Wednesday, November 11, 2015

For Whom are You Thankful? Who Is Thankful For You?



Romans 1:8 (KJV) First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.
Philippians 1:3 (KJV) I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,
1 Thessalonians 1:2 (KJV) We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers;
2 Thessalonians 1:3 (KJV) We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth;
Philemon 1:4 (KJV) I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers,

It is the season to give thanks.  We do well to remember those for whom we are thankful and be a person for whom others are thankful.  May each of us live in such a way as to bless others.  May we make someone’s burden lighter.  May we touch someone so deeply that he or she senses the hand of our Lord Jesus at work within.  May we cause someone to feel loved and accepted unconditionally.  May we bring cheer and happiness to those around us.  May those we love never feel alone.

Teresa and I give thanks for our family and friends, especially those who stand by our side as we do the work of an evangelist.  These people are to us as Aaron and Hur were to the prophet Moses, holding up our hands as we endeavor to provide leadership and ministry with the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

First, we are thankful for those who pray for our ministry.  This prayer covering shields us from the attack of the enemy.  He attacks but he cannot defeat us.  He may knock us down but he cannot knock us out.  He is bound in failure because of Him to Whom our family and friends pray for our protection and success.  Prayer brings good to us rather than the evil that the enemy intended.  Recently, a man told me the Lord had revealed things to him about an experience in my life and ministry.  He said the Lord has set me free and is launching me into a greater ministry than I have ever known.  What a Word from the Lord!  May it be so!  I believe I am seeing this Word fulfilled.  God is raising up people who pray for us and our ministry each day.  We are thankful.

Second, we are thankful for those who promote our ministry.  Since March 2015, we have been honored to operate with the designation from Evangelism USA as National Evangelist of the International Pentecostal Holiness Church (IPHC).  It is my understanding that Teresa and I are the first itinerant evangelistic ministry to have this official designation, though the IPHC has been blessed with countless numbers of powerfully anointed evangelistic teams through the years.  We are grateful to the leadership of the IPHC on every level; general, conference, and local.  The IPHC General Officials encourage us through their lives and ministry.  The Conference Superintendents and Evangelism Directors who use us and encourage their pastors to invite us to minister in revivals, retreats, camp meetings, and special services help to open doors of opportunity for us.  Pastors, whose invitations allow us to minister in local churches, give us a place to utilize our abilities and exercise our spiritual gifts. 

People who log on to www.micksnider.org or LIKE the Mick Snider Ministries Facebook page and LIKE and SHARE posts from it or our personal Facebook pages help us reach more people with the message of Jesus Christ.  Each LIKE, SHARE, and COMMENT is a blessing to us and others.  We are thankful.

Third, we are thankful for those who provide for our ministry.  Since 1979 when Teresa and I left our employment as a therapist in a chiropractic practice and a steelworker, respectively, we have been in full-time ministry.  God, through the generosity of people, has provided for and met every need we have had.  As an evangelist, we have no set minimum fee for our services.  Some have asked if being the National Evangelist for the IPHC means that the denomination arranges my ministry schedule and financially underwrites my ministry.  The answer to both questions is no.  We operate completely by faith.  Admittedly, this means we experience times of sufficiency and shortfall. 

Most revival meetings run Sunday through Wednesday, five services.  In general, a full-time evangelist is able, at the most, to conduct about forty weeks of meetings each year due to the church calendar being affected with holidays, vacation seasons, Conference events, and other church events, etc., all of which prevent a local church from scheduling an evangelist for a revival.  This means the evangelist has about twelve weeks each year as down time with no income.  While the people in each local church do their best to provide a meaningful offering, the churches cannot offset a full fiscal quarter of no income for an evangelist.  God is touching the hearts of congregations, individuals, families, and business owners and using them to provide financial support each month to help offset the shortfall.  The regular and faithful giving of churches and our ministry partners makes it possible for Teresa and me to do what we do. 

Prayer support can be given on a 24/7 basis.  Financial support can be given in a couple of ways.  The quickest way to get funds to us is to write a check payable  and send to Mick Snider Ministries, Inc., 6809 S 1ST Street, Broken Arrow, OK, 74011.  Because Mick Snider Ministries, Inc. is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501 (c) 3 non-profit corporation, we provide a letter of thanks and acknowledgement to assist donors with their tax returns.  Another way to help fund this ministry (this may take about three months for the funds to arrive in our office) is to give through a local IPHC congregation or write a check payable and send to Evangelism USA, P.O. Box 270420, OKC, OK, 73137.  NOTE:  Giving through the IPHC must be marked with the account #03129PxMSnider. 

The generosity of God and those He uses to support Mick Snider Ministries, Inc. provides the funds necessary for our personal needs and those of the ministry.  Each church that assists with the expenses of airfare, car rental, lodging, meals, etc. blesses our ministry immeasurably.  The individuals and businesses who partner with us are of inestimable value.  We could not fulfill our mission without the faithful support of our family, friends, and partners.  We are grateful.

So, if you ever wonder if anyone is thankful for you, the answer is a resounding YES!  We who minister under the name Mick Snider Ministries and those to whom we minister are thankful for you.  We are grateful.

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