Norm & Kathleen Rasmussen: Current Directors
Maybe you're not familiar with some very important and insightful scriptures that address issues of "eternal rewards." Some people "assume" that God will reward everyone equally the same that make it to heaven. Although just making it to heaven is the greatest reward any of us can be given of God ... the Holy Bible indicates that joys in heaven we will be given may be greatly influenced by what we do after we have made Jesus our Savior and Lord here on earth. Will investing our time, talents and treasures (finances) in God's work before we get to heaven affect to any degree what heaven will hold for each of us? Scripture indicates: "YES!"
Seriously consider this portion of scripture were Jesus says:
"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where thieves do not break in and steal. For where you treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:19-21).
Obviously Jesus is telling us that eternity needs to be the object of our love and focus ... not just what we can get ("earthly rewards") during our stay here on earth. If our only concerns are to use our time, giftings and finances to seek earthly pleasure, Holy Scripture says we are unwise, in light of eternity.
The apostle Paul was taken to the third heaven (See: 2 Corinthians 12:4) and heard inexpressible words He was not allowed to specifically talk about when he came back to earth. Could Paul's clear declaration in 2 Corinthians 9:6 of giving and receiving be a "strong hint" of some of what he heard in the third heaven when he states?:
"But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully."
The Holy Spirit through Paul's statement of sowing and reaping sounds as matter-of-fact as the Law of Gravity. Try to violate gravity and you suffer the consequences, right? Sowing time, talents and finances into ministries like Precious Testimonies that glorify Jesus Christ and God's Word, and are helping people either come to Jesus Christ and/or grow in their relationship with Christ is how we can invest or partner with Jesus to have the Father's will accomplished here on Earth ... and "lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven" in the process.
What greater "treasures" can we lay up in heaven for God and ourselves than lost souls from earth?
Remember however ... the one thing we can't do in heaven is lead a sinner to Christ.
Seeking to win souls to our heavenly Father through our Lord Jesus Christ are the "treasures" this ministry purposes to lay up for eternity in heavenly places. We invite you to be a part of that.
Our staff is truly fortunate in seeing God use Precious Testimonies Evangelistic Ministries touching others for people's spiritual growth and God's glory. We hope and pray that you too clearly see the Spirit of Jesus Christ in this ministry ... working with the rest of the Body of Christ to accomplish the Father's will for the human race, which is the reclaiming or reconciliation of lost souls.
Think of the eternal ramifications these following scriptures address -- Jesus is doing the speaking:
"He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall be no means lose his reward." (Matthew 10:41-42 NAS)
"When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations (individual people- emphasis ours) will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from he goats. And He will separate the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.
"Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
'For I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink: I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'
(Notice now the following wording): "Then the RIGHTEOUS (NOT the unrighteous; not the goats -- emphasis ours) will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'
"And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren (those who are being drawn to Jesus Christ, or those who are already current disciples of Jesus Christ -- emphasis ours) you did it to Me.'"
Thus the point that we want to make is that when you give anything of value to Precious Testimonies ... you are partnering with Jesus Himself! How so, you may be wanting to know. The answer is very simple. This ministry does not belong to any human beings. This ministry belongs to God. The people on staff are just stewards that God uses to shape His ministry into what He desires for it to be. Thus when you give to Precious Testimonies ... you literally are giving and partnering with GOD!
The Holy Spirit through the hand of apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:58 wrote these priceless and insightful words for everyone sympathetic to the Christian cause of helping fulfill The Great Commission:
"Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord."
Every unselfish prayer you pray for this evangelistic ministry, or any other Bible-based ministry ... or for any individual that somehow involves their relationship with God ... you will be rewarded. Every time you let God use your testimony ... you will be rewarded. Every time you pass along "good spiritual Internet seed" to someone or someplace else ... you will be rewarded. Every time you show unselfish love to another ... you will be rewarded.
Thus we ask that you seek the Lord about sowing prayer to HIM on behalf of this ministry ... "knowing that your labor of prayer will not be in vain."
Why do we see prayer as the most important thing this ministry needs? Several reasons:
First off, prayer is what makes any ministry effective on God's behalf. Prayer brings increased grace. We desire this ministry to have God's maximized grace upon it all times ... to reach as many lost souls as possible as we can.
Secondly, Christians are increasingly contacting this ministry for emergency prayer. They are struggling in different areas of their life and many are close to the edge of falling into realms of anger at God that then triggers doubt, fear and unbelief that desires to topple their faith in God's Word and in Christ Himself. Demonic influence is alive and well and growing in intensity and every seasoned Christian is aware of it. We want the words on this website and on our tapes to impart life (deliverance, hope, encouragement, faith, healing) to battle weary souls. Those on staff who pray for people contacting the ministry for prayer need to hear clearly from the Holy Spirit about each person, because sometimes people really need more than just prayer. They need some words of comfort or encouragement or spiritual insight to help get them over their hurdles. Healthy sheep are dangerous to Satan. Unhealthy sheep pose little threat.
Thirdly, prayer keeps our staff protected. It keeps the ministry protected. It keeps those who submit testimonies to Precious Testimonies protected. God's protection from evil is never just automatically always "granted or to be assumed." It must be prayed for ... daily. Jesus told us that in the Lord's Prayer.
Fourthly, prayer brings increased finances into the ministry to pay ministry expenses and to expand the ministry's effectiveness. It may or may not be of any importance to you, but since the beginning of this ministry, no salaries have been paid to the staff. The staff supports themselves as God enables them through outside means.
Please let us know if you are praying regularly for Precious Testimonies. We want to keep you updated on important prayer requests.
PRINT COPIES OF THESE CHRISTIAN TESTIMONIES AND EMAIL THEM TO OTHERS: Some people do this on a regular basis. Some people send one testimony a day to someone else. None of us know how God might use the testimonies or other writings on this site that get sent to others -- especially those that get sent to the unsaved.
Another way to reach out to the unsaved is to supply us with email addresses of loved ones and friends you are praying for. You can easily do this by filling out a Ministry Encourager Form ( MINISTRY Encouragers ) with their name and email address on it. They can always unsubscribe if they want, and they won't know it came from you.
SOW YOUR TESTIMONY: God will never use your testimony to the degree that He is able if you never write it down or tell it audibly and/or visually. Investing your testimony (a well-told, Jesus-glorifying testimony, hint-hint) is one of the wisest investments you could ever make this side of eternity.
If for some reason you can't seem to get the grace to write you own testimony, but can get the grace to write someone else's, please pray about forwarding someone else's testimony to us to publish.
Even seeking permission from other testimony website overseers to publish testimonies they have on their site on this site as well can be of great value to the Lord.
SOWING TESTIMONY LINK PARTNERS: You can add the button shown below to your church, business or ministry website. It is simple and will allow people to find a testimony containing words you enter into the Testimony Search form. It also allows people in your church to find our website easier so they can submit their testimony.
Adding a Testimony Search
MEIJER COMMUNITY AWARDS: If you shop at a Meijer Store, a portion
of most everything you buy there can be directed toward this ministry.
Click on the Meijer icon below for specific details.
Learn how you can help us share the love of God with the hurting. Click above.
FINANCIAL HISTORY
Following are the yearly amount of donations the ministry has received since 1996. You can click on the following link: Yearly contributions
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