Ron Sawka Ministries
December 21, 2022; Kislev 27, 5783
www.rwsministries.com
“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this” (Isa. 9:6–7).
“Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter” (John 10:22.)
Season’s Greetings!
Teddy and I want to say thank you to each and everyone for your love, friendship, prayer, and support this past year. We are so thankful for each one of you and for being part of our journey. We consider ourselves to be extremely blessed and privileged by the Lord. He led us to Japan and Asia in 1975, and has been with us always, has blessed us always, and has continually poured favor and opportunity upon us.
He has blessed our family. Our eldest son, Mike, and his wife, Rachel (grandson Jamie, granddaughter Ashlie), are now leaders of the ministry we established in Japan and Asia. It is now fused together with Catch the Fire and continues to grow. Our youngest son, Pete, and his wife, Tina, live just a few minutes away and are of great help. Our second son, Andrew, and his wife, Sarah (granddaughter Bea, grandson Barney), are also now in Asia, and are joining us for Christmas. It is so good for our whole family to be together.
So from our house to yours—and from our family to yours—Merry Christmas and much blessing to you in 2023
Christmas and Hannukah
I love celebrating Christmas. There is something very special about it—after all, it originated as a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Savior of the world and of all mankind. Everywhere in the world, even in Asia, it seems people’s eyes and thoughts are drawn to this. In some cities (e.g., Taipei, Singapore), shopping malls, streets, and city squares feature Christmas decorations, displays, and traditional Christmas music that rivals (and often surpasses) anything in the West. Christmas in Asia is an amazing time for evangelism.
Ask the Lord for peace during Christmas—A few days ago during MPP, the Lord reminded me that Christmas/holiday season isn’t a joyful time for many. Family problems can boil over and ruin what should be a season of peace, joy, and hope. The solution? Be sure to be in prayer. Ask the Lord to cover. Ask for His presence and peace to rule.
Hannukah? Fullness Because of Rededication
I hadn’t paid much attention to Hannukah until last year when the Lord showed me something about dedication and fullness. The feast of Hannukah is a seven-day feast, and this year runs from December 18–26. It is mentioned specifically only once in scripture. John 10:22 states, “Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter.”
In the second century BC, the Jewish people under the Maccabees rose up and drove out the enemy. They took back the desecrated temple, cleansed it, and rededicated it to the Lord (thus the name Feast of Dedication). That is when they got the miracle of the oil for the lamp. It seems they only had oil enough for one day. But it took seven days to prepare a new batch of this oil. And since the lamp in the holy place was to be lit and never go out (Exod. 27:20), they were faced with a dilemma. Light the lamp now, knowing they had oil for only one day? Or wait seven days for the new supply and light it then?
They decided to light the lamp immediately, and God gave them a miracle. He caused the oil to last. He provided it supernaturally for seven days until the new batch came. (Thus came the seven-day feast of Hannukah.)
To me the lesson is simple—when I dedicate my life to the Lord—dedicate it to Him for His purposes for me, then He will see to it that I am always filled with the oil of the Holy Spirit.
Just as He provided oil supernaturally for the Jewish people when they rededicated the temple to Him for His purposes, He will also provide oil of the Holy Spirit for each of us.
So if you ever get discouraged, or if you lose sight of your purpose in life, the solution is simple. Rededicate yourself. Our lives are for Him and His purposes. Rededicate. He will fill! You will shine!
Thanks for praying,
Ron and Teddy
Keep Maturing—Be Sure to Put on the Crown and Rule with Him
Tevet—The Tenth Hebrew Month: December 25, 2022–January 22, 2023
We need to remember we aren’t just priests, but also kings. Hebrews 7 tells us Jesus was made a priest after the order of Melchizedek. Melchizedek was both a priest and a king. We must make sure to keep maturing and deal with “self” and “flesh” issues by walking in continual dedication to the Lord.
A more complete explanation of Tevet and the accompanying declarations may be found here.
Ron’s Travel Schedule
Jan. 7–8—CTF conference, Sano
Jan. 9–10—Fukuoka Full Gospel Church, Fukuoka, Japan
Jan. 22–Feb. 12—Taiwan
Weekly Broadcast Schedule (Times are listed in Japan Time, UTC+9:00.)
Apostolic Center Training—Tuesdays, 8:30–10:00 p.m., English/Chinese, registration required
Apostolic for Russia resumes January 6
Prophetic Praise with Pete—Sundays–Thursdays, 10:00–10:30 p.m.
MPP—Mondays–Fridays, 6:00–6:45 a.m. Final broadcast for 2022 is December 23. It resumes again on January 10.
RON FB
Resources
Ron’s new book, How to Activate Prophecy and Revelation Gifts, the first title in our new “Apostolic Center Training Series,” is intended as a tool for training others in prophetic activation. It is now available for Kindle. Print copies can also be obtained from our office in Sano. Contact info@rwsministries.com for information about ordering copies, or to obtain any of the four books from the “Building Apostolic-Prophetic Foundations” series, which are also available on Kindle:
• Judah Goes First: The Power of Apostolic-Prophetic Praise
• Activated to Prophesy: The Essential Experience for This New Church Era
• Apostles and Apostolic Anointing: Raising Up the End-Times Believers
• Apostolic Centers: Wineskin for the New Era
For English or Japanese books, contact info@rwsministries.com.
For Chinese books, chinese@rwsministries.com
For more information or to connect with our ministry team, please write us at info@rwsministries.com or info@mppjapan.com.
Giving
You are welcome to give to Yarn Alive via giving to Ron Sawka Ministries. Please clearly mark your designation. Thank you.
Bank Info and Online Giving (From Any Nation)
You can give online by credit card or debit card at https://give.mogiv.com/app/giving/rwsministries.
In addition to online/credit card giving, which can be used from any nation, you may give via the following:
Japan
Japan Apostolic Fund Supporters should give directly to CTF Japan. Also Yarn Alive support should go directly to Yarn Alive as per www.yarnalive.com.
Direct Bank Transfers from Overseas
Account name/number: Ronald W. Sawka 93642377
Bank name: SMBC Trust Bank
Address: Nishi Shimbashi Square 1-3-1 Nishi Shimbashi, Minato Ku, Tokyo Japan 105-0003
SWIFT code: SMTC JPJT
Intermediate bank name and SWIFT code: Sumitomo Mitsubishi Bank Corp. SMBC JPJT
USA
CTF World USA, 2304 Page Rd, Durham, NC 27703. Please make out the check to CTF World. Be sure to clearly designate “For Ron Sawka Ministries.” If it is for Yarn Alive, please notify us separately at info@rwsministries.com.
Singapore
POSBank 149-42129-7 (account name Ronald W. Sawka)
Taiwan
Bank: China Trust
Account Name: Ronald Wade Sawka
Account Number: 42854 0413470
Korea
KEB HANA BANK 249-890619-84307 Ronald Wade Sawka
Canada
Since we do not have a Canada office, we suggest you use the credit card option https://give.mogiv.com/app/giving/rwsministries. (Unfortunately, the receipt is not tax deductible for Canada.)
Apostolic Fund Supporters
Apostolic Fund Supporters are the backbone of our support system, and we feel you are so important. Therefore please know that we:
Pray for you regularly—if you have needs/requests, please let us know.
Send you a weekly recorded prayer.
Want you to contact us whenever you feel a need arises.
Yes, I Commit to Being an Apostolic Fund Supporter for 2023 (US $1,200 for the year)
Name:
Number of pledges:
Family members you want prayer for:
Nation:
Email:
Also please be sure to attach a recent photo of you and your family (if applicable).
Please send us this information to info@rwsministries.com with the subject line “2023 Apostolic Fund Supporter.”
Thank you for your giving!