LORD, thank you for men like Paul Washer, John Piper and Billy Graham!
May you use them and their ministries to bring to life cold, dead, unregenerate, God hating hearts and make them Your own.
May, for the sake of Your great Name, You show people from all nations that You and You alone are the great One; the One who created us for Your glory.
May we take great delight in radiating Your greatness to the hearts of those who do not know you, boldly proclaiming Your saving power and Your great love for those who belong to You.
May Your Name be known so that hearts may cry out to You in complete submission honoring You for the great work that You have done on behalf of those who You have given faith to believe.
Amen
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Paul Washer-John Piper-Billy Graham
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Andy Reid
Andy Reid, head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, and his wife are going through a parent’s nightmare. Both of their sons are addicted to drugs. Coach Reid spent six weeks at a rehab program with his oldest son in Florida and apparently received quite an education about drugs. Sadly, the core issue, like in most rehab programs was missed.
Associated Press writer Bob Lentz wrote, “Reid said he learned that , because of the chemical makeup of the brain, certain people are more susceptible to drug use and addiction than other. While there may be truth to this statement, it misses the fact that “through the disobedience of one man, many were made sinners”.
Coach Reid should have been taught about the condition of all men’s hearts; the radical depravity and utter lifelessness and lostness of our condition. He should have been taught that the reason his son is an addict is not because his son has a chemical imbalance but that his son is dead and unable to do good. Reid was quoted as stating “It’s and epidemic that has attacked America.” He needs to be told that
it IS an epidemic, just not the type of epidemic he has been told that it is. He needs to be told that it is an epidemic that affects us at our very core; it is an epidemic that kills everyone that it touches and that there are NONE beyond its reach.
Reid states, “I was sitting there, in counseling, with good people. They are not bad people, it encompasses everybody.” Coach Reid has it wrong. He was not sitting with good people. He was sitting with people whose throats were open graves and the way of peace they do not know.
Mrs. Reid said, “We raised these boys. We taught them to pray, taught them to ride their bike – you see this potential in him, and you’re just not going to give up.”
Lord God, our Father and Creator, I ask you to reveal to the Reid family your sufficiency and their insufficiency. May they see the true condition of their souls. May they see that it You and You alone who has “the potential”. May they see that it is You and You alone who can save this young man from the dreadful condition that he was born in. May you open the eyes of his parents so they can see and publicly proclaim Your greatness. And may coaches like Lovie Smith and Tony Dungy reach out to Coach Reid and his family.
Associated Press writer Bob Lentz wrote, “Reid said he learned that , because of the chemical makeup of the brain, certain people are more susceptible to drug use and addiction than other. While there may be truth to this statement, it misses the fact that “through the disobedience of one man, many were made sinners”.
Coach Reid should have been taught about the condition of all men’s hearts; the radical depravity and utter lifelessness and lostness of our condition. He should have been taught that the reason his son is an addict is not because his son has a chemical imbalance but that his son is dead and unable to do good. Reid was quoted as stating “It’s and epidemic that has attacked America.” He needs to be told that
it IS an epidemic, just not the type of epidemic he has been told that it is. He needs to be told that it is an epidemic that affects us at our very core; it is an epidemic that kills everyone that it touches and that there are NONE beyond its reach.Reid states, “I was sitting there, in counseling, with good people. They are not bad people, it encompasses everybody.” Coach Reid has it wrong. He was not sitting with good people. He was sitting with people whose throats were open graves and the way of peace they do not know.
Mrs. Reid said, “We raised these boys. We taught them to pray, taught them to ride their bike – you see this potential in him, and you’re just not going to give up.”
Lord God, our Father and Creator, I ask you to reveal to the Reid family your sufficiency and their insufficiency. May they see the true condition of their souls. May they see that it You and You alone who has “the potential”. May they see that it is You and You alone who can save this young man from the dreadful condition that he was born in. May you open the eyes of his parents so they can see and publicly proclaim Your greatness. And may coaches like Lovie Smith and Tony Dungy reach out to Coach Reid and his family.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Romans 1:16
"You can call yourself a fundamentalist and be as liberal as a German higher critic.
I want to tell you something. I listen to a lot of fundamentalist preaching, a lot of conservative preaching, a lot of reformed preaching, and a lot of just flat out Baptist evangelical preaching of men who would fight you to the core about how they believe the Bible and how they slap it around and say this is the Word of God. But when you listen to them preach the Gospel and give an invitation, you realize they are just as liberal as a man who studies higher criticism in Germany.
We have taken the powerfull all mighty Gospel of God, and reduced it down to nothing more than repeating a superstitious prayer. And that’s not Biblical. It’s not."
-Paul Washer
I want to tell you something. I listen to a lot of fundamentalist preaching, a lot of conservative preaching, a lot of reformed preaching, and a lot of just flat out Baptist evangelical preaching of men who would fight you to the core about how they believe the Bible and how they slap it around and say this is the Word of God. But when you listen to them preach the Gospel and give an invitation, you realize they are just as liberal as a man who studies higher criticism in Germany.
We have taken the powerfull all mighty Gospel of God, and reduced it down to nothing more than repeating a superstitious prayer. And that’s not Biblical. It’s not."
-Paul Washer
Listen to the sermon HERE
Monday, December 17, 2007
Friday, December 14, 2007
AL Meredith
"Here is the message," Meredith said during an interview in his sparse office. "God is in control and He loves us. That is the rock-bottom truth."
Jolly Blogger
I was cruising the world of blogdom and happened upon the following post from David Wayne...
Ed Stetzer on the Reformed Tradition and Missionary/Missional Focus
I'm reading Ed Stetzer's Book "Planting Missional Churches" and he has a few thoughts on the reformed church and missional thinking on pp. 28-29:
This loss of missionary focus was evident in both Protestant belief systems and practice. Although the Reformation restored much fo primitive Christianity, it also lost much - particularly in areas of mission. The consequences of this loss of missional focus continue today. There has been substantial debate regarding the nature of the Reformation church: Was it a missionary church? Did it value missions? These are valid questions with regard to whether the Reformation church engaged in the task of missions. They are, unfortunately, the wrong questions. The Reformers were trapped within geographic Christendom while their Catholic counterparts were engaged in colonial expansion. Protestant "mission" became missions to Catholics. While Protestants focused on Catholics, Catholic missions flourished. So instead of asking, "Was the Reformation church a mission movement?" It's better to recognize that it was weak in its mission focus, and ask, "Why?" Pre-Reformation confessions referred to the church as "one holy apostolic church." Words like these aren't frequently found in the confessions of the Reformation. Instead the Reformation confessions reacted to the errors of "apostolic succession" (the idea that the popes and bishops held their power because of being appointed by subsequent bishops/popes back to Peter). By deemphasizing the "apostolic" nature of the church, the Reformers were trying to say that the church did not derive its legitimacy from succession of leaders. However, apostolic is more than a "position"; its a "posture." Although the word is often misunderstood, the root of the word apostle is "one sent . . . with a message." So we should be an apostolic church. When the Reformers (and later evangelicals) started to deemphasize the apostolic nature of the church, they inadvertently lessened the sending nature of that apostolic church. The church that "reofrmed" lost touch with the God who sends, and the mission of the church suffered. "Lost in this deletion was an emphasis on the church's 'being authoritatively sent' by God into the world to participate fully in God's mission." This loss of missional focus also led to a loss of missional thinking. Evangelicals continue to struggle with presenting the unchanging gospel in an ever-changing cultural setting. Churches must parallel, in some ways, their host cultures. This process is called "indigenization."
For the sake of reformed folks who think Ed is bashing the reformed tradition I want to mention that theologically he is very much in line with the reformed traditon and has worked closely with the PCA and other reformed denominations. So, he's not bashing, he's just assessing strengths and weaknesses from a historical perspective.
I'm reading Ed Stetzer's Book "Planting Missional Churches" and he has a few thoughts on the reformed church and missional thinking on pp. 28-29:
This loss of missionary focus was evident in both Protestant belief systems and practice. Although the Reformation restored much fo primitive Christianity, it also lost much - particularly in areas of mission. The consequences of this loss of missional focus continue today. There has been substantial debate regarding the nature of the Reformation church: Was it a missionary church? Did it value missions? These are valid questions with regard to whether the Reformation church engaged in the task of missions. They are, unfortunately, the wrong questions. The Reformers were trapped within geographic Christendom while their Catholic counterparts were engaged in colonial expansion. Protestant "mission" became missions to Catholics. While Protestants focused on Catholics, Catholic missions flourished. So instead of asking, "Was the Reformation church a mission movement?" It's better to recognize that it was weak in its mission focus, and ask, "Why?" Pre-Reformation confessions referred to the church as "one holy apostolic church." Words like these aren't frequently found in the confessions of the Reformation. Instead the Reformation confessions reacted to the errors of "apostolic succession" (the idea that the popes and bishops held their power because of being appointed by subsequent bishops/popes back to Peter). By deemphasizing the "apostolic" nature of the church, the Reformers were trying to say that the church did not derive its legitimacy from succession of leaders. However, apostolic is more than a "position"; its a "posture." Although the word is often misunderstood, the root of the word apostle is "one sent . . . with a message." So we should be an apostolic church. When the Reformers (and later evangelicals) started to deemphasize the apostolic nature of the church, they inadvertently lessened the sending nature of that apostolic church. The church that "reofrmed" lost touch with the God who sends, and the mission of the church suffered. "Lost in this deletion was an emphasis on the church's 'being authoritatively sent' by God into the world to participate fully in God's mission." This loss of missional focus also led to a loss of missional thinking. Evangelicals continue to struggle with presenting the unchanging gospel in an ever-changing cultural setting. Churches must parallel, in some ways, their host cultures. This process is called "indigenization."
For the sake of reformed folks who think Ed is bashing the reformed tradition I want to mention that theologically he is very much in line with the reformed traditon and has worked closely with the PCA and other reformed denominations. So, he's not bashing, he's just assessing strengths and weaknesses from a historical perspective.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Psalm 139:13
When Tim Tebow was in utero, his missionary mother was told that she should abort him
Posted by Howard Richman on October 07 2007 at 15:27:54:
Posted by Howard Richman on October 07 2007 at 15:27:54:
An article by Susy A. Richardson in today´s Gainesville (FL) Sun reports that doctors told the star University of Florida Quarterback´s mother that she might as well abort him because he had been damaged in the womb. The rest is history. Here is a selection:In the midst of a stadium packed with screaming fans, Pam Tebow watches her youngest child - the solid Florida quarterback she affectionately calls ´Timmy´- dominate the football field and she knows that she did something right....
Just before her pregnancy, Pam fell into a coma after contracting amoebic dysentery, a bacteria transmitted through contaminated drinking water. During her recovery, she received a series of strong medications. And even though she discontinued the regimen when she discovered the pregnancy, doctors told Pam the fetus had been damaged.
Doctors later told Pam that her placenta had detached from the uterine wall, a condition known as placental abruption, which can deprive the fetus of oxygen and nutrients. Doctors expected a stillbirth, Pam said, and they encouraged her to terminate the pregnancy.
"They thought I should have an abortion to save my life from the beginning all the way through the seventh month," she recalled.
Pam said her decision to sustain the pregnancy was a simple one - because of her faith.
"We were grieved," she said. "And so my husband just prayed that if the Lord would give us a son, that he would let us raise him."
In her seventh month of pregnancy, Pam traveled to the country´s capital, Manila, where she received around-the-clock care from an American-trained physician.
For the next two months, Pam - steadfastly praying for a healthy child - remained on bed rest.
And on her due date - Aug. 14, 1987 - Pam gave birth to Timothy Richard Tebow, who she described as "skinny, but rather long." "We were concerned at first because he was so malnourished, but he definitely made up for it," she said, between laughs. Today Tim, now 20, stands at a solid 6´3" and 235 pounds....
She also points to home-schooling for shaping her children´s lives. "It´s not all about academics," she explained. "It´s about teaching them everything they need to know to be successful in life, and the schools aren´t going to teach those things."... Howard
Click here to read the article
Heisman Winner is an MK!
Saturday night, missionary kid Tim Tebow, fantastic quarterback for the University of Florida football team, won college football's highest individual award -- the Heisman Trophy. He is the first sophomore to ever do so. In the voting, his margin of victory was substantial, even though the nationwide competition was stiff.
Tim was born in the Philippines of missionary parents. He went to high school in Jacksonville, Florida.
In his acceptance speech last night in New York, Orlando Sentinel sports writer Dave Curtis recorded that Tibow's remarks "were delayed 15 seconds as Tibow collected his emotionAlthough it has been years since I have talked to his dad, I know him well enough to know that if Tim ever steps out of line spiritually his dad will be all over him, even if he's receiving the Heisman Trophy at the time. s," then "rambled a bit, thanking everyone from UF Athletic Director Jeremy Foley to Jesus Christ."
After the ceremony, writer Curtis further records, "(Tibow) surrounded by the most important people in his life, praising his God and his teammates, he had lived a dream come true."
Before the ceremony, Tibow remarked that even if he won, he "would still be just little Timmy Tibow from Jacksonville."
Last night, little Timmy Tibow glorified Christ before a large national audience. Bless him greatly, Lord.
Tim was born in the Philippines of missionary parents. He went to high school in Jacksonville, Florida.
In his acceptance speech last night in New York, Orlando Sentinel sports writer Dave Curtis recorded that Tibow's remarks "were delayed 15 seconds as Tibow collected his emotionAlthough it has been years since I have talked to his dad, I know him well enough to know that if Tim ever steps out of line spiritually his dad will be all over him, even if he's receiving the Heisman Trophy at the time. s," then "rambled a bit, thanking everyone from UF Athletic Director Jeremy Foley to Jesus Christ."
After the ceremony, writer Curtis further records, "(Tibow) surrounded by the most important people in his life, praising his God and his teammates, he had lived a dream come true."
Before the ceremony, Tibow remarked that even if he won, he "would still be just little Timmy Tibow from Jacksonville."
Last night, little Timmy Tibow glorified Christ before a large national audience. Bless him greatly, Lord.
Read what the JOLLY BLOGGER (the prophet) had to say about Tebow in 2005! . . . "Although it has been years since I have talked to his dad, I know him well enough to know that if Tim ever steps out of line spiritually his dad will be all over him, even if he's receiving the Heisman Trophy at the time. "
You can go to his dad's site Bob Teboy Evangelistic Association Here
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Monday, December 03, 2007
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Building Bridges
The following can be found at Todd Pruitt's Blog "1517".
"Nathan Finn of Southeastern Seminary gave a very helpful address on common misconceptions about Baptist Calvinists. He offered five myths that are often held about Baptist Calvinists":
Myth 1 – Calvinism is a threat to evangelism.
Of course this is nonsense. Less than two hundred years ago most Protestants were Calvinists. The founders of the modern missions movement as well as the Southern Baptist Convention were Calvinists. Calvinists see no contradiction between sovereign election and the call to world evangelization. This is so because not only ordains the ends but He ordains the means to those ends. God promises to win for Himself a people from every nation, tribe, language, and people. He also means to use His people as the means toward that end.
Myth 2 – Calvinists are opposed to invitations.
Wrong. The proclamation of the Gospel is an invitation. What many Calvinists are uncomfortable with is the modern practice of altar calls. An invitation and an altar call are two entirely different things. Charles Spurgeon and George Whitefield pleaded passionately for their hearers to repent and believe in Christ. Under their ministries untold thousands were converted, yet without altar calls. Many Calvinists are bothered by their memories of manipulative altar calls and incomplete presentations of the Gospel. Also, Calvinists do not like being told they have to do something that is not commanded or modeled in Scripture.
Myth 3 – Calvinism is the same thing as hyper-Calvinism.
The typical non-Calvinist evangelical has rejected Calvinism because hyper-Calvinism is the only Calvinism of which they have ever heard. Hyper-Calvinism is an aberration that is no more representative of Calvinism than Pelagianism is representative of Arminianism. Hyper-Calvinism rejects both the necessity of evangelism and the call for all men everywhere to repent and believe. The fact is, there are not very many genuine hyper-Calvinists around anymore. Groups that do not reproduce tend not to last very long.
Myth 4 – Calvinists deny human free will.
First of all, there is no single Calvinist or non-Calvinist view of human free will. The fact is, while many non-Calvinists claim to believe in free will they actually believe that man’s will is limited. Every decision we make is conditioned by countless factors. Also, we pray regularly that God will overcome people’s stubborn will. “God change my son’s heart.” “Lord bring my friend to repentance.” Calvinists affirm just as strongly as non-Calvinist evangelicals that repentance from sin and faith in Christ are absolutely necessary for salvation. All who repent and believe will be saved without exception. Furthermore, no one is saved against their will. The Calvinist, however, is careful to affirm that it is God who makes the convert willing. The Calvinist credits his willingness to repent and believe to God alone.
Myth 5 – Authentic Baptists are not Calvinists.
Baptist history is strongly rooted in Calvinism. Take time some day to read the London Baptist Confession of 1689 or the Abstract of Principles of the Southern Baptist Convention. The examples of prominent Baptists and Southern Baptists who were/are Calvinists are legion. From John Bunyan, William Carey, Charles Spurgeon, and Adonirum Judson to Andrew Fuller, J.P. Boyce, W.A. Criswell (that’s right), and many others in our own day Calvinists have always been a part of Baptist life.
Dr. Finn’s address is well worth the hearing. If you are a Calvinist then Charles Lawless’ address on misconceptions that Calvinists often hold about non-Calvinists was excellent and gracious.
Another Gem From Dr. Bridges
PRAYING FOR MISSIONS AND MISSIONARIES
Breathe new life into your prayer life…
Does this prayer sound familiar? “God bless all the
missionaries. Give them wisdom to do your work.
Protect them and keep them well.”
Maybe you too have struggled with how to pray for missionaries and unfamiliar people groups in far away places. We’d all agree that prayer is essential to missions and that every Christian is called to Great Commission praying. Then why do we struggle to press on in prayer?
Maybe we don’t know what to pray about or how. Here are some ideas, not a formula, for more effective Kingdom-building praying. Use these guidelines to fuel your prayers for missionaries you already know or people groups you learn about.
Pray boldly and pray often!
Open Doors: It is God who opens new doors for the
Gospel. Pray for favor from governments and
authorities for missionaries needing visas and for
churches seeking places to meet together. Pray that
the Gospel would prosper, even in the face of
persecution. 
Understanding: Pray that God would enable
missionaries to learn new languages and customs so
they can reach people at a heart level. Ask for
teachable, humble hearts that are yielded to the Lord.
Changed Hearts: Pray for hearts to be softened and
ready to receive the message of the Gospel. Pray
that national believers would be rooted and established
in love, and that they would grow in the knowledge of
God’s word and boldly share it with others.
God’s kingdom as churches grow and multiply in the
least reached places. Pray for unity among believers
so that churches would work together to impact their
communities and the world.
for missionaries, many of whom work in remote places
far from medical care. Intercede for missionary
children and the added stresses that face families
living cross-culturally.
Perseverance: Pray for missionaries to persevere with
joy in the work to which the Lord has called them.
Pray against discouragement and the attacks of the
enemy who seeks to destroy.
Wisdom: Pray for wisdom to discern God’s will as
teams set plans and priorities for ministry. Pray for
their faith to grow as they trust God for all things.
Willing Servants: Pray for more co-laborers willing togo and make disciples. The harvest is plentiful, but
the laborers are few!
Intercessory prayer support is one of the key things that believers in local churches can do to support world evangelism.
Seven things all missionaries need…and which people forget to lift them up in prayer over:
1. Victory over mental stagnation.
2. Freshness in prayer and in Bible teaching.
3. Guidance in how to present the Gospel.
4. Deliverance from the temptation to pride.
5. Wisdom in relationships with other missionaries.
6. Strength to overcome temptations brought on by
loneliness.
7. A saving sense of humor.
From A Missionary: Specifics To Pray For:
When traveling:
That missionaries will pass effortlessly through customs and immigration lines.
That the planes on which missionaries travel will not encounter mechanical problems or trouble from terrorists.
That our missionaries will make all their connections.
Health and safety objectives:
Protection for the missionaries from accidents, crime, natural disasters, terrorists, and dangerous animals.
Protection for the missionaries from sickness.
That missionaries will find time for proper sleep, rest, and exercise.
That missionaries’ food and water needs will be met.
Spiritual watchcare objectives:
Times of intimacy for missionaries with Jesus in Bible study, prayer and worship.
Shielding for the missionaries from dark forces in spiritual realms.
Preservation for missionaries from discouragement, fear, and doubt.
That missionaries will demonstrate purity, humility, boldness, wisdom, patience, love for people, a teachable spirit and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Teamwork objectives:
That teams of missionaries will experience and express unity, love, good communication, patience, and spiritual gifts.
That missionaries will be granted grace for cultural adjustments, dealing with jet lag, being away from family and friends and lack of privacy.
For missionaries to have wisdom to design and implement effective efforts that will make a long-term difference here…and that they will be able to establish and maintain solid friendships with government officials and other leaders in their chosen land.
Verses to read at prayer time:
Exodus 4:12; 33:14 Zechariah 4:6
Psalms 4:8, 19:14, 121:1-8 Acts 1:8, 4:29,30
Isaiah 40:29-31; 55:10-11 Ephesians 3:16-20; 6:10-20
“The true greatness of any church is not how many it seats but how
many it sends” -Unknown
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Happy Thanksgiving!!!!
When we are truly, honestly and fervently seeking the LORD; then and only then are we able to fully delight ourselves in Him. When we do then the following will naturally take place. We will not be able to help ourselves to not give thanks, to not call on His name, to not make His name known, to not sing praises to Him, to not tell of His greatness, to not glory in His name, to not rejoice in Him, to not look to the LORD and His strength and to not seek His face ALWAYS. Because as point 9 and 10 state, it is by His strength that we are able to do anything and that ONLY comes from gazing on His beauty. May our hearts never become malcontent. May they always be seeking the Giver of all things, the Savior of the world.
Amen
Ps 105:4
- Give thanks to the LORD,
- call on his name;
- make known among the nations what he has done.
- 2 Sing to him, sing praise to him;
- tell of all his wonderful acts.
- 3 Glory in his holy name;
- let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
- 4 Look to the LORD and his strength;
- seek his face always.
NIV
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
HOW RICH WE ARE!
The following is from a handout that was given in my Mission and Christian Education class by Dr. Bridges.
From the standpoint of material wealth, we Americans have difficulty realizing how rich we are. Robert Heilbroner, who has written dozens of books on the subject of the economy, suggests that we go through a little mental exercise that will help us count our blessings. Imagine doing the following, and you will see how daily life is for more than a billion people in the world.
1. Take out all the furniture in your home except for one table and a couple of chairs. Use blanket and pads for beds.
2. Take away all of your clothing except for your oldest dress or suit, shirt or blouse. Leave only one pair of shoes.
3. Empty the pantry and the refrigerator except for a small bag of flour, some sugar and salt, a few potatoes, some onions, and a dish of dried beans.
4. Dismantle the bathroom, shut off the running water, and remove all the electrical wiring in your house.
5. Take away the house itself and move the family into the tool shed.
6. Place your “house” in a shantytown.
7. Cancel all subscriptions to newspapers, magazines, and book clubs. This is no great loss because now none of you can read anyway.
8. Leave only one radio for the whole shantytown.
9. Move the nearest hospital or clinic ten miles away and put a midwife in charge instead of a doctor.
10. Throw away your bankbooks, stock certificates, pension plans, and insurance policies. Leave the family a cash hoard of ten dollars.
11. Give the head of the family a few acres to cultivate on which he can raise a few hundred dollars of cash crops, of which one third will go to the landlord and one tenth to the money lenders.
12. Lop off twenty-five or more years in life expectancy.
By comparison how rich we are!
How would this situation affect the teaching methods, illustrations and activities used on a short-term mission trip?
1. Take out all the furniture in your home except for one table and a couple of chairs. Use blanket and pads for beds.
2. Take away all of your clothing except for your oldest dress or suit, shirt or blouse. Leave only one pair of shoes.
3. Empty the pantry and the refrigerator except for a small bag of flour, some sugar and salt, a few potatoes, some onions, and a dish of dried beans.
4. Dismantle the bathroom, shut off the running water, and remove all the electrical wiring in your house.
5. Take away the house itself and move the family into the tool shed.
6. Place your “house” in a shantytown.
7. Cancel all subscriptions to newspapers, magazines, and book clubs. This is no great loss because now none of you can read anyway.
8. Leave only one radio for the whole shantytown.
9. Move the nearest hospital or clinic ten miles away and put a midwife in charge instead of a doctor.
10. Throw away your bankbooks, stock certificates, pension plans, and insurance policies. Leave the family a cash hoard of ten dollars.
11. Give the head of the family a few acres to cultivate on which he can raise a few hundred dollars of cash crops, of which one third will go to the landlord and one tenth to the money lenders.
12. Lop off twenty-five or more years in life expectancy.
By comparison how rich we are!
How would this situation affect the teaching methods, illustrations and activities used on a short-term mission trip?
Verses on Missions
Christian Missions In The Bible
Old Testament And Missions:
Genesis 12:1-3 (repeated in Gen. 18:18, 22:17-18, 26:24 and 28:12-14)
Exodos 9:14-16 -- purpose of the plagues
Exodus 19:6 -- Israel was to be a "kingdom of priests"
Numbers 14:21 -- glory of Lord fills the whole earth
Deuteronomy 4:6-8 -- show your understanding to the nations
Deuteronomy 10:19 -- "You are to love those who are aliens"
Deuteronomy 28:10 -- "all the peoples on the earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord"
Deuteronomy 32:1 - "Hear, O earth, the words of my mouth."
Joshua 4:24 -- "so that all the peoples of the earth might know"
1 Samuel 2:10 -- "The LORD will judge the ends of the earth."
1 Samuel 17:46 -- "the whole world will know there is a God in Israel"
1 Kings 8:41-43, 59-60 (also in 2 Chronicles 6:32-33) -- "so that all peoples of the earth may know your name" (Solomon's prayer at dedication of Temple)
2 Kings 19:15 -- "Hezekiah prayed . . . : O LORD, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth.'"
1 Chronicles 16:31 "Let the earth be glad; let them say among the nations, The Lord reigns!'"
1 Chronicles 16:24 -- "Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples"
2 Chronicles 6:33 -- "so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you"
Psalm 2:7-10 -- "You are my Son . . . I will make the nations your inheritance"
Psalm 7:7-8 -- "Let the Lord judge the peoples"
Psalm 8:9 -- "How majestic is your name in all the earth!"
Psalm 18:49 -- "I will praise you among the nations"
Psalm 22:26-28 -- "all the families of the nations will bow down"
Psalm 19:1-4 -- "their words to the ends of the world"
Psalm 22:27 -- "All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord"
Psalm 24 -- "The earth is the Lord's"
Psalm 33 -- "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord"
Psalm 45:17 -- "The nations will praise you for ever and ever"
Psalm 46:10 -- "I will be exalted among the nations"
Psalm 47 -- "God reigns over the nations"
Psalm 48:10 -- "Like your name, O God, your praise reaches to the ends of the earth"
Psalm 49:1 -- "Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all who live in this world"
Psalm 50 -- "From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets"
Psalm 57 -- "I will sing of you among the peoples"
Psalm 59:13 -- "It will be known to the ends of the earth that God rules over Jacob."
Psalm 65:5-8 -- "the hope of all the ends of the earth . . . where morning dawns and evening fades you call forth songs of joy"
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Psalm 66 -- "All the earth bows down to you . . . Praise our God, O peoples"
Psalm 67 -- "your salvation among all peoples"
Psalm 68:32 -- "Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth"
Psalm 72 -- "all nations will serve him"
Psalm 72:9 -- "the desert tribes will bow before him"
Psalm 72:17, 19 -- "All nations will be blessed through him . . . May the whole earth be filled with his glory"
Psalm 77:14 -- "you display your power among the peoples"
Psalm 82 -- "all the nations are your inheritance"
Psalm 83:18 -- "You alone are the Most High over all the earth."
Psalm 86:8-13 -- all nations will come and worship
Psalm 87 -- the register of the peoples
Psalm 96 -- "sing to the Lord, all the earth . . . Declare his glory among the nations"
Psalm 97 -- "The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice"
Psalm 98:3 -- "All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God."
Psalm 98:9 -- "He comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity."
Psalm 99:1-3 -- "He is exalted over all the nations. Let them praise your great and awesome name"
Psalm 102:15 -- "The nations will fear the name of the LORD, all the kings of the earth will revere your glory."
Psalm 102:22 -- "when the peoples and the kingdoms assemble to worship the Lord"
Psalm 105:1 -- "make known among the nations what He has done"
Psalm 106:8 -- reason for dividing the Red Sea
Psalm 108:3 -- "I will sing of you among the peoples"
Psalm 108:5 -- "Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let your glory be over all the earth."
Psalm 110:6 -- "He will judge the nations,"
Psalm 113:3 -- "From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised"
Psalm 117 -- "Praise the Lord, all you nations"
Psalm 126 -- "it was said among the nations"
Psalm 135 -- "our Lord is greater than all gods"
Psalm 138:4 -- "may all the kings of the earth praise you, O Lord"
Isaiah 2:3 -- "Many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob.
Isaiah 6:3 -- "They were calling to one another: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.'"
Isaiah 11:9 -- "fill the earth with the knowledge of the Lord"
Isaiah 11:10 -- "in that day a Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples, the nations . . ."
Isaiah 12:4 -- "Make known among the nations what He has done"
Isaiah 24:16 -- "From the ends of the earth we hear singing: Glory to the Righteous One.'"
Isaiah 25:6 -- "the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples"
Isaiah 42:4 -- "in His law the islands will put their hope"
Isaiah 42:6 -- "I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles."
Isaiah 34:1 -- "Come near, you nations, and listen; pay attention, you peoples!"
Isaiah 37:16 -- "O Lord Almighty . . . , you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth."
Isaiah 42:4 -- "He will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope."
Isaiah 43:6 -- "I will say to the north, 'Give them up!' and to the south, 'Do not hold them back.'"
Isaiah 45:6 -- "from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting men may know there is none besides me."
Isaiah 45:22 -- "Turn to me . . . all you ends of the earth"
Isaiah 49:1-6 -- "I will make you a light for the Gentiles"
Isaiah 49:22 -- "The Sovereign Lord says: "See, I will beckon to the Gentiles, I will lift up my banner to the peoples."
Isaiah 52:10 -- "The Lord will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God."
Isaiah 56:7 -- "my house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations"
Isaiah 59:19 -- "From the west, men will fear the name of the Lord, and from the rising of the sun, they will revere His glory."
Isaiah 60:3 -- "Nations will come to your light"
Isaiah 62:11 -- "The Lord has made proclamation to the ends of the earth"
Isaiah 66:19 -- "They will proclaim my glory among the nations"
Jeremiah 3:17 -- "All nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the Lord"
Jeremiah 16:19 To you the nations will come from the ends of the earth and say, "Our fathers possessed nothing but false gods, worthless idols that did them no good."
Ezekiel 36:22-23 -- "The nations will know I am the Lord"
Daniel 2:47; 4:1-2; 6:25 -- "Surely your God is the God of gods"
Daniel 7:13, 14 -- "all peoples, nations and languages should serve Him"
Jonah's story -- the missionary book of the Old Testament.
Micah 1:2 -- "Hear, O peoples, all of you, listen, O earth and all who are in it."
Micah 4:2 -- "Many nations will come"
Micah 5:4 -- "His greatness will reach to the ends of the earth."
Habakkuk 2:14 -- "The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the water cover the sea"
Zephaniah 2:11 -- "Nations on every shore will worship him"
Zephaniah 3:9 -- "Then will I purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord."
Haggai 2:7 -- "Desire of all nations"
Zechariah 2:11 -- "Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become my people"
Zechariah 8:20-23 -- "Many peoples and inhabitants of many cities will come"
Zechariah 9:10 -- "He will proclaim peace to the nations"
Zechariah 14:9 -- "The Lord will be king over the whole earth."
Malachi 1:10-11 -- "My name will be great among the nations, from the rising to the setting of the sun"
New Testament And Mssions:
Matthew 4:8-11 -- Temptation of Jesus
Matthew 6:9-10 -- The Lord's prayer
Matthew 10:18 -- "On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles."
Matthew 13 (Ezekiel 17:23) -- parables of sower, weeds, mustard seed, fishing net
Matthew 24:14 -- the gospel will be preached in the whole world
Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15 - The Great Commission (which many say is a re-statement of God's promise to Abraham in Genesis 12)
Mark 11:17 (Isaiah 56:7) -- a house of prayer for all nations
Mark 13:10 -- "the gospel must first be preached to all nations"
Mark 16:15 (see Matthew 28:19-20)
Luke 2:32 -- "a light for revelation to the Gentiles"
Luke 10:2 -- "harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few"
Luke 10:27 -- "love your neighbor as yourself"
John 3:16
John 12:32 -- "I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself."
John 21:4-14 -- some Biblical commentators have said the 153 fish equals the number of all the tribes and nations which the ancients thought existed on earth
Acts 1:8; 2:5-12 13:47 (Isaiah 49:6) -- witnesses in all the earth
Acts 3:25 -- "He said to Abraham, Through your offspring, all peoples on earth will be blessed.'"
Acts 9:15 "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings."
Acts 11:18 -- "They praised God, saying, So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.'"
Acts 13:47 -- "I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth." (Isaiah 49:6)
Acts 14:27 -- "They reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles."
Acts 28:28 -- "Therefore I want you to know that God's salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!"
Romans 1:5 -- "We received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to obedience."
Romans 3:29 -- "Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too."
Romans 10:12-15 -- "How can they hear?"
Romans 15:10 "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people." (Deuteronomy 32:43]
Romans 15:11 "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and sing praises to him, all you peoples." (Psalm 117:1)
Romans 16:26 -- So that all nations might believe
2 Corinthians 4:15 -- "grace that is reaching more and more people"
2 Corinthians 10:16 -- "so that we can preach the gospel to the regions beyond you"
Galatians 3:8 -- "The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: All nations will be blessed through you.'" (Genesis 12:3; 18:18; 22:18)
Galatians 3:14 -- "He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles."
Ephesians 1:10 -- "To bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ."
Ephesians 2:11-19 -- "you are no longer foreigners and aliens"
Philippians 2:10 -- Every knee shall bow
1 Thessalonians 2:15-16 -- "to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved"
Hebrews 6:13-14 -- God's promise to Abraham
2 Peter 3:9, 12 -- "not wanting anyone to perish"
1 John 2:2 -- "He is the atoning sacrifice . . . for the sins of the whole world"
Revelation 5:9 -- "you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation"
Revelation 7:9 -- Every tribe, tongue, people and nation
Revelation 14:6 -- "The angel had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth -- to every nation, tribe, language and people."
Revelation 15:4 -- "all nations will come and worship before you"
Revelation 21:23-24 -- "The Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light"
Old Testament And Missions:
Genesis 12:1-3 (repeated in Gen. 18:18, 22:17-18, 26:24 and 28:12-14)
Exodos 9:14-16 -- purpose of the plagues
Exodus 19:6 -- Israel was to be a "kingdom of priests"
Numbers 14:21 -- glory of Lord fills the whole earth
Deuteronomy 4:6-8 -- show your understanding to the nations
Deuteronomy 10:19 -- "You are to love those who are aliens"
Deuteronomy 28:10 -- "all the peoples on the earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord"
Deuteronomy 32:1 - "Hear, O earth, the words of my mouth."
Joshua 4:24 -- "so that all the peoples of the earth might know"
1 Samuel 2:10 -- "The LORD will judge the ends of the earth."
1 Samuel 17:46 -- "the whole world will know there is a God in Israel"
1 Kings 8:41-43, 59-60 (also in 2 Chronicles 6:32-33) -- "so that all peoples of the earth may know your name" (Solomon's prayer at dedication of Temple)
2 Kings 19:15 -- "Hezekiah prayed . . . : O LORD, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth.'"
1 Chronicles 16:31 "Let the earth be glad; let them say among the nations, The Lord reigns!'"
1 Chronicles 16:24 -- "Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples"
2 Chronicles 6:33 -- "so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you"
Psalm 2:7-10 -- "You are my Son . . . I will make the nations your inheritance"
Psalm 7:7-8 -- "Let the Lord judge the peoples"
Psalm 8:9 -- "How majestic is your name in all the earth!"
Psalm 18:49 -- "I will praise you among the nations"
Psalm 22:26-28 -- "all the families of the nations will bow down"
Psalm 19:1-4 -- "their words to the ends of the world"
Psalm 22:27 -- "All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord"
Psalm 24 -- "The earth is the Lord's"
Psalm 33 -- "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord"
Psalm 45:17 -- "The nations will praise you for ever and ever"
Psalm 46:10 -- "I will be exalted among the nations"
Psalm 47 -- "God reigns over the nations"
Psalm 48:10 -- "Like your name, O God, your praise reaches to the ends of the earth"
Psalm 49:1 -- "Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all who live in this world"
Psalm 50 -- "From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets"
Psalm 57 -- "I will sing of you among the peoples"
Psalm 59:13 -- "It will be known to the ends of the earth that God rules over Jacob."
Psalm 65:5-8 -- "the hope of all the ends of the earth . . . where morning dawns and evening fades you call forth songs of joy"
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Psalm 66 -- "All the earth bows down to you . . . Praise our God, O peoples"
Psalm 67 -- "your salvation among all peoples"
Psalm 68:32 -- "Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth"
Psalm 72 -- "all nations will serve him"
Psalm 72:9 -- "the desert tribes will bow before him"
Psalm 72:17, 19 -- "All nations will be blessed through him . . . May the whole earth be filled with his glory"
Psalm 77:14 -- "you display your power among the peoples"
Psalm 82 -- "all the nations are your inheritance"
Psalm 83:18 -- "You alone are the Most High over all the earth."
Psalm 86:8-13 -- all nations will come and worship
Psalm 87 -- the register of the peoples
Psalm 96 -- "sing to the Lord, all the earth . . . Declare his glory among the nations"
Psalm 97 -- "The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice"
Psalm 98:3 -- "All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God."
Psalm 98:9 -- "He comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity."
Psalm 99:1-3 -- "He is exalted over all the nations. Let them praise your great and awesome name"
Psalm 102:15 -- "The nations will fear the name of the LORD, all the kings of the earth will revere your glory."
Psalm 102:22 -- "when the peoples and the kingdoms assemble to worship the Lord"
Psalm 105:1 -- "make known among the nations what He has done"
Psalm 106:8 -- reason for dividing the Red Sea
Psalm 108:3 -- "I will sing of you among the peoples"
Psalm 108:5 -- "Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let your glory be over all the earth."
Psalm 110:6 -- "He will judge the nations,"
Psalm 113:3 -- "From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised"
Psalm 117 -- "Praise the Lord, all you nations"
Psalm 126 -- "it was said among the nations"
Psalm 135 -- "our Lord is greater than all gods"
Psalm 138:4 -- "may all the kings of the earth praise you, O Lord"
Isaiah 2:3 -- "Many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob.
Isaiah 6:3 -- "They were calling to one another: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.'"
Isaiah 11:9 -- "fill the earth with the knowledge of the Lord"
Isaiah 11:10 -- "in that day a Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples, the nations . . ."
Isaiah 12:4 -- "Make known among the nations what He has done"
Isaiah 24:16 -- "From the ends of the earth we hear singing: Glory to the Righteous One.'"
Isaiah 25:6 -- "the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples"
Isaiah 42:4 -- "in His law the islands will put their hope"
Isaiah 42:6 -- "I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles."
Isaiah 34:1 -- "Come near, you nations, and listen; pay attention, you peoples!"
Isaiah 37:16 -- "O Lord Almighty . . . , you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth."
Isaiah 42:4 -- "He will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope."
Isaiah 43:6 -- "I will say to the north, 'Give them up!' and to the south, 'Do not hold them back.'"
Isaiah 45:6 -- "from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting men may know there is none besides me."
Isaiah 45:22 -- "Turn to me . . . all you ends of the earth"
Isaiah 49:1-6 -- "I will make you a light for the Gentiles"
Isaiah 49:22 -- "The Sovereign Lord says: "See, I will beckon to the Gentiles, I will lift up my banner to the peoples."
Isaiah 52:10 -- "The Lord will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God."
Isaiah 56:7 -- "my house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations"
Isaiah 59:19 -- "From the west, men will fear the name of the Lord, and from the rising of the sun, they will revere His glory."
Isaiah 60:3 -- "Nations will come to your light"
Isaiah 62:11 -- "The Lord has made proclamation to the ends of the earth"
Isaiah 66:19 -- "They will proclaim my glory among the nations"
Jeremiah 3:17 -- "All nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the Lord"
Jeremiah 16:19 To you the nations will come from the ends of the earth and say, "Our fathers possessed nothing but false gods, worthless idols that did them no good."
Ezekiel 36:22-23 -- "The nations will know I am the Lord"
Daniel 2:47; 4:1-2; 6:25 -- "Surely your God is the God of gods"
Daniel 7:13, 14 -- "all peoples, nations and languages should serve Him"
Jonah's story -- the missionary book of the Old Testament.
Micah 1:2 -- "Hear, O peoples, all of you, listen, O earth and all who are in it."
Micah 4:2 -- "Many nations will come"
Micah 5:4 -- "His greatness will reach to the ends of the earth."
Habakkuk 2:14 -- "The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the water cover the sea"
Zephaniah 2:11 -- "Nations on every shore will worship him"
Zephaniah 3:9 -- "Then will I purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord."
Haggai 2:7 -- "Desire of all nations"
Zechariah 2:11 -- "Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become my people"
Zechariah 8:20-23 -- "Many peoples and inhabitants of many cities will come"
Zechariah 9:10 -- "He will proclaim peace to the nations"
Zechariah 14:9 -- "The Lord will be king over the whole earth."
Malachi 1:10-11 -- "My name will be great among the nations, from the rising to the setting of the sun"
New Testament And Mssions:
Matthew 4:8-11 -- Temptation of Jesus
Matthew 6:9-10 -- The Lord's prayer
Matthew 10:18 -- "On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles."
Matthew 13 (Ezekiel 17:23) -- parables of sower, weeds, mustard seed, fishing net
Matthew 24:14 -- the gospel will be preached in the whole world
Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15 - The Great Commission (which many say is a re-statement of God's promise to Abraham in Genesis 12)
Mark 11:17 (Isaiah 56:7) -- a house of prayer for all nations
Mark 13:10 -- "the gospel must first be preached to all nations"
Mark 16:15 (see Matthew 28:19-20)
Luke 2:32 -- "a light for revelation to the Gentiles"
Luke 10:2 -- "harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few"
Luke 10:27 -- "love your neighbor as yourself"
John 3:16
John 12:32 -- "I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself."
John 21:4-14 -- some Biblical commentators have said the 153 fish equals the number of all the tribes and nations which the ancients thought existed on earth
Acts 1:8; 2:5-12 13:47 (Isaiah 49:6) -- witnesses in all the earth
Acts 3:25 -- "He said to Abraham, Through your offspring, all peoples on earth will be blessed.'"
Acts 9:15 "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings."
Acts 11:18 -- "They praised God, saying, So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.'"
Acts 13:47 -- "I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth." (Isaiah 49:6)
Acts 14:27 -- "They reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles."
Acts 28:28 -- "Therefore I want you to know that God's salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!"
Romans 1:5 -- "We received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to obedience."
Romans 3:29 -- "Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too."
Romans 10:12-15 -- "How can they hear?"
Romans 15:10 "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people." (Deuteronomy 32:43]
Romans 15:11 "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and sing praises to him, all you peoples." (Psalm 117:1)
Romans 16:26 -- So that all nations might believe
2 Corinthians 4:15 -- "grace that is reaching more and more people"
2 Corinthians 10:16 -- "so that we can preach the gospel to the regions beyond you"
Galatians 3:8 -- "The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: All nations will be blessed through you.'" (Genesis 12:3; 18:18; 22:18)
Galatians 3:14 -- "He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles."
Ephesians 1:10 -- "To bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ."
Ephesians 2:11-19 -- "you are no longer foreigners and aliens"
Philippians 2:10 -- Every knee shall bow
1 Thessalonians 2:15-16 -- "to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved"
Hebrews 6:13-14 -- God's promise to Abraham
2 Peter 3:9, 12 -- "not wanting anyone to perish"
1 John 2:2 -- "He is the atoning sacrifice . . . for the sins of the whole world"
Revelation 5:9 -- "you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation"
Revelation 7:9 -- Every tribe, tongue, people and nation
Revelation 14:6 -- "The angel had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth -- to every nation, tribe, language and people."
Revelation 15:4 -- "all nations will come and worship before you"
Revelation 21:23-24 -- "The Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light"
Into whatever groups we divide humanity -- races, nations, languages, cultures -- it is clear that God loves all of them and wants people from all those groupings to be reconciled to Him.
"The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest" (Luke 10:2, NKJ ).
"The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest" (Luke 10:2, NKJ ).
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 8
Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
If God Has Not Breathed New Life Into Your Lungs . . .
-------------------------------------------------------Ezekiel 37
The Valley of Dry Bones
1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3 He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" I said, "O Sovereign LORD, you alone know."
4 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! 5 This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath [a] enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.' "
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.
9 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.' " 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.
11 Then he said to me: "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.' 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.' "
4 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! 5 This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath [a] enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.' "
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.
9 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.' " 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.
11 Then he said to me: "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.' 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.' "
--------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Adorniam Judson
Advice to Missionary Candidates
By:
Adoniram Judson
To the Foreign Missionary Association of the Hamilton Literary and Theological Institution, N. Y.
DEAR BRETHREN: Yours of November last, from the pen of your Corresponding Secretary, Mr. William Dean, is before me. It is one of the few letters that I feel called upon to answer, for you ask my advice on several important points. There is, also, in the sentiments you express, something so congenial to my own, that I feel my heart knit to the members of your association, and instead of commonplace reply, am desirous of setting down a few items which may be profitable to you in your future course. Brief items they must be, for want of time forbids my expatiating.
In commencing my remarks, I take you as you are. You are contemplating a missionary life.
First, then, let it be a missionary life; that is, come out for life, and not for a limited term. Do not fancy that you have a true missionary spirit, while you are intending all along to leave the heathen soon after acquiring their language. Leave them! for what? To spend the rest of your days in enjoying the ease and plenty of your native land?
Secondly. In choosing a companion for life, have particular regard to a good constitution, and not wantonly, or without good cause, bring a burden on yourselves and the mission.
Thirdly. Be not ravenous to do good on board ship. Missionaries have frequently done more hurt than good, by injudicious zeal, during their passage out.
Fourthly. Take care that the attention you receive at home, the unfavorable circumstances in which you will be placed on board ship, and the unmissionary examples you may possibly meet with at some missionary stations, do not transform you from living missionaries to mere skeletons before you reach the place of your destination. It may be profitable to bear in mind, that a large proportion of those who come out on a mission to the East die within five years after leaving their native land. Walk softly, therefore; death is narrowly watching your steps.
Fifthly. Beware of the reaction which will take place soon after reaching your field of labor. There you will perhaps find native Christians, of whose merits or demerits you can not judge correctly without some familiar acquaintance with their language. Some appearances will combine to disappoint and disgust you. You will meet with disappointments and discouragements, of which it is impossible to form a correct idea from written accounts, and which will lead you, at first, almost to regret that you have embarked in the cause. You will see men and women whom you have been accustomed to view through a telescope some thousands of miles long. Such an instrument is apt to magnify. Beware, therefore, of the reaction you will experience from a combination of all these causes, lest you become disheartened at commencing your work, or take up a prejudice against some persons and places, which will embitter all your future lives.
Sixthly. Beware of the greater reaction which will take place after you have acquired the language, and become fatigued and worn out with preaching the gospel to a disobedient and gainsaying people. You will sometimes long for a quiet retreat, where you can find a respite from the tug of toiling at native work -- the incessant, intolerable friction of the missionary grindstone. And Satan will sympathize with you in this matter; and he will present some chapel of ease, in which to officiate in your native tongue, some government situation, some professorship or editorship, some literary or scientific pursuit, some supernumerary translation, or, at least, some system of schools; anything, in a word, that will help you, without much surrender of character, to slip out of real missionary work. Such a temptation will form the crisis of your disease. If your spiritual constitution can sustain it, you recover; if not, you die.
Seventhly. Beware of pride; not the pride of proud men, but the pride of humble men -- that secret pride which is apt to grow out of the consciousness that we are esteemed by the great and good. This pride sometimes eats out the vitals of religion before its existence is suspected. In order to check its operations, it may be well to remember how we appear in the sight of God, and how we should appear in the sight of our fellow-men, if all were known. Endeavor to let all be known. Confess your faults freely, and as publicly as circumstances will require or admit. When you have done something of which you are ashamed, and by which, perhaps, some person has been injured (and what man is exempt?), be glad not only to make reparation, but improve the opportunity for subduing your pride.
Eighthly. Never lay up money for yourselves or your families. Trust in God from day to day, and verily you shall be fed.
Ninthly. Beware of that indolence which leads to a neglect of bodily exercise. The poor health and premature death of most Europeans in the East must be eminently ascribed to the most wanton neglect of bodily exercise.
Tenthly. Beware of genteel living. Maintain as little intercourse as possible with fashionable European society. The mode of living adopted by many missionaries in the East is quite inconsistent with that familiar intercourse with the natives which is essential to a missionary.
There are many points of self-denial that I should like to touch upon; but a consciousness of my own deficiency constrains me to be silent. I have also left untouched several topics of vital importance, it having been my aim to select such only as appear to me to have been not much noticed or enforced. I hope you will excuse the monitorial style that I have accidentally adopted. I assure you, I mean no harm.
In regard to your inquiries concerning studies, qualifications, etc., nothing occurs that I think would be particularly useful, except the simple remark, that I fear too much stress begins to be laid on what is termed a thorough classical education.
Praying that you may be guided in all your deliberations, and that I may yet have the pleasure of welcoming some of you to these heathen shores, I remain
Your affectionate brother,
A. JUDSON
Maulmain, June 25, 1832
MK Quarterback
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL INSIDER
Quarterback brings a world view to Boswell
By TRAE THOMPSON
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
Quarterback brings a world view to Boswell
By TRAE THOMPSON
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
As a boy, Saginaw Boswell quarterback Daniel Harrist wasn't planted in front of a TV playing video games.
He raised a cockatoo in an Indonesian jungle.
Harrist, a 17-year-old senior, spent most of his childhood overseas in Indonesia, Laos and Thailand. His parents were Christian missionaries, and his father was a pilot for Mission Aviation Fellowship.
"The people over there have a different lifestyle," said Harrist, who completed 13 of 19 passes for 308 yards in Friday's 42-23 win over Alvarado. "It makes you count your blessings. Over there, a lot of families don't have their next meal guaranteed. People over here get mad about their cable going out."
Harrist had just turned 5 when his family moved to Indonesia. The Harrists lived there until Daniel was 8. After sixth grade in America, they moved to Laos, but Daniel attended a boarding school in Thailand.
Their religion didn't put them in danger, but made safety a factor. Daniel said Christians couldn't be vocal in some areas, but were accepted in others. Julie Harrist, Daniel's mother, never worried about it.
She remembered how her son could run around barefoot in Indonesia. She laughed when recalling a visit to see Daniel in Thailand, where he would hang off the back of trucks used as mass transit. He didn't know the language, but had no problems exploring.
"He was very independent, and I was proud of him," Julie said. "He was in a boarding school with 16 others, all of them with different nationalities. He has a well-rounded view of the world."
Football wasn't available. Daniel threw a ball with his father, and received videotapes of Denver Broncos games from an uncle who lived in the Mile High city. While at boarding school, he played pickup games with other students.
"The only time I got to watch football was when the Patriots and Eagles played in the Super Bowl" Daniel said. "I remember I had to wake up at 6 a.m., because of the time difference."
Daniel and his family returned to America before his sophmore year, just before two-a-days began at Boswell.
Teammates thought he was a freshman. He was introduced to the team. Soon after, teammates nicknamed him "Thailand."
"When we have meetings, what he's got to say is very meaningful," Boswell coach John Abendschan said. "But he's not a loud guy."
Harrist had to play catch-up in learning the game, and started on the Pioneers' sophomore team. Abendschan remembers seeing him play for the first time, and how on the first series, he scrambled and ran to the corner of the end zone. With his body diving out of bounds, Harrist knew to still keep his arm in over the pylon.
"I have so much fun," Daniel said. "Everyone gets upset about going out to practice, but I was psyched I got to play football."
Trae Thompson, 817-685-3866 mtthompson@star-telegram.com
Friday, August 10, 2007
Hyper Calvinism, Calvinism, Arminianism
"It might be beneficial to distinguish Calvinism from hyper-Calvinism because the two are often confused. (Indeed some writers and teachers confuse them so often and so willingly that one must wonder if the practice is intentional.) In one sense, hyper-Calvinism, like Arminianism, is a rationalistic perversion of true Calvinism. 
Whereas Arminianism destroys the sovereignty of God, hyper-Calvinism destroys the responsibility of man. The irony is that both Arminianism and hyper-Calvinism start from the same, erroneous rationalistic presupposition: Man's ability and responsibility are coextensive. That is, they must match up exactly or else it is irrational. If a man is to be held responsible for something, then he must have the ability to do it. On the other hand, if a man does not have the ability to perform it, he cannot be obligated to do it."
Tom Ascol
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Monday, July 30, 2007
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Mission Song
King of Glory
"Oh LORD let us go throughout the earth, telling of your salvation"
Gary Brumley, the worship minister at REEDEMER in Fort Worth wrote a song called "LORD Jesus, Come" in 2002 while he was leading worship at Grace Community Church in Glen Rose, Texas.
The following song is one of my favorite worship songs of all time Click-->HERE to down load. Click HERE to listen to or visit the music where you can preview clips and order this CD.
As we traveled through the mountains of South East Asia, I prayed this song over and over, asking God to continue to remind me that my home is with Him and not HERE. I asked that I may continually be reminded that it is/was by His grace that I was/am even able to know who He is. I prayed that He would give His body, the church, the desire, strength and the joy to proclaim that He is the King of Glory among the nations।
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Body Mechanics IV
Here are two brothers (Darryle and Darryl) that came to see if I would work on them, in hopes I could help increase their I.Q. Unfortunately I had to tell them that I only attempt to improve athletic ability and not academic ability.
Since we take pictures of all our clients prior to evaluating them, we decided to take a picture of them to help pacify their agitated state. Their faces immediately "lit" up and were delighted to have their photograph taken.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Body Mechanics III
I was reading Dave Campbell's Texas Football and saw the name of an old customer of mine. That customer was James Dearth of the New York Jets. God used James witness to turn my heart to the things of God. It was very inspiring to have this giant of a man, who was an incredible football player, reflecting the meekness and humility of the Lord.
I want to thank you James for your witness. Thank you for allowing God to use you as His instrument in bringing me back to Himself.
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