June 2011 eNewsletter

G. Thomas Sharp • June 9, 2011

I again greet you all in the mighty Name of Jesus Christ, for by Him, through Him and for Him were all things created—heaven, earth and sea—plus all things in them. And I again thank you for your continued faithfulness to this ministry—please don’t let these words become idle or mundane because without You CTF cannot accomplish her mission. God bless you.

Diane and I were recently blessed (May 10 through May 21) to be the guests of two dear Friends of the Foundation that have moved to Istanbul, Turkey.  Our purpose for going there was first to visit, to fellowship and to enjoy time with these dear people, but also to take advantage of the location of the Seven Churches of Asia Minor and to visit these sites.

Of course, I was a little hesitant to go to Turkey because of all the fear mongering about this country, and, of course, after we arrived we found many people in deep spiritual dilemma, but not due to the national religion, because Turkey doesn’t have a national religion. In fact, since the founding of the Turkish Republic in 1923 and the Presidency and forward leadership of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the country of Turkey has become more and more secular and modern. There are Christian churches there! I did not know this.

Then, I became astonished by the fact that most all gentile church development mentioned in the book of Acts from chapter 13 to the end of the chapter, plus Paul’s epistles and even Peter’s, took place in Turkey. Notwithstanding the fact that the geographical location, and probably the prophetic location, of ancient places like Meshech, Tubal, and Togarmah are also in Turkey. Modern Turkey is the place of ancient Asia Minor, the  of locations Cappadocia, Galatia, Bithynia, Pontus—to name a few. The cities of Colossae, Miletus, Lystra, Derbe, Tarsus, plus all of the cities of the churches in Revelation 2 and 3 and the Isles of Patmos and Samos are there (plus many, many more locations mentioned in Scripture).

Now, to put this in context, I have for some time had the desire (I believe “a godly desire”) to lead a trip to Israel with many of the “Friends of the Foundation.” Then I discovered that there are already many available tours to Israel, many of which are hosted by my own ministerial colleagues that made this desire a little anticlimactic. I was puzzled about this for a period of time, that is, until this recent trip to Turkey. Now, please understand, I still think a pilgrimage to Israel is a vital journey for all Christian believers because Judaism is the roots of our faith and Israel is the matrix of Christianity. (Romans 11:17-18)

In His Name,

G. Thomas Sharp
Founder/President
By Ryan Cox June 18, 2025
Moses & History (part 3)
lined up books
By Matt Miles June 18, 2025
Over the course of time a person can accumulate many things. Most of the stuff we collect is meaningless to most everyone else, but when a person collects books, they can be treasured for a lifetime and even beyond. In this age of digital media, physical books seem to be less important to many people. Digital books are searchable, and copy/paste functions make it easy to use those great quotes. Yet, there is still something great about a physical book, things you can’t get digitally: the turning of pages, the feel of it in your hand, and the “book” smell. For our founder Dr. Sharp, physical books could never be replaced by digital. While my collection of books is growing each year, it is dwarfed by Dr. Sharp’s collection. Over the years he collected thousands of titles for research and enjoyment. Through the course of his ministry he had to sell his book collection a couple of different times to support his family, only to start collecting again when he was able to do so. When Doc passed his office full of packed bookshelves to me and said he would clear the shelves, I laughed out loud at the prospect of having loads of empty bookshelves. So I urged him to instead leave his books for my, and anyone else’s, use. Little did I understand that the four bookcases in my office were only a fraction of his entire collection. A couple of years back when Doc moved from his house, it was decided that his book collection would be stored at the office. Our thought was to establish a library, yet none of us had time to plan, organize and catalog all 79 boxes of books. They sat piled in his office until last year when my daughter Megan joined our ministry. She has a love of books, both reading and writing. So we offered her the task of cataloging and establishing Doc’s library. Can you picture me, a bbq lover, being offered a table full of succulent smoked offerings - brisket, sausage, ribs, pulled pork, chicken, turkey and all sides? Yep, that was Megan’s response to the library. For over four months she cataloged and organized the entire collection. The Dr. G. Thomas Sharp Library was completed earlier this year in his old office space, with overflow into my office. The entire 2700+ volume agglomeration is digitally cataloged for searching and locating. As you might expect, there is an extensive collection of creation and evolution subject matter, yet the library is full of many different categories. It very much reflects Doc’s love of gaining knowledge and research. An extensive commentary collection and multiple Biblical reference sections are invaluable to our ministry. There is even a whole bookcase housing books that are over 100 years old. Our desire was not to just house books but to also make a place of honor and inspiration. One wall exhibits Doc’s many diplomas, and throughout the library we have placed personal memorabilia of the mission trips he took over the years. Come, grab a book, relax in the sitting area and allow Doc’s handwritten notes from the margins or post-it notes bring a smile to your face. For those who may be more ambitious, Doc's office chair resides at the credenza for anyone to sit and be inspired to study. This is a place to honor Doc’s life and love for books. We at CTF have already utilized this great resource for further study, and we are so thankful to Diane and their family for donating these books for continued Kingdom growth. Blessings.
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