Go!

By Justin Edwards

"If you allow the impartation of Jesus Christ to overtake you, suddenly it all works.  Because it's Him imitating Himself, and He's very good at being God."

Incredible video on the strength we find in Christ to do HIS work:

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Opening Our Eyes - How We Can Make A Difference

By Justin Edwards

Please read the following in regards to With Open Eyes ministry in Sudan. Josh is a dear brother in Christ and a leader at my church home, Central Church of God. If you are not able to donate financially or physically help, your prayers are greatly needed. In fact, prayer is the greatest request among the persecuted Christians in Sudan - not food, not water, not medicine - but prayer!

"Opening Our Eyes - How We Can Make A Difference"


A lot has happened since we last connected with many of you. The Lord is working through With Open Eyes to touch lives of those abroad and here, at home. Our work is growing daily and we appreciate your prayers and support.

One can’t help but notice the devastation happening around us each and every day. The needs are tremendous! As we continue to pray for the Lord’s direction, we are communicating with folks on the ground in Haiti and Chile in hopes that we would know what our involvement should be. In the meantime, we remain committed to strengthening our efforts in Sudan.

Just one month ago, a small team from With Open Eyes embarked upon a vision trip to Sudan, Africa. Aaron Polsgrove, Frank Harrison and Gabriel Chol joined me. I was particularly excited about this trip, because I was going places that I had never been before. After spending time in Juba, the capital of Sudan, Frank and Aaron went to the Nuba Mountains in Central Sudan and I left in a truck with Gabriel and two armed guards carrying AK-47s. This trip was 90 miles on dirt paths that they made into a road. It took us nearly five hours to get to the village of Lui, near the Congo border.

The main purpose of this trip was to spend some time with Pastor Sosthen, who is our Coordinator of the “Mobile Messengers”. As he took me through the village of Lui, I saw some things I'd never seen before. People who were deathly sick and quite frankly, needed help more than I could provide. They lay in the dirt streets just trying to survive one more day. As you can imagine, I wanted to do everything I could to help these people. Without being able to do much on my own, I knew it was time for WOE to invest in this area of Sudan.

I also got to see the hospital in Lui first hand. It was heart breaking! I saw so many people who looked hopeless. The hospital is run down, the pediatric ward doesn't have much to offer, it is very difficult for them to perform surgery and many people don't even come to the hospital anymore for the lack of supplies and help. One encounter I had really shook me up. There was a young man sitting on the steps of the pediatric ward with his head in his hands. We approached him and through an interpreter, he told me his story. Eight months before, his wife died giving birth to their first child and just 2 weeks ago, his 8 month old son died of water-borne disease. What do you say to a man who has lost so much? I felt as if I was talking to a modern-day Job. In the middle of his pain and through many tears, he looked me in they eyes and said “I just want to see Jesus”. After praying and crying together, I felt so inspired to live my life more like this man, simply named Peter.

As we left the hospital, I could tell Sosthen was very excited about our next stop. As we walked a half mile down the road we stopped at a school and he shared with me that most of the children were not going to school, but because of With Open Eyes’ support, they were able to reopen the primary and secondary school. There are currently 585 children attending the primary school and 240 in the secondary school. These children were excited to learn and be a part of something very special. As I walked through the school and met the children, I asked what can we do to help even more? With a big smile on his face, Sosthen said we need Bibles!

There is a great need in Sudan and we know that we can't do it all at one time. As we prepare for our next 3 missions trips this year, please pray about helping us.

We are currently planning a medical missions trip in October and want to take doctors, nurses, assistants, supplies, equipment, etc. to the hospital in Lui. We need your help!

I will be returning this summer to work in the schools, ministering through youth conferences and most importantly, passing out Bibles. We need 2,500 Bibles to give the men, women and children of Lui, Mundri and Yei. Please consider how you might help us and email us at info@withopeneyes.net , call our office at 704.442.7117 or visit our website at www.withopeneyes.net.

Thank you for your prayerful and financial support. YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!


Joshua Livingston

Baby waits to be treated outside the hospital in Lui

Pediatric Ward at Lui Hospital

Children in the village - eager to learn.

Your assistance will allow us to purchase Bibles to send to these children.

How to Find a Good Church

By Justin Edwards

Finding a solid, Bible-believing fundamental church has become an increasingly difficult task these days. Perhaps you are realizing this and need some help in finding the right church for you and your family. Or perhaps you attend a church where the following questions by Todd Friel may not be answered appropriately to how God intended the church, His church, to be. In any case, I pray this is beneficial for those searching for a church home or have questions about the one they currently attend.

How to Find a Good Church

Almost 25 questions that will save you a lot of Sundays


Looking for a good church? Join the club. Church-shopping can be a long and painful process. To shorten your search, call the pastor of the church before you visit and ask the following questions. This might save you a lot of Sundays.



1. What is man's biggest problem?

Seeker sensitive and felt-needs churches focus on man's hurts and problems. The Bible says that man's biggest problem is sin.

2. What must a man do to inherit eternal life?

Repent and trust is the Biblical answer. If the word "repent" is never used, say, "Thank you."


3. How do you deliver the salvation message?

Ask the pastor to describe specifically what he says. Does he encourage people to simply say a prayer? Does he tell people to ask Jesus into their hearts? The salvation message should include: God's holiness, man's sinfulness, God's response (hell), God's kindness (Jesus on the cross), man's response (repentance and faith).


4. How hard is it to become a Christian?

The "formula" is simple, doing it is not. It is not easy to believe.


5. How often do you talk about sin, righteousness and judgment?

Balance is key. This should not be the only emphasis, but it should be a regular emphasis.


6. How seeker sensitive is your church?

It is o.k. for a church to be "seeker aware" but seeker sensitive means that they lean toward seekers and not the saved.

7. Who do you do church for, seekers or members?

"Both" is not acceptable. Church should be done for members and the unsaved are welcome to attend.


8. Do you dumb down your sermons?

If he says yes, he is probably not trying to wean his members from milk to meat. Answers like, "We try to make our sermons accessible to everyone" are sermons that are not meaty.


9. What is your mixture of topical vs. expository preaching?

Topical preaching is fine, but if a pastor never or rarely preaches expositionally (verse by verse), then you are going to be learning from the pastor and not God's Word.


10. Do your sermons emphasize theology or are they relevant?

Everyone should say their sermons are relevant, what you are looking for is if they teach theology.


11. Describe your youth programs.

If fun and games is the major (and usually first) emphasis, you have a youth program that is trying to compete with MTV.

12. Describe your evangelism programs.

Don't just accept, "We have an evangelism committee." Dig. Are they serious about saving souls?


13. What church growth model do you follow?

Hopefully they don't have one. Churches should be reaching out to the lost, but churches that are plugged into new church growth models tend to follow man's modern ideas rather than the Bible.


14. How much do you give to missions and the hungry?

Again, this reveals the heart of the church. While most churches give to missions, many never consider the poor.


15. Do you believe the Bible contains no errors or contradictions?

No equivocation allowed here.


16. Do you believe in a literal 6 day creation?

Jesus did (Matt.19:4).


17. Do you believe in a literal hell and eternal punishment?

Jesus did (Matt.25).


19. When you distribute the Lord's Supper, do you emphasize the need to examine yourself?

Paul did (I Cor.11:27-32).

20. Can a person who is living in a persistent lifestyle of sin inherit eternal life?

Sinners can certainly be forgiven, but practicing sinners cannot inherit eternal life (I John 3:8,9).


21. Does your church exercise church discipline?

Paul said we should (I Cor.5).


22. Do Sunday school teachers, nursery, and youth volunteers fill out an application to answer questions about their core beliefs, or are all volunteers accepted?


23.What are the essentials of the faith?

Father, Son, Holy Spirit, Salvation through faith alone, the inerrancy of Scripture.


24. Do you have a cross in your sanctuary?

Many remove it because they fear it will turn off seekers. They should glory in the cross. The cross should be the central focus of every church.