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As some of you know, I had to leave Tanzania a bit earlier than planned because I received a call that my father's health was in very rapid decline. I would like to thank you for your prayers.
Bec and I left Mbeya in the deep southwest of Tanzania last Friday afternoon and traveled by automobile for a day and a half in order to catch the next available flight out of Dar es Salaam, which was on Sunday morning. Without going into the details, I will only say that I was able to make arrangements with British Airways at Heathrow to get us home earlier than I had previously thought possible. Our original estimated time of arrival at my father's home had been about 10 p.m. on Monday night. However, because of the BA representative's compassionate help, we were able to arrive on Monday afternoon at 1:20 p.m. Every day for four days I had called my daddy and had told him that I was on my way and that I was coming as fast as I possibly could. Before I left for Tanzania in mid-January, he had urged me to go on with my work and had promised me he would be there when I got back. In an extremely faint whisper, he had said, "I'll be here. I may not be able to talk. But I'll be here." So during my four day sprint to his house, he struggled greatly to fulfill his final promise to me. When I walked in the door on Monday, I fell down beside him in tears of joy. My dear Bec kissed and hugged him. He had made it! God had enabled him to wait until we arrived.
I sang and talked and prayed with him over the next several hours there in his bedroom. After some time had passed, I began to feel that he was looking at heavenly realities. I of course could not know for certain, but I began to tell him that I believed that he was seeing things that I could not see. I do think he was. He was very peaceful. Then at about 8:55 p.m. he left us. How thankful I am to the Lord that Bec and I arrived at 1:20 p.m. instead of 10:00 p.m.
Today, as you would expect, my heart is lifted toward heaven in an unusual way, and my thoughts are drawn forward to that which awaits us. I'd like to share some of those thoughts with you.
In a little while, you and I will follow my daddy and all of our other believing loved ones. Yes, we will experience the joy of seeing one another face to face again, and we will marvel at the beauty into which our Savior will have transformed us. But there is something much greater that is awaiting us! Something that will far exceed the joy of our standing face to face with one another! It is that indescribable, infinitely delightful, shoulder to shoulder experience of standing before the One on whose robe and on whose thigh is written the name, "King of Kings and Lord of Lords!"
Yes, I look forward to seeing my mother. Yes, I look forward to seeing my father. I look forward to seeing my daughter Rebecca Elizabeth and my granddaughter Madeleine Grey. But much, much, much more than that, I look forward to standing beside them, as our friend C. S. Lewis says, "looking at the same thing." I look forward to our ears being filled with the sound of "the loud voice of a multitude in heaven", as we all join with them in saying, "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God . . . ." That vast multitude's voice will be "as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, 'Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.'"
There we will stand, you and I, side by side, in the midst of millions upon millions of men and women, clothed in the whitest white linen of righteousness. There we will be, surrounded by the holy angels, the worshiping warriors of heaven, with our eyes fixed on the Great King and our voices raised in highest and loudest praise. What a day that will be!
On Saturday morning at ten o'clock, I will stand before a gathering in a small, white frame church out in the country about two hundred yards from my daddy's house, and I will seek to give words that properly honor his life. But more importantly, I hope to give words that will honor his Savior, who listened to the prayers of many people, some of whom prayed for my daddy for decades. God heard their many prayers (and mine) and saved my daddy from his sins and from the wrath to come. I give praise to our Redeemer!
Thank you again for all of your prayers. I would greatly appreciate your continued prayers, especially for the service this Saturday.
In the grace and mercy of our Savior,
Rodney
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
The Mission Foundation Letter, January 17, 2011
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Dear friends,
First of all, we want to THANK YOU for your prayers and for your financial support of our ministry. We can never say thank you enough. It is because of your participation with us in Gospel ministry that we are able to do the things that God has called us to do. So once again – Thank you!
TANZANIA: This Thursday, January 20th, Bec and I will leave for Tanzania where we continue to work alongside Tanzanian leaders in the development of a national expository preaching movement. You may remember that it was through the invitation of Rev. Frank Luvanda (Tanzanian pastor and former vice-principal of a Bible college) that in 2005 Dr. Simon Vibert (now vice-principal of Wycliff Hall, Oxford) and I were privileged to work with our Tanzanian brothers in the launching of this effort of Langham Preaching (John Stott Ministries). In 2006 Rev. Tony Swanson (British missionary with African Inland Mission who has served in Tanzania for many years) became involved in the work and has been a great colleague and friend. Because of the outstanding work done by Frank and Tony (both of whom live in Morogoro in central Tanzania), the movement has now spread to every region of the country.
I should also mention that Becky will again have the opportunity to teach women in Tanzania. I am very thankful to our Lord for this open door for her to use her gift.
This year we will be in Mbeya which is in the deep southwestern part of the country. Please pray for our safety in travel. Thanks.
Oxford: This Friday Bec and I will be meeting with Jonathan Lamb, Director of Langham Preaching. We will be discussing the book I have just completed on expository preaching and a number of other things. Also, we will be visiting Simon Vibert at Wycliff Hall and will be staying overnight with him and his wife Carrie and their children. We are very much looking forward to this time in Oxford.
Sheffield: After leaving Oxford, Bec and I will travel up to Sheffield where we will have the opportunity to spend time with our brothers and sisters at Christ Church, Fulwood, the congregation with whom I served as part of the interim pastoral team in 2005. The Thursday Morning Men’s Prayer Breakfast which we launched during that year is still a thriving group, and they continue to focus on praying for men who have not yet come to know Christ. Would you please take a moment to pray for those men?
The Gathering of Men: During my time away, Tyler Lafauci will be teaching at The Gathering of Men luncheon. As some of you know, Tyler has been a faithful servant to the men of our city for many years. Please pray for him.
Missions Conference at Christ Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Houston – February 20th: We are looking forward to being with our dear friends Will and Christina Whitaker who serve on the missions committee of Christ Pres. I hope that those of you who are in Houston might possibly be able to join us.
Thank you again for all that you do to help us. We pray that you will be blessed with clear understandings regarding your service to our King in 2011. We also pray that the Lord will fill you with a love-motivated zeal for the accomplishment of the missions He has for you. Please pray the same for us.
In our merciful and gracious Savior,
Rod and Bec
Dear friends,
First of all, we want to THANK YOU for your prayers and for your financial support of our ministry. We can never say thank you enough. It is because of your participation with us in Gospel ministry that we are able to do the things that God has called us to do. So once again – Thank you!
TANZANIA: This Thursday, January 20th, Bec and I will leave for Tanzania where we continue to work alongside Tanzanian leaders in the development of a national expository preaching movement. You may remember that it was through the invitation of Rev. Frank Luvanda (Tanzanian pastor and former vice-principal of a Bible college) that in 2005 Dr. Simon Vibert (now vice-principal of Wycliff Hall, Oxford) and I were privileged to work with our Tanzanian brothers in the launching of this effort of Langham Preaching (John Stott Ministries). In 2006 Rev. Tony Swanson (British missionary with African Inland Mission who has served in Tanzania for many years) became involved in the work and has been a great colleague and friend. Because of the outstanding work done by Frank and Tony (both of whom live in Morogoro in central Tanzania), the movement has now spread to every region of the country.
I should also mention that Becky will again have the opportunity to teach women in Tanzania. I am very thankful to our Lord for this open door for her to use her gift.
This year we will be in Mbeya which is in the deep southwestern part of the country. Please pray for our safety in travel. Thanks.
Oxford: This Friday Bec and I will be meeting with Jonathan Lamb, Director of Langham Preaching. We will be discussing the book I have just completed on expository preaching and a number of other things. Also, we will be visiting Simon Vibert at Wycliff Hall and will be staying overnight with him and his wife Carrie and their children. We are very much looking forward to this time in Oxford.
Sheffield: After leaving Oxford, Bec and I will travel up to Sheffield where we will have the opportunity to spend time with our brothers and sisters at Christ Church, Fulwood, the congregation with whom I served as part of the interim pastoral team in 2005. The Thursday Morning Men’s Prayer Breakfast which we launched during that year is still a thriving group, and they continue to focus on praying for men who have not yet come to know Christ. Would you please take a moment to pray for those men?
The Gathering of Men: During my time away, Tyler Lafauci will be teaching at The Gathering of Men luncheon. As some of you know, Tyler has been a faithful servant to the men of our city for many years. Please pray for him.
Missions Conference at Christ Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Houston – February 20th: We are looking forward to being with our dear friends Will and Christina Whitaker who serve on the missions committee of Christ Pres. I hope that those of you who are in Houston might possibly be able to join us.
Thank you again for all that you do to help us. We pray that you will be blessed with clear understandings regarding your service to our King in 2011. We also pray that the Lord will fill you with a love-motivated zeal for the accomplishment of the missions He has for you. Please pray the same for us.
In our merciful and gracious Savior,
Rod and Bec
Monday, December 27, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
The Gathering of Men
“The Humility of God the Son in the Incarnation, the Crucifixion,and His Enthronement in Heaven"
December 16, 2010
Scripture Reading: Philippians 2:5-11 – The following outline does not represent an exposition of this passage, but after writing this topically, I realized that we might well have focused ourselves entirely upon Paul’s words in Philippians 2. Hopefully, this outline will be a worthy guide for our meditation on this great virtue of our Heavenly King – humility!
I. The Humility of God the Son in the Incarnation: He was “sent” into His own world to become one of His own creatures and live in the spiritual squalor of human society.
Many times Jesus speaks of being sent. See for example John 7:29; John 17:3; and John 17:18 where He says “You sent me into the world.” The Son was sent by His Father.
A. From what was He sent? He was sent from the glory of His heavenly throne. (John 6:38; John 17:5) What was this glorious existence about?
LOVE – John 17:24 “You loved Me before the foundation of the world.”
A MUTUAL BEHOLDING – Though this is logically understood of the Godhead, we can happily listen to the Son speak of His beholding the Father in John 6:46 – “Not that any man has seen the Father, except the One Who is from God; He has seen the Father.”
THE GREATEST RELATIONAL INTIMACY – John 14:11 “I am in the Father and the Father in Me.” John 17:21 “You, Father, are in Me, and I in Thee.”
A SHARED HOLINESS – Isaiah 6 – “Holy, Holy, Holy”
B. Into what new identity, what new state of being, was He sent? God the Son became a real human – truly Mary’s son.
“He too shared in their humanity” (Hebrews 2:14). “He had to be made like His brothers in every way” (Heb. 2:17). “For we do not have a great high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). “He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since He Himself is subject to weakness” (Heb. 5:2).
See Matthew 4 – His 40 days in the Wilderness – Vs. 2 says, “He became hungry.” vs. 3 says, “The tempter came to Him.” Where did this temptation take place? vs. 1 says it was in the wilderness. In the Bible, the wilderness is the place where our confidence in God, our faith, is tested. Psalm 78:19 says that the people of Israel spoke against God, saying, “Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?” Vs. vs. 11 says, “Angels came and began to minister to Him.” God the Son was being ministered to as a weary man. And by the way, how did Jesus get to this place of temptation? this wilderness? Vs 1 says He was “led up by the Spirit.” He humbly submitted to the leadership of the Holy Spirit.
C. Into what new environment was He sent? Paul describes the human society into which God the Son came.
Romans 1:21 “they did not honor . . . God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” vs. 25, “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie.” Romans 3:10 says, “There is none righteous; not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; all have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one.” And in Romans 5, Paul continues with his description with these words: “helpless,” “sinners,” “enemies” of God! God the Son came into this spiritual squalor!
D. Why was He sent? God the Son came to serve us and to die for us!
In Mark 10:45, Jesus said, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
In Peter’s Pentecostal sermon, Peter says that Christ was “delivered up” for execution by “the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God” (Acts 2:23). In eternity God willed that His Son should die!
II. The Humility of God the Son in the Crucifixion: He said, “Not my will but Thine be done.”
Did Jesus want to go to the cross for you? What was He thinking on the night before He died? What was He feeling about His impending execution?
The Scripture says that when he arrived in the darkness of the Garden of Gethsemane, He “withdrew about a stone’s throw (from the disciples), and He knelt down and began to pray.” It says He was “in agony”, that He was “distressed to the point of death,” that “He was praying very fervently,” and that “His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.” Three times He asked God the Father to deliver Him from this great suffering. Listen to His prayer: “Abba! Father! All things are possible for Thee; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.”
The Son of God was being sent to the place of cursing – the cross! “For it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree” (Galatians 3:13 where Paul quotes Deuteronomy 21:23). Jesus was being sent by His Father to the place where He would come under all of His Father’s infinite wrath – in my place and in yours. In “agony” He humbly submitted to His Father’s will and endured what you and I deserved.
III. The Humility God the Son in His Enthronement in Heaven: He will be “made subject” to God . . . “that God (the Father) may be all in all.”
1 Corinthians 15:24-28
24 Then the end will come, when He (Christ) hands over the kingdom to God and the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, power, and authority (that is, all earthly powers that oppose God).
25 For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.
26 The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.
27 For He has “put everything under His feet” (quote of Psalm 8). Now when He says that “everything” has been put under Him, it is clear that this does not include God Himself, who put everything under Christ.
28 When He has done this, then the Son Himself also will be made subject to the One who put all things under Him, so that God may be all in all.
We must remember that God the Son is in every equal to God the Father and God the Spirit. “In Him all the fullness of deity dwells . . . .” (Colossians 2:9) He is God!
But Paul says here in verse 28 of 1 Corinthians 15 that “the Son Himself also will be made subject” to the Father “that God may be all in all.”
Various interpretations of this verse have been offered. But it seems clear that God the Son will forever exhibit the beauty of the most extraordinary humility within the Godhead! This will be a marvelous facet of His eternal glory before all of the holy angels and before you and me as throughout eternity we will reign over the universe with Him in our own grace-given humility!
In closing, let us behold our gloriously humble King! And may the Holy Spirit help us to become more like Him today!
“The Humility of God the Son in the Incarnation, the Crucifixion,and His Enthronement in Heaven"
December 16, 2010
Scripture Reading: Philippians 2:5-11 – The following outline does not represent an exposition of this passage, but after writing this topically, I realized that we might well have focused ourselves entirely upon Paul’s words in Philippians 2. Hopefully, this outline will be a worthy guide for our meditation on this great virtue of our Heavenly King – humility!
I. The Humility of God the Son in the Incarnation: He was “sent” into His own world to become one of His own creatures and live in the spiritual squalor of human society.
Many times Jesus speaks of being sent. See for example John 7:29; John 17:3; and John 17:18 where He says “You sent me into the world.” The Son was sent by His Father.
A. From what was He sent? He was sent from the glory of His heavenly throne. (John 6:38; John 17:5) What was this glorious existence about?
LOVE – John 17:24 “You loved Me before the foundation of the world.”
A MUTUAL BEHOLDING – Though this is logically understood of the Godhead, we can happily listen to the Son speak of His beholding the Father in John 6:46 – “Not that any man has seen the Father, except the One Who is from God; He has seen the Father.”
THE GREATEST RELATIONAL INTIMACY – John 14:11 “I am in the Father and the Father in Me.” John 17:21 “You, Father, are in Me, and I in Thee.”
A SHARED HOLINESS – Isaiah 6 – “Holy, Holy, Holy”
B. Into what new identity, what new state of being, was He sent? God the Son became a real human – truly Mary’s son.
“He too shared in their humanity” (Hebrews 2:14). “He had to be made like His brothers in every way” (Heb. 2:17). “For we do not have a great high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). “He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since He Himself is subject to weakness” (Heb. 5:2).
See Matthew 4 – His 40 days in the Wilderness – Vs. 2 says, “He became hungry.” vs. 3 says, “The tempter came to Him.” Where did this temptation take place? vs. 1 says it was in the wilderness. In the Bible, the wilderness is the place where our confidence in God, our faith, is tested. Psalm 78:19 says that the people of Israel spoke against God, saying, “Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?” Vs. vs. 11 says, “Angels came and began to minister to Him.” God the Son was being ministered to as a weary man. And by the way, how did Jesus get to this place of temptation? this wilderness? Vs 1 says He was “led up by the Spirit.” He humbly submitted to the leadership of the Holy Spirit.
C. Into what new environment was He sent? Paul describes the human society into which God the Son came.
Romans 1:21 “they did not honor . . . God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” vs. 25, “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie.” Romans 3:10 says, “There is none righteous; not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; all have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one.” And in Romans 5, Paul continues with his description with these words: “helpless,” “sinners,” “enemies” of God! God the Son came into this spiritual squalor!
D. Why was He sent? God the Son came to serve us and to die for us!
In Mark 10:45, Jesus said, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
In Peter’s Pentecostal sermon, Peter says that Christ was “delivered up” for execution by “the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God” (Acts 2:23). In eternity God willed that His Son should die!
II. The Humility of God the Son in the Crucifixion: He said, “Not my will but Thine be done.”
Did Jesus want to go to the cross for you? What was He thinking on the night before He died? What was He feeling about His impending execution?
The Scripture says that when he arrived in the darkness of the Garden of Gethsemane, He “withdrew about a stone’s throw (from the disciples), and He knelt down and began to pray.” It says He was “in agony”, that He was “distressed to the point of death,” that “He was praying very fervently,” and that “His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.” Three times He asked God the Father to deliver Him from this great suffering. Listen to His prayer: “Abba! Father! All things are possible for Thee; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.”
The Son of God was being sent to the place of cursing – the cross! “For it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree” (Galatians 3:13 where Paul quotes Deuteronomy 21:23). Jesus was being sent by His Father to the place where He would come under all of His Father’s infinite wrath – in my place and in yours. In “agony” He humbly submitted to His Father’s will and endured what you and I deserved.
III. The Humility God the Son in His Enthronement in Heaven: He will be “made subject” to God . . . “that God (the Father) may be all in all.”
1 Corinthians 15:24-28
24 Then the end will come, when He (Christ) hands over the kingdom to God and the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, power, and authority (that is, all earthly powers that oppose God).
25 For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.
26 The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.
27 For He has “put everything under His feet” (quote of Psalm 8). Now when He says that “everything” has been put under Him, it is clear that this does not include God Himself, who put everything under Christ.
28 When He has done this, then the Son Himself also will be made subject to the One who put all things under Him, so that God may be all in all.
We must remember that God the Son is in every equal to God the Father and God the Spirit. “In Him all the fullness of deity dwells . . . .” (Colossians 2:9) He is God!
But Paul says here in verse 28 of 1 Corinthians 15 that “the Son Himself also will be made subject” to the Father “that God may be all in all.”
Various interpretations of this verse have been offered. But it seems clear that God the Son will forever exhibit the beauty of the most extraordinary humility within the Godhead! This will be a marvelous facet of His eternal glory before all of the holy angels and before you and me as throughout eternity we will reign over the universe with Him in our own grace-given humility!
In closing, let us behold our gloriously humble King! And may the Holy Spirit help us to become more like Him today!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Merry Christmas from the Wood Family
Rod and Bec in China
Dear friends,
We join all of you in giving thanks to our Lord for becoming
one of us and for suffering the death that we deserved so that
we could be forgiven of all of our sins and so that we could
know Him and experience His love forever and ever! We give
praise to Him!
We also give thanks to Him for our family. We are including
pictures of them below.
May the Lord bless each of you and your families with a very
special time of worship this Christmas.
In His great love,
Rod and Bec
Jake and Ashley in Ruston with (left to right) Mary Page (8), Norah Catherine (1 month), Elizabeth (10), and Myles (6)
Jim and Amelia in Denver with Josiah (2) and
Rebecca Blythe (4 months)
John and Kelly in Miami with Lucy Bea (almost 2)
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