Christian Report October 2022
Report From Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and Pease ANG Base
I’ve been with CMF for a long time. A long time. I’ve been blessed to be a member for over 44 years and on staff for over 40. But despite my service to the military through CMF, in 2018, I began to realize that I missed the fellowship of military believers in a local chapel. So, began my attendance at the Sunday worship services at Thresher Memorial Chapel on Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine. I believe the LORD called me to get back to local military ministry in order to better encourage CMF Members to reach out no matter where the LORD has placed them. What a blessing to be among fellow believers from the Navy, Coast Guard, Air National Guard, as well as veterans and retirees from all branches. And it was amazing to again hear the Gospel proclaimed from the pulpit of a military chapel!
The LORD also blessed me with fellowship. I met Retired PO1 Charles Piazza, USN that very first Sunday at Portsmouth. That meeting began a close fellowship that continues to this day. Charles was the coordinator for a Wednesday Lunchtime fellowship that met in the recreation center movie room. For over 30 years military members, civilian workers, and contractors have been meeting there on a weekly basis for Bible study. When Covid closed the doors of the Recreation Center, we began meeting in the “Mall,” a park near the shipyard flagpole. When Covid caused most of the base to be sent home with laptops to work remotely, Chaplain Briggs began hosting a Bible study on Zoom. Covid is no obstacle for the LORD! Instead, these restrictions became a testament to the commitment of the believers to meet and be witnesses to their peers. If fulfilling the Great Commission is your priority, you will find a way to be salt and light to those around you!
I am committed to the Lunchtime Fellowship at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. The commitment of the members to serve God by being His salt and light in a dying and darkened world continues to amaze me. It is unknown this side of Heaven what their many prayers for those on the base have accomplished, but we know that the prayers of the righteous avail much. This fellowship has also been a beautiful lesson to me that I don’t necessarily need to start something to serve the LORD; He may already have the opportunity in place, just waiting for me to walk in those steps and serve alongside others.
For years I had been praying for finding a way to reach out to Pease Air National Guard Base, 10 to 15 minutes from the shipyard on the other side of the river near Portsmouth, NH. Through an invitation to a men’s breakfast from a friend from the shipyard, I was put in contact with Andy Crone, a contractor who led a Lunchtime Fellowship on Pease. The Pease fellowship met faithfully for nine months. Unfortunately, Andy’s company lost their contract and will no longer be able to hold the meeting. Please pray along with me that the LORD will continue this fellowship as well!
Greg Holm serves as Directory of Field Ministry and coordinates the Battle Plan for CMF. He retired as a MSgt from the US Air Force and Colorado Air National Guard after 31 years of service.
Choose Wisely
I was very thankful to learn so much about mental health in my first MS program in Counseling and Human Development at Troy State University many decades ago. As I’ve continued to practice as a psycho-social and spiritual care provider, I discovered through the years, that much of the battle people wage begins in their mind.
Call it “The Enemy” or just our own propensity to get down on ourselves, but the way we feel is typically an overflow of our own thoughts. We are in a fight for our lives and our well-being, and the field where the battle exists is between our ears. We must learn how to take every thought captive.
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)
God’s Word reminds us that we get to choose what we focus on. But we must, as the old Knight encouraged Indiana Jones, “Choose wisely!”
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8)
Have you ever thought about the fact that we can think about what we think about? We get to decide which thoughts we dwell on. It’s our choice! And it’s incredible, how quickly our mood, confidence, and outlook on life can change for the better when we start focusing on the right stuff.
Paul knew we would be fighting this battle, and he since God showed him that the battleground is in the mind, he commanded us to start thinking about what we think about. We can have God’s peace. Victory is possible!
“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7)
The key to finding peace is to remember all the amazing things God has already done in our lives.
God has given us great victories through the years, but in the heat of battle, when we are in the middle of a storm, it is so easy to forget about all the good and focus on the bad.
Therefore, Paul urged us to start reflecting on the past and purposefully remembering all the true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy things God has already done. Seeing what God has already done for us is a massive weapon for defeating anxiety and depression.
Anxiety and fear are key weapons of the enemy. Satan will attack, but remembering God’s faithfulness and victories in our lives is how we can stand firm and then go on the offensive again.
Dr. Doug Sullivan is the Chairman of the Board for CMF. He is a prior-enlisted, prior-line officer who then became a USAF chaplain and retired in 2006. Lt. Col Sullivan continues to serve as the Command Staff Chaplain for the Texas Civil Defense.
Sharing Jesus Part 5 — The Response
So far, we have discussed the problem of evil in the world and the source of that problem in Adam’s sin against God with our friend ‘Pat’. We discovered that the root cause of the evil deeds of men is also called sin and that it’s a problem we all have, again thanks to Adam rebelling against God. Thankfully, we also discovered that God presented a solution to the problem of the human sinful nature, in the person of Jesus Christ, his own Son, whom He sent to die on behalf of those who would repent of their sin and believe the message of the gospel - that Christ died for the sins of men. The message of the gospel requires a response.
Understand that as you approach the need for responding to the gospel, you and Pat are standing on Holy Ground. Approach the moment with much prayer - prayer that the Holy Spirit will let you know when the moment has arrived, and prayer that God will continue His supernatural work of drawing Pat to the foot of the Cross.
Be gentle; don’t apply any pressure. Don’t ‘push’ for a response. That means forget emotional appeals. Let God do His work. It’s entirely possible that, in the course of your conversation, Pat has privately trusted in Christ for salvation but just not told you. You might have to part ways before getting to a response. Don’t fret. God began the work in Pat and will bring it to pass.
With that in mind, and as one pastor (Alistair Begg) suggests, a couple of simple questions for your friend might be appropriate:
1. Based on what we’ve been talking about, do you personally trust in Christ for your salvation or are you still on the way?
If God has already brought Pat to a place of repentance and belief, you will find out and you can rejoice together. If you hear something like “I guess I’m still on the way.” You might ask:
2. How far along the way are you?
It’s a simple question that will require some thought to answer. Maximum sensitivity is needed here! (Satan hates this and will try and disrupt things.) Real difficulties in peoples’ lives sometime surface. Your friend might want to go and think about it. Don’t push. Say something like “If you must leave, that’s okay.” Continue the conversation!
3. If you hear “I’m pretty far along the way”, you can say something like:
“Would you like to accept Jesus and be sure of your salvation?” Remember, you are standing on Holy Ground at that moment. When the answer is “yes”, you need to add one more thing to the conversation before leading in a prayer of response.
The last part of the conversation before a response should be about cost of becoming a Christian. Very few people ever talk about this all-important subject. With the goal of obtaining a ‘decision’ for Christ, many of us charge right ahead without even mentioning it. However, obtaining decisions isn’t our goal. Our only goal is that a lost sinner repents of sin and genuinely trusts in Christ for salvation.
You can say something like “The moment you become a Christian, you must repent of sin. True Christian repentance involves not only a heartfelt conviction of sin, sorrow over the offense to God, but a turning away from the sinful way of life, and a turning towards a God-honoring way of life. Are you ready for a revolution? To say no to sin, self, and secrecy?”
If God has done His work, the answer will still be ‘yes’. You might be asked to explain what the ‘revolution’ would look like. Be ready to lovingly share passages of scripture that talk about some of the ‘challenges’ facing the Christian who is open about his/her faith ((Matt. 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23). Talk about the attitude of the world toward Christians. The one whom God, not your clever speech, has brought to the Cross of Christ will be inwardly ready for the challenge.
It’s then that you can lead in a serious and solemn prayer:
“Dear Lord Jesus, I admit that I’m a helpless sinner before you. I’ve tried to clean up my act so many times and failed. I believe that the Bible is true when it says that You are the savior for my sin. I’ve considered the revolution that will come. I ask You to forgive me of my sin and enable me to turn from sin and turn in faith to You. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Give me a desire for Your Word and to share the good news with others. Number me among those who are your own. In Your name, Amen.”
Be mindful that a prayer like the above example is not part of a ‘formula’ for or ‘method’ of evangelism. Such a prayer is a response to a message that by nature demands a response. Such a prayer summarizes the conversation that has been going on for days, or weeks, or perhaps months. Therefore, the content of the prayer is what’s important. It restates the problem (sin), the solution to the problem (Christ’s substitutionary death), and contains a personal plea for mercy and forgiveness, trusting that God will make good on His offer of salvation.
Also remember that the ‘Amen’ at the end of the prayer is just the beginning for the one who has now cast themselves upon the mercy of God and now believes in Christ for salvation. “Pat” is now a new creation in Christ, for the Bible tells us:
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” – 2 Cor 5:17
And finally, be ready to walk with new believers and help them grow!
SGM Daniel Cartwright, USA (Ret.) is a 28-year veteran of the U.S. Army Special Forces and long-time member of Christian Military Fellowship. Dan is a Local Representative at Ft. Carson in Colorado. He also serves on the CMF Board of Directors.
Are You Interested in Becoming a Local Leader?
Christian Military Fellowship exists to help you fulfill your calling in Christ to share the hope that is in you with those with whom you interact as part of your daily life.
Remember our motto, in keeping with the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) is: “To win , to disciple, to equip, to win”!
Toward that end we encourage you to complete the briefing material we send to our new members:
Orientation (Brief #1) that shares an overview of the CMF ministry.
Developing a Local Ministry (Brief #2) that shares the Biblical foundation for you local ministry and delineates the logical steps in beginning your local ministry.
Pray and Plan (Brief #3) that shares the most important activity of all! Asking Jesus what He would have you to do and then being obedient to follow His leading in your local ministry. This will begin your journey of obedience to the Great Commission (Matthew 18:28-30).
If you choose to begin this process, you may send your completed and signed exams to us by US Mail or via email at:
Leader@CMFHQ.ORG
They are also available at the CMF Web Site at Members Only->Member Downloads->Be a Leader tab.
We’re praying for you!
Christian Military Fellowship
An Indigenous Ministry • Discipleship • Prayer • Community • Support
Encouraging Men and Women in the United States Armed Forces, and their families, to love and serve the Lord Jesus Christ.
We are members of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability and Christian Service Charities in order to maintain the highest standards of excellence and accountability.
We are pleased to announce that MinistryWatch has listed CMF as one of their “Shining Light” Ministries. To become a MinistryWatch “Shining Light,” a ministry must have earned a 5-star rating on MinistryWatch’s 5-star financial efficiency scale. Further, those ministries on this list have a Transparency Grade of “A.” That’s MinistryWatch’s highest transparency grade. Out of 700 ministries, only 13 meet these strict criteria.
Mailing Address:
PO Box 449
Veradale, WA 99037-0449
(800)798-7875
(303)761-1959
https://www.CMFHQ.ORG