I was sitting listening to a missionary speak in our church recently and something very important dawned on me. As he spoke he showed enthusiasm. I have noticed over the years that when we are not at our church, dealing with our problems we are often able to be grateful and enthusiastic.
But then at home when the bombs are bursting in the air and things are going wrong, people are moving on to new towns and jobs and leaving our church, the bills are piling up it is easy to develop a victim attitude.
I was just sitting here thinking about how good God has been to me and then I got an email from a great family in our church that is planning on moving to another part of the state. Every time I hear that I cringe and hurt--I think you know what I mean. I would never hold up there progress and what they believe God's will to be BUT
I will lose them, I will miss them, Our church will suffer and I don't want them to go. It causes me to start thinking that things aren't going good. It doesn't matter if things are going good or not I tend to focus on the bad things--Do you do that?
I develop a Bunker Mentality. I want to retreat where I can't get hurt again. I would rather not risk loving than lose the love or be hurt.
That begins to show in my demeanor and attitude in the pulpit and around people. Then people don't understand what is happening but they know that something makes them uncomfortable.
Do you know what I mean? I want a praise and let's go forward attitude. I hope you do. God is in control. He is going to work things out. Lets serve Him with joy in our hearts.
In the Vision News I have to be positive but sometimes it is hard and I just do not feel like it! Have you ever been there?
Monday, December 24, 2007
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Ramblings from North Africa:
The following comes from an email sent out by project North Africa and Aaron. I want to encourage all of you to get your copy of this book as soon as possible. I have already ordered mine and paid for it over paypal.
One Church-planting team’s first year of minsitry to Muslims
My wife Jillian and I, along with our coworkers Cesar and Mariet Copa from Arequipa, Peru have kept a journal of our experiences over the last year since we arrived in Morocco. This book is unique because it is written from a man AND a woman’s perspective as we ministered to Muslims together.
If you would like your your family and/or your church to know how to better pray for our missions…
If you would like to know what it is like to live and ministry in a Muslim country…
If you would like to know how to witness to the Muslims that you know…
If you know anyone going to minister in Muslim country…
Buy One, GIVE One Free!
For every book YOU buy, we will GIVE a book to a college student. The future of missions lies in the hands of the young people who are preparing themselves in our colleges. Will they consider going to a Muslim country?
It’s up to you!
All profits from the book will go directly into the church planting efforts of Project North Africa!
Order online at our website: www.projectna.com or by mail:
Project North Africa
PO Box 519
Braselton, GA 30517
Checks made payable to “Project North Africa” for $14.95 for the book and $3 for shipping.
Special pricing available for churches or individuals requesting 5 or more books.
This would be the book for you!
Vision Baptist Church
Vision News
One Church-planting team’s first year of minsitry to Muslims
My wife Jillian and I, along with our coworkers Cesar and Mariet Copa from Arequipa, Peru have kept a journal of our experiences over the last year since we arrived in Morocco. This book is unique because it is written from a man AND a woman’s perspective as we ministered to Muslims together.
If you would like your your family and/or your church to know how to better pray for our missions…
If you would like to know what it is like to live and ministry in a Muslim country…
If you would like to know how to witness to the Muslims that you know…
If you know anyone going to minister in Muslim country…
Buy One, GIVE One Free!
For every book YOU buy, we will GIVE a book to a college student. The future of missions lies in the hands of the young people who are preparing themselves in our colleges. Will they consider going to a Muslim country?
It’s up to you!
All profits from the book will go directly into the church planting efforts of Project North Africa!
Order online at our website: www.projectna.com or by mail:
Project North Africa
PO Box 519
Braselton, GA 30517
Checks made payable to “Project North Africa” for $14.95 for the book and $3 for shipping.
Special pricing available for churches or individuals requesting 5 or more books.
This would be the book for you!
Vision Baptist Church
Vision News
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Preach Jesus
You [as preachers] have nothing else to employ as the means of good, except the salvation of Jesus, and there is nothing else worth telling.
I heard of a congregation the other day that was so very small that hardly any one came to listen to the preacher. Instead of blaming himself, and preaching better, the minister said he thought he was not doing much good by sermons and prayer-meetings, and therefore he would found a club, and if the fellows came in, and played draughts, that might do them good. What a lot of that sort of thing is now being tried! We are going to convert souls on a new system,—are we? Are we also to have a substitute for bread?—and healthier drink than pure water? . . .
[T]o hope ever to bring sinners to holiness and heaven by any teaching but that which begins and ends in Jesus Christ is a sheer delusion. None other name is given among men whereby they can be saved. If you have to deal with highly learned and educated people, nothing is so good for them as preaching Jesus Christ; and if the people be ignorant and degraded, nothing is better for them than the preaching of Jesus.
A young man said to another the other day, “I am going down to preach at So-and-so, what sort of people are they there? What kind of doctrine will suit them?” Having heard of the question, I gave this advice,—”You preach Jesus Christ, and that will suit them, I am sure, if they are learned people it will suit them; if they are ignorant it will suit them—God blessing it.”
When the great Biblical critic, Bengel, was dying, he sent for a young theological student, to whom he said, “I am low in spirit; say something good to cheer me.” “My dear Sir,” said the student, “I am so insignificant a person, what can I say to a great man like yourself?” “But if you are a student of theology,” said Bengel, “you ought to have a good word to say to a dying man; pray say it without fear.” “Well, Sir,” said he, “What can I say to you, but that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin?” Bengel said, “Give me your hand, young man; that is the very word I wanted.”
A simple gospel text is the word which every man needs who is in fear of divine wrath, and he may be sitting next to you at this moment, or he is in the same house of business with you, and needs that you should tell him about Christ. Do that, and bless his soul. May you all understand the Scriptures in this way, and may God make you a great blessing to those around you.
Charles Spurgeon
That is what Vision Baptist Church is all about. We preach Jesus service after service, That is what we did in Peru. God blesses the preaching of His World. Keep up with all if going on via Vision News
I heard of a congregation the other day that was so very small that hardly any one came to listen to the preacher. Instead of blaming himself, and preaching better, the minister said he thought he was not doing much good by sermons and prayer-meetings, and therefore he would found a club, and if the fellows came in, and played draughts, that might do them good. What a lot of that sort of thing is now being tried! We are going to convert souls on a new system,—are we? Are we also to have a substitute for bread?—and healthier drink than pure water? . . .
[T]o hope ever to bring sinners to holiness and heaven by any teaching but that which begins and ends in Jesus Christ is a sheer delusion. None other name is given among men whereby they can be saved. If you have to deal with highly learned and educated people, nothing is so good for them as preaching Jesus Christ; and if the people be ignorant and degraded, nothing is better for them than the preaching of Jesus.
A young man said to another the other day, “I am going down to preach at So-and-so, what sort of people are they there? What kind of doctrine will suit them?” Having heard of the question, I gave this advice,—”You preach Jesus Christ, and that will suit them, I am sure, if they are learned people it will suit them; if they are ignorant it will suit them—God blessing it.”
When the great Biblical critic, Bengel, was dying, he sent for a young theological student, to whom he said, “I am low in spirit; say something good to cheer me.” “My dear Sir,” said the student, “I am so insignificant a person, what can I say to a great man like yourself?” “But if you are a student of theology,” said Bengel, “you ought to have a good word to say to a dying man; pray say it without fear.” “Well, Sir,” said he, “What can I say to you, but that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin?” Bengel said, “Give me your hand, young man; that is the very word I wanted.”
A simple gospel text is the word which every man needs who is in fear of divine wrath, and he may be sitting next to you at this moment, or he is in the same house of business with you, and needs that you should tell him about Christ. Do that, and bless his soul. May you all understand the Scriptures in this way, and may God make you a great blessing to those around you.
Charles Spurgeon
That is what Vision Baptist Church is all about. We preach Jesus service after service, That is what we did in Peru. God blesses the preaching of His World. Keep up with all if going on via Vision News
Saturday, December 08, 2007
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Missionary Agreement Form 14
There is so much to learn from this agreement and I hope that you will go back to the very first post on this subject and follow all of the notes to really understand better how we can serve God on the mission field of the world.
What wonderful and powerful truths and a great to do list we find here:
1. We need to give all effort possible to the explaining and distributing of the Divine Word. What are you doing right now to explain the word of God to as many and as many times as you can. What are you doing to get the word of God into their hands. It is alive and powerful. It will do its job.
2. Let's get the Bible to as many people as possible. I am afraid that we do not realize the power of the word. If we but get it to them it will do a work in their lives.
3. Find the crowds and get the Bible to them. Find where the people are--go to them and get the word to them.
At Vision Baptist Church I am motivated to see how to put as much of this as possible to work. Even in America people do not read the Word of God and so much preaching today is philosophy and not Bible. I want to see how I can go about getting the Word into their hearts and lives. Keep up with what God is doing with us over at Vision News.
It becomes us to use all assiduity in explaining and distributing the Divine Word on all occasions, and by every means in our power to excite the attention and the reverence of the natives towards it, as the fountain of eternal truth and the Message of Salvation to men. It is our duty also to distribute, as extensively as possible, the different religious tracts which are published. Considering how much the general diffusion of the knowledge of Christ depends upon a liberal and constant distribution of the Word, and of these tracts, all over the country, we should keep this continually in mind, and watch all opportunities of putting even single tracts into the hands of those persons with whom we occasionally meet. We should endeavour to ascertain where large assemblies of the natives are to be found, that we may attend upon them, and gladden whole villages at once with the tidings of salvation.
What wonderful and powerful truths and a great to do list we find here:
1. We need to give all effort possible to the explaining and distributing of the Divine Word. What are you doing right now to explain the word of God to as many and as many times as you can. What are you doing to get the word of God into their hands. It is alive and powerful. It will do its job.
2. Let's get the Bible to as many people as possible. I am afraid that we do not realize the power of the word. If we but get it to them it will do a work in their lives.
3. Find the crowds and get the Bible to them. Find where the people are--go to them and get the word to them.
At Vision Baptist Church I am motivated to see how to put as much of this as possible to work. Even in America people do not read the Word of God and so much preaching today is philosophy and not Bible. I want to see how I can go about getting the Word into their hearts and lives. Keep up with what God is doing with us over at Vision News.
Monday, December 03, 2007
Missionary Agreement Form 13
Well I have been in South Africa visiting our missionary Kevin Hall and so I have not been able to keep up with these posts but we are back at it. I truly believe that there is a great deal that can be learned from reading, thinking, and studying what these great men did in the past. All of it might not be relevant to your ministry but it can sure help us to do a better job.
Every missionary better believe in the power of the Word of God. We have nothing else to give them. The last thing that they need is the philosophy of the United States. We obviously even as a culture have not done much to promote the name of Jesus Christ and bring our culture to His feet. The prosperity gospel may work in the USA but it has little chance overseas where poverty and death are so rampant. Let us give them the Word.
I high lighted several things that I certainly hope you notice. They had to learn the language no matter what it cost! Do not settle for a half hearted knowledge of the language. You will be studying and learning until the day you die.
Do all in your power to get the gospel to the world and by that I mean the Word of God. We are to study it, teach it, preach it, live it. The Word of God is our life, it is all we have and all we are.
Vision Baptist Church on the Northside of Atlanta is committed to just this truth. We must preach the Bible, verse by verse. We are loving it! It is amazing how the truths of God's Word are already relevant. As we study the Bible these truths apply right now to our society and where we live.
I invite you to follow Vision News to keep up with what God is doing in our church.
Ninthly. It becomes us also to labour with all our might in forwarding translations of the sacred Scriptures in the languages of Hindoostan. The help which God has afforded us already in this work is a loud call to us to "go forward." So far, therefore, as God has qualified us to learn those languages which are necessary, we consider it our bounden duty to apply with unwearied assiduity in acquiring them. We consider the publication of the Divine Word throughout India as an object which we ought never to give up till accomplished, looking to the Fountain of all knowledge and strength to qualify us for this great work, and to carry us through it to the praise of His Holy Name.
Every missionary better believe in the power of the Word of God. We have nothing else to give them. The last thing that they need is the philosophy of the United States. We obviously even as a culture have not done much to promote the name of Jesus Christ and bring our culture to His feet. The prosperity gospel may work in the USA but it has little chance overseas where poverty and death are so rampant. Let us give them the Word.
I high lighted several things that I certainly hope you notice. They had to learn the language no matter what it cost! Do not settle for a half hearted knowledge of the language. You will be studying and learning until the day you die.
Do all in your power to get the gospel to the world and by that I mean the Word of God. We are to study it, teach it, preach it, live it. The Word of God is our life, it is all we have and all we are.
Vision Baptist Church on the Northside of Atlanta is committed to just this truth. We must preach the Bible, verse by verse. We are loving it! It is amazing how the truths of God's Word are already relevant. As we study the Bible these truths apply right now to our society and where we live.
I invite you to follow Vision News to keep up with what God is doing in our church.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
