Ministry Update: Spring, 2019

A Frontline Ministry

CELEBRATE JESUS!!!!!!!

scenes after Mardi Gras. Our team was there in New Orleans again this year. When the “party” is over, may empty hearts seek the Lord.

This season is all about Jesus. I pray that you get more of a thrill worshiping Jesus this Easter season than even being with your grandchildren at an Easter egg hunt. Jesus is truly the Reason for this season! I pray that you’ve been born again, for Jesus says unless you’ve been born again you will never see the kingdom of God. As we witness here on the streets of Gatlinburg, we notice that a lot of people have never been born again. They may be members of some church, but they have never totally allowed Jesus to take control of their lives. There is a lot of head knowledge about Jesus, but little heart knowledge. It breaks my heart to see so many that are living for themselves, and this world. I hope that you get to witness to someone this season and lead them to the Lord Jesus through His precious cross. Only through the shed blood of Jesus can you and I, or anyone find forgiveness for our sins.

Looking past Easter a bit, in Chapter 1 of the Book of Acts Jesus is telling the disciples they need to wait and receive the Holy Spirit before they go out to witness. Jesus proved Himself to them as He was with them 40 days after He rose from the grave. The word of God says that He spoke to them about things pertaining to the kingdom of God. Can you imagine all the things that He must’ve said? And then He talked about the Holy Spirit coming upon them and giving them power, I mean God Almighty power! If you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you are a stick of dynamite in the hands of God! When you go out to witness in the power of the Holy Spirit you know something is going to happen to someone! You may not know what that is, but you are excited just to wait for something to happen!

Every time Mark Martin and I go out on the street, we pray for God to move mightily through us and our testimony. We believe that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Like the apostle Paul in Romans 1:16, we are not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto the salvation to every one that believes; to the Jew first and also to the Greek. I pray that you are not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. Paul talks about it again in the book of 2nd Timothy where he says that God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. And he adds, “Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord.”

Years ago, I used to spend as much time as I could with Evangelist Arthur Blessitt. Arthur used to tell me that the reason more people were not out witnessing openly for Jesus is that they are simply ashamed of Him. They don’t want to be identified with Him in all that He would ask them to do and to be. I hope that’s not true, but the older I get the more I wonder. Jesus says if you’re ashamed of me here, I’ll be ashamed of you before my Father who is in heaven. This Easter season before we celebrate, we may have to get down on our knees and repent of our sin of silence before God. BTW there are now over 363 million people in North America, with 350 different languages and more than 14 religions. 273 million of these people, at our back door so to speak, have no relationship with Jesus! I hope this next week or two you will get alone with the Lord and make sure that everything is laid bare before Him, and you know you are His child, and that He loves you most dearly. The Awesome love of God!

After Jesus told the disciples they would receive power after that the Holy Ghost would come upon them and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. After He had said these things while they were looking at Him, He was taken up and a cloud received Him out of their sight. As they were looking there, two angels came and told them Jesus shall come again in the same manner as they had seen Him go into heaven.

One reason we are able to celebrate Jesus every day of our lives is because we know that one day He is coming back and He is going to take us to be with Him forever. No man knows the hour or the day, only the Father knows. I can look around and see signs that would indicate that His coming again could be very soon. We look around and see how evil the world is getting and we think that Jesus must be coming back real soon.

But think about Nineveh and what happened when Jonah finally repented and started preaching a message of repentance to the King and the people of Nineveh, one of the most wicked cities on the face of the earth. We know that when the message of God was presented by Jonah in the power of God, the people of Nineveh believed, even proclaiming a fast and put on sackcloth as the king even sat in ashes. The king knew the evil of the people and the violence that was in their hands. Being scared that God was going to destroy them in 40 days, they repented as the king questioned, “Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from His fierce anger, that we perish not?” The Bible says that God saw their works, that they had turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that He had said He would do to them; and He did it not. I pray that you and I will see a mighty move of God in the very near future not only for our nation but for the nations and peoples of the world! Keep believing and keep praying!

We are at the point to where we (DCEA) need to sell a 12 passenger Ford E350 van, or as I would like to do, give it away to another ministry. It has 83,000 miles on it and is in great shape. We used it to take people on our New England “GLORY STONES” Christian Heritage Tour (contact Sue or David if you would like to go). We find that most folks would rather fly to Boston and be picked up there. For small groups we can use our new van, for larger groups we can rent a van in Boston, thus saving expensive insurance and upkeep on an additional van. Pray we do what God wants done with this asset. Also, I have given away several cases of the outstanding book we use on this tour, The One Year Christian History by E. Michael and Sharon Rusten. If you would like to have your own copy, please let me know. As funds are available, I will get one to you. I believe you will be most blessed to use it daily.

I will be leaving in a couple of days working in New York City with our mission team from our church. Please pray that we see souls saved and that the church we are working with will reap a harvest from all our efforts. The following week Mark Martin and I will be going to Exuma in the Bahamas to work with the Reverend Cedric Smith and John James doing street ministry during the Bahamas National Family Island Regatta held in Georgetown, Exuma. After that we will try to do the events in Memphis and possibly in Indianapolis. We’ve had big crowds here during Spring Break that we’ve witnessed to and we anticipate even larger crowds of tourists this summer. If you have time to help us on the streets, we will supply you with excellent gospel tracts. Thank you for your prayers and love.

In Christ,
David and Sue Cobb

www.dceaonline.org

December 2018 Update

A FRONTLINE MINISTRY

ALL GLORY TO GOD OUR MAKER AND KING, WONDERFUL COUNSELOR, THE MIGHTY GOD, THE EVERLASTING FATHER, THE PRINCE OF PEACE, OUR LORD AND SAVIOR, JESUS THE CHRIST!

Scripture of my Salvation: No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other: or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Matthew 6:24

Scripture of my call to Preach: And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. Mark 1:17,16:15

My Life Verse: But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. The Acts of the Apostles 20:24

You know– God has made life pretty simple! Man has made it complicated and hard! Rick Warren has a little booklet he wrote in 2002 entitled “What on earth are we here for?” Good Question! Our one purpose in life is to glorify God by obeying Jesus. Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost. As He left, He told us to go and do likewise. Whatever your occupation is, the outcome from it should be to carry out the Master’s Plan.

Some of us sow and reap. Psalm 126:5,6 Others encourage and pray. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-28 And some are blessed to support and send. Romans 10:14,15 All are necessary for the gospel to fill the earth. The question is: Are each of us fulfilling our role in the Master’s Plan?

I believe 2019 and 2020 to be Watershed Years. Two full years to go all out for God! Fulfill your destiny! God in you is able! As one of my dear praying friends says, “Stay clean and stay close!” Of course, he knows if he stays close, he will stay clean. We live in the world but are not of it. Galatians 6:14

The forces of darkness are all around us. They have always been here. God is able to hold them off. Our job is to believe and pray and walk. God is faithful to do his part. We must take back our schools before our very children and grandchildren turn against us. In the 17^th century in France, King Henry IV had issued in 1598 the Edict of Nantes giving religious freedom to the Protestant Huguenots in Roman Catholic France. But by 1685 Henry’s own grandson, Louis XIV, revoked the Edict of Nantes and all Huguenot churches were destroyed or turned into Catholic churches. If you don’t tell your young children and grandchildren to follow Christ, the world will tell him not to!

In the fast-paced world we live in darkness can snuff out the light very quickly. Light dispels darkness, but the opposite can happen if we let our guard down. I am saying you and I must be more vigilant than ever before. Don’t get tired and sit down. This is the hour to stand strong in the Lord! He has called you and me forth to STAND. The devil’s time is short. I believe he is using the Progressives to bring in the One World Government and to rid the planet of Christ and Christianity, just be tolerant, coexist. Many Christians and so-called Christians are duped into playing along with his evil schemes. Do not be one of them! America is now in the category of being an unreached people group! Over 100 churches close their doors each week, forever! Every year another 2,700,000 church members fall into inactivity (I am not talking about the ones that fall asleep in the pews each week). Other countries are sending missionaries to us! America MUST have Revival!!! Fast and Pray as you never have before. Please!

I believe we have just a few years left to have the freedom to preach the gospel ANYWHERE! This is a call to prayer and to preach now! So many lives are at stake. So many souls are without God. Do we really care? Time will tell what our attitude and heart really is. I ask you out right—Have you led Someone to Christ this year? 2018. Anyone? You have a few days left to do it. There is Someone of your relatives – There is Someone on the block in which you live – There is Someone in your neighborhood or section of town – Someone on your road – Someone with whom you do business – Someone is waiting for you to tell them about Jesus and the love He bestows as He floods our hearts! Time is short. Do it today. The voice of the devil says, “Wait.” Don’t listen to him. Today is the day for their salvation. Trust the Lord and go! It could mean the difference between heaven and hell for that Someone!

Mardi Gras Street Witnessing has a new group for men ages 70 plus that may take it a little easier. I will try to lead this group. Brother Dennis Mohr of Call of Grace Ministries is coordinating all the rooms for everyone and handling the finances. DCEA will still provide many signs, Tracts and Bibles as In the past. Dates for MG are February 28-March 5, 2019. Costs are $175.00 per person for Thursday thru Sunday; $300.00 if you stay until Wednesday morning. Call Dennis Mohr at 618-694-8199 to reserve a space. Pray we see many people saved this year. Come with us. Step out in boldness if you have been fearful before. Everybody in New Orleans needs a witness! Easiest place in the world to share Jesus. No Joke!

Talking about witnessing, Christmas is a great season to tell of the love of Jesus. What an awesome time of the year! God’s blessings be upon you as you obey Him. I am enclosing a gospel tract for use at this time of year. I have ten thousand of these should you need more! Just ask. My prayer is that you may use this tract to lead Someone to Jesus. Thank you for all the prayers you have lifted up for us this year. And thank you for supporting this ministry of Gospel seed planting and harvesting and discipleship and teaching. You are special to the Lord and to us! Keep praying.

Merry Christmas to you all,

David and Sue Cobb

November 2018 Update

A FRONTLINE MINISTRY

Greetings in Jesus name. One of the greatest youth events of the world happens in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee the weekend before Thanksgiving each year. Hearts On Fire 2018 will host Tim Tebow and Clayton King as speakers along with musicians Passion, Zach Williams, Roger Williams and the AMUQ, and the Hearts On Fire Band. Founder and leader of Hearts On Fire is the Reverend Scott Carter, Minister of Youth at First Baptist Church Sevierville. Over 12,000 youth have already preregistered. I want to encourage your youth to attend this outstanding event. You can register heartsonfireministries.org

Sue and I have just completed a whirlwind 5,000 mile trek. We give praise to our God that we had no close accidents (that we know of), no personal injuries, all equipment ran perfectly, not even having a flat tire. We attended my high school class reunion having a great time seeing a lot of our friends (notice the omission of the word old). I was able to speak to the men’s breakfast group at First Baptist Church Stuttgart and to preach at Grand Prairie Church on Sunday. Thank you, Pastors Dr. Sam Roberts of FBC and the Reverend Thomas Bormann of Grand Prairie Church for allowing me this opportunity. One man confessed that he was saved. Continue to pray that there will be lasting fruit from our labors.

Leaving Arkansas Sue and I drove home spending one night and changed vans that would haul more people and luggage. We met the Reverend Dr. Woods Watson of First Baptist Church West Monroe, Louisiana and 14 members of his senior adult group at the Boston Logan airport. It was a rainy first couple of days for DCEA’s New England Christian Heritage Tour (Glory Stones). The first day we visited Plymouth Rock where historians say the Pilgrims set foot on December 21, 1620. We also gathered in much history at the local museum there in Plymouth. Normally we would view the Mayflower 2, but it was away being repaired. That afternoon we traveled to Plimouth Plantation and viewed how life was lived back in the days of the Pilgrims. There were several interesting exhibits where local Indians showed some of their native skills.

Each morning after breakfast we would have a time of morning devotions and prayer. I would like to say here that we felt and saw God working all along our excursion. Usually I would read a portion from The One Year Christian History: A Daily Glimpse Into God’s Powerful Work (by E.Michael and Sharon Rusten Tyndale House Publishers) that pertained to that day’s visits. We were supposed to walk the Freedom Trail today, but because of rain we got a late start and decided to take our luggage to the new hotel on the north side of Boston. We did drive by Boston Commons where the Boston Massacre transpired, the building where the great evangelist DL Moody was saved, the Old North Church where Paul Revere had the lanterns placed and Copp’s Hill Cemetery where Increase and Cotton Mather and other great Puritan ministers are buried. In the afternoon we visited “Old Ironsides”, the USS Constitution, the oldest active battleship in the Navy. While there we observed the 243^rd anniversary of the founding of the US Navy.

Sunday, we drove to Newburyport to worship at Old South Presbyterian Church which evangelist George Whitefield founded in 1746. He preached there many times and died in a house just two doors away. He is buried under the pulpit of this church. After worship historian Jerry Mullins offered a tour of the church and grounds telling us much of the happenings of that era. We then drove to Sudbury and had an exquisite meal at Longfellow’s Wayside Inn. This is the oldest inn that his been in continuous operation in our nation.

Monday, we left Boston and went to Lexington Commons and Concord where “the shot heard round the world” was fired. We saw a great movie that the National Park Service has put together of the famous night revering Paul Revere’s ride. That afternoon we traveled to Providence, Rhode Island and visited the first Baptist Church of America which is First Baptist Church Providence. We were blessed by Author/Historian J. Stanley Lemons spending time telling us about this beautiful church. Then, we headed downtown to the Roger Williams Park and viewed a movie showing William’s life and his influence on our religious heritage. Our National Park Service again has a great movie to share about his life and activity. It was rainy and dusk when we finally made it to Newport to see the magnificent homes there (Maybe we didn’t need to see them and possibly sin by coveting)!

Tuesday, we traveled through the country driving past the beautiful University of Connecticut up to Tolland, Connecticut where pastor evangelist Shubal Stearns was born again under the preaching of George Whitefield. Just a few miles north of this at Enfield we were getting ready to have prayer around the marker that denoted where Jonathan Edwards preached “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” and the First Great Awakening of America started. Sue noticed a lady walking on the sidewalk close by. She announced to the lady that we were going to pray for revival for our nation and asked if she wanted to join us. As we were milling about, JoAnn, our new friend, pointed to a beautiful pendant that Barbara Goleman had around her neck. In just a moment Barbara sensed the Holy Spirit said to give it to JoAnn, which she did. God’s Spirit was strong there as we all joined hands and prayed. JoAnn said that she had never done anything quite like that and that she was raised Catholic. I asked her if she believed that she would be in heaven if something happened to her. She said that she wasn’t sure, but she had been raised to always treat people well. I shared the gospel with her and asked her if she wanted to be sure of where she would be if she died this moment. She said she did, and she prayed a prayer asking the Lord’s forgiveness for her sins. I then asked her where Jesus was. She immediately placed her hand over her heart and said, “Right here!” Everyone was so happy and congratulated her. I went over to the van trying to find a little New Testament for her, but they were under everyone’s luggage. I looked beside the driver’s seat and found a Christian Life New Testament like I gave away years ago. In the back I found some writing of my mother years ago. I tore those pages out and handed the Bible to JoAnn. We said our goodbyes and drove on to our next stop. Continue to pray for Joanne, to find a church, and to walk with the Lord. Sharing the gospel and seeing someone saved is another good reason to go on these Tours.

After lunch we drove up to Northampton, Massachusetts to the Bridge Street Cemetery where David Brainerd is buried alongside his beloved Jerusha Edwards, the daughter of Jonathan Edwards. Several members of the Edwards family, the Stoddard family, the Dwight family, and other great Puritan leaders are buried in the cemetery. As the 17 of us were standing by the Brainerd grave to have prayer, a young man walked up, and I asked him if he was a student of history. He gave us his name and told us that he was a church history professor at Wheaton University in Chicago. It did not take much urging for him to tell us about David Brainerd and his life of preaching and caring for the Indians in this early part of America’s life. These early Christian families wanted America to treat the Indians with respect and to see them become Christians. Unfortunately, greed and lack of patience to wait prevailed and the land was taken and most of the Indians were killed.

Leaving Northampton, we traveled a few miles up the road to Northfield where DL Moody and his wife are buried side-by-side overlooking a beautiful valley. The Moody home is here close to the girls school at Moody founded. The Mount Herman school for boys is a few miles away. We again gathered around the grave and we asked the Lord to raise up many more evangelists that would be filled with His power like DL Moody. Then we drove into New Hampshire and across the southern part of Vermont spending the night in North Adams, Massachusetts.

Wednesday morning, we drove a short distance to Williamstown and viewed the monument where the Haystack Prayer Meeting was convened in 1806. Out of these prayer meetings at Williams College came the American Missionary Movement. No other nation up to this point has done more mission work, or sent more missionaries throughout the world, than America. We again had prayer here asking the Lord to continue to raise up young people that would have a heart for God and a willingness to surrender all. With billions of people still lost in the world, Christians today need to be challenged the Great Commission says, not to stay but GO!

We ended our tour in Stockbridge by viewing the Indian mission that John Sergeant. founded which became the place where Jonathan Edwards wrote most of his theological works. Indian missionary David Brainerd use this place as a place of rest as he worked with Indians in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. We again blessed the Lord for His Spirit upon these people and asked Him to continue to shape our hearts toward the lost. After great lunch at the Red Lion Inn we toured the Norman Rockwell Museum close to Stockbridge. Pray for a lady there that Sue and I have been witnessing to for a few years. Mr. Rockwell depicted a moral United States in most of his paintings. It is a good place to relax, end the Tour, and head back to Boston for those flying out the next day. This year the Louisiana group chose to go uptown and ride the sightseeing trolley before they caught their plane home late in the afternoon. What a great group! Thanks, Woods, for making it all happen!

BTW, I am having a few copies of this whole Tour printed up (about 150 pages). Most of it comes from Wikipedia, but it is in order of the Tour. Should you desire a copy please let me know. If enough interest, I may put it in book form for your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. They need to go see these places before it is forgotten why we even celebrate Thanks Giving!

Continue to pray as we witness on the streets here. I prayed with Antonio this past Saturday. Pray for him to stay away from alcohol. I believe he will as he learned a lesson here; if you are not surrendered and have a weakness toward alcohol, the Devil will get the best of you. He was so mad he had fallen off the wagon, so to speak. He asked God’s forgiveness and the Holy Ghost cleansed him as we prayed on the street, even taking the smell of alcohol from his breath! Both of us felt the Spirit of God. Continue to pray many will be saved from our tracts and preaching of God’s word. Also, pray our city fathers will repent of the alcohol evil they have allowed to be here so prevalent. Their own children and grandchildren will pay a wicked price, I’m afraid.

Before I close, I want to invite men seventy years of age and over (70+) to work with me in New Orleans this coming Mardi Gras. The dates are February 28-March 5, 2019. For several years I have had men ask to be taken back to the hotel earlier than most stay out. They are physically unable to work as hard or as long as they used to work. I understand, and some days feel at that point myself. If you are interested in being used by God in this effort, please contact me and I will share information with you. Contact me at 865-621-1946. We will work with and under the leadership of Dennis Mohr with Call of Grace Ministries. We will book all hotel reservations through Dennis. If you think you are over the hill and can’t be used by God, here may be your opportunity to shine for Jesus! Frank Robertson went last year, and he is in his eighties! Don’t hang your boots up yet! People need the Lord!

Thank you for praying for the elections and for voting. Your candidates and mine will not all win but we must trust the Lord. He is in control and will lead His people through. We as Christian people still must hear and obey His word from 2 Chronicles 7:14. “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

Thank you for all your prayers and your support. You are the best! Blessings in Jesus on you all. Have a most blessed Thanksgiving with your family.

Sowing seed, reaping a harvest, discipling as we go,

David and Sue Cobb

Committed Christian Conference

Dr. Preston Nix

We give thanks for the Committed Christian Conference in Sevierville, TN July 1-3. For those who would like to have attended, but were not able to, we have recorded the teaching sessions on audio. The messages are posted on this page. To request an MP3 audio CD, please contact us.

John Swaim and friends led in music. John’s CD’s are available through his web site: https://johnswaim.com/

 

Diane Nix 1 (Ephesians 1-3)

Diane Nix 2 (Ephesians 4,5)

Diane Nix 3 (Ephesians 6)

George Bellmany (Prayer and Evangelism)

John Woodward 1 (Christ is Lamb and Lord)

John Woodward 2 (Christ is Life)

John Woodward 3 (Christ is Liberator and Leader)

Mark Martin (How I Share the Gospel)

Preston Nix 1 (1 John 1)

Preston Nix 2 (1 John 2)

Preston Nix 3 (1 John 3)

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Note: to download a single file with all of these audio messages, right click on this link: http://gfirecovery.com/CCC/CCC_2018.zip

After downloading, “unzip” (decompress the folder) to access the MP3 audio files.

Ministry Letter June, 2018

A FRONTLINE MINISTRY

I tell people that writing this letter each month is one of the hardest things I do. I’m not a writer. It Is not my gift. Every spiritual gift test that I’ve ever taken has shown that my gift is prophecy. Now that does not mean that I’m a prophet. I see myself as one that God has called to forth-tell about the coming of the Lord. That means that I am to be a witness for the Lord Jesus Christ and tell people they need to be prepared for the Lord’s second coming. If one is not Born Again of the Spirit of God before they die here on Earth, then they are not prepared for the coming of the Lord, or death, should Jesus tarry. I don’t see anywhere in the Bible about a gift of evangelism. I see where it says that the evangelist is a gift to the church just like the pastor/teacher and prophet or the apostle. Ephesians 4:11,12 The evangelist is to equip the saints for ministry. In other words, I am to encourage the body of Christ, the church, in the way of evangelism. I try to do this by teaching, preaching, and on-the-job training and by my prayers.

THIS YEAR’S CONFERENCE THEME

• SAVE TO THE ARMS OF JESUS
• SAVED BY THE ARMS OF JESUS
• SAFE IN THE ARMS OF JESUS

This leads me to invite you as a member of the church, the body of Christ, to our annual Committed Christian Conference (CCC) held in the Gatlinburg area. This year’s event starts on Sunday evening July 1, and will be held at the Holiday Inn Express at Governor’s Crossing in Sevierville, Tennessee. The conference will continue Monday, July 2 and Tuesday, July 3 starting each morning at 8:45 am.  Our SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKERS are Dr. Preston Nix, Diane Nix, and Dr. John Woodward. Our praise times will be led by singer-songwriter John Swaim from Nashville, Tennessee.   Dr. Nix is the head of the evangelism department of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. His wife, Diane, is a sought-after speaker on the LifeWay circuit. Dr. Woodward heads up Grace Fellowship International which is the world’s foremost counseling and teaching ministry concerning the Cross of Christ. All our speakers are authors and each person attending will receive one of their books free (not 3, but 1 from one author) (You may buy more, and music, too).

[See schedule below.]

Why have I waited so late to post this notice? It was sent out as the DCEA Schedule of Events last December and is on our website. The reason that I have not promoted it too much until now is because it costs a lot of money. However, just this week some folks have stepped forward and said they will fund about one third of the cost of this event which totals about $7,000.00. This encourages me to go forward as I am trusting the Lord and his people to bring forth the other two thirds.  Everyone that has attended this conference in the last three years has had great things to say about it! Come and be blessed!

Did you know only about 39% of Christians believe that we need to tell people about Jesus? And that there are only about three or 4% that actually tell people about Jesus! To me this is mind-boggling. It tells me that Christians are comfortable living in sin, the sin of silence. We have this conference (CCC) each year to bring encouragement to the body of Christ to become more evangelistic. Evangelism is fun! Do you like to meet people? Do you like to greet people? Do you care about people? I believe you do. This conference is for you!

Sevier County where I live is extremely destitute of witnessing and soul winning.  We will come under extreme judgment of the Lord Jesus one day as over thirteen million people come here each year and we only witness to about half a million of them, on a good year!  Come to our conference and help and encourage us!

Space is limited so I would encourage you to either call me in advance at or arrive at the conference early for a seat. I know this is the high season for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park but it is a good time as people take vacations in the Smokies around the 4^th of July.  The crowds will be here and when the Gatlinburg 4^th of July Parade happens Tuesday at midnight, we want to be there a few hours early and present Jesus by handing out Gospel tracts.  For those who know,we will meet at the Holiday Inn Express in Sevierville and ride to the Gatlinburg Inn in Gatlinburg about 7:30 pm Tuesday.The Gatlinburg Inn Conference Room will be our staging area as we go out on the streets.

Thank you for your prayers as Sue and I have traveled this past month.  We had a delightful time with our grandchildren in Houston.  Then we came to the Memphis in May Rock Music Concerts along the Mississippi River and witnessed on Beale Street.  It was great to team up with Evangelist Dennis Mohr, Dr. Jason Bond, Don Cherry, and Jason’s friend, Dean Serletic.  We handed out over six thousand Gospel tracts and know of at least two people that were saved. Pray all the witnessing takes root and grows.

While we were in Houston, Brother Cedric Smith had more than ten people with him on the streets of George Town, Exuma, Bahamas handing out our Gospel tracts and Jesus stickers to the crowds at the annual National Family Regatta.  Thank God for faithful witnesses.  God’s Word never returns void.  It will accomplish what He desires it to accomplish.  Isaiah 55:11

I was sitting on a low wall resting Friday night.  A man came over and sat next to me and asked me for some money to get a room in the local mission.  I told him we did not give money out on the streets. Then he said he hadn’t had anything to eat all day.  Well!!!—The boldness of the Lord came on me and I told him he was not one of God’s children!  He told me he had been saved and baptized (almost all tell me this at first).  I said that God’s children never had to beg for bread (food).  Psalm 37:25  I told him that he had never repented of his sin.  I told him I could smell it on his breath (he wreaked of alcohol). I repeated, “You have never repented before the Lord!”  Mark broke right there!  “And furthermore, you have demons.  Don’t you?”  Mark said, “Yes.”  I asked him if he wanted to be free.  Mark answered that he did.  I then told him if he so much as drank one drink of alcohol, demons would come back in him seven times stronger and trouble him. Luke 11:24-26 “Do you want that? I asked.  No was his answer.  I then asked him again if he wanted to be free, to be out of the bondage of the devil.  He nodded.  So right there in the middle of Beale Street between Main and Second, Mark asked Jesus to come into his heart and to be his Lord and Master for all time.  I asked where Jesus was and he said He was in his heart.  Again I told him if he was going to drink alcohol again the demons would be all over him.  Then I had him look intently into my eyes.  Then I commanded in Jesus’Name the demons of alcohol, lying, and sexual perversion to come out of Mark.  He was coughing and crying and got free, I believe.  I talked and prayed with Mark some more and bought him a half rack of BBQ ribs from a local Food Truck vendor.  He said he had a Bible.  But Mark told me he had only been in church a couple of times in his life.  Mark was probably thirty-five or forty years old.  It is hard to imagine anyone in America that hasn’t been to church more than a couple of times, but that is the world we live in.  I don’t invite enough Mark’s to church.  How about you?  Please pray for Mark W.

The DCEA schedule for the rest of our year has changed. I will not go to the Indy 500 event this year as finances are tight this month.  But I plan to work Crossover Dallas during the Southern Baptist Convention. Then our CCC is July 1 – 3.  Our church has an evangelistic team going to Santa Cruz, Brazil. J I am part of the team (my cost is about $1,300.00) and will be preaching some of the meetings there.  We plan to work the John 3:16 Horseshoe Event in Kansas.  Then Sue and I travel to Stuttgart, Arkansas for my fifty-fifth high school class reunion.  Immediately after this we are going to meet a group of fourteen people from FBC West Monroe, Louisiana in Boston, Massachusetts.  My good friend Dr. Woods Watson has asked us to meet his senior adult group and lead our Glory Stones Tour in the New England area.  Pray we see some people saved as we travel up north.  Please be much in prayer for each of these events and our continued witnessing on the streets in Gatlinburg this Summer and Fall.  Pray all our expenses to be met.  Continue to pray for the people who are still in the midst of rebuilding their homes from the drastic fires that came our way in 2016.

Thank you for all the prayers lifted up on our behalf.  You are our lifeline.  Also thank you for the continued support.  Again you are our lifeline!

Blessings in Jesus Name,

David and Sue Cobb

March, 2018 Newsletter

FRONTLINE MINISTRY

NOW and THEN are important words; every now and then.  In the book of Numbers chapters 13 and 14 God uses the word now eight times and the word then nine times. This is a very significant passage of Scripture even now today as it was then.

“And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I’m giving to the children of Israel; from each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, everyone a leader among them.”

And then God gives the names of each one of these leaders. The two that we remember are Joshua and Caleb. You remember the story how the twelve men came back and ten of them gave a bad report. Only Joshua and Caleb gave a positive report saying that the children of Israel should go in and take the land. They had all said that it was truly a land of milk and honey, a land where they cut down a cluster of grapes and it had to be carried between two of them on a pole. But the ten were filled with fear and said that the people were very strong and the cities were fortified and very large and that there were giants in the land even so that “we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.” You will remember that Caleb said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.” Can you just feel his faith?

Well, all the people listened to the “Cold Water Committee.” You know that every organization has one, that’s why we must have strong leadership. The children of Israel said to one another, “Let us select a leader and return to Egypt.” And the Bible says, “Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.” But Joshua and Caleb tore their clothes in anguish and spoke to the congregation and said, “If the Lord delights in us, then he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land which flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.”

Then the children of Israel said to stone Caleb and Joshua with stones. But the Bible says, “Now the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of meeting before all the children of Israel.  Then the Lord said to Moses: “How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them?” You see just the time the people were rebelling – God shows up!  God cares that His children do what is right all the time.  I believe some of us do not believe God is watching us all the time.  Let me assure you, He is!

I think there is real significance between then and now. Our great spiritual leader is gone. Billy Graham is gone (what a God-fearing man he was)! Many other great spiritual leaders have gone home.  Our world is in chaos. Our nation isn’t much better. Hatred, killings, jealousy, apostasy, apathy. I think what God is saying to us is don’t fear the atheistic Communist infiltrators. Don’t fear the George Soros’s. Don’t fear the Nancy Pelosi’s. Don’t fear the people of the land. Only do not rebel against the Lord! You real Christians, do not rebel against the Lord!  Their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us! Do not fear them. The Lord has delivered us through the Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korean War and all kinds of conflicts. The Lord is with us and has been from the time the Pilgrims settled here.

It is now time for our Christian leaders/pastors to speak up to their people. People don’t know where to get the truth of the news. Many get it or expect to get it at church.  I pray your Pastor gives you the whole counsel of God!  And let me add, Mr. Trump will not lead America to be great again.  If America should come back to her roots and become great again, it will be Almighty God that will have done it! I pray He will purify us and make us a holy people, a holy nation!

The ten men that gave the bad report died by the plague before the Lord. The people mourned and they “confessed their sin” and went up to the top of the mountain. God opens doors and gives us opportunities to obey Him.  Many times we are too stubborn to obey immediately.  Delayed obedience is disobedience.  The children of Israel weren’t listening to the Lord or to their leader; they were taking the matter into their own hands. They were like some of us; they didn’t wait to seek the Lord, they presumed upon Him. And the Bible says, “Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who dwelt in that mountain came down and attacked them, and drove them back as far as Hormah.”

The next two chapters of Numbers show us the results of pride and arrogance. At one point God got so angry that he had the ground split apart, the earth opened its mouth, and some of the people went down alive into the pit. The Bible says that “On the next day all the congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron saying, “You have killed the people of the Lord.” We all must be very careful when we want to complain against God’s anointed. It is a very grievous sin. We should never do it. God will deal with His anointed His way. He doesn’t need our complaining. God told Moses, “Get away from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.” There was a plague that fell on the complainers immediately and before it was stopped, 14,700 people died from the plague.  Sue and I walked into an office this week and someone was complaining about a man of God in front of several people. I had forgotten about this passage of Scripture. Praise God that the earth did not open up and we all had fallen into the pit!

Lest you think that I only read the Old Testament, I want to share something about blind Bartimaeus. You’ll remember that he was sitting by the road begging as Jesus was walking by. He cried out, “Jesus Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many warned him to be quiet but he cried out louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. The people around Bartimaeus called to him and said, “Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you.” I like this next statement. It says, “And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.” I love that phrase, “throwing aside his garment”. What faith! I believe I can hear what Bartimaeus was thinking. “I don’t need this rag anymore! I’m getting ready to be healed. I’m not going to be begging anymore. I’m getting a new wardrobe, new clothes!!! He threw aside his garment. Jesus asked what he wanted Him to do and Bartimaeus said that he wanted to receive his sight. Jesus spoke to him and said, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” Your faith has made you well. Did you hear that your faith has made you well? And the Bible says, “And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.”

Caleb and Joshua had great faith in God and He blessed them. Blind Bartimaeus had great faith and God blessed him. I pray that as you read God’s Word and study God’s Word that you will have great faith in God also.  It is so rich and true!  What do you need great faith for in your life today?

Thank you for your prayers and your support. Since we have last communicated Sue and I have driven over 4,000 miles in our van. We have been to New Orleans, Houston, Fort Worth, back to New Orleans, to Daytona, and then back home. I was asked in December to preach the message at the home going of one of our Charter Board Members, Mary Nell Reed, whenever she passed on to Glory.  Mary Nell is with Jesus! I could say so many great things about her. She was an Intercessor. That is really all that needs to be said, but she was a mother to three sons, and had many grandchildren. And some great grands. Sue and I have lost a dear friend, but we could not and would not wish her back. Mary Nell was loved and is missed by many. As I close my message I presented the gospel and one lady indicated that she was saved. What a glorious testimony added to a life that was lived close to God!

Another of our Intercessors went to Glory back in December. I hope you know that the work of evangelism is prayer. It is imperative that our ministry is surrounded by great people of prayer. I’m not sure that anything happens, for good that is, but that someone has prayed for it to happen. I believe this is definitely true when we talk about winning souls. Dorothy Shupe was my mother’s Sunday School Teacher for the last 15 or 20 years of my mother’s life. My mother has now been gone for 14 years. I don’t know how long Dorothy has prayed for me but I believe that she taught me as a young boy in Sunday School. All I know is that for many years I received a monthly note from Dodo (her nickname) encouraging me. Pray that God will raise up many others to take these two ladies places.

During the month of January, I was called on by my church several weeks to give the half-time devotional during Upward Basketball. It is always wonderful to share about Jesus and the Gospel message. Several people came to Christ each week that I shared. I believe it is God’s will that everyone should repent and be saved. I do not have a problem with giving a public invitation every time I preach. I, like the great English preacher, C. H. Spurgeon, expect someone to be saved every time I preach. Of course, it would be nice if I could preach like him!

I praise the Lord for Evangelist Dennis Mohr, Joe Toy, and Mark Yoho. Three years ago I relinquished my authority over the Mardi Gras ministry. Everyone felt that God would raise these three men to carry on the work that was started some 30 plus years ago. I still furnish some of the tracts and some of the paraphernalia; crosses, signs, shirts and such.  This year I missed being with all of the men that came from every corner of our nation, and one from the Bahamas, to witness at Mardi Gras. But through this great leadership eight people were saved and over 40,000 gospel tracts were handed out. Continue to pray that many more people will be saved through the reading of God’s Holy Word and the conviction of the Holy Spirit. I was able to witness on the streets a portion of three days and was happy to work with the man that was my mentor at the beginning in 1981, Evangelist Frank Robertson. I pray that I am still able to get to the streets and witness when I reach 82 years of age. God bless you Brother Frank for your life and encouragement to all of us street preachers!

Sue and I left New Orleans and gathered with Evangelists and Intercessors George and Gloria Bellmany and their team in Daytona, Florida. We handed out several thousand tracts to the crowds that come to the races culminating with the running of the Daytona 500. I always ask for favor from the Lord concerning the authorities. One day I’d given the ladies the best spot to hand out tracts and I moved to another position. Before long a policeman came and told me to move. I obeyed and moved closer to where the women were and had a great time of witnessing. I just figured that God wanted me to be in the best spot, so I didn’t complain.  We were blessed to have Brother Cedric Smith’s eldest daughter, Sharon, with us from the Bahamas one day.  This was her first event.  I pray she will want to go with us again.

Again thank you for all the prayers and your gifts. Many here are still in the throes of building back their homes that were destroyed in the great fire of November ‘16. I’m trying to help in small ways wherever I can be of service. As the weather warms, I will be on the streets most days. Should you come here on vacation feel free to call me and come work beside me. I promise I will not work you too hard. My philosophy is that whenever witnessing ceases to be fun, the Holy Spirit is probably telling us to quit and go rest. Pray for me the rest of this month as I am trying to get to the basketball tournaments and to the final four. Pray many souls will be saved.

God bless you and all you do for Him,

David and Sue Cobb

December, 2017 Letter

Jesus spoke these words in the great sermon on the mount. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33 KJV).

That verse, along with my life verse of Acts 20:24 KJV, have sustained my ministry throughout the years. Many a day they have gotten me through. Momma told me a few years before she went to Glory that if I ever saw a lady waiting on tables over the age of sixty it was because she needed to, not because she wanted to. Then she added, “Always tip  them well.” I have made it a habit of always giving extra to an older lady waiting on me to honor my Mother. last year during the fires here, I gave out extra money when served by someone who had lost everything. Many did not nave any insurance. Had it not been for area churches and Dolly Parton’s gifts they would not have survived. Some of you gave for the needs of this county also! I Thank you so very much.

Jesus came anti gave His life and taught us to give. I have made it a habit under God’ s leadership to give the largest bill in my wallet when I visit a church where I am not a member.  (I believe in tithing to my own church plus offerings). Frequently when traveling I carry a twenty, fifty, or even a hundred-dollar bill with me for unexpected occasions. Many has been the time I have reached in and pulled out a hundred and placed it in the offering basket. I admit sometimes I have done it more cheerfully than other times. God wants me to be a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7).

Back when Sue and I went to all fifty state capitals and prayed fur the Revival of this Nation, we drove our motorhome up to a church one day.  We were running on fumes, barely having any gasoline. They had agreed to allow us to park there for a week of ministry before we headed to our next state. I had saved back a hundred-dollar bill for gasoline to get us out of town and to our next capital city. Sunday as the collection plate passed I realized the hundred was in my wallet! I placed it  in the plate with a prayer. I had no idea what God had planned. But I did know we were out of money to get out of town
the next morning. As I was leaving the church after the evening service a Deacon called out to me. He hand ed me an envelope. When I opened it in the motorhome, there was another hundred-dollar bill! It was like God was saying, “If I can get it through you, I can get it to you!”

I have said all this to say that I am honoring the memory my Mother this Christmas by giving a hundred-dollar bill (provided I have one) to unsuspecting older ladies that serve me (actually gave one yesterday)! l believe God wants me to still honor my Mother and to be a cheerful giver (Exodus 20:12).

I want to especially thank all that have prayed for Sue and me this past month. For the most part we have been away for me to write some on a book I am attempting. Keep praying, please! We are not there yet.

As this year comes to an end it is always good to take account of where we are. Just this month It seems that the American Embassy has been moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. This has made most Jews and many Christians happy. However, it is upsetting the Arab world. And then we can look at  North Korea and understand that we could be on the brink of World War III there also. Last week one of our senators encouraged all our US citizens to move out of South Korea. Some of our leaders may know what’s happening, but most of us go from day-to-day praying and  hoping for peace.  We pray for peace on earth and goodwill  toward men. But we also know that the only real peace comes whenever Jesus Christ comes into one’s heart and someone is born again. Until the whole world is saved there will not be total peace (not teaching universal salvation here); it seems there is always an evil, greedy man in charge of some domain.

Adrian Rogers, a number of years ago, said that he believed, “As the West goes, so goes the world. And as America goes, so goes the West. And as the church goes, so goes America. And as believers fast and pray, so goes the church.”  I believe that what Dr. Rogers spoke then still holds true today. America is in the driver seat as to what happens in the world. The church, even after all the world’s ridicule, is still to a large extent directly responsible for what happens on the world stage. I believe that this is the most exciting time to ever have been alive! And I believe it is the most exciting time for the church also.

I believe it is the time for the church to unite in prayer for our nation and for the world. For me there are far too many people that are still lost and headed toward Hell. God responds to the prayers of His people, especially the extraordinary prayers of His people! I am going to be calling for churches to unite in half-night and all-night prayer meetings for our nation and for our world. And the church has to cleanse itself from sin. God’s Word says to humble our selves and pray, seek His face and turn from our wicked ways. Then He will hear from Heaven, forgive our sin, and heal our land (2 Chronicles 7:14).

Pray for us as we go to the world in 2018 making disciples of all peoples of all nations. I do not have my overseas schedule completed yet, but a hundred or more nations come to our fair city during the year. Pray we can reach them  with the printed Word or the preached Word. God is still calling me to the world’s crowds to reach the lost. Time is so short!  Pray for listening ears and  receptive hearts. Beside our regular living and traveling expenses, I will be spending several thousand dollars on our vans to get them ready for travel. If you feel led to give, please do. My tract need was met! Thank you so very much.

God has truly blessed Sue and me with your prayers and your love. I pray we will be a blessing to you also. Every day we pray we will be found faithful. We know our God is able and believe that He which has begun a good work in us will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6). Please pray for our Board of Directors to hear from the Lord to help direct our organization. Thank you for holding us up before the Lord. You are the Best!

Bless you in Jesus’ Name,
David and Sue Cobb

P. S. Billy Graham says, “Technology will never replace the most effective witness of all; one person telling another what Christ has done for him…”