Ron Sawka Ministries
December 24, 2024; Kislev 23, 5785
“Joy to the world, the Lord has come. Let earth receive her King. Let every heart prepare Him room. And heaven and nature sing” (Joy to the World).
“But I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord” Jonah 2:9
A Very Merry Christmas and a Truly Blessed New Year!
By the time most of you read this, it will be Christmas and a time for that famous carol, “Joy to the world the Lord has come. Let earth receive her king. … And heaven and nature sing.” What awesome favor is on us who know Jesus as Lord, and what incredible good news we have to share. Yes, we have trials, problems, and difficulties like everyone else, but they are never wasted. God uses them to prepare and advance us. Thus, we are always in thanksgiving because “salvation is of the Lord” (Jon. 2:9).
2024 Recap
For Teddy and me—and especially me—the past twelve months have been a time of significant changes.
1. I spent the first three months in the hospital after emergency surgery because of a spinal stroke. My brain was unaffected, but I lost motor use of much my left foot, -leg, -arm, -shoulder, and -hand. I’m still doing rehabilitation, but I can use all ten fingers to type, I can drive a car, and I can walk reasonably well. I have made subsequent trips to Burma, Bulgaria, and Korea. I still have lots of physical limitations, but am glad that I’m improving, albeit slowly. Even if I didn’t improve more than this, I couldn’t complain because I am well able to get by.
2. As soon as the above event happened, the Lord spoke very clearly that He was in it and would use it for His purposes. I had the distinct impression that it would be linked to great harvest in Japan. I also felt He said—and this was confirmed at least three times—that one day I would have full physical restoration.
3. Teddy’s 96-year-old mother passed away on December 29, 2023, exactly one week after my emergency surgery. What an amazing woman of faith. All nine of her children (and their spouses) are likewise people of faith and influence. We felt her passing somehow signals the ending of an era and the arrival of some kind of new beginning for all of us.
4. Regarding why the Lord chose to “hospitalize” me, the overwhelming sense was spiritual preparation for something—dare I say—greater. The first one to say so was my older brother, who said, “Ron, you should consider that maybe it’s like Paul—some of his greatest work was from prison.”
5. Since then, I have received multiple prophecies that all of this was for a new launching, with more authority and influence, as well as a change of focus. I believe it’s a change from pioneering the apostolic and prophetic to raising up apostles, especially those who will raise up other apostles in turn.
6. The Lord spoke to me to stop Morning Prophetic Prayer (MPP), the five-days-a-week early morning webcast. It was difficult to understand why, because it was so successful. But I obeyed, and we stopped in October after twelve years, during which time we reached well over a million people.
7. The Lord immediately morphed it into an online Apostolic Center (APC)—a shift from ministering to casual listeners to ministering to cause believers to be launched into the harvest field. We call it APC-MPP. Connection/membership is all informal, but I am discovering there is an anointing on the APC itself, even though it’s online. Also, there is a spiritual authority from it to “open the heavens” in the regions of those who are connected with us. There is much yet to be discovered about all of this, and I think I will need to write another book (my seventh).
8. One thing that hasn’t changed is the ministry that Teddy leads, Yarn Alive. It’s now in its thirteenth year. The donations of yarn and knitting needles just keep coming in, and the women continue to gather and knit products to help those in disaster areas. Every time I go into that building, I can feel the anointing, presence, and peace of God.
And Now a Huge Thank You to All of You
1. To all the Apostolic Fund Supporters—Your giving is the backbone of our financial support.
2. To all the many connected ministers, ministries, and churches in the various nations, including: Japan, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Korea, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, USA, Canada, and UK. There has been ministry and interaction, as well as both prayer- and financial support.
3. To all who read this weekly update and follow us—Some of you have followed us for many years; some of you are family; some have connected more recently. Whichever it is, Teddy and I are so thankful. What a precious gift of God all of you are.
Consider Becoming an Apostolic Fund Supporter (AFS)
Apostolic Fund Supporters pledge the equivalent of $1200 for the year. This is the backbone of our financial support. We use these funds in the following ways:
1. Ministering in poorer nations that are unable to singlehandedly cover our expenses.
2. Writing and publishing books and materials. In some of the languages we publish in, sales don’t even cover the cost of printing. We publish materials in languages including English, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Russian, and Sri Lankan. We give away a fair amount of content.
3. Paying our staff that does admin and the work connected to webcasts and online posting.
Sign up Here.
I am so thankful for the many new fields that seem to be opening, as well as older ones that are reopening. We need your help more than ever.
Thanks for your praying,
Ron and Teddy
Blessings for the Hebrew Month of Tevet
Tevet 5785—The Tenth Hebrew Month, January 1–29, 2025
Moving into Maturity
Scriptures are full of people who had great potential, but who came up short, often because of immaturity. Cain couldn’t control his anger. Esau gave into hunger. Reuben and Samson gave in to sexual sins. The list is long. God doesn’t want us to be tripped up; rather He wants us to mature and fulfill the potential He made us for. Let’s be sure to take steps to maturity.
Also, the letter of the month is ayin (ע) which means “eye” or “to see.” The more we recognize (see) that God is in everything, in all our circumstances, the more we will move into maturity. Conversely, an immature person quickly forgets/doesn’t see God, and makes immature choices.
Ron’s Travel Ministry Schedule
Jan. 22–25—Project 173, Mexico City, Mexico
Broadcast Schedule
Weekly
Apostolic Center MPP
Mondays (except for Japanese Public Holidays in which case it will be on Tuesday), 6–7 a.m., Japan Time. (Times are listed in Japan Time, UTC +9.)
Schedule: Jan. 6, 14, 20, 29
How to Join
You can watch on YouTube or join live via Zoom:
Zoom ID: 865 1546 9529, Pass: 964072
Zoom main room is English translated into Japanese
Chinese translation room
Russian translation room
Korean translation room