April News from David and Loredana

Do You Really Know Jesus Christ?

When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the crowds celebrated His entry. They exclaimed: “Hosanna to the Son of David!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” In another Gospel, they called him “The King of Israel”.  These were Messianic titles, as they had been prophesized by Isaiah and Zechariah.

The crowds welcomed the Messiah, but they totally missed the reason He had come, and therefore missed the blessing of being His disciples. Only a few days later, they were screaming “Crucify Him”, having believed the lies of the religious leaders that Christ had blasphemed Jehovah.
On the 13th of April this year, the streets of Rome were filled with faithful Roman Catholics, who were carrying home branches of trees that had been blessed by the priest in remembrance of Palm Sunday. Now these small branches will find their places beside the pictures of Mary and the saints in their bedrooms, in hope that they will provide some kind of protection or blessing.
Among some Jesus is mentioned often, religion is followed, but the reality of what Christ did, and what it means to believe in Him, is overwhelmingly unknown in Italy.

I Know Christ, but Don’t Take Away Mary and the Saints!

We are privileged to have begun a Bible Study with Paolo and Flavia. They are devout Roman Catholics, they believe they know Christ, but they have made it very clear that they want to continue to be devoted to Mary and the saints. We are studying the Gospel of John together. They are surprised by our approach to the Scriptures, since we base all we teach on the Word. If we cannot find it in the Scriptures, we don’t believe it!
This is such a new concept for them, as they are used to adding in the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church, their own feelings, and tradition to what they believe. We are excited that they keep coming to hear more of God’s Word, and pray that God will open their eyes to the Gospel.

We Need to Know Christ More…

We are also truly enjoying the privilege of meeting weekly with Davide and Silvia. They love the Lord and have a great desire to grow. We have been studying the book of James together, and they are growing more and more in their desire to please God and become more like Him.
So many churches here in Italy suffer from a lack of leadership and the sound teaching of the Word of God. We pray that God will use us to encourage believers and guide them in their growth. In our publishing ministry, we want to provide more tools for preachers so that they may be able to teach faithfully. We know that the Word of God will bring forth God’s will, as it is taught correctly.

We Are Learning to Live Christ More…

As a couple, we continue to be encouraged and overwhelmed by the grace of God. We are so grateful for His work in us, as He continues to show us areas where we must change to please Him. We are so grateful for all those who pray for us regularly and give sacrificially so that we can be here and shine a light for Christ in a very dark country.
We love the privilege of serving alongside Bill Standridge and the Johnstons, and we are seeing how God is allowing us to grow together and encourage each other in our sanctification. We are also so grateful for the little church we attend and the opportunities we have there to encourage the believers through our lives and teaching.

We Serve a Resurrected Christ!

We have a living Savior Who defeated sin and death. We preach and live a Gospel that is alive, the only truth that can change lives and transport them from the kingdom of Satan to the light of Christ.
We need your prayers, as we remind ourselves and you that the only lasting results we will ever have in our ministry will be caused by our sovereign God; therefore, we must depend on Him.

Please Pray:
– For continued spiritual growth in our lives
– For Paolo and Silvia – that Christ would be known to them
– For Davide and Silvia, as they make decisions in their lives
– For wisdom in knowing how to best serve the many needs of Italian Christians through our publishing ministry

Thank you for your love for Christ and your commitment to Him.

Your co-slaves of Christ,
David and Loredana

[colored_box title=”If you would like to support our ministry to Italy ” variation=”olive”]Please send your tax deductible gifts to:

CORNELIUS MINISTRIES
55 South Main Street #164
Oberlin, OH 44074

Mark on the memo line or on a separate note: For the ministry of David and Loredana Standridge[/colored_box]