Missions

I came across something recently that made me stop and think.

And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” (Revelation 5:9-10)

Nothing can be more important than what the Son of God died to achieve. Reaching all the peoples of the world with the saving news of Christ's death and resurrection so that communities of believers can be established through faith in the Redeemer is the greatest work of the Church. 

Missions is not the ultimate goal of the Church, but it is the greatest work of the Church.

The ultimate goal of the Church is passion for the supremacy of God in the hearts of people from every tribe, language, people, and nation. The glory of God is the goal.

Personally, I tend to be more inwardly focused as opposed to outwardly focused.

But people cannot glorify God and be satisfied in Him if they don't know Him. 

So, evangelizing the unreached peoples of the world is the great work of the Church.

There can be no Christ-exalting anything without the knowledge of the exalted Christ. 

But God...

"But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God."

I love that. You say, “But I was hurt. I was abandoned. I was abused. I was devastated. I was neglected. The people who were supposed to care for me didn’t.” Yes, true, but God.

Here are some lyrics to a few songs that I like that talk about 'but God':

"I was content as I watched myself dying in my sin. I was my own end, my own God. God of a world where satisfaction came from temporary sensations, where decisions were based on the latest temptations, where happiness and comfort was my only salvation. I was a cheap imitation. But God..."

"But God, being rich in mercy, placed salvation on your head."

"But God rich in mercy made a way
By grace I have been saved
Through faith I have been raised
Only by the blood of Christ"

 

Why I Blog

I don't blog often, but I do like to write down my thoughts or things I have learned, and share them with others.

Frank Viola, on a podcast from a few months back, talked about reasons to blog. He hit the nail on the head as far as why I blog. If someone looks me up on the internet, they will come across my blog, and it will explain who I am and what my passions are.

You can listen to that podcast here: http://ptmin.podbean.com/2013/03/03/how-to-start-a-blog-why-every-christian-should-have-one/

God's Favorite Place

Shortly, I will be receiving a review copy of God’s Favorite Place on Earth by Frank Viola. The book released May 1st and stayed in the top # 50 on Amazon.com for 8 straight days. There’s a lot of buzz about this book on the Web, and I’ll be writing a review after I read it.

Here are a few interesting nuggets about the book.

* It’s been recommended by 47 Christian authors, including John Ortberg, Jack Hayford, Leonard Sweet, Tricia Goyer, Mary DeMuth, Greg Boyd, Todd Hunter, Jon Acuff, Phil Cooke, and many others.

* There is an interesting video trailer for the book that introduces it.

* The book tells the story of Jesus in the little village of Bethany and the amazing things that happened there through the eyes of Lazarus. It combines biblical narrative, dramatization, theological insights, and nonfiction devotional teaching. It argues that “Bethany” was God’s Favorite Place on Earth and explains how every Christian and every church can be “Bethanys” today for God.

* The book addresses 18 specific struggles that Christians face today and offers hope, challenge, and fresh insight.

You can check all of this out at God’s Favorite Place on Earth and get the book on discount.

Verses About Facing Death Faithfully

For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. (2 Corinthians 5:1)

For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. (Hebrews 13:14)

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. (1 Peter 2:11)

But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. (Philippians 3:20-21)

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:2-4)

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:32)

For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold
from those who walk uprightly. (Psalm 84:11)

So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. (2 Corinthians 5:6-9)

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. (Philippians 1:21-23)

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ. (Philippians 3:8)

For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:10)

Two Interviews...

Today I would like to highlight a couple of interviews I recently read and found very helpful.

The first interview is with N.T. Wright. He is an Anglican bishop and a leading New Testament scholar, as well as an author. His current release is a book entitled Simply Jesus, which I bought earlier this week and plan on reading very soon.

Click this link to read the unedited interview:

http://frankviola.org/2012/01/23/ntwright

The second interview is with Scot McKnight. He is also a New Testament scholar who has written widely on the historical Jesus, Christian spirituality, and the emerging church. His current release is a book entitled The King Jesus Gospel.

Click this link to read the unedited interview:

http://frankviola.org/2012/02/08/scotmcknight