December News!

Dear Friends of Mission Surge,

As we come to the end of another year, I want to update you on what has happened with Mission Surge this year AND share with you some opportunities to consider as we transition to 2015.

In 2014, I was blessed to travel to the Dominican Republic and train 3 groups of Haitian pastors and church planters. I have also been able to complete three major works this year at home.

1.  The Oblivious Film was released in July.  If you have not watched it you can do so at www.obliviousfilm.com  Please watch and share!  There is also a tract available that goes along with the documentary that is available if you would like to purchase them to pass out as witnessing tools.

2.  Sovereign Love, a booklet on the Sovereignty of God in salvation, will be released by January 1, 2015.  In this book I walk through my own personal struggles with the Sovereignty of God and the conclusions that I discovered in God’s Word.

3.  A Blueprint for Maturing and Making Disciples will be released in the spring of 2015.  This has taken the bulk of my time this year!  The Blueprint is a discipleship study based on 2 Peter 1:5-10 that is intended to help Christians mature and equip them to make disciples of Christ.  The study will be tested with 2 or 3 groups in January, leaders guides and video teaching will be completed, and the work completed in April.  It is my hope and prayer that this work will be used to spur an evangelistic/disciple making network.  Watch an introductory video about Blueprint here:  http://www.missionsurge.com/blueprint/

We also welcomed several new partners in ministry to the Mission Surge team this year.  Refugee Ministries International based in Germany joined the team as they seek to minister to Syrian, Iraqi, and multitudes of other refugees in the refugee camps of Germany.  Coram Deo based in Italy, led by Andrea Artioli, also joined our team.  We also saw the the overseas ministry of Jerry Marcellino from Laurel, MS (ECCI) added to our team.  Jerry just returned from Italy a week ago where he was blessed to teach several hundred people about the holiness of God through the annual Coram Deo conference.  It has been a busy year!

As we celebrate the accomplishments of the past year, we want to look forward to a new year.  I want to ask you to consider the following issues and pray with me about them.

1.  Blueprint groups in January.  I am hoping to begin a Sunday night small group in Jones County, MS to work through the Blueprint for Maturing and Making Disciples.  I would like to begin a Monday night group in Clarke County, MS.  I would also like to begin a Wednesday night group in Clinton, MS to help test-run this study.  If you, or your church would be willing to host one of these groups, please let me know as soon as possible!  Watch an introductory video about Blueprint here:  http://www.missionsurge.com/blueprint/

2.  Volunteers.  Please pray with me that God would raise up volunteers to help with the administrative aspect of Mission Surge.  Currently due to the growing number of administrative needs (website, financial, correspondence etc), I have felt it wise to put my overseas mission work on hold.  I have sensed God redirecting my overseas work away from the Dominican Republic, but I am not sure where at this time.  Before I take on another task overseas, I feel it would be prudent to delegate much of the administrative work to others.  If you are self-motivated, passionate about missions, organized, responsible, godly, and wiling to serve, please let me know!  We are also looking for suggestions for board members as well as potential missionaries that we could help go to the ends of the earth with the gospel.  We hope to have an appellation process for volunteers and potential missionaries available early next year, but if you are interested, don’t wait.  Contact us today!

3.  Mentoring of aspiring preachers/pastors.  I am planning to begin a Tuesday afternoon intensive training for aspiring preachers/pastors in my home in Crystal Springs.  We will meet from 5:30-7.  If you, or someone you know, aspires to preach the Word, and they can make it to Crystal Springs by 5:30 on Tuesdays, please let me know ASAP!  

4.  Open doors to preach, teach, and share.  If you, or your church, could use me for a revival, harvest day, family discipleship conference, missions conference etc., please let me know!  If you would allow me to come share with your church on Sunday night or Wednesday night, please do not hesitate to call!  

5.  Help sharing about the work of Mission Surge.  Please share this newsletter with your email list, Facebook friends, Twitter followers, etc. etc.  Please help us in getting the word out about what we are doing.  The more people that we have praying, the better.

Thank you again for your prayers and for your financial support.  Thank you for taking time to read this newsletter and lift us up.  If we can be of help to you or your church, please do not hesitate to give us a call.  Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from Mission Surge.

Kevin

Italy Update

Dear Friends of Mission Surge, 

I wanted to send out a rather detailed update from one of our partners in Italy as well as to remind you that TODAY our partner work ECCI (Pastor Jerry Marcellino and his wife Dawn) will be traveling to Italy to work with Cora Deo and Andrea Artioli.  He has not quite raised half of the funds needed for this trip so if you would like to help offset some of his cost, please feel free to give.  

*Please visit the link below if you would like to offset some of our remaining $$ expenses:

http://www.missionsurge.com/ecci-1-1/

Or you can mail a check to:

 Mission Surge

1126 Tanyard Road

Crystal Springs, MS 39059

Please note in the memo that it is for ECCI or Jerry M.

Here is an update from Andrea and Coram Deo.

Dear brothers and sisters,

thanks so much for remembering us in your prayers.

Phil 1

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

We are all well and thank God we are encouraged.

The Lord has given us to spend 2 months in USA last July and August and it has been very good for the kids and family. It was a break from ministry and church matters.

It was a re-charging time for us. Sometimes we really need to unplugged. Hope to be able to come to see you with the family sometimes.

The Family

Lisa is 15 and Tommy is 13. Doing both fine. They are in the middle of their teenagers years where they are trying to find their own ways of doing things.

We are happy to help them in this process which sometimes is not easy. Doing a hard church planting work they have no Christian friends of their age. We do pray so hard that friends may be converted to Christ Jesus. Now there is a small youth group in the church and they will meet during the weekends.

Please pray that these young people may become followers of Christ Jesus and good servants of the Lord.

Eva is 4. She is our little "monkey". She is so funny and full of life. She has brought more life in our family.

Our kids are opening big doors for the gospel with their friends and families.

It is a huge opportunity to share the gospel with people who do not know what is a Christian Gospel and a Christian Church.

Andrea's mother.

Last sunday we had the news that Adriana has a skin cancer. This is something that has come back since 1991.

She will have a surgery on December 29. Please pray for her as she will be so close with the Lord in her walk with the Lord.

Sola Grazia Church. www.chiesasolagrazia.it

We do praise God for the wonderful spirit there is in the church. Believers are united and there is a deep sense of growth due to the biblical preaching of the Word of God. God is really moving among us and people have a higher view of the Bible and of our sovereign God.

Andrea has just finished the series on the Gospel of Mark. He has started in 2008 and he has preached on it 112 times.

Now we will move for few months on WHAT IS A BIBLICAL CHURCH AND WHAT IS A BIBLICAL PASTOR AND ELDERS? Then he will start a series on ACTS.

We have several new people attending the church. Sometimes we have 70 people during the service.

Online services

There is a big move ahead for us.

Our staff has decided to broadcast our services.

This idea really came from our contacts that has suggested us to give them a chance to see in a PC what is an Evangelical Service before to come in physically.

We thought that is a good way to connect with them and new people, specially now that we are so exposed in the town of Mantova and all over Italy through the ministry of Coram Deo.

The cost of this project is about 8,000 euros or 12,000 USD.

Women's ministry

Emanuela started teaching a women monthly Bible study on Ephesians since last February. 

The meeting is on Sunday afternoon at the SOLA GRAZIA church,  which gives the opportunity to the women of all ages to come, have a chat and a cup of tea together then enjoy the verse by verse study .

Our aim has been to deepen our superficial knowledge of this Epistle, digging and savoring the words and expressions of the Apostle Paul to understand God's plan from eternity to eternity applying those truths to our identity as daughters of our precious Heavenly Father.

During the four weeks that follow we meet in pairs to share and help one another in this walk together.

Besides the women of our congregation, some from other churches joined and this is an opportunity for us to minister to the women of our area who seldom receive sound teaching being encouraged to walk with the Lord with other sisters in Christ.

Alan and Tracey Johnston (+ Connor, 16)

God has given to our church pastor Alan Johnston and his wife Tracey from Northern Ireland. 

They just moved last June and they have their 3rd kid Connor with them.

Alan will help Andrea in the ministry of the church in preaching and discipleship and he will be involved ad coach in Porto United Club.

Alan and Tracey has already started an English Class once a week to reach out our friends with the Gospel.

Pray also for the other 2 sons who are at University in Northern Ireland.

Porto United Sport Ministry

We have started this ministry last August 2013. We had a great season with 45 kids from Mantova to join our Christian Club. We made very clear that Porto United has a Christian emphasis in training the kids. We do teach the Gospel while training.

During the summer time there have been some problems and a spiritual battle was very evident. Crazy things has happened and the Enemy wanted to kill this ministry. Bad rumors were made about it like we would not have a new season and that we had a lot of debts. Really funny things that the Devil wanted to spread around.

So, when Andrea came back from US he was faced with big issues and he and the staff have spent a lot of time in prayer and in developing a new strategy to reach our kids.

It has been very hard but we did not wanted to let the Enemy to win and to put the Gospel in a bad spot.

God won. God has been so good and powerful. We had back some old kids and specially a lot of new kids have come to us.

Moms and relatives are very happy. And kids too specially!

Non Christian families are encouraging other non believers to join Porto United Club.

Isn't it amazing!!!!

We ask you to pray about it. But very hard!

If the church is growing like we are doing and Porto United is going to have a great spiritual impact in town we need to pray and think to buy a piece of land and build our church building and have our soccer\football fields near by it.

Please walk with us in this project.

Pray also for more Christian coaches joining us for this amazing ministry!!!

Last September with Coaching4Christ.

Coaching4Christ is a Northern Ireland Ministry that has come to help Porto United. We had a great camp for a week where 25 kids has joined us for a full immersion in sport activities and the Gospel.

Please pray for the kids as they have heard the voice of Jesus reading the Bible and hearing the Bible's stories they have shared.

Coram Deo Conference in Milan and Sicily

New 2 weekends will be full of sounds ministry:

Coram Deo is going to have 2 major conferences on THE CALL OF SANCTIFICATION this coming weekend in Milan and next weekend in Sciacca (Sicily).

We guess 150 people will join the Milan Conference and about 300 in Sicily.

Speakers will be pastor Jerry Marcellino from Audubon Church, Laurel Mississippi and pastor Don Currin.

Please pray for them as they deliver this important topic and for us all as we listen and people can be blessed and encouraged to live a holy life.

Family support

Some of our supporters just have told us they cannot help us anymore.

I think we are going to have some difficulties from now on.

Even before our support was quite low and very often we did not make to reach 2,000 USD monthly.

In 21 years of ministry our support did not allowed to pay any retirement or insurance. God is always faithful.

We trust in a Sovereign God who is able and our anchor is His promises of Matt 6:26 "Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?"

Pray for the Church Rent. 

It is very high for us to keep it. 

Prayer requests and Needs

- Pray we may walk with Christ. Always.

- Pray that the Gospel will be first in our lives and then us.

- Pray all the amazing contacts the Lord is given us. We pray for lives-transformed and servants on fire.

- Pray for the Sola Grazia Church members be filled with the Word of God and filled with His Spirit. So they can serve and lead others to Christ.

- Pray because we are not led by the numbers of people attending our church by always about the faithfulness and power of the Gospel.

- Pray we may love Christ more and more.

Last October 2 car crashes. We were quite shocked!

Both times we have been hit in 3 days. Both cars have runned away and we had to pay for the damages.

Our cars are getting quite old. 

- One is 14 years old and the other is 10 old with a lot of miles\kms on them (250,000 each).

We cannot afford to buy other second hand cars which are so expensive compared to US.

So we do pray the Lord will provide.

Andrea Artioli

------------------------------------------

Please pray for Jerry, Dawn, Andrea, and the work in Italy.  If God leads you to help Andrea or Jerry, you can do so through Mission Surge.  Thanks for your prayers, support, and encouragement.

In Christ,

October News from Mission Surge

Dear Friends of Mission Surge,

I wanted to give you a brief update on what is happening with us.

First, if you have not watched The Oblivious Film yet, please take time to check it out and share it with those on your email list, Facebook friends, Twitter followers, etc.  It was, and still is, our prayer that God will use this film to wake up and shake up the Bible Belt to our desperate need for the Gospel.  You can watch the film at www.oblivousfilm.com

Second, if you have not taken time to follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and follow the Mission Surge blog, please do so today.  The links are below.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mission-Surge/145423062144598

https://twitter.com/missionsurge

kevinivy.com

Third, we are currently in the final stages of a very strategic discipleship study that we have been working on for the past year.  It is a curriculum that we hope will help individuals mature as disciples and also be able to use to make disciples.  We hope to be announcing the details very very soon.  Please be in prayer for this and keep your eyes open for more details soon.

Fourth, I would ask that you please pray for me and with me.  I am in the midst of seeking God’s direction concerning several inter-connected issues/possibilities.  If you would pray that God would give me and my family His wisdom, discernment, leadership, guidance, and direction I would greatly appreciate it.

Finally, I wanted to ask you to pray for two of our affiliated ministries:  Coram Deo and ECCI.  You can learn more about both of them at www.missionsurge.com  Pastor Jerry Marcellino (ECCI) will be traveling, along with his wife, to Italy to work with Coram Deo next month (November 5-21).  I ask you to pray for them and for the work of Coram Deo.  If you are interested in more detail or if you are able to help them financially with this effort, please contact Jerry or donate through our website. 

Below is a personal letter from Jerry and I have attached more information about what they will be doing while oversees.

If you are receiving this email it’s because I count you a dear personal friend and brother in

Christ. And because I know you to be one with a heart for the gospel and a desire to see Christ 

proclaimed among the nations, I have written this note to request your prayers for my wife  

Dawn and me as we go minister in Italy and Sicily next month (November 5-21). Please see the

Above attachment for details about these two important leadership conferences. 

Basically, we are going to be addressing the topic of “Holiness” to both the male leadership and

women from the various churches who will be attending (including missionaries) these two

conferences from both the far Northern to the extreme Southern regions of Italy.

We are also seeking the Lord for roughly $3,500 at this “late” hour to cover some last second

unexpected costs for my wife and me, as well as for other conference expenses for putting on

these two weekends. If you can pray for this wonderful ministry opportunity and also consider

making a gift toward meeting these needs, either personally, or from your church or its mission’s

committee, that would be very encouraging to us and a blessing to Italian believers.

I remain, your affectionate brother,

In the co-labors of the gospel,

Jerry Marcellino

*Please feel free to call me on my cell number below.

**Please visit the link below for more important information related to our trip:

http://www.missionsurge.com/ecci-1-1/

Jerry Marcellino

Pastor, Audubon Drive Bible Church

P.O.Box 8055

Laurel, MS 39441-8000

Mobile 601-466-6568

Office 601-649-8570

www.audubonchurch.org

http://www.facebook.com/jerry.marcellino

http://twitter.com/SavonarolaAgain

www.firefellowship.org

https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=61681600&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile

Thank you for your prayers and support of Mission Surge.  Please keep us on your prayer list!  Please keep us in mind if we can be of any use to you or your church for revivals, harvest days, missions conferences, etc.  Until next time…

Why I am Convinced America will Fall

Why I am Convinced America will Fall

I am not a prophet nor am I much on politics.  I am just a no name pastor.  So, what I am about to say is not coming from a legal scholar, a lawyer, a politician, or anyone with any national influence.  What I am about to say however, I do believe comes from godly wisdom.  Take it or leave it, I am convinced it is true; America will fall and it will fall due to slavery.  Yes, you heard me right.  Slavery.  Let me explain.

Between 1861 and 1865 America was involved in a civil war, at least partially, over the issue of slavery.  Thankfully, slavery in the United States came to an end after the Civil war.  It would take another one hundred years and a civil rights movement for black americans to be given equal opportunity.  All of this was made possible because slavery came to an end in the United States of America….or did it?  

After the civil war ended the sovereignty of the state was swallowed up by the authority of the federal government.  Thence ends one form of slavery, and thus begins another form of slavery.  States lost, and continued to progressively lose their sovereignty.  Through a multitude of grants for education, social welfare, construction, transportation etc. the federal government bought the states (and the citizens of those states) over the next 150 years.  Now, all 50 states and their citizens, are enslaved to their new master:  the political “powers that be” in Washington.  This epidemic of subtle slavery has spread like wildfire and it is for this reason that I believe America is destined to fall.  Consider the following thoughts.

1.  Senior adults (65 and over) are enslaved

Social security came into existence in 1935 and, since then, the senior adults of this nation have become more and more dependent upon the Federal government for their sustenance and medical care.  Caring for widows and the elderly is no longer a need for churches.  Uncle Sam has it “under control.”  If a politician wants to go down fast, let him mention touching social security.  Those of retirement age in America are, for the most part, totally enslaved to and dependent upon the federal government. 

2.  Adults (18-64) are enslaved

Consider the number of people who are working and how many of them are dependent upon the state for their employment.  They are city employees, state employees, or are employees of businesses that are subsidized and upheld by government grants etc.  (I am NOT implying that it is wrong to have a “state job!”  I am just stating the fact that those who work a state job are dependent upon the state and the tax revenue of the state i.e. federal government)  

Consider those adults who are not working, but who have learned to work the system!  The number of people who have been purchased by the federal government for the price of food stamps, EBT cards, medicaid, welfare, disability etc. is continually increasing.  Again, caring for the poor is no longer a need for churches.  Uncle Sam has it “under control.” As of 2011, almost 50 million people received food stamps and medicaid!  49% of the population received benefits from one or more government programs.  Now, not only the senior adults, but those of working age (whether they are working or are working the system) are enslaved to and dependent upon the state.  How many people have been sold at the auction block of America for the price of an EBT card?  All along they thought they were working the system, when in fact the system has been working them! 

3.  Young people (5-17) are enslaved

Consider the number of children in public schools in the nation.  As of 2011 that number was almost 50 million.  Say what you will, but the whole “our schools aren’t like their schools” argument no longer holds water.  All of the schools belong to Washington.  Why do you think the administrators and teachers go into panic mode when test time comes?  Panic ensues because the scores determine the ranking of the schools which determines how much federal funding the schools get.  After all, they cannot function without the funding of the federal government.  They have been bought with a price and are now the property, not of the people of the school district, but of the powers that be in Washington DC.  Consider the philosophy of Karl Marx who said that, “in order to establish a perfect socialist state, you have to destroy the family.  You have to substitute the government and its authority for parental authority in rearing children.”  Washington is training the masses in America to look to the state for protection, provision, and permission in every area of life.  There is an agenda in it all.  If you don’t believe this is reality today, two words should get your attention:  Common Core.  The Public schools, no longer belong to their communities. They belong to Washington.  

4.  Food, Water, Electricity and More

Consider the fact that Washington owns, at least on some level our nations farms and food (which is a whole other story) The government has its hand in our water and electricity production.  We look to the government to help us with climbing energy costs.  We look to the government for subsidies that will lower the costs of our food, water, and electricity never realizing that it is our tax dollars that provide the subsidies!  

Our enslavement has been so subtle, we don’t even own our own property anymore!  Uncle Sam does!  Consider this.  If you paid cash for your home and property you would say that you are debt free.  You would have no mortgage and that would feel great!  You would own your own home.  However, what would happen if you did not pay your property taxes each year?  The home is “yours.”  The land is “yours.”  But if you fail to pay your property taxes, the state will “repossess” “your” property and sell it because you failed to pay your property taxes.  If the state can take my property because I failed to pay them, the question naturally arises: who really owns my property?  

You see that virtually every aspect of our lives, our schools, our employment or lack thereof, our retirement, our homes, our state governments….all are enslaved to Washington!  We are a society that is as much a victim of slavery today as black americans were in 1860, if not more so.  We are just no longer enslaved to a plantation owner.  We are enslaved to politicians!  But that is not all.

5.  China and Russia

The vast majority of Americans have willingly sold themselves into slavery for a bowl of lentil soup.  But…and this is crucial to see….our task-masters…the federal government, have sold themselves, and us, to another master!  We have all been carried to the 21st century slave auction and sold to China and Russia.  The federal government’s fiscal irresponsibility has so indebted this nation(we are more than 17.5 trillion dollars in debt) that the average American citizen owes the government more than 55,000 dollars!  If China and Russia pull the plug on America and cash in on this debt, what happens?  

Who will Set us Free?

1. Not the Politicians!

It seems that the Republicans and the Democrats are on the same paths.  Sure, one path may move a little faster to the goal than the other path, but the paths lead to the same destination.  We don’t have a two party system in this nation.  We have a socialist party and a socialist-light party.  The politicians are not the answer…they are the problem.  Are  we naive enough to think they will save us?  It is not going to happen.  It is too late.  We are too far, too gone.

Please don’t be so naive that you think the state government and politicians will save us either.  All the buzz about seceding from the Union is a bad joke.  It is not going to happen. It can’t happen.  Uncle Sam made sure of that after 1865.  Our states are enslaved to the federal government.  The federal government funnels money to them so that they can then use that money to keep their citizens comfortably satisfied with grants, social welfare, and smooth roads etc.  To stand up to Washington would threaten those funds which would then cause discomfort and displeasure to their clientele which could threaten their political standing in the state government.  No, the state politicians will play the game.  And let’s not forget that most of the state senators and representatives long to become federal senators and representatives.  Standing up to the big boys in Washington isn’t the quickest way to the top, so you can stop putting your hope in the local guys either.  They have sold themselves and their districts into slavery too!

2.  Not the Citizens

Please don’t wait for the citizens to stand up and do anything either.  For the most part the men in this nation have been castrated.  Can you see the Revolutionary War being led by a bunch of guys in skinny jeans and flip flops?  The younger generation is so feminized that the only place they could even begin to fight any type of battle would be on their game console!  

And let’s be honest…griping radio talk show hosts don’t help at all!  A griping head is no threat to anyone.  They just vent and give room for others to vent.  And please hear me when I say that liking something and sharing it on Facebook is almost as useless as playing your video game or watching fox news all day!  Do you really think the government gives a rip about your Facebook post?  They know as long as you are glued to the television and to social media liking and sharing you aren’t doing anything.  Carry on! 

Liking and sharing a post that says, “Try and take my guns and see what happens!” is as productive as me parking my vehicle in a crime-ridden neighborhood, leaving the keys in the ignition, and leaving the doors unlocked only to go into my bedroom, shut the door, and post on Facebook, “Try and steal my car and see what happens!”  While you are on Facebook, they are taking the car!

To make things worse, Americans citizens are as fiscally irresponsible as the politicians we elect.  The average american is more than 225,000 dollars in debt!  With our big houses, fancy cars, four-wheelers, boats, credit cards and more, we are so financially strapped, we can’t point a finger at Washington.  The federal government is up to its eyeballs in debt and so is the average citizen.  Bankruptcy awaits virtually everyone and no one seems to notice!  We are all amusing ourselves while Rome burns!

3.  No other nation

The Muslim world is not going to come liberate us.  They might make a Caliphate of us, but they aren’t going to liberate us.  The European Union will not come liberate us.  The UN is definitely not going to come to our aid.  And Russia and China, the new powers that be in the world, aren’t real interested in assisting us either.  News flash!  We have spent the past 100 years policing the world, and the world police department is about to implode.  All that will be left is lawlessness, until someone heavy handed and brutal enough forces his way onto the stage.  We are alone.

Conclusion:

America is enslaved.  The politicians in Washington aren’t going to help us.  The politicians in our state governments aren’t going to help us.  The citizens aren’t going to help us. And no other nation is going to help us either.  Our only help and hope is from God, who is not too pleased with our baby murdering, homosexuality promoting, unjust, greed saturated, self-centered, post-modern humanistic nation with its watered down churches.  So what can we do?  That will have to come in a later post, but until then let me give you some bullet points.

Again, I am not prophet.  I am no political analyst.  I am not a very smart man at all.  So, take these with a grain of salt, adjust them, add to them, but do something.

1.  We must prepare spiritually.  We must humble ourselves, pray, turn to God, and repent in sackcloth and ashes.

2.  We must prepare mentally.  We need to get our minds wrapped around the fact that the course we are on must someday come to an end.  We don’t want to be tossed off of the plantation and share-cropping for the next 100 years without at least mentally preparing for the difficulties and dangers ahead.  Get your mind prepared for trials.

3.  We must prepare financially.  Get out of debt and get out of debt fast.  Sell everything you have and start over with a 1970 model car and a 1970 model 14 by 60 mobile home on 1/8 of an acre if necessary.  Get over covetousness, greed, and the idea of the American dream and get out of debt!  

4.  We must prepare physically.  What are the necessities of physical life?  Make a list.  Try to prepare enough for your family, your neighbors, and so that you can offer hospitality to strangers during another depression-like era. 

5.  We must prepare socially.  One of the biggest needs that I see is community.  We live in an individualized, independent society where we park in closed garages and have privacy fences around our yards so that we do not have to see anyone.  If America falls, we will need each other.  Get involved in a church family where you can link arms with other men and women. 

Maybe I am wrong in my unprofessional analysis of the situation at hand in America.  I don’t claim to be an authority for sure.  I know my bullet list of what we should be doing is probably weak and very little help.  But, I hope that at least we can agree that with the economy of our nation, the immorality of our nation, the anarchy of our nation (just look at Ferguson, MO) as well as an ebola pandemic threatening our nation, we are not on a hopeful course in America or the world.  I fear the hand is writing on the wall and we have been weighed in the balances and found wanting.  My hope is that we will at least turn off the ball game long enough to realize it.  

August Update

Dear Friend of Mission Surge,

It has been a little while since I have last sent an update, so I wanted to take a brief moment this morning to bring you up to speed on what is happening and how you can pray for us.

I.  Oblivious

First, I ask you to continue to pray that God would use the Oblivious Documentary to awaken, challenge, and communicate the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Please pray that God would use this film.  If you have not watched it yet, I would encourage you to take 28 minutes to view it.  Then share it on Facebook, Twitter, and/or through email and word of mouth.  

You can click here to watch:  http://www.obliviousfilm.com

You can also listen to a radio interview with Kevin Swanson’s Generations Radio program concerning the film here:  http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=72141242161

Please help us to get this film out by sharing on Facebook…again and again, Twitter, and emails.  

You can purchase a download of the film that you can burn and distribute at http://www.obliviousfilm.com  Just click store, purchase the download, and we will send you instructions on how to download a copy to your computer.  You are free to burn and distribute as many copies from this download as you want!  Also if you would like to purchase a physical copy, you can do so at http://www.obliviousfilm.com by clicking on store and choosing DVD.  If you purchase one of the physical DVD’s, we will send you a second one free to give away.  All of the funds generated from this effort are used to produce more evangelistic material to distribute in an effort to continue getting the gospel out.  

Please pray for this effort!

II.  Speaking Engagements

I want to ask you to pray of me August 17th as I preach at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Florence.  Also, remember me on Monday, September 7th and Tuesday, September 8th as I preach at FBC Lyman, MS on the holiness of God!  

I want to ask you to please join with me in prayer as well as I seek to schedule preaching engagements for 2015.  I am praying that God would open doors for me to preach harvest days, revivals, family discipleship conferences, and mission conferences.  I am praying that God would give opportunities to go and share about Mission Surge.  Please pray that my speaking schedule would fill up soon.  This is not just a desire, but a need!  Please say a prayer now if you will.  And, if your church could possibly use me next year, please let me know as soon as possible!  

You can listen to sermons at Providence and elsewhere by clicking on the following links.  Please listen and come back each week for more messages!

http://www.sermonaudio.com/search.asp?speakeronly=true&currsection=sermonsspeaker&keyword=Dr._A._Kevin_Ivy

http://www.sermonaudio.com/search.asp?speakeronly=true&currsection=sermonsspeaker&keyword=Kevin_Ivy

III.  Mission Work

Please pray for our partners, Coram Deo, RMI, and ECCI.  Pray for Giacomo Lerici, Andrea Artioli, Peter Vimal, and Jerry Marcellino as they seek to expand the Kingdom of God on earth!  You can learn more about their ministries by going to the Mission Surge website and exploring the “From the Field” tab.  http://www.missionsurge.com

We are still praying, planning and working towards God’s will in the Dominican Republic, Martinique, and in other areas of Latin America.  More news coming soon.  Please pray for God’s wisdom, discernment, insight, understanding, knowledge, leadership, guidance, direction, and power to prevail in this effort.

I covet your prayers!  I appreciate your support of Mission Surge!  I thank you for your emails and words of encouragement.  I thank those of you who have been led of God to give financially to help support me and my family directly as we have sought to devote ourselves to a church plant and Mission Surge.  God has used your prayers, gifts, and support to lift a weight off of us this year.  I am not sure how we would have made it without you.  God has been gracious to provide for our needs through you this year and we are grateful to God for you!

Please pray that God would do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we could ask or imagine throughout the remainder of 2014 and into 2015.  Thanks again!

In Christ,

Kevin

June News

Dear Friends of Mission Surge,

I wanted to send out this update in order to remind you of several things and ask for your prayers.

1.  Dominican Republic / Martinique Trip

I have prayerfully decided to postpone the trip.  Many factors played into this decision.  I have been able to communicate with our partner there and everything is still on schedule for the conference.  I just felt that, at this time, it would be best if I did not make the trip.  Please pray that God would lead, guide, and direct concerning his will for the next Dominican effort and journey to Martinique.  Thank you for your prayers in this regard.

2.  Oblivious

The Oblivious documentary will be released Tuesday, July 1.  I would greatly appreciate your prayers for this effort.  I would appreciate you sharing the film through email, on Facebook, Twitter, Vimeo, word of mouth, and through the DVD’s available on the website.  Help us get the word out…but more importantly please please pray that God would pour out His grace upon this effort and upon everyone who watches.  I do not say that to sound “holy.”  I say that because if I came to any conclusions throughout this process, it is this:  we need the Holy Spirit to do a mighty work of awakening people in the Bible belt and this nation!  Please please pray that God’s Spirit would work through this short film to open eyes, ears, hearts, and minds to the Gospel.  Please join me in praying for an awakening.  

We will be showing the film Sunday at 2 p.m. at Providence Baptist Church in Clinton, MS.  If you are able to come over, please plan to join us.  You will be able to ask questions and also be entered for a chance to win a free hard copy of the film.  

To learn more about the film you can go to www.obliviousfilm.com  or you can go to www.missionsurge.com and click on the Oblivious banner.

3.  Speaking Opportunities

If you, or your church, could use me for a harvest day, revival, family discipleship conference, or mission conference, please let me know!  Also, I am available on Sunday evenings and Wednesday’s to come and share about the work of Mission Surge with your congregation or small groups.  Please pray that God would open doors!

4.  Finally, stay in the loop by frequenting our website, following us on Twitter, liking us on Facebook, following the blog etc.  The links are below!  Take time now to check them out.  

http://kevinivy.blogspot.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mission-Surge/145423062144598?ref_type=bookmark

https://twitter.com/missionsurge

www.missionsurge.com

www.obliviousfilm.com

Please pray for me, Mission Surge, our efforts, and our missionaries and ministries around the world every time we come to mind.  We covet your prayer support! 

In Christ,

Kevin