship. Our lights were rekindled and joy refreshed as we drew closer to one another around the message of the Gospel.

Another joy of the evening was getting to know those who work in the Korean community. How blessed we were to hear them share about the Lord’s work in the local Korean communities, Christmas traditions in Korea, and even a couple carols in the Korean language.

Mr. Rautio, with the faithful support of his dear wife, continues to be an energy giver as he directs this great work here in Northern VA. His unceasing joy, stemming from a close relationship with Christ, has been the catalyst for many life changing works in Northern Virginia and way beyond.

Through the Christ centered ministry CEF, many people around this world will be celebrating Christmas, knowing that Jesus truly is the Reason for the Season!

Praise the Lord for His free gift of salvation.

2 Comments » | posted in Family News, Ministry Reports