newsletter – Wrachford Evangelistic Ministries

I am not even sure I know where to begin with this update as I think about how incredibly good God has been! Not to mention, quite some time has passed since my last formal update as well. The summer has been very busy, yet very fruitful! My first meeting for the summer was a VBS with my good friend Pastor Jim Ogle at Emmanuel Baptist in Kings Mountain, NC , who was also one of my professors in college. It was a great joy to get to know him better as well as serve in his ministry. He was a blessing all throughout my college days, and currently is being greatly used of God in the ministry there.

From there, I went to be with my Dad, Pastor Bob Wrachford in Dunbar, Pa to conduct a Bible School. My siblings jumped right in and participated in helping to prepare things. This was a great opportunity to serve along side them this particular week for God’s glory. Several children made some solid decisions in their lives to get things right with God. If they will remain tender throughout their lives to the Word of God, it will be incredibly exciting to see what God will do in the years ahead with them!

After this week of meetings, I went to Meshoppen, Pa to serve with a Pastor I had never met before. But Pastor Myers is a wonderful man of God who has been there since beginning the church 40 years ago! He still has a fervor to reach out to his community there in the mountains of north central Pa. Several children accepted Christ and showed a wonderful understanding of the plan of Salvation! That right there was just so exciting!

Maineville, OH was my last VBS for the summer. and God clearly moved in a great way there as well. This was my second time to help out there under this good friend, and we are already beginning to toss some ideas around for next year! Following this time. I was able to preach a teen rally at my home church, in Taylors, SC , then go up to the annual Landmark Conference at Ambassador Baptist College.

Each week was marked by special answers to prayer! In fact, before I began the summer, I was praying for at least 20 souls to be saved. God went far above that! To my knowledge there were 27 that made profession of faith. And I have not even gone to Haiti yet! That trip will be from Aug 9 – 23. Please pray with me that more souls will be saved!

As I close this update, I just want to say, I covet your prayers above anything else! I want to be useful for the cause of Christ and to be yielded to Him in every way. Please pray for an unspoken prayer request I have. Second, please remember to keep the missions trip in prayer. The country of Haiti some years ago was officially dedicated to Satan, and there is a lot of witchcraft, and voodoo is their primary religion. This country, which is classified as fourth world is, indeed, in desperate need of the transforming power of the Gospel! It is a small nation, but God is a great God who cares even about the tiniest islands of people in the world! Third, please pray for God to guide in my car situation. It has been repaired several times recently and it is getting to the time to be considering what God would have for me to do with that. Just want to wait on Him, not running before or behind but exactly following His leadership in this area. I am absolutely thrilled at what God is doing! It is a joy to be a small part of God’s work and to let Him do the impossible as some exciting possibilities begin to present themselves. If I can ever pray for you in any way or be of help in any way whatsoever, I hope that you will feel free to contact me.

Joyfully Serving our Risen Saviour,

Stephen Wrachford

Micah 6:8

Dear Praying Friends,

It has been a great month of serving the King! The highlight of the month was the opportunity to preach a revival meeting for a long time family friend in Franklin, Pa. There was a sweet spirit all week and God blessed in each service. There was great liberty and people were receptive to God’s Word. There was one man in particular that God really seemed to be stirring in his heart, and he made some decisions that were needed! It was a great blessing to see that! There were also a few visitors who came throughout the week.

Also, since my return home from the meeting, I have been doing a lot of pulpit supply for a needy little church in the area. Please continue to pray for Victory Baptist Church in Woodruff, SC that God would meet their needs! I have been trying to help them out as much as possible when I am not traveling.

The summer is fast approaching and VBS rallies will be in full swing. Please pray specifically that some souls will be saved this summer!

Things are getting ready to pick up a little as far as ministry opportunities abroad again this year! Looking forward to a Revival Meeting in just a couple of weeks at Baptist Temple of Franklin with Pastor David Foote! Please be in much prayer for this upcoming opportunity! We are a needy people, and this preacher needs God to show him exactly what messages to preach. Pray that God would give me a heart of compassion, and that souls will be stirred to revival and the lost will be pointed to Christ. We need to seek God daily for this meeting. I am anticipating what God can and will do! Please pray also for my home church which will be having a revival meeting this same week with Evangelist Morris Glieser. It is my prayer that God will do His work there as well, to stir up a genuine thirst for God!

In the last month, there have been some great opportunities that God has given. My summer continues to fill up with VBS events, and I am very much looking forward to this as well ! Please keep them in your prayers as you think of it. I still have several weeks available this summer, if there is a need that I can help you to meet in that capacity, it would be a great privilege to serve.

The time at Indiana Baptist College went very well! It was a wonderful opportunity to see a couple of my siblings, and it was also a joy to preach in chapel. It was evident that God is at work in many hearts there. There was good response to the preaching of God’s Word, and a willingness to be broken and honest before Him! I am excited in the days ahead what God will do with many of these young people as they graduate and go on to serve God.

Also, the conference in Wisconsin was very good. It was convicting, but good! This year, the theme was on prayer, and there were some sweet prayer meetings there, as we had the privilege of seeking God’s face corporately. There were many Pastors and lay people from around the country who were serious about getting on their knees and seeking God for revival in this nation and in their ministries.

Have you ever asked yourself, “What in the world is going to happen next?” As we draw closer to the end of time, this seems to be a more popular question than ever before. There are so many positions out there regarding end events and everyone clamoring that they possess the corner on truth regarding this topic. How many of these positions come about by careful reading of the Scriptures? By the Lord’s grace, I’d like to spend some time answering the question regarding what the Bible teaches in relation to the tribulation period. I hope to present this as unbiased as possible and just let the Word of God do what it does best, and that is reveal the truth to the one honestly seeking the answers.

First of all, the word “rapture” never appears in the Bible. However, you can find the idea mentioned. 1 Thessalonians 4:17 says “we shall be caught up.” That is the meaning of the rapture, a seizing or catching away. So, we have phrases such as this in the Word of God to convey the thought.

Before we go any further, I will share briefly the three major positions on the rapture and tribulation. One position on the rapture is that it will be post-tribulation, meaning that the believers will go through the tribulation, and then we will be caught away to be with Christ. Another position is the mid- tribulation or pre-wrath position meaning that in the middle of the tribulation, believers will be caught up to be with Christ. The third and final position is the pre-tribulation position. This means that before the tribulation, all believers who are living will be caught up.

Now, let us look at the post-tribulation position. If this position were true, we would have believers, apart from the 144,000 Jewish evangelists, who would go through this time of destruction and chaos. Also, we would know the time of the Lord’s return. We know from Scripture that the tribulation will last 7 years. Daniel 9 describes them as weeks. This passage describes 70 weeks, the first 69 of which have already been fulfilled. The last week is yet to come. Here is what God’s Word has to say regarding this 70^th week of Daniel.

Daniel 9:27

And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

This is a reference to the Antichrist who will break the covenant in the middle of the tribulation period. There is no doubt as we read through the book of Revelation that the tribulation period will be one of great destruction. Revelation 14:10, 15:1 &7 and 16:1 &19 describe this as a period of wrath!

Now, as we consider this point a little further, I would like us to spend some time considering 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17, a very familiar passage of Scripture, one that is used most often at funerals. But, here we find a sequence of events that is most interesting. First of all, we find that the dead in Christ rise and then we find that the ones who are alive and remain at the coming of the Lord will rise to meet the Lord in the air. However, as we read a little further, we find some details in 1 Thessalonians 5 that shed further light on the return of the Lord.

First, we find that the Day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night. (1. Thessalonians 5:2) Let us imagine that you knew right now that a thief would appear at your house sometime within the next week. Do you think you would be sleeping, or do you think that you would be prepared and ready to defend yourself? The remainder of this passage, my friend, tells us that we should be watching for the Lord’s return and be ready because we do not know when it will be, but we know He is coming. In Matthew 24:36 we are told “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no not the angels of heaven but my Father only.” The Bible then gives us the illustration of Noah; and just like in his day they knew the flood was coming but not the exact day, it will be the same way with the Lord’s return. 1 Thessalonians 5:3 describes it as the travail of a woman at the birth of a child. She has those labor pains, and she knows the child is on the way, but she does not know the exact moment until it comes. The return of Christ is the same. We know it is coming, but we do not know when. I stress this point because the Bible makes it clear that WE DO NOT KNOW!

Additionally, the Bible says that “we are not appointed to wrath” 1 Thessalonians 5:9. As one studies the ramifications of the post-tribulation position, we have to realize that this cannot be the biblical answer. Otherwise we would be able to know exactly when the Lord will return, when God says no man knows the day or hour. Also God’s children would have to endure this awful time of wrath that God says we are “not appointed unto”

Now, let us consider for a few minutes the idea of the mid-tribulation position. This is the position that the rapture will take place before the outpouring of wrath that will take place in the second half of the tribulation. It does appear that the first half of the tribulation will be a time of relative peace. The Bible tells us in the Book of Daniel and chapter 9 about the covenant which will be broken. The book of Revelation deals mainly with the outpouring of wrath that will take place in the second half of the tribulation. However, Revelation 1:19 gives us an outline of the book of Revelation. First, John was to write “the things which thou hast seen”, (Revelation 1) “the things which are” (Revelation chapters 2-3) and finally “the things which shall be hereafter.” (Revelation 4 through 22) So, you have the past events of John’s life, the present events as He is writing to the churches and then you have the future events. It is important to note that in Revelation 4:1-2 John sees a door opening and is caught up into the heavens. For the remainder of the book, everything is viewed from a heavenly perspective including the catastrophic events of the tribulation period. Logically speaking, also, if the believer were caught up in the middle of the tribulation, we would still know the time of the Lord’s return because the tribulation has a very definite starting point, the time when the peace treaty will be signed by the Antichrist. We could then say, the Lord will return in three and half years, yet the Bible tells us no man knows the day or the hour. Biblically speaking, as with the post-tribulation theory, I do not feel there are any grounds for the mid-tribulation position.

This leaves us with but one position, and that is a pre-tribulation rapture of the church. There is nothing in Scripture that seems to contradict this position. In fact, when all the evidence is on the table, it is the only position that Scripture seems to support. In all reality, the entire tribulation is a time of God’s wrath against the unbelievers. Yes, there will be a semblance of peace, and the Antichrist will seem to have everything under control. In 2 Thessalonians 2, the Apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, writes to a group of troubled believers who think they have missed the rapture. He says that time will not come until there has been a falling away and the Antichrist (or man of sin be revealed) v.3. We have certainly seen a falling away, but the Antichrist has not yet been revealed. The Bible tells us he will take over the temple, claiming to be God. Vs. 11-12 goes on to tell us that God will send a strong delusion and that the unbelievers will be damned. The sad truth from this passage is that once the Antichrist is revealed, and the tribulation begins, it will be seven years of undeniable wrath from God Himself. Praise God that no true believer who is alive today will be here for that!

I’d like to give a few closing thoughts to the idea of the rapture. This, by no means, is intended to be an exhaustive article. Many volumes have been written on this topic. However, I hope that it has served to hit the highlights and answer the question, what will happen next? We are not waiting for anything to happen at all before the tribulation, except the rapture. I Thessalonians 4:16-17 declares “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first, then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

While so many around us are looking for this sign or that indicator, the Bible tells us that no man knows the day or the hour. I believe God remains vague on purpose because He wants us to be looking forward to His coming and anticipating it! As one author has said, we are listening for sounds, not looking for signs. The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:53 that this event will happen “in a moment in the twinkling of an eye.” One day, we will hear that trumpet and away the believers will go to be with Christ while all the fury of God’s wrath is poured out on unbelievers who have chosen to reject His gracious wooing. Then, when the Antichrist and his Antispirit have been defeated once and for all, we shall return to reign with Christ! Following this 1,000 year reign, Satan will attempt his final act of insurrection against Christ before he is defeated forever at the Battle of Gog and Magog. (Revelation 20) If we interpret the Bible literally, and take it for what it says, there should be no problem reaching this conclusion. We must also be careful to not blur the distinction between the church and Israel. We are living a type of parenthetical age. In one sense, the tribulation deals with the nation of Israel, as they in large have chosen to reject Christ. Christ will again pick up where He left off with the nation of Israel during the time of the tribulation. But the church, meaning those who have accepted Christ, will have no part whatsoever in the tribulation. 1 Thessalonians 1:10 declares, “And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus which delivered us from the wrath to come.” We should be grateful that God has chosen to rapture His own and spare His children. At the same time, this should drive us to a sense of urgency to share the gospel while we have the chance and implore the lost to escape the wrath to come! May God give us a greater expectancy for the imminent rapture, and a passion and compassion for the lost that surround us on every side!

As I look back over the past year, it is amazing to think over the many blessings and opportunities God has given! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! I know I did, and it was a great blessing to celebrate the birth of my Saviour with family this year! We have so much to be thankful for! I was able to see my grandmother up in NC and go on up to Pa and see my Dad, Mom and most of my siblings along with my brother in law and little niece. This is just a small part of the blessing God has given. This past year has brought numerous ministry opportunities and fruit as well.

This past month has been one of doing a lot of Sunday pulpit supply in SC and some in PA! It is my prayer that God will strengthen these churches. Pray especially for the family of one of my good friends down in Woodruff, SC. They lost a family member in the beginning of the month, and they had opportunity to be a witness to the family as well as encourage those who were already saved. A funeral is always a tender time. Pray for the family of Pastor Ron Allen and the Hayward family that the work of God would continue in hearts and that family would be comforted. It has been a great blessing to see people responding to the preaching of God’s Word, and pray that decisions would be lasting.

It is a great joy serving Christ, and also a great privilege to partner with many wonderful men of God from various places! This past month was a special privilege of preaching the gospel in the Philippines for one whole month. Almost every night I was busy in an evangelistic meeting. I want to say very big thank you to Pastor Victorino for arranging everything and for the joy of serving our Lord for the sake of the gospel together. He is a great friend and partner in ministry, and I have gained much from his wisdom over this past month. It was also wonderful to meet many of his Pastor friends and to serve God in their churches. I say a very big thank you to them as well for the opportunity to minister in their churches. We focused on four main areas three were around Manila, and one in a province some distance from the city! Many souls came to know Christ. Somewhere close to 2,000! Praise God for that!

From day one, I fell in love with the people of the Philippines! The Christians are so sincere, and have such a love for God, it is a big encouragement. I felt as though they have been a bigger blessing than I could ever return to them. God also gave me a great burden for the lost around me too. I thank God for the joy I had of sharing the gospel with 7 philippinos as I was out soulwinning one day and seeing them call on Christ for salvation! While, part of the gospel presentation was done through an interpreter friend of mine, and he was the one who led them to ask Christ into their hearts, it was still a great joy to be used of God to share the gospel. It was a wonderful chapter in life, and I hated to see it come to a close, but, I am excited to see what God will do in these ministries in the days ahead!

My brother also had a great time, enjoyed playing the piano and singing with me in each meeting. It was a joy to take him with me. I believe God taught both of us much through this time! I am so glad he could go now, before he heads off to college!

I would have to say personally, that through these meetings, God has taught me much about myself and about ministry! I thank God for His wisdom and strength, but most of all for teaching me more as I serve Him!

We also got to see some interesting sights along the way. We saw Rizal National Park and Museum, a place dedicated to the man who helped to free the Philippines from the rule of the Spanish. The Philippines has many interesting places, but more importantly has a great need for the gospel, and is a ripe harvest field. I hope God will allow me to return some day soon for another missions trip!

It was such a blessing during my second and third weeks to minister in new church plants. There in the Philippines they call them missions. I was able to minister in two different missions. One was three years old, and the other only three months. In the three month old mission, 34 souls accepted Christ as their personal Saviour! There is no greater joy than seeing the lost come to know Christ, and when it happens in an infant church, that is even more exciting! One thing that was a great blessing to me was to see how serious the Pastors in the Philippines are about seeing to it that the great commission is fulfilled. And an integral part of that is to plant churches that plant churches. Many of the churches send out one or more missionaries every year to start a new mission work. This is accomplished through starting Bible Studies in an area, and as they gain new converts, they are able to disciple these precious souls so that they are even better grounded. Eventually, when strong enough to stand on it’s own, they establish a church which will continue to grow until they establish another church! What a joy to encourage these missions in their work and to see how God uses them even from the very start to win the lost and make disciples!

The missions trip in the Philippines started out great! Praise God for that! All glory goes to Him for a safe flight and arrival. From the first full day in the country, Pastor Victorino put Jonathan and me to work! We were able to minister in the Bible College that he has at the church, as well as preach in his church and many of the other churches his church has planted. God has been good! All along the way, we have seen many souls come to know Christ! In our first week, God allowed the ministry of music and preaching to touch the lives of many people, and 315 came to know Christ! It reminds me of the words of Christ, the harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few, pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into His harvest. What a humbling thing to be able to be an instrument of God, but what an exciting thing! In my first week, I really fell in love with the people!

This has been a wonderful month! God has given many opportunities to preach for Sunday services in the Greenville, SC area as well as up in Pennsylvania. Each service, I have sensed the presence of God, and it seems that God is doing a stirring work among His people in the area of soul winning.

It was a great privilege to preach for a good friend of mine in Woodruff, SC. I have been doing a good amount of pulpit supply for them. This is a smaller work, but the folks of that congregation are committed to their church, and to the cause of the gospel. It has been a great joy to get to know Brother Ron Allen, a faithful man for many years! Please keep this work in your prayers that God would grow this ministry and that new members would be added to this work!

It was also wonderful to be able to preach for the Harvest Dinner at my Dad’s church in Dunbar, Pa and to enjoy the fellowship and good food! Also, I was able to teach the teen class while I was there. Pray for these young people, that God would use them for His glory and they would be 100% sold out to our precious Saviour! We also had a teen activity that was mentioned already which was great fun! It is nice to act like a teenager every once in a while. Haha! Also, I had the joy of preaching for a good friend of mine in Acme, Pa doing some pulpit supply for Him! Brother Haasz has been a good family friend for several years now.

While I was up in Pa, I got my brother Jonathan, and brought him down with me to Greenville, SC, by the time many of you get this update, we will be in the air flying to the Philippines for a series of evangelistic crusades throughout the entire month of October. God has been gracious to supply each need along the way, and to put many details together in the last few months! Please, please pray! We covet your prayers! Jonathan will be playing the piano, and he and I will be singing together, then each evening, on Sunday through Friday, Lord willing, I will be opening up the Word of God to preach the gospel to these precious souls! It is our prayer that many will come to know Christ! We will also be going out soulwinning in the mornings or afternoons with the Bible College Students. I look forward to updating everyone to let you know how things go. We are excited beyond words to see what God will do! This is a needy country that is open to the gospel!