For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all who are far off, even as many as the Lord our God will call to himself.”
Embracing Your Place in God’s Kingdom
About this episode
Pastor Tom Sprowls of Maryland Brethren Church in Berlin, Pennsylvania, joins Philip Cameron for a rich conversation on the kingdom of God and what it means to live as its ambassadors right now. Drawing from Mark 1 — where Jesus proclaims, "The kingdom of God is here, the time is fulfilled" — Thomas unpacks an awakening he has carried for the past year and a half: the kingdom has already come, and every believer is called to be a witness of what God is doing. The discussion moves into the urgent need to shift from a Sunday-morning church mindset to an everyday, every-moment discipleship culture. Thomas challenges listeners with a direct call: "Love God, love others, and make disciples — that's each and every one of us." He and Philip explore Acts 2:39, generational legacy, and how a faith passed down faithfully can impact millions across a thousand generations. The conversation closes with a timely reminder that no government or political figure will save the world — only Jesus Christ, who declared, "I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." If you are ready to think kingdom-first and invest in a legacy of faith, this episode is for you.
Part of our Faith collection of conversations.
Quotes worth sharing
“What I found instead was gold — solid gold kids that now are going tomorrow and will be in their hands completely to guide and take them all the way into the war zone and all the way out and through the war zone back to safety. A bunch of orphan kids that everybody else said they're not worth anything, and the kingdom of God has made them rocks and pillars and lighthouses.”
“No government is ever going to save us or this world. It's Jesus Christ. He reigns. He is the authority, and it's by the power of His Holy Spirit that He's given to us to be able to live.”
“Your faith can go for a thousand generations — you know how many millions of people that impacts? Our life and our faith is important, and what we do for the kingdom is important. So whoever says stuff and things that they're not significant for the kingdom — that's a lie. You are definitely important, because God's got work for you to do.”
What's Discussed
In this episode, Philip Cameron and Pastor Tom Sprowls discuss the concept of God's kingdom and the role of believers as its ambassadors. Drawing from Mark 1, Tom shares his awakening that the kingdom is already here, emphasizing the need for a shift from a Sunday-only mindset to a daily discipleship culture. He challenges listeners to love God, love others, and make disciples, highlighting the importance of generational legacy in faith. The conversation concludes with a reminder that true salvation comes only through Jesus Christ, not political figures, urging listeners to invest in a legacy of faith.
- Understanding The Kingdom Of God
- Shift From Sunday Mindset
- Generational Legacy In Faith
- Discipleship Culture Importance
- Political Figures Can't Save Us
- Investing In A Legacy Of Faith
Scripture in this episode
Episode Transcript
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Intro
Philip:Hey, my name is Philip Cameron. Welcome to Daily Faith. We are so glad you are with us and we are excited to share with you some great things happening. My wife Chrissy has just come back from Ukraine with my grandson Andrew. My son is still there. He normally sits over there watching me on camera and keeping me straight, and he is in Moldova. He's going to Ukraine tomorrow — pray for safety. He's going to Kherson tomorrow. Kherson has won — the new cities just recaptured by the Ukrainians — and it's still very much on the line between the Russians and the Ukrainians, and we're going there tomorrow with the blankets and the coats.
Philip:Listen to this: we have given 15,000 coats away in Ukraine. Is that amazing? And Moldova — to the refugees. And so it's just an amazing thing God is doing. They just sent me a video the other day. For those who don't know, we have a ministry — Daily Faith, of course, is our real program that we have for every day, this time we're on here — but we also have a mission work in Moldova. We actually started in Romania 33 years ago. I adopted my son Andrew from an orphanage in Romania, and we have now been working in Moldova for over 20 years. And six years ago we released a house in Odessa, Ukraine. That house — we have a house in Odessa — and we're in the process right now of believing God to buy that house. We've got about 60,000 dollars away from having that house bought, and I'm so — please pray with us. If you can help us in any way to buy that house, because what's happening is we took the girls out of that house and moved them to Moldova for safety.
Philip:In Moldova there's a negative vibe going on just now against Ukraine because of all these refugees that are using up the small media resources of the country, and our concern is they're going to start saying it's time to go back to Ukraine. And the man who owns that house is selling it, and if I don't get the money to buy it we'll have nowhere to put our girls when they go back to Ukraine. And we have been trying — it's the toughest thing to try and find the funds to buy a house in a war zone, and that's what we're trying to do. And if Russia wins, we'll still be there. If Ukraine wins, we'll still be there. It doesn't matter the politics of what we're doing there. What matters is God being shown to these people that are in such dire need.
Philip:And every day that goes on — I know it's not in the news anymore. I'm afraid it's forgotten about. In fact, there's almost a negative thing against Ukraine. They talk about all of this corruption and stuff. I know — I've been working in Moldova, which is corrupt also — but that doesn't stop the gospel message going out. That doesn't stop us caring for a mother whose husband has been killed in the war. A hundred thousand have died in this war. It doesn't stop us caring for the mom with her kids that has no electricity in her house and no water in her house. And we're giving away stoves to these folks, and we're giving away food, and we're giving away blankets and coats to try to help them.
Philip:And this house — if you can help us pray today, please. I would help — I need 60 people to give a thousand dollars. If I can stand in front of this house and see, I can buy this entire house to rescue 24 girls for a thousand dollars. There isn't one of you that can say, well, I'll try and find that — I can make that happen. Well, that's what I'm believing God for today. They just sent me a video of them in Ukraine. These are orphans, understand. This orphan took this video. The voice you hear was an orphan who is now a house parent in our village of Vatra, and all the kids you see giving out stuff were once orphans and no one wanted them. No one thought they were worthy, and they have become the ministers to care for so many. It is a ridiculous, crazy, great story. Watch this video.
A year ago their world was a happy place. They had jobs, their kids were in school, the corner shop sold bread and cheese and everything else. Their world was just like yours. Until through the mist and snow, monsters came. The tracks rattled on the ice-packed fields. The guns pointed towards the world they lived in. It took less than a second to obliterate everything that they had spent their lives building. There are no accurate numbers of how many have died. The end is nowhere in sight.
We have been in Ukraine for years. From the first explosion we were involved. We took this assault personally. The word friends — hands could not stand on the sidelines and do nothing. Our amazing group of young men and women did the unimaginable. Once again they drove into a war zone. Once orphans themselves, they have felt personally the hand of grace and redemption. To go to this devastated world seems to them as normal as having a meal or going to church. They drove for hours, unable to stop and stretch their legs, as inches on each side of the vehicles were live mines. Every few miles they were stopped at checkpoints by nervous soldiers. They were running along the line between the Russians and Ukrainians.
Our team finally reached Kherson, a recently liberated city still held in the grip of desperation. They had brought food, wood-burning stoves that will save lives in the bitter deadly cold that is to come. They brought blankets that to many is the only barrier between survival and death. On a dreary day within the sound of guns and bombs, the most astonishing thing took place. The rescued became the rescuers. Hundreds waited in the rain, shuffling along in a line that ended up in love.
Smiles, bread, fish, and words of care from the heart of the redeemed. As they traveled they came across bombed-out villages scarred by the strife of bullets, destroyed by the landslides of death. Their water, electricity, and everything else was gone. But the wooden stove had become the guardian against the deadly cold. We know it is impossible for most to even imagine this world. But by giving and praying together for this unfolding tragedy, we can join our hearts and hands to bring the hope that was sent to earth by the living God. If it were us, we would wait in line hoping that someone somewhere was thinking of us. We must go back. Will you send us? Every gift you give allows us to be His hands. We must go back.
Philip:In fact, we are going back tomorrow. They'll drive along — I don't know if you recognize it or not, but in one of those videos, with the back of one of our vans, there's a bomb embedded in the blacktop. You just see the tail fins of the bomb, and they all weave their way through these mines and bombs on the way to care for these people. Tomorrow morning, early and dark, they'll be leaving from Chisinau, driving to Ukraine again with food and clothes and blankets, and we need your help. We need you today to do something to help us. We are a small organization. We're not big. We just think we're big, and we reach beyond ourselves every day, and we've never found the end of God's grace or provision.
Philip:And we're asking if you could today please pray with us. A gift of any amount can help us. The fuel is expensive. Everything in Moldova has doubled in price. Our normal work is to care for young women and men that have been put out in the streets from the orphanages, and we put them back in school. That's what we've been doing for 30-odd years. But now with this added burden, we just need more. We just need more people just like you to say, Philip, I can help, I can give. And you can contact us — the quickest way is by going to dailyfaith.tv. You can give right now, you can use your charge card today right now, and we can use it tomorrow in Ukraine. It's really simple: www.dailyfaith.tv. And you'll see a giving button on that page, and you just click on that, and that is like wiring the money to us, and you can help us tomorrow morning.
Philip:We are leaving before dawn. They'll be in their vans on the way back along that same road you just watched, running along the line between the Russian soldiers and the Ukrainian soldiers, and you can help today. If you'd like to help us buy the house — the great big house that we're trying to buy — 24 kids can be rescued in that place, and we are only 60,000 dollars away from having it paid for. Please let the Lord speak to your heart. And give — one girl, listen now — one girl caught by a trafficker will earn $300,000 a year for him. One girl. We can rescue 24 in that house. I don't know what 24 times 300,000 is, but it's a lot of money. Surely your gift, your giving right now to help us make this house secure, is the will of God. So please pray with us about that.
Philip:Our address is very simple: PO Box 25, The Orphan's Hands, PO Box 25, Clinton, Tennessee 37716. Clinton, Tennessee 37716. That will be on the screen during the rest of the program. And if you could be blessed — do you have the video of my grandson giving out blankets? It's just for a few seconds. Someone took an iPhone. That's our blankets with The Orphan's Hands on it, and that's refugees being given the blankets. And somewhere in there there should be a video — that's my wife Chrissy. I can see her in the middle of all those folks, and our kids. All of those kids handing out the blankets — the blankets are as big as he is. Look, and that was his job right there, to go and get a blanket and every time they called for him he jumped up and got one and pulled it down and gave it to them. When your seven-year-old grandson is doing that, it's amazing.
Philip:There's a lady that came up in the queue, in the line, and Chrissy gave her a coat. She tried on one coat and it didn't really fit her properly, and Chrissy reached in and got her this coat. And she said she was stunned that she got such a beautiful coat, and she says, this coat is so luxurious for me. And I don't think that picture there — or the video of Chrissy doing that — we're just doing this live on the fly. There she is, and that's crazy. And that woman, when she got the coat, she said, oh, this coat is so luxurious. And that is what we do. We give 15,000 coats away. Three containers — another container leaves on Thursday of this week.
Philip:So we are continually — I mean, we are straining every sinew of this ministry to keep the original vision going, which is caring for these young people. All the costs in Moldova have doubled. The kids are in school every day. We pay for the bus, their doctors, their dentists. We pay for the tuition, we pay for all their clothes. So that continues. The staff that runs Vatra Village — every home has got their own house parents. And then on top of that we've done this thing in this outreach in Ukraine. We have a home there now, 24 girls in that household. So it's a non-stop reaching beyond ourselves, and every time we've done that we've found God. So please pray with us. We'd appreciate it.
Philip:I am delighted to have with me a dear friend. He has become a real friend of this ministry. Thomas Paul pastors Maryland Brethren Church in Berlin, Pennsylvania — a gorgeous little town up on top of a mountain, and when you get there you know you've been to Maryland country. It's great to have you with us. I'm sorry I'm running behind today, but I am so thankful for you and the work of the ministry that you have there in Berlin. Tell us about the church. Let the folks know where you come from.
Understanding The Kingdom Of God
Thomas Paul:Oh yeah, just like you said, we're in the Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania. We're one of the highest incorporated towns here in Pennsylvania. We're situated about 2,300 feet up on the mountain. So we're gonna have winter in Pennsylvania — it usually comes here first. We have a church that has services on Sunday, but that's not the important thing. The important thing is the 220 or so folks that are actively involved in ministry.
Thomas Paul:Of course, we're appreciative to be a partner with The Orphan's Hands and with you, Philip. We always love having you and just continuing the best in God's kingdom with you. And it's great — as you focused on — don't just help us financially, what you do, but you guys roll up your sleeves and actually get down and dirty with us and load these containers and do all this stuff. I know Chrissy's got a whole bunch of friends in the church. I don't think Chris has been to the church himself, but she knows most of the church because of them coming to see her in the work that we do giving out the containers.
Philip:Yeah, I know. They bypass you and they go to the — it doesn't work. Yes.
Thomas Paul:They know what the end is, because yeah, they want to have their hands in it. They want to be there to help because they've seen the immense amount of work it takes to sort clothes, get the bales back, to do those. We've done it — we do it — we try to do a lot of that here. We make up clothes in boxes down there and different things, and even when you were in Alabama, they went down there.
Thomas Paul:We just feel called that, you know, it's about being the hands and feet. I mean, absolutely. For many, you know, giving financially can be easy. It's the part of getting involved and helping. And of course, I think it was 2013 — myself actually and one of my sons — when we went to Moldova and saw what was going on there. I mean, having been there personally, folks, this is a ministry that is well worth investing in. They are doing the work that they say they are doing.
Philip:Thank you so much. Tell us — what is the Lord been impressing you to share in ministry at the moment at the church? What has God been — what's the bell God's been ringing inside your spirit?
Thomas Paul:I tell you what, it's been going on for me for about the last year and a half to two years. It's been the awakening and the understanding of the kingdom of God and that it has already come. Mark's gospel, you know — Jesus in Mark 1, he proclaims in Galilee, as you know, the kingdom of God is here, the time is fulfilled. So it's already come, and we are to be those that are ambassadors and witnesses of what God is doing, to share that. We get so focused — and I appreciate what you're talking about today in the work that's going on in Ukraine — and he's on it, although this is kingdom work. We look too much at the physical, at the circumstances. But yet we need to understand it's about the hearts of people.
Thomas Paul:It's about all of God's creation, even in this heinous, terrible war. God loves all that are involved — those that are enemies and those that we see as friends — because we're to pray for them and tomorrow be a light to them. So we've got to keep focused on the kingdom and not on the things that we see in the circumstances and situations that are going on around us.
Shift From Sunday Mindset
Philip:That is the truth. And unless we understand how God sees the world, we tend to think — I mean, in America, I've been watching especially in the conservative political world. They're talking about, you know, we're sending all this money to Ukraine and we're doing all this, and they're finding ways to pick fights. And I believe in accountability — we are an accountable ministry, we're accountable to you as a partner church, that's what we do. But what happens is you can make demons and devils out of anything to justify your opinion and what you think. And that's not how God sees the world. The kingdom way of thinking and seeing is — it's not you're a brother from a different denomination church and I'm Pentecostal. It doesn't matter. We have been connected by the kingdom of God to do a greater work, a more substantial work, than we would do if we were standing alone.
Philip:And so you're exactly right, Tom, because unless the church understands the power of the kingdom — thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven — unless we do that, then we end up pigeonholing ourselves and limiting ourselves and minimalizing our voice in the world today.
Thomas Paul:Amen. I mean, I'm preaching a series right now in the Acts of the Apostles, and when you were talking about Rowan and his work and what he is doing, I mean, it really makes clear what Peter spoke in that sermon on the day of Pentecost, where he said, you know, this promise — in verse 39 of Acts 2 — this promise that is for you and for your children, and for all that are far off. And when I say far off, I see it in two dimensions. I don't only see it as distance-wise, but more importantly in generational line. I mean, just like, you know, here's your grandson — he may be the one running this ministry in 20 to 25 years. It wouldn't surprise me to happen, because the legacy and the work needs to continue. What's been called — everybody around, you know, all those times — continue that fertile soil, continue to put that seed in that fertile soil.
Thomas Paul:The other soil that's not producing — stay focused, continue to grow and focus on God's kingdom. His kingdom to come and his will to be done — that's done in and through us now.
Philip:A few weeks ago I gathered my kids together and I said, now listen, I'm 67 years of age and I am going to start transitioning out. I'll always — as long as God lets me preach, I'll preach, because I love preaching — but as far as the running of the ministry and the functioning of the ministry, I'm going to allow them. As my dad did — I was 21. They're getting it easy. I was 21 and my dad just called me one day in his living room. He says, I'm gonna go into America with you tomorrow. You are going by yourself — seven kids to America with $200 — and every church I went to canceled all the schedule I had booked, because my dad wasn't with me. And that was my baptism of fire. So they're getting it easy.
Generational Legacy In Faith
Philip:But as far as going to Moldova and as far as doing the functioning of the ministry, I said the message — I'm going to start stepping back and allow the kingdom of God to work within the ministry. And the next day or two, Rowan came to me and he says, Grandad, I'm gonna be in charge of this ministry one day. And again, oh, whenever you know — so that's the exciting thing. I don't see that as a negative. I see it as a positive, that God's gonna expand the kingdom through them.
Discipleship Culture Importance
Thomas Paul:Amen. I mean, and that's what it is. You can see it globally right now. I mean, the church globally has had a generation that has passed on — Billy Graham, Jack Hayford — you know, just to mention a few. And so a new generation has to step forward, which means me understanding — what God's really been working on me is the idea of being a disciple maker, trying to break down this mindset of Sunday morning church and to that of the church being every day, every moment. Yes, we're all called to make disciples — to love God, love others, and to make disciples. And that's each and every one of us, and trying to break down that stigma and that lostness in getting the gospel right.
Thomas Paul:Yes, to understand that, you know, each one of us is called to be that disciple and to make other disciples, because our legacy of faith — I want my legacy of faith to be the legacy I leave. I mean, they don't remember my name, they won't remember what I look like in generations to come, but I want my faith to continue. God even said it, you know, your faith can go for a thousand generations. You know how many millions of people that impacts? My goodness. Our life and our faith is important, and what we do for the kingdom is important. So whoever says stuff and things that they're not significant for the kingdom — that's a lie. You are definitely important, because God's got work for you to do.
Philip:That is fabulous stuff. I mean, what you're talking about — these kids, the kids that now run the ministry in Moldova, were orphans 15, 16, 17 years ago. And totally rejected, totally — they're garbage, that's what I was told by the orphanage workers. They'll never succeed. If one of ten finishes school it'll be a miracle. There's nothing in these kids. And what I found instead was gold — solid gold kids that now are going tomorrow and will be in their hands completely to guide and take them all the way into the war zone and all the way out and through the war zone back to safety. A bunch of orphan kids that everybody else said they're not worth anything, and the kingdom of God has made them rocks and pillars and lighthouses.
Philip:And so if you're watching us today — pastor, if you're watching us today, mom and dad — your legacy is in front of you. You are looking at your legacy. It's not how much money you have in the bank. It's not what kind of car you're driving or how nice the house is you live in. What it is, is about what you impart to other people. And I pray for you in the name of Jesus, whatever circumstances you're in, that you will be kingdom-minded, that you will start thinking not just for today but for next week and next year and ten years from now. And what I do today is the outworking of that. In Jesus' name. We've got a minute left, my friend. Tell us one more thought before we go today.
Political Figures Can't Save Us
Thomas Paul:In this world of politics and everything that's going on — I mean, I know we're gonna hear from our president tonight. Just thinking about it — no government is ever going to save us or this world. It's Jesus Christ. He reigns. He is the authority, and it's by the power of His Holy Spirit that He's given to us to be able to live. So keep following Jesus, folks. Hallelujah. I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And that's what it's all about.
Philip:Thank you, Tom, for being with us today. You know what, dear friend, we love you guys. Please tell the church this weekend that Philip says hello, and we can't wait to be with you real soon. And I think some of you folks are coming down to help Chrissy — not this one, we've got one going out in two days, and we've got one going out later on, and so you guys will be in the thick of it all over again as we build the kingdom together. Thank you, Tom. Thank you for watching Daily Faith. Please help us — tomorrow we're going to Ukraine. Your gift today can make a difference. We'll see you again. Bye.
Over the orphans in Romania and Moldova — from providing running water, flushing toilets, and clean wells, to coal for heat, new windows, as well as food and clothing — they championed the physical needs of the orphans in these broken and desolate countries. Many of Moldova's orphans are saved from the horrors of trafficking through homes founded by the Camerons. And in the process, orphans become daughters and sons. They come to know their heavenly Father and are forever changed by the love of Jesus. God help the Camerons lift these amazing young men and women out of darkness. Now no longer orphans, they want to return and invade that very same darkness with the light of Jesus Christ.
Investing In A Legacy Of Faith
The Orphan's Hands equips these daughters and sons to become missionaries. Your monthly gift of $31 will allow us to rescue and take in more girls and boys, saving them from the hell of human trafficking. Your monthly partnership will allow us to care for those in The Orphan's Hands homes in Moldova and Ukraine. Want to join Philip and Chrissy in taking care of these precious young people? Please contact us today by calling 833-Daily-Faith. You can also give by going online to www.dailyfaith.tv, or by writing to Post Office Box 25, Clinton, Tennessee 37716. So many lives depend on what we do. Thank you for loving the lost.
Common questions
What is the kingdom of God message Thomas Paul has been preaching lately?
Thomas Paul has been focused for about a year and a half to two years on the truth that the kingdom of God has already come — pointing to Mark 1, where Jesus proclaims 'the kingdom of God is here, the time is fulfilled.' He says believers are called to be ambassadors and witnesses of what God is doing, keeping their eyes on people's hearts rather than on physical circumstances, even in the middle of a war.
Why does Thomas Paul say no political solution will fix the world's problems?
Thomas Paul is clear that no government is ever going to save us or the world — only Jesus Christ, who reigns as the ultimate authority. He says it is by the power of the Holy Spirit that believers are equipped to live and act, and that the church, which Jesus promised the gates of hell would not prevail against, is the real answer.
What does Thomas Paul mean when he talks about being a 'disciple maker' instead of a 'Sunday morning church' Christian?
Thomas Paul says God has been pressing him to break down the mindset that church is just a Sunday morning event, and instead to see every day and every moment as an opportunity to make disciples. He believes every believer — not just pastors — is called to love God, love others, and make disciples, and that no one should think they are insignificant to God's kingdom.
How does Thomas Paul think about leaving a legacy of faith for future generations?
Thomas Paul draws on Acts 2:39 — 'this promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off' — and sees 'far off' not just as geographic distance but as generational reach. He says he wants his faith to continue long after people have forgotten his name or face, noting that God said faith can impact a thousand generations, which means millions of people.
What did Thomas Paul's personal visit to Moldova in 2013 tell him about The Orphan's Hands ministry?
Thomas Paul says that going to Moldova himself — along with one of his sons — made him a firsthand witness that the ministry is doing exactly what it claims to do. He told viewers it is a ministry well worth investing in, because having been there personally he could vouch for the reality of the work on the ground.
Topics
kingdom of goddiscipleshipgenerational legacymaryland brethren churchacts 2:39mark 1