John
15:16-17
“Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained
you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit
should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my
name, he may give it you. These things I command you that ye love
one another.”
Chaplain
Fellowship Ministries is a ministry of presence dedicated to serving
and fulfilling the great commission of our Lord Jesus Christ.
A major part of the chaplain’s role in any crisis is “presence”,
but the chaplain is never alone doing God’s work. God is
always present with the chaplain. This presence empowers the chaplain
to provide effective, appropriate spiritual support within the
context of the crisis.
It
is a compassionate God that choose to be “God with us”
and it is the chaplain represents the presence of God in the aftermath
of a disaster or crisis. If one looks at the so-called “heroes
of faith” they all have one thing in common. They are just
ordinary people with a mighty presence of God in their ministries.
A
chaplain demonstrates this presence by being present in the suffering.
Many experts call the ministry of a chaplain the “ministry
of listening and feeling.” The chaplain uses prayer, the
spoken word, the Holy Scriptures, service, and listening what
a victim has to say in this demonstration. A victim needs to tell
their story, vent their anger, and validate their feelings to
begin the healing process. Practicing the presence of God requires
acts of service.
Matthew
25:35-40
“For I was hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty,
and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, an ye took me in: Naked,
and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison,
and ye came unto me: Then shall the righteous answer him, saying,
Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, fed thee? Or thirsty, and
gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in?
Or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison,
and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them,
Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of
the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”
- If a chaplain is able to follow these scriptures and others
they are in the process of doing the Lord’s work.
Today
there is a tremendous amount of tension in balancing our convictions
and cultural acceptance. With the deteriorating influence of the
church in our society, this tension rises for chaplains of deep
faith and convictions. Even though we live in a multicultural
society the chaplain must not hesitate to demonstrate compassion
by ministry action. They must look at the need for compassion
and not be affected by race, gender or religion. Their actions
must exhibit compassion and God’s love for all people.
When
Jesus prayed in the upper room before his crucifixion. He did
not say to God, our heavenly Father, “I have finished the
work.” He said, “I have finished the work You gave me
to do.” And that is significant. When Christ left this world,
he had not cured all the sick, healed all the lame and fed all
the hungry. Many lame still limped, many blind still could not
see, many deaf still could not hear and many hungry were still
un-fed. We won’t be able to accomplish or complete everything
that needs to be done. But, then, God does not expect us to.
The
most important work, task or duty we have to do in life is to
live each day as fully as we are able and to manifest God’s
Divine glory, will and purpose in our body in every moment of
time we experience and every place we travel in our earthly journey.
A
prayer for WISDOM AND GUIDANCE:
Heavenly Father, you say if we lack knowledge, we can ask and
you will give it to us freely. I ask for your wisdom and guidance
in my life. I ask that you would reveal your will to me and help
me to hear your voice in all things. Thank you for ordering my
steps and making them sure, in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
A
prayer for fear:
Heavenly Father, thank you that you have not given me a spirit
of fear, but of love and power and a sound mind. My Father, I
know that fear is not from you. You are the author of peace. I
ask you to fill me with your peace. I resist all fear in the name
of Jesus. Thank you that I have the peace of God that surpasses
all understanding, in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Note:
Many
of the chaplains who have come to Chaplain Fellowship Ministries
did not have the finances needed for training or for their membership.
Through the blessing of others they received their membership
and training by grants. If you would like to help Chaplain Fellowship
train and recruit chaplains for the mission field you can do so
by making a donation. Your donation will help provide these grants
for many who are called into ministry. All donations no matter
how small are a wonderful blessing and will help add more and
more chaplains to the mission field helping others who are suffering
or in need. With
the Lords' guidance, blessings and grace our members are making
a difference worldwide. Chaplain Fellowship Ministries is a 501(c)
3 Public Charity.
All donations are deductible. May
God bless you always!
Dr. Bruce E. Francis
™Chaplain
Fellowship Ministries International Inc. is a nondenominational
ministry of presence with ministers, pastors, reverends, priests
and bishops serving worldwide as chaplains. ©Chaplain
Fellowship Ministries International Inc.
