CONGRATULATION!

[PACE]

Dear Byeong,

Congratulations on your book, Reflection on the Lay Pastors Ministry and leadership in making the School which will be vital to authentic, quality, and effective Ministry of Lay Pastoral Care into the future of the churches in Nagaland India.

God will bless you for the strenuous effort you are giving to this project! However, as we leaders of Christian ministry know, it takes more to do God's work that our "strenuous effort." Jesus puts this way, "Apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). He also said, "It is the Father, living in me who am doing his work." Somehow, in the mystery of God, His Son, and His Spirit...the triune God...with and in us, we are able to get His work done.

That's what you are participating in, God's work. God has a lot to say to us who do his work about perseverance...(1) "You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised" (Heb. 10:36); (2) "By faith Moses. . . persevered because he saw him who is invisible" (Heb. 10:22, 27); (3) "...let us run with perseverance the race marked our for us" (Heb. 12:1). One more..."Make every effort to add to your faith. . .perseverance..." (II Pet. 1:5-6).

If you ever get exhausted, tired or even discouraged, I have been faced with those negatives for the years I led the LPMI from in just our church in Cincinnati, Ohio. My strength is Psalm 1:3, "Whatever he does prospers." Simple! Our job is to do the works; God's job is to make it prosper. Whatever it is you are doing, the end result will prove God's formula works!

I am very interested in what you have written book for I know God will prosper it.

Dr. Melvin J. Steinbron

Founder Lay Pastors Ministry, Incorporated (LPMI) USA