June 21, 2018 Show with Don & Cindy Currin on “A Woman’s Role in Missions” AND “The Hardships of the Mission Field”

Live from the historic parsonage of 19th century gospel minister George Norcross in downtown

Carlisle, Pennsylvania, it's Iron Sharpens Iron, a radio

platform on which pastors, Christian scholars, and theologians address the burning issues

facing the church and the world today.

Proverbs 27 verse 17 tells us, Iron sharpens iron, so one

man sharpens another.

Matthew Henry said that in this passage, we are cautioned to take heed whom we

converse with and directed to have in view in conversation to make one another

wiser and better.

It is our hope that this goal will be accomplished over the next hour, and we hope to hear

from you, the listener, with your own questions.

Now here's our host, Chris Arntzen.

Good afternoon, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, Lake City, Florida, and the rest of humanity living on the planet Earth.

We're listening via live streaming at ironsharpensironradio .com.

This is Chris Arntzen, your host of Iron Sharpens Iron Radio, wishing you all a happy Thursday on this 21st

day of June 2018.

I'm so delighted today to have not only a returning guest, but also a first -time

guest on together.

Speaking of Don and Cindy Curran, I've had Don on the program before, and this is Cindy's first

interview on Iron Sharpens Iron Radio.

Don and Cindy Curran are from Don Curran Ministries, and they are involved in multiple ministries,

including itinerant ministry, with Don serving as Eastern European Coordinator with

HeartCry Missionary Society in Radford, Virginia, and caring for the Providence Gospel

Church in Tuscumbia, Alabama, and as their interim pastor.

And Cindy Curran speaks to women in conferences and churches in Canada,

England, Norway, Egypt, Romania, and across the United States.

And today, both Don and Cindy Curran are going to be addressing a woman's role in missions, and then they're also

going to be addressing the hardships of the mission field, with a special emphasis on 1

Corinthians 16, verse 9.

We're also going to be announcing some upcoming events, including the Fellowship Conference New England in Portland, Maine,

and also an event where my guests will be speaking, Don and Cindy Curran, the 2019 G3

Conference, where I, God willing, will be in attendance manning an exhibitor's booth for Iron Sharpens Iron Radio.

But it's my honor and privilege to welcome you to Iron Sharpens Iron Radio, Don and Cindy Curran.

It's a joy to be with you, Chris.

Thank you so much for having us, Chris.

Oh, it's my pleasure.

And I'm going to give our listeners our email address right away.

It's chrisarnsen at gmail .com, C -H -R -I -S -A -R -N -Z -E -N at gmail

.com.

Please give us your first name, at least, your city and state, and your country of residence if you live outside the USA.

Please only remain anonymous if your question involves a personal and private matter.

Before we go into the subject at hand, or the, should I say, the two subjects at hand,

Don, let's start with you and have a summary of your personal testimony of salvation, and then we'll move

on to Cindy.

We'd like to know what kind of religious atmosphere, if any, you were both raised in, and what providential

circumstances came about in your life through the sovereign hand of God that drew you to

himself and saved you.

So, Don, if you.

Could start.

Certainly, Chris.

I grew up, my mother probably more than I

ever had any desire to go.

Attended various Southern Baptist churches, and quite honestly,

there was no reality.

Was not preached, but power, not in the sense of

the Spirit of God speaking directly to my heart.

And then 20 years of my life,

including academically, no incentive

in life I could get out of each day.

My mother said, hey, to help you financially,

you're going to go where I tell you to go.

Now, my dad and my mother were together, but my dad, on

many occasions, so mother had to step up to the plate, and so she gave me this ultimatum, either go where I tell you to

go, or I'm not going to help you.

My time was in

Lynchburg, Virginia, which ultimately became.

Liberty Baptist College, and then Liberty University.

My very first Christian girlfriend, Barbara, was a student

there, and then later taught at Jerry Falwell's elementary school.

Died in Lynchburg, Virginia, but

we did not meet.

She had moved to Chase City, and then of course come back, but I met her in Bible school as well.

But anyway,

getting with a notable

evangelist coming in, and the

2nd, 4th, 1974, I had never heard such preaching.

There was such a sense of God upon it as the evangelist preached from a very simple text of John

3, 16, where he amplified

before my very spiritual eyes the love of God, and God gripped my heart that night, showed

me that my religion was a sham.

I repented of all my religiosity, as well as my sin, and put my faith in Christ alone for

salvation, and that's what I go back to as my conversion experience, Chris.

Great, and now Cindy, if you could.

Yes, Chris, I did not grow up in a home where we attended church.

I did take a bus to church sometimes as a child, and when I

was about 12 years old, I rode a bus to church, and I made a profession of

faith.

I didn't go to church very long after that.

Later, when I was in high school, a new church started in the town where I

began to attend there.

Thinking that I was a Christian, I became very involved in the church, but never had any

peace that I had peace with God, that I really knew Him.

I talked to my pastor many times.

I would talk to every visiting evangelist that came and never found that peace, and so

my pastor influenced me to also go to, it was Liberty Baptist College by

1975 when I went.

The third week in school, a preacher by the name of Dale

Faith and Phil Jr. came in and

preached on so clear to me that I had never genuinely been born again, and he

saved me, and I had really struggled with such a weight

on my shoulders, wanting to know that I was going to heaven and not knowing what else to do,

and God relieved that burden, set me on a path walking with

Him, and it has been over these years.

Amen.

Well, since you mentioned.

Lynchburg, Virginia, I'm going to give a shout out to my old friends, Marty and Debbie Holgren,

who live in Lynchburg, and Debbie Holgren was one of the children

of my late wife's pastor, Don Blend, who was the pastor for many

years at First Baptist Church of Lindenhurst, Long Island, New York, and what a dear

friend he was, and he is also in heaven with my wife, and especially with Christ

for eternity.

Well, let's hear something about Don Curran Ministries.

Now, and about your activities with this organization.

Okay, a nonprofit organization back in

1981, Chris,

there

when I went

out,

so I got my

feet

wet then,

it was nine

meetings, 33

years old, and

five years

in Tuscumbia,

Alabama.

Yes, and I am hoping, God willing,.

To have, for the very first time as my guest, Paul Washer at some point in the future.

His pastor, Anthony Methenia, has told me that he is fairly certain he

can get Paul to come on the program, and Anthony's going to return to the program, because they are both

involved in the conference where you and Cindy are speaking, the G3 Conference,

and I mentioned Paul Washer.

Some people might be scratching their heads, because I didn't say why I was mentioning Paul.

Paul is the founder of HeartCry Missionary Society, correct?

That's correct.

Right.

Well, tell us also now about the G3 Conference in College

Park, Georgia, the suburb of Atlanta, where the Georgia International Convention Center is

located, and where the G3 Conference has been held for the last three or four

years.

This is going to be my third G3 Conference in January, God willing, where I am manning an exhibitor's booth.

I love the G3 Conference, and it has been of enormous benefit to Iron Trip and Zion Radio,

because of the people that I've met there, and I've actually not only gained new listeners

and new guests, but also new sponsors.

So, it's been a great blessing to me.

So, tell us about your involvement, both you and Cindy, your involvement at

the G3 Conference in January of 2019.

Well, Chris, let me just go back and introduce you to

the G3 Conference.

It was a cruise for Josh Bice.

Josh was, between the time that he graduated from Southern Seminary, until he took over the

pastorate there at Christ Meal Baptist Church.

And so, Josh invited us to people on

overwhelmed

mission

theology to

reconference the last four or five

years since it first began.

And Cindy, you're speaking there as well, and I know that in our day and age,

you're going to have people from our theological circles getting very nervous when they hear about a woman speaking in a

conference, because they are typically, folks in our circles are not egalitarian.

We are typically complementarian.

But tell us about why you are speaking there, what you're speaking on, and how to alleviate any anxiety

from the complementarians listening.

Okay.

First of all, I'll begin by saying Dawn and I both take the complementarian view in Scripture,

and I have a strong conviction.

The conferences that I speak in are typically

women's conferences, exclusively for women.

Occasionally, I am asked to speak in conferences where my husband is speaking, but it's always

exclusively to the women.

So, I don't teach men at all.

I don't have any desire to teach men, and I believe that the Scripture prohibits women

teaching men the Scripture.

Josh invited me, I believe, as Dawn said, we first met him when we did this marriage

conference years ago, and then he invited me back to do a ladies' conference at his

church four or five years ago, and so I know his ladies a little bit,

and when he asked Dawn to speak, he asked if I would speak to the women.

It will be in a breakout session just for the women, and he's given me liberty to share whatever

that I feel the Lord would have me share, but I would like for it to dovetail with the rest of the conference, which

will be on mission.

So, I think the Lord would.

Have me share on the role of women in world mission.

Great.

Well, I am very jealous right now of Josh Bice.

I don't know if you're aware of this, but he actually just celebrated John MacArthur's 79th birthday with

John MacArthur, and I would

love to have been there.

I had John as a guest on my program years ago on the old Iron Sharpens Iron

radio program broadcasting out of New York.

I hope to get him back on again.

It has been a lot more difficult recently, but what a gift to the body of Christ John MacArthur

has been and continues to be.

He certainly is.

And, by the way, if anybody wants to find out more about the G3 conference that we were just discussing,

where our guests Don and Cindy Curran will be speaking, and a long host of others.

In fact, let me list you some of the other speakers that are scheduled to be on the roster.

Paul Washer, John Piper, Stephen Lawson, Vody Baucom, Mark Dever, Conrad Mbewe,

who is, I think, the most powerful preacher on the planet Earth, the pastor of Kabwatha Baptist Church in Lusaka, Zambia,

Africa, and chancellor of the African Christian University.

Tim Challies, Phil Johnson of the aforementioned ministry Grace to You,

founded by John MacArthur.

Josh Bice, who we were also just mentioning, founder of the G3 conference, which, by the way, stands for Grace, Gospel, and Glory, if

I didn't mention that.

Todd Friel of Wretched TV and Radio.

My friend Jeremy Volo, who, if you don't know him, you've got to get to know him.

He is a wonderful brother in Christ and a very gifted speaker, and his dad is a dear friend of mine.

His dad is actually an evangelist to the Amish and has been used of God to lead a number of Amish

people to the true gospel and to a saving faith in Jesus Christ.

Martha Peace is going to be there and more, folks.

So, if you'd like to register, go to G3conference .com, G3conference .com, and please tell

them that you heard about the conference from Chris Arnzen on Iron Trump and Zion Radio, and we'll be repeating information about this

conference later on.

Well, let's move right in right now to the topic at hand.

We are going to be discussing two aspects of missions.

First, we are going to be discussing a woman's role in missions, and then the second hour, the hardships of the

mission field.

But if you could, perhaps, Cindy, if you could start on this topic of a woman's role in missions, since

you are a complementarian, obviously you don't believe a woman could do absolutely anything and

everything that a man would do on the mission field, but if you could tell us what exactly it means to

be a woman on the mission field, and what are the.

Proper biblical functions and roles of a woman.

Yes, I'd be delighted to address that.

We see in the Scripture that women played a decisive role in the ministry.

They have continued to influence Christianity and be used by the Lord

to spread the gospel throughout history.

We, as complementarians, we believe that women are equal with men in

every way, but we have been given different roles within the body of Christ, and so

1 Timothy 2 prohibits a woman from teaching men or from exercising

authority over men, but that does not, the Scripture does not prohibit women from

teaching whatsoever.

And so we are told in Titus 2 that the older women are to teach the younger women, and

we have other examples such as Priscilla and Aquila personally teaching and

explaining the ways of God to Apollos, and so God has used

many gifted women on the mission field without them violating His biblical

role for women.

So obviously many women have gone to the mission field

as married women and have supported their husbands in many ways, which is

Ann Judson, Adoniram Judson's first wife.

She helped to translate the Bible in Burmese.

She opened the school for girls.

Adoniram Judson's second wife translated other works into Burmese and was working on

Colm's Progress at the time of her death.

She translated hymns, and then we have other examples of married women who have

helped their husbands in various ways, such as Hudson Taylor's wife.

She took care of him.

His second wife took care of him primarily because he was sickly and he had been injured, but she

was also involved in editing the periodical for China Inland Mission.

And then we do know of single women who have gone to the mission field and

been used by God, but they did not pastor churches or teach

within the church or have positions of authority within the church,

such as Gladys Allward and Amy Carmichael, and there's so many that primarily

minister to children or to other women.

And so there are many things that a woman can do on the mission field.

Really, the only prohibitions I see in the scripture are she is not to have a position of

authority within the church, and she is not to teach the men.

So other than that, there are many.

There's mercy ministries.

I know you mentioned Conrad Mbewe, and we love Conrad and his wife, and his wife and

some of the other women in his church have a ministry to prostitutes.

They have a large area of prostitution there in Zambia, and

they have a ministry there where they go and share the gospel with those women.

And then when they come to Christ, women that come to Christ, they provide work for them so that they can

support themselves or support any children that they might have.

So there are many opportunities for women on the mission field other than pastoring, leading, or

teaching men in the church.

Yes, there is.

Even amongst complementarians, there are different understandings and views

in more nuanced ways in regard to the role of women.

Like, for instance, when Priscilla and Aquila opened up their home

in the New Testament account of their marriage, and they had

unbelievers visit their home, did not Priscilla in some way join her husband

in a role of teaching without actually having a title

or office of a teacher?

I'm really not sure.

I'm just certain from Acts 18 that she was involved in teaching Apollos, and

many egalitarian women will say that there is an example of a woman teaching in the church, but

the Scripture doesn't say that.

And it seems clear to me that they were teaching Apollos in the confines of their

home.

And I know also in Romans 16, Paul mentions and commends

Priscilla as well as Aquila.

So they were a husband -wife evangelistic sort of team

dedicated to spread the gospel, but I'm not certain about the teaching the

unbelievers.

That's something.

Interesting for me to investigate.

Right.

Well, she at any rate, as you were just saying, she had some role in instructing Apollos,

though.

So as you said in the outset, even though we do not believe that women are to have an

office or an official role as a teacher in the church,

that obviously all women who are Christians are

to proclaim the gospel.

They're not always to keep their mouths shut when they see an opportunity

over lunch at work or wherever they happen to be in the day -to -day

routine of their lives, online at the supermarket, wherever, and they have an

opportunity to share the gospel.

Women.

Are to do that, even on occasion to men, aren't they?

Yes, I believe that we share the gospel.

You see areas of ministry like that that are not designated for men or for women,

but for every member of the body of Christ.

And Don, do you have anything to add?

No, I do not, Chris, at this time.

I think that once again, even

though this is a conviction God's put in our heart, that the

women individually and their role within the context of the local church is extremely

important.

It's a very lofty position, and so therefore no

one

should—women,

they look down on women, not at

all—search for Jesus Christ to perpetuate

God's glory.

And to advance the kingdom of God.

Right.

I mean, in just the same way that not every man, even

not every godly man, saintly man, obedient man, not every

man is qualified to be a pastor, and that does

not make his pastor superior to him.

He just has different gifts and a different role in life to play.

And wouldn't you agree that in the same way where you cannot cry

misogyny or male chauvinism in regard to a woman having a different role in the church,

but nonetheless being equal in the sight of God, you could equally say that even includes within

the discussion of men in leadership.

Not every man—and it's not always because of sin—but not every man is qualified to be a leader in the

church.

Correct, correct.

Yeah, I think what.

Determines that is that call,

and obviously it's personal integrity.

I mean, we have known men that do have a call, and they have been commissioned by the church to fulfill

that call, and unfortunately they morally default, and consequently they

lose—continue to be used in a great

capacity, you know, for the kingdom.

So that doesn't mean that God can't still use them in spite of their moral—what it

does mean is that they have forfeited a great degree of their usefulness because of their.

Indiscretion or perhaps in a moral capacity.

Well, we have a listener in Alaska who actually knows both of you,

who has a question for both of you, and I usually don't give our listeners full names,

but because this brother is a pastor, I will mention his full name.

I'm talking about John Cardwell, and he is

delighted that the both of you are on the show today.

He says—let me see here, I have to enlarge it—Hi Chris, this is

Pastor John Cardwell of Calvary Baptist Church in Ninilchik, Alaska,

and I'm sorry if I'm mispronouncing that.

Ninilchik, I think that's the way you pronounce it.

Alaska, formerly pastor of Sovereign Grace Baptist Church in Anniston, Alabama.

I am currently in Ninilchik, Alaska, and his question—oh, he says, I want to send our

love to—and greetings to Don and Cindy Curran from my wife Lisa and I.

Don and Cindy have ministered to our church in Alabama and to us personally in ways too numerous

to mention.

We love them, their service to the Lord, and we pray we might have a time to be together again.

Thanks to you also, Chris, for your radio broadcasts and your service to the King.

And the actual question that John has is,

many women, especially the wives of pastors and missionaries, but it seems to be everywhere I've

ministered for all kinds of Christian women, struggle with the pressure and anxiety of

expectations.

In other words, what others think of her or expect of her because she's the

pastor's wife or missionary's wife or deacon's wife, etc.

What has helped you, Cindy, deal with overcoming this struggle, and also what hasn't

worked?

Well, first I'd like to.

Greet John and Lisa.

Thank you so much.

I do remember feeling that in the

beginning when we were first married.

As I said, I didn't grow up really in the church, and I didn't feel that I was very

gifted in areas that I saw many pastors wives gifted, such as in music.

I am not gifted, and so my limitations helped in one way.

But then also, just some godly men and women that really encouraged me

in the role that God had for me at that time as a wife and a mother, and occasionally teaching the

children or the women in the church.

I remember one time, Don and I met with Dale and Judy Fazenfield, and Dale just talking

about the beauty of the husband and wife complimenting one another in ministry, and

he said that when he would go into churches for crusades, he would often be asked, so what does your wife do?

And he would tell them, my wife sees that I'm taking care of and takes care of our children, and that's

her ministry right now.

And just, I saw the beauty of their relationship, and that helped me.

And then my husband also guarded and protected me.

I tend to say yes too often and take too much onto my plate,

and so Don would sometimes tell me, honey, you cannot do anything else.

It's too much.

And so he helped protect me in that way, and as I grew in the Lord,

I began to cherish the role that I had.

And so often, we would go into meetings and someone would ask me, so do you sing?

Do you play the piano?

What do you do if you're part of this ministry?

And I would respond, I'm shepherding a little flock of four.

And that was my primary responsibility during those years.

I praise God for that.

And it's amazing how society for

decades has looked down upon that role when it's really the

most crucial role any human being can have, the nurturing and rearing of children,

because a lot of what mothers do in the home, a

lot of what they do will determine what that adult, what kind of an adult that child will be and what

kind of contribution to the community and world that adult will make.

I mean, it's just amazing to me how it is scoffed upon when especially

feminists and other liberals, or should I say leftists,

belittle the importance of that very vital role, probably the most vital of all roles.

I totally agree with that.

And when you read back in history, you see that motherhood was valued.

It was praised.

And we have lost that in our culture by and large.

And so I do all that I can to encourage young mothers that you are doing something

so very important that no one else can can take your place in

raising those children.

And I feel like we have four children, we were blessed with four children, and I

believe that our four children are making a greater impact for Christ than I would ever make alone.

And so I am so grateful to have had the privilege to be.

Their mother.

Praise God.

We have to go to our first station break.

If you'd like to join us on the air with a question of your own, our email address is

chrisarenson at gmail .com.

Chris arenson at gmail .com.

C -H -R -I -S -A -R -N -Z -E -N at gmail .com.

Please give us your first name, at least your city and state and your country of residence if you live outside the USA.

And please only remain anonymous if your question involves a personal and private matter.

That's chrisarenson at gmail .com.

Don't go away.

We'll be right back with Don and Cindy Curran and more of our discussion on missions.

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We are now back to our discussion with Don and Cindy Curran.

We are talking about different aspects of missions.

We are talking about the role of women in missions to begin with, and in the next hour,

we are going to be addressing specifically hardships in missions.

If you'd like to join us on the air, our email address is chrisarendsen at gmail .com, chrisarendsen at gmail

.com.

Please give us your first name, city and state, and country of residence if you live outside of the USA.

We have someone else who knows the both of you.

We have Donna from Waterboro, Maine, and she says, Hi Don and Cindy, miss you

two very much.

Here's my question.

Could you speak to those women who are confused as to their role as a wife and mother and feel that it

is the only ministry they have right now?

Is it right to believe that they can only minister in their home while their children are young?

Yeah, is that the exclusive role of a woman to only be a mother and a

housewife and homekeeper?

Can she do other things while she is maintaining successfully and biblically those activities?

Well Chris, absolutely she can.

I think though she needs to have just a very close relationship with her husband that he can properly discern

whether she is bitten off more than she can chew.

Uh, if he feels like that she's doing an adequate job, you know, serving him, also

shepherding the hearts of the children, then say, Honey, you do have some time here.

If you'd like to devote it to this particular ministry that's available in the local church or in some

outreach capacity.

But I think, you know, as Cindy mentioned a few moments ago, um, there are some

women with spiritual gifts or desires that, um,

will have got across the board.

Consequently, they overextend themselves.

And we men do this as well.

We have a tendency to take on so much that we don't do anything with excellence before the Lord.

And so I think it's imperative then

that he can cause right now, this ministry may not be in

the woodwork for resources, but maybe down the road you

could do something like this.

And I would just wholeheartedly.

Commend that.

I totally

agree with scripture

prohibits a woman with children in the home from being involved in other ministries

other than her personal walk or primary ministry.

We just have to be careful that we don't take on more ministry that

diminishes our time.

Well, thank you, Donna.

Please keep listening to Iron Sharp and Zion Radio and spreading the word about this program in Maine

and beyond.

One other thing I wanted to say about this whole discussion as way of clarification, because

I know that there are feminists and egalitarians who may eventually

hear this, who will still even be upset by what you just said, by what both of you said, because they

think what complementarians are saying is that the

husband, or the man specifically, is intrinsically in some

way superior to a woman.

For instance, they may say, well, the reason why these roles are the way they are is because men

are intrinsically more intelligent.

They are gifted in a far superior way in communicating

the truths of the Bible.

You know, you could go on and on and on, but that has nothing to do with why a woman submits to her husband or

why a member of a congregation submits to their elders.

It's the way that God has ordained it.

And even if a woman is extremely superior in her intellect

to her husband and superior to her husband in many ways, she still must submit to him because that's

the way God.

Ordained it.

Am I right in this?

Yes, absolutely.

Absolutely.

And we don't take a hard -line view

on that, Chris.

Fear it

about it.

You need to

understand

that mentally speaking,

men are much

able to articulate them.

You know,

it's interesting.

I was invited to come

in my

parades.

I said, out in the world, where am I going with this?

And then he gave me a heads -up twice, once

on

eggshells.

That was amazing.

Well, I

would just

say

that I

agree with

everything.

That what

the Bible

teaches.

And the Bible tells us why God ordained

it this way.

I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority

over a man.

A woman being deceived fell into transgression.

And so the scripture is very clear about why these roles are the way they are, and it goes all the way

back to creation.

It doesn't have anything to do with...

Right.

To be perfectly.

Honest, I have had conversations from time to time with people, not

generally pastors, but just your average person, just like I am, who will say

things in ignorance.

For instance, they will just say, oh, that woman should not be a pastor because we all know that men by

nature are better in the places of authority, and on and on they will go.

And I have said to them, brother, you've got to really not speculate as to the reasons that are

not in the Bible as to why a man is to be the sole head of his home and

of the church.

Obviously, he is sharing headship over the children with his wife, but I'm talking about...

But I said, when you start giving your own theories on things, you're getting into trouble because you're

adding to what the Word of God, the inspired Word of God could have, or God himself could have

easily put that reason in there if he chose to, but he did not put that in there as a reason.

Exactly.

And another thing that.

I like to bring out when I teach on this subject is what Don referred to as the

Trinity.

The Scripture tells us that Christ willingly submitted himself to the Father,

and it says that God the Father is the head of Christ, just as the man is the head of the woman.

And Christ is no less deity than his Father.

He's just as valuable and precious, but he just fills a different

role in the Trinity.

And it's the same with the husband and wife.

It has nothing to do with value.

It.

Has everything to do with role.

Yes, Christ is...

Yeah, if I could piggyback on my precious wife's comment there, Chris, 1

Corinthians chapter 11 verse 3 to me gives a very sound answer to this,

but I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man,

and the head of Christ is God.

So what makes it so beautiful is this subordinate

role of life

with that thinking in mind.

It makes all the right perspective and God

-glorifying functionality.

In relationships.

Well, Cindy, I'd like you to summarize what you most want etched in the hearts and minds

of our listeners in regard to this specific topic before we go to our midway break and move on to the other

aspect of missions, hardships and missions.

If you could just summarize in about a minute what you most want our listeners to remember about the role of women.

In missions.

What I would like to leave with you, God wants to use all of us

in missions, whether it is with our neighbor across the street or on the foreign mission

field, share the gospel, and to

serve wherever he has placed us providentially.

And so women have a very important role to fill.

I'm so grateful for that.

I feel like sometimes women feel what we're doing is not important, and as you said, our role in the

home is vitally important.

And so I'm just so grateful to be a woman and to have these opportunities to serve the

Lord, and I'm glad that I don't have to choose the way he wants me to serve.

He's already told me how to serve, and so I find joy and fulfillment in that, and I

hope that your other listeners.

That are ladies will find that.

Praise God.

Well, we're going to our elongated break right now.

It's 12 minutes because Grace Life Radio in Lake City, Florida that airs this program every day in a

rerun format, they require of us a 12 -minute break between our two segments so

that they can air their own commercials and public service announcements.

So please take this time to write down more questions for Don and Cindy Curran on the hardship of

missions.

If you do have a question about the role of women in the church or mission field, you can feel free to

continue that subject with your question.

But primarily, if you have a question about hardships in the mission field, our email address is

chrisarnson at gmail .com, C -H -R -I -S -A -R -N -Z -E -N at gmail .com.

Please give us your first name, your city and state, and your country of residence if you live outside the USA, and please only remain

anonymous if your question involves a personal and private matter.

Also, use this time to write down information provided by our advertisers so that you can patronize them

because the more you patronize our advertisers, the more likely they will remain supporting Iron

Sharpens Iron Radio with their advertising dollars, and we need that to stay on the air.

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Paul wrote to the church at Galatia, For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God?

Or am I trying to please man?

If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

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We are a Reformed Baptist Church and we hold to the London Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689.

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We strive to reflect Paul's mindset to be much more concerned with how God views what we say and what we do

than how men view these things.

That's not the best recipe for popularity, but since that wasn't the Apostle's priority, it must not be ours either.

We believe by God's grace that we are called to demonstrate love and compassion to our fellow man, and to be

vessels of Christ's mercy to a lost and hurting community around us, and to build up the body of Christ in truth and

love.

If you live near Norfolk, Massachusetts or plan to visit our area, please come and join us for worship and fellowship.

You can call us at 508 -528 -5750, that's 508 -528

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You can find us at ProvidenceBaptistChurchMA .org, that's ProvidenceBaptistChurchMA .org,

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It also means that you don't have to worry about being assaulted by the pornographic, heretical, and

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Their website is CVBBS .com.

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So that's Taken Up to Heaven by Derek Thomas, absolutely free of charge, published by Evangelical Press,

in addition to free shipping on your entire order of $50 or more by mentioning Chris Arnzen of Iron

Sharpen's Iron Radio.

Before I return to our discussion with Don and Cindy Curran, we just have some very

important announcements to make, especially in regard to events.

On Sunday, July 1st, our dear friends at Hope Reform Baptist Church in

Medford, Long Island, New York are going to be hosting Dr. Tony Costa

for a Sunday morning message.

Dr. Tony Costa is the Professor of Apologetics and Islam at Toronto Baptist Seminary, and he

is a dear friend of mine, and he is a phenomenal preacher, apologist, and debater, and

he will be speaking at the Sunday morning service at Hope Reform Baptist Church in Medford, Long Island, New York.

For more details, go to hopereformedli .net,

hopereformedli, which stands for Long Island, dot

net, or call 631 -696 -5711, 631 -696 -5711.

The following Friday, I am having a very important conference

in New York City, featuring Dr. Tony Costa as well.

I am, in cooperation with New Covenant Church New York City and Iron Sharpen's Iron Radio,

presenting a free New York City seminar on Friday, July 6th, 6 .30 p .m. to 10 p

.m., to be held at the historic facilities of First Baptist Church of New York City

on the corner of 79th Street and Broadway in Manhattan's Upper West Side.

This is a historic church that goes back at least to the 1700s.

One of the pastors there, John Gano, was a personal chaplain to George Washington,

and that has continued as a church to the present day.

And as I said, Dr. Tony Costa, author and professor of apologetics in Islam at Toronto Baptist

Seminary, will be the speaker.

His messages will include defending the faith in a postmodern society, and the

dangers of cultural Marxism's impact on society and the church.

There will also be a question and answer session to follow.

For more details, you can call New Covenant Church New York City at 646 -770 -2282.

646 -770 -2282.

You can also email them at

nccnycinfo at gmail .com.

That's N -C -C, which stands for New Covenant Church, N -Y -C, New York City,

info at gmail .com.

N -C -C -N -Y -C, info at gmail .com.

Or you can email me, chrisarnson at gmail .com, chrisarnson at gmail .com, for more questions about

this exciting event.

I hope that all of you who are able to get to New York City, whether you

live in New York especially, or if you just live nearby, or if you live far away but just have

the ability to take a plane, train, or automobile to New York City, please be there for this

first Iron Sharpens Iron radio event in Manhattan.

I've had many events and I've attended events in Manhattan to represent Iron Sharpens Iron

radio, but I've never held my own event in New York City, so please be there.

It's absolutely free of charge and I hope to see you there.

Then, coming up in August, the aforementioned Fellowship Conference New England

is going to be taking place.

In fact, I'm going to quickly ask, I know that Don Curran is not speaking this time around, but he

has in the past.

Can you tell us about your experience speaking at the Fellowship.

Conference New England, Don?

Yes, Chris.

There's reality

in the God

word.

A number of young people,

the entire atmosphere with the speakers, the people who registered, I would just say it was.

Very engaging and very edifying.

Yes, and this is one of those rare conferences where there is no central theme.

Each speaker can address whatever is burdening his heart most at that time.

It will be held August 2nd through the 4th at the Deering Center Community Church in Portland,

Maine.

The speakers include, all of these men have been guests on Iron Sharpens Iron radio and they will be

returning again very soon to be on this program to promote the

conference.

Pastor Tim Conway of Grace Community Church in San Antonio, Texas is one of the speakers.

My dear friend, Pastor Mac Tomlinson, who is an author, a book editor and publisher and pastor

of Providence Chapel in Denton, Texas.

He's also a financial supporter of Iron Sharpens Iron radio.

I praise the Lord and I thank God for Pastor Mac and the

folks at Providence Chapel in Denton, Texas for sending me an urgently needed check that we needed to

pay various bills that were already late and Pastor Mac and his

congregation were a godsend for sure by helping us out with a donation.

Also, Pastor Jesse Barrington of the Grace Life Church in Dallas, Texas is

speaking.

The Grace Life Church in Dallas, Texas is a sister church of Grace Life Radio.

It is a Grace Life Church, I should say, in Lake City, Florida and that

church has, owns and operates Grace Life Radio, which airs Iron Sharpens Iron radio

every day.

Sorry for being a little tongue -tied there.

We have Pastor Nate Pickowitz, who is an author and the pastor of Harvest Bible Church in

Gilmanton Ironworks, New Hampshire.

Those are the speakers.

Go to fellowshipconferencenewengland .com, fellowshipconferencenewengland .com and

please tell them that you heard about Fellowship Conference New England from Chris Arnsen on Iron Sharpens Iron radio.

Then we have in November the 9th and the 10th, the Alliance of Confessing

Evangelicals is having their annual Quaker Town Conference on Reform Theology.

I will be there, God willing, manning an exhibitors booth for Iron Sharpens Iron radio.

It's going to be held at the Grace Bible Fellowship Church in Quaker Town, Pennsylvania.

The theme is the glory of the cross and the speakers include David Garner, Ray Ortland,

Richard Phillips, Timothy Gibson, and Carlton Winn.

If you'd like to register for the Quaker Town Conference on Reform Theology on the glory of the cross,

go to alliancenet .org, alliancenet .org, click on events and then click on Quaker Town Conference

on Reform Theology.

Please tell the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals that you heard about that conference from Chris Arnsen on Iron Sharpens Iron

radio.

Then the conference that I mentioned in the beginning of the show where Don and Cindy Curran are speaking, a

very important conference to me personally, a conference that has meant a great deal

to Iron Sharpens Iron radio, that's the G3 Conference which stands for Grace, Gospel, and Glory.

It's going to be held Thursday, January 17th through

Saturday, January

19th at the Georgia International Convention Center in College Park, Georgia, which is a

suburb of Atlanta.

They are expecting over 4 ,000 people to attend this conference and I am so delighted that

I will be there, God willing, once again manning an Iron Sharpens Iron radio exhibitors booth.

The theme is The Mission of God, A Biblical Understanding of Missions, and they have an enormous roster

of speakers.

The speakers at this conference this coming January include

such great speakers as Paul Washer, Conrad M. Bayway, as

I mentioned earlier, Todd Friel of Wretched TV and Wretched Radio.

We can even say that my friend Anthony Mathenia, who is Paul Washer's pastor, will be there.

He's also involved in HeartCry Missionary Society, the organization that my guests Don and Cindy Curran

are involved in, and Stephen Nichols, who's the president of

Reformation Bible College, the college founded by the late R .C. Sproul and Ligonier Ministries, and many more

folks on that roster.

If you would like to register, go to g3conference .com, g3conference .com, and

click on G3 Conference 2019.

You can not only register to be an attender of that conference, but you can also register for an exhibitors

booth if you have a church, a power church ministry, a business, or something that you believe has

great value for the body of Christ, and you want to have an exhibitors booth to be in attendance there

with your publicity material so that when those 4 ,000 plus people are

milling around, they can discover or be reminded about your organization.

Go to g3conference .com, g3conference .com, for either reason, either for just attending or for

registering for an exhibitors booth.

And please tell Josh Bice and the folks at the G3 Conference that you heard about them from Chris Orensen at Iron Sherpins Iron

Radio.

Very briefly now is my least favorite part of the program.

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You could also use that email address to send an email for Don and Cindy Curran, our guests today.

If you have a question regarding the mission field specifically and especially hardships in the mission field,

our email address is chrisarnsen at gmail .com, chrisarnsen at gmail .com, and please give us your first name, city

and state, of residence if you live outside the USA.

Don, why is it that you wanted to, of all the topics under the umbrella of

missions, why is it that you wanted to discuss the hardships.

Of the mission field today?

I think that probably the primary people in the

United States right now who

I feel like have a

reality of life, and I'm meeting a lot of young, at

the beginning of

domestic terms, a number

of issues

committed, as you mentioned a moment ago, to a

local

woman,

and everything in my mission endeavor.

These are some realities on this side of the pond that need to

be in your

mission

field.

I feel not

just on the field itself, but even before you go, there are some things for you to

step up to the plate and trust to prepare you

to go and serve.

Christ.

Now I know that there are all types of mission fields, there are all types of

different cultural circumstances in different parts of the world, even in the United States, people who are involved in

domestic missions, or people from other countries who are missionaries to the United States, but

what are the most common hardships or difficulties that you could.

Mention

today?

He's

coming

up and

consequently

he is embracing what he calls the grace of we

when you're talking about

the necessity of

a lot of criticism.

We

have,

let's

see,.

We have Ronald in eastern Suffolk County, Long Island, New York, who has a question for you.

He says, I have heard different stories from missionaries overseas where the

temptation is great, especially when facing hardships of various kinds,

to be more cooperative than would be biblically warranted with those

religions and churches surrounding you that do not believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Have you found this to be a common thing in your own experience that you've witnessed, and is there any

realm of cooperation that missionaries can be participating in with those that

deny the biblical gospel and specifically the Protestant historically reformational

gospel that we believe to be the biblical gospel?

I'm not speaking about spiritual ecumenism or gathering together for religious worship

services or events, but I'm speaking, is there any realm where we can rightfully

cooperate with those folks?

Now he starts off by saying, as you may remember, that he's heard that there's a lot of

people who are actually involved in the wrong kind of ecumenism when they're out there feeling perhaps all alone in the mission

field, and they see the very nice Roman Catholic priest right down the road in the village,

and you might want to be tempted to be involved in some kind of a crusade or evangelistic event with that person, but

that would be obviously wrong, and what's your comment.

On that?

Well, the Bible teaches and does not teach

ecumenical unity.

I can fellowship when it's not reformed in their belief theologically.

I cannot join hands with people that deny the virgin birth or the inerrancy

of the deity of Jesus Christ alone through faith alone in

Christ alone.

These, to me, are cardinal doctrines that are not to be negotiated or compromised under

any circumstances

in dealing with people that I could not

collaborate with in some type of ministry endeavor.

I know, and that's one of the

many times you're

abandoned by

cardinal doctrines that you find you're

enjoying

can be

compromised for the sake of...

But can't

they.

Enjoy, just as you, I'm sure, you have friends and neighbors who are not believers, and

they do certain things together, and they even use those recreational things,

or even when you're giving physical assistance to somebody that's a non -believer, you

are giving Christ the praise, honor, and glory by identifying

yourself as a Christian and by doing them these or performing these acts of mercy, just as in

James, for instance.

Of course, it is debatable.

Some would say that James, when he is giving a prohibition for just

telling somebody be warm and filled and sending them away without their physical needs being met, there's debate over

whether that's a Christian in the congregation or whether it could be

a non -believer.

But I'm sure that all Christians believe we have to do some acts of mercy and kindness and grace

with unbelievers and even enjoy their company in some ways at sporting events and all kinds of things.

Aren't there things like that that could be done in the mission field?

Absolutely, or to

be

isolationist.

And whenever

you want

evangelism,

what I'm

talking is

some

type of

gospel capacity.

Now, how about digging a well or something like that with some local

Catholic priests or some kind of physical thing that is of physical

benefit to the community, whether it's a priest or possibly even a Jehovah's Witness or a

Mormon or something.

Could you do something like that when you're out on the mission field?

You know, our

community has there, if some

of our missionaries were to get together for some type of

community service, they would not understand

that.

In their mind, it would send a message of confusion.

That might be acceptable, which

once you know the climate, once you know the culture, the people, then you know whether or not you'd have the

liberty to participate in some type of physical endeavor of that nature.

But I think in other countries or cultures, that would be viewed.

By the general public as something compromised.

Now, and I guess I'm assuming then you would certainly say if you were to help

those with the compassion of Jesus Christ who are priests or ministers in a

false religion, that you would just make yourself clear that, you know, I just want to let you know

that I'm not doing this because I have an ecumenical mindset with you.

I don't believe that you're my brother, but I love you and I care for you and I care for the people in this village, so I want to help

you accomplish something that everyone here needs.

Wouldn't that.

Be appropriate

if you made

your position

clear?

I'm

going

to

read

you a question

that

I just.

Forwarded to you, and I'll have you answer it when we return from our final break.

This is from Joe in Slovenia, and I forwarded the question to you and Cindy

at both of your different email addresses.

And Joe says, Dear Brother Chris, thanks for being a wonderful catalyst for global missions.

The greatest and most consistent hardship faced by many missionaries is the lack of ongoing

engagement by elder -led local churches.

Many solidly Orthodox

ministries

long for godly elder -led local church accountability.

And I know that our listener who has sent in emails many times before

from Slovenia, he is a Southern Baptist missionary.

He is not, I just want to let our listeners know, he's not talking about Eastern Orthodox missionaries.

He's speaking about biblically sound missionaries, is what he means by Orthodox missionary.

I've been personally seeking for this for years with no churches willing to step up and accept the

challenge of deep engagement.

Please ask the Currens to address the need for pastors and elders to own the

responsibility to lead the local church to take the reins of global missions firmly and

provide support and leadership.

Thank you for all, thank you all for encouraging us today.

That's Joe in Slovenia, and I'll have you respond to that when we return from our final break.

If anybody wants to join us on the air, now is the time to do it with your question or forever hold your peace, because we're rapidly running out

of time.

Our email address is chrisarnson at gmail .com.

Chrisarnson at gmail .com.

Don't go away, we'll be right back after these messages.

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We are back with our final 20 minutes or so of our interview today with Don

and Cindy Curran, and they are talking about the hardships of the mission field.

And if you'd like to join us, do so now, please, quickly, because we're running out of time.

Our email address is chrisarnson at gmail .com.

Chrisarnson at gmail .com.

Before the break, I read to you a question and also a

challenge, a word of commentary from Joe in Slovenia.

It was so lengthy that I wanted to make sure I emailed it to both of you so you could also look it over during the break.

We received it, Chris.

And so what do you have to say to Joe's urgent plea

for, he joins the many solidly Orthodox or biblically sound missionaries.

They long for godly, elder -led local church accountability, and they're

seeking for this for years with no churches willing to step up and accept the challenge

of deep engagement.

And I'm assuming that they want even churches from America to send out people

to perhaps join these local churches on the mission field to become a part of the leadership there.

But if you could, unless I'm misunderstanding Joe, but if you could respond to Joe in Slovenia's.

Comments and

questions.

Yes, Chris.

Yes, we

response would be to

connect with these people to make sure that's

what they need.

Even though they're not the ideal, it is

the biblical pattern, but the leaders within that church need to take

the initiative, particularly in the face

of the encouragement that they need.

And I think they can do that

and visit our missionaries at least once a year and just

see.

I think there's

no excuse these days.

When you look at things like Skype,

literally closely connect with missionaries and sit and talk to them

face -to -face and listen to what calls for

my affiliation with

and saying, look, I've got this need or

I need this

work.

So yes, I think people like Joe

just need to take the initiative

to what the needs are of these missionaries.

Well, thank you, Joe.

Keep spreading the word about Iron Sherpa's Iron Radio in Slovenia and beyond.

Before we run out of time, I want to make sure you address everything that you want to address in regard to 1

Corinthians 16 .9.

And let me read that.

For a wide door for effective service has opened to me, and there are many

adversaries.

That's obviously the Apostle Paul writing this to the church at Corinth.

Can you explain what specifically this has to do with the

specific topic we're addressing today about hardships in the mission field?

All right.

Obviously, you can't talk about everything.

The point is,

as Havner said years ago,

and we know that with

actual door and

enthusiasm among

the

activity to

it, the gospel

is much assurance

happening

and also is message.

So that's the inevitable.

I've said from God

to the world, whether, and it's not just around,

and if they begin to present the true gospel of Jesus Christ

in a great deal of opposition, people will misunderstand.

Yeah.

And going back to what we were discussing before about

cooperation when you are working hand in hand in some kind of physical way

to provide a physical need for some group of people on the mission field and you're working with a

priest in the Church of Rome or the Eastern Orthodox Church or some other false religion, if

you are preaching the true gospel, it is going to be offensive to

those who are not regenerate.

It's going to be offensive, especially to those in religious leadership,

typically, of religions that deny the true gospel.

So it may also narrow down the number of people that are going to be willing or

even asking to work with you on those things if you are known for believing

that you have a gospel that is different than theirs and that although you will treat all

people with love and compassion, you will not tolerate

a false religion being preached and seducing those amongst your own

flock or the people.

Of the community.

Yes,

I

have been

told

by

missionaries

and even

itinerant

evangelists.

Who have gone to places like India and who have evangelized

Indians who are Hindus, and a Hindu may have and will typically have

absolutely no problem at all with you believing in Jesus Christ, with you

believing that Jesus Christ is God, and without you not have

any problem with you being a Christian until you say to the Hindu, Jesus Christ is the

one and only God and he is the only savior of mankind

and you must repent of all idolatry and abandon all false gods

and turn to this one and only hope for salvation, Jesus Christ.

That's when the Hindu will get angry and may, depending upon who that Hindu is,

may even try to murder you as there have been, even not long ago in the 21st

century, there have been Christian ministries murdered and burned alive by

Hindus.

One family in particular, I believe from Australia, were burned alive in their car as

Hindus with long poles held the doors of the car shut so that

they could be, so that the murderers could be far enough away from the flames not to be hurt, but so that

the car doors would be welded shut by the force of the poles and the

people inside would be burned alive.

So, I mean, Hindus are not all like we see in many TV and

movie depictions of them where they're all these peace -loving yoga

instructors and have nothing but peace, love, and harmony on their minds.

There are some very cruel and barbaric Hindus out there, but that's a long way of saying

that many people, in fact most people, don't mind you loving Jesus.

It's when you start talking about who that Jesus is from the Bible that they start to get upset.

Yes, yes, absolutely.

Staying

there, out

of

that,

you're

going to

incur...

Well,

I

would

like

each of

you

now to.

Have two minutes apiece to summarize what you most want etched in the hearts and minds of our listeners today.

We'll start with Cindy, and then if you could conclude the program,.

Dawn, that'd

be great.

Cindy?

Yes, I just, as I summarized, that

is to walk with Him, and to know Him, and to love Him, and to share His Gospel,

whether it is with our children in our homes, as well as our neighbors, and

on the foreign mission field, wherever God has placed us, we are responsible.

And His role for us is beautiful.

It's just precious, the role that God has given us to serve.

Just learning to be content in that, and to rejoice in that, is such a means of grace.

In our hearts.

And Dawn?

Yes, and I would summarize what I've said, Chris, in saying that

I think that probably our greatest eclipse is the sovereignty

of God.

And of course, in Reformed context, we oftentimes might

just sound like a broken record when it comes to underscoring the importance of it.

Really, true contentment is an embracing of the sovereignty of God.

And I see today that, once again,

conflict, as one missionary director,

the mission field of

integrity, there's such reproach that sadly many missionaries,

but the thing we've got to understand,

and He gives us so many,

wonderful Christ, and one is

recognizing God's behind stances and adversities

to perfect the life of Christ.

And I want to encourage the listening audience today,

whether you're in ministry,

whether it's in the

foreign workplace, that will give you,

in dear

hearts, Jesus Christ, and the Lord will

help you and perpetuate the gospel.

Through your brokenness and difficulty.

Amen.

And as far as the doctrines of grace are concerned, those who are

opponents or even enemies of the doctrines of grace, nicknamed Calvinism, nicknamed Reformed theology,

they will say that Reformed theology and missionary endeavors are

incompatible, they're like oil and water.

And the irony is, is that I have heard from many of those who are Calvinists

or believers in the sovereign grace of Reformed theology in the mission field, is that in their experience,

it is the Arminian mission boards that very often, I'm not going to broad brush, but very often are

more likely, much more likely to yank a missionary off the mission field

prematurely just because they're impatient about the fruit that is born from that missionary's labors, whereas a

person who is a believer in the doctrines of grace will be more patient and persevere because he knows or

she knows that the Lord has His people from out of every tribe and tongue and people and

nation that He has elected who will come forth eventually, even if it's not in the lifetime of that missionary.

Yes.

Yes, I agree.

Well, we're out of time, and I want to make sure that all of our listeners have all of your contact information.

First of all, Don Curran Ministries can be found at doncurranministries .org, and Curran is C -U

-R -R -I -N, C -U -R -R -I -N, doncurranministries .org.

Please don't forget about the G3 Conference, where Don and Cindy Curran are on a long

roster of speakers this January.

For more details, go to g3conference .com, g3conference .com.

I will be there manning an exhibitor's booth there in College Park, Georgia at the

Georgia International Convention Center amongst the crowd of 4 ,000 plus people, God

willing, so please come out there.

I urge you.

I would love to see many more of my listeners for Iron Sharpens Iron Radio there in the audience, and don't forget

about my event coming up very quickly, the free seminar in New York City at First

Baptist Church of New York City in the corner of 79th and Broadway, July 6th.

That's Friday, July 6th from 630 to 10 p .m. featuring Dr. Tony Costa of Toronto Baptist Seminary.

I want to thank you all for listening.

I want to thank especially those who took the time to write in questions.

I want to thank Don and Cindy Curran for being such wonderful guests, and I want you all to always remember for the rest of your

lives that Jesus Christ is a far greater Savior than you are a sinner.