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The Church’s Responsibility in This Particular Time

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responsibility

I was skimming over What Is the Mission of the Church? by DeYoung and Gilbert again, and came across this great quote from J. Gresham Machen.  Think of the Great Depression and the pressure that it put on the church as well as theological liberalism provoking schisms within the church.  What is the church’s responsibility in this new age?

The responsibility of the church in the new age is the same as its responsibility in every age.  It is to testify that this world is lost in sin; that the span of human life — no, all the length of human history–is an infinitesimal island in the awful depths of eternity; that there is a mysterious, holy, living God, Creator of all, Upholder of all, infinitely beyond all; that he has revealed himself to us in his Word and offered us communion with himself through Jesus Christ the Lord; that there is no other salvation, for individuals or for nations, save this, but that this salvation is full and free, and that whoever possesses it has for himself and for all others to whom he may be the instrument in bringing it a treasure compared with which all the kingdoms of the earth–no, all the wonders of the starry heavens–are as the dust of the street.

An unpopular message it is–an impractical message, we are told.  But it is the message of the Christian church.  Neglect it, and you will have destruction; heed it, and you will have life.

(J. Gresham Machen, “The Responsibility of the Church in Our New Age,” in J. Gresham Machen: Selected Shorter Writings, ed. D. G. Hart (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 2004), 376 and quoted in Kevin DeYoung & Greg Gilbert, What Is The Mission of the Church? (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2011), pp.248-249)

Today, we have presidential election aftermath, the pressure of our economy, and an impulse to give up what the church has always believed (and what the Bible teaches) about a good many issues.  May it never be that we would neglect THE MESSAGE and our responsibility to share that message with those around us.

Poor Thinking about Missions = Poor Practice

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There are all kinds of myths when it comes to the cross-cultural work that the church has been called to engage in.  One of these has to do with the “native missionary” (or a missionary who grew up in the culture and Western church can support at a much cheaper rate than sending our own).  Yes, Gospel partnerships need to be formed for the good of the global work.  But, this kind of thinking and the practice that emerges from this kind of thinking can easily be abused as this story shows.

Here’s an episode from last year’s Mission Table that discusses To Send or Not To Send.

Engage with this content and consider what God might do through you.  Or, as the Scriptures say, come, let us reason together…

Cappucino Hour

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Here’s a post I wrote that was featured on AVANT ministries blog:

Need a coffee break? I’m guessing that if you have a heartbeat, you can appreciate taking a break to stop and refresh. At the Avant Ministries headquarters in Kansas City, there’s a regular rhythm that speaks well beyond a simple break. This break, which I’ve dubbed “Cappuccino Hour,” involves many staff members from Avant and Crossworld (remember they share an office space) spilling out of their offices and down the stairs for a 10AM gathering. Think high quality coffee prepared by staff with a background serving in Italy coupled with the collaborative genius that happens when we come together around a common purpose. It doesn’t last an hour, but occurs at the top of the hour. This is what comes to mind as I’ve seen (and partaken) in “Cappuccino Hour.”
Cappuccino Hour is really what strategic partnership around God’s global work demands. Imagine the energy you’d experience if you could connect with a like-minded believer after serving in a country “closed” to the Gospel. You would not only need these kind of relationships, but you would also want them. As the Apostle John said, “that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3).
The great moves of God come when we collaborate, rope people into a common purpose and foster fellowship worthy of the Gospel we herald.   Cappuccino is simply one way we can get at this destination.
Another practical benefit of Cappuccino Hour is that it is simply encouraging. Much of the work that Avant is involved in around the world takes place in contexts that are somewhat difficult. There are workers on the frontlines who believe that the Savior will have the reward of His suffering and is worthy of receiving worship from every tribe, tongue, language and nation. Sometimes this work is difficult and often it is slow. But, whenever I’ve shown up at Cappuccino Hour, tales of the Gospel flourishing from one end of the earth to the other are readily available. Encouragement abounds when staff members who have connections to our friends in distant lands are able to come together and tell tales of the Gospel’s prevailing.
Therefore, next time you take a sip of your coffee in the morning or even rest at the water cooler, would you be mindful of the fellowship you have with others in the Gospel? Would you find encouragement in the Gospel’s advance? And, would you give yourself to pray that our Savior’s great cause would prevail, for the glory of His name and the good of all people?

CBC H2Go – Christ: The Joy of Missions

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I’m posting today over at our church’s missions blog:

Habbakuk 3:17-19 “Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. GOD, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places.”
Strategic Recklessness is really about JOY.  “We forsake our security and comforts in this life to fulfill the Great Commission and to seek our everlasting joy in Christ.”  Christ does give us a superior joy.  Somehow the prophet knew this reality to be true.  Even though everything seemed to be taken away, He still had God and that was the place of joy.  Missions might mean you are inconvenienced, persecuted or even put to death, but having that everlasting joy in Christ means that it will never end.  It’s yours today in Him.  Christ is the joy of missions.  Let Him inspire you to give up all for sake of His cause.

CBC H2Go: The Lamb Takes Away Sin

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I’m posting today over at our church’s missions blog…

John 1:29 – “John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”  

God’s wrath toward sinners is real.  We know that to be true because of what John said about Jesus here.  And, John didn’t just say it.  He proclaimed it.  Look!  See!  Behold! Jesus takes away sin.  That’s what the heart of God’s compassion is about.  “People are under God’s righteous wrath, so with a sense of urgency, we meet their spiritual and physical needs.”  Because we believe that without Christ, sinners will meet a just punishment, we must go and make known the best of all news: Jesus takes away the sin of the world.  
I hope your heart is refreshed in this amazing news today.  Jesus takes away the sin of the world!

All Hands On Deck

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I’m posting today over on our Church’s Missions Blog:

All hands on deck seems to be a cry used in times when all kinds of help is needed to accomplish something.  In our case, we have a value called Wholly Engaged, which we feel helps encapsulate our idea that all hands are needed for the work of global missions.  We are on a boat that is riding a tidal wave of God’s glory to the ends of the earth.  And, we need all hands on deck to contribute to this awesome campaign.  Where is your place?  What work could you do?  How glorious would your work help God’s great cause?  Today, answer the call for all hands on deck as we display God’s glory throughout the world.

Risk Is Right.

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I’m posting over on our Church’s Mission Blog today…

From John Piper’s book Don’t Waste Your Life (pp.89-90):

Risk is right. And the reason is not because God promises success to all our ventures in his cause. There is no promise that every effort for the cause of God will succeed, at least not in the short run. John the Baptist risked calling King Herod an adulterer when he divorced his own wife in order to take his brother’s wife. For this John got his head chopped off. And he had done right to risk his life for the cause of God and truth. Jesus had no criticism for him, only the highest praise (Matthew 11:11).

Paul risked going up to Jerusalem to complete his ministry to the poor. He was beaten and thrown in prison for two years and then shipped off to Rome and executed there two years later. And he did right to risk his life for the cause of Christ. How many graves are there in Africa and Asia because thousands of young missionaries were freed by the power of the Holy Spirit from the enchantment of security and then risked their lives to make much of Christ among the unreached peoples of the world!

And now what about you? Are you caught in the enchantment of security, paralyzed from taking any risks for the cause of God? Or have you been freed by the power of the Holy Spirit from the mirage of Egyptian safety and comfort? Do you men ever say with Joab, “For the sake of the name, I’ll try it! And may the Lord do what seems good to him”? Do you women ever say with Esther, “For the sake of Christ, I’ll try it! And if I perish, I perish”?

Today, maybe God is calling you deeper.  Christ is that compelling.  He’s calling us to be strategically reckless for Him.  Let’s go to Him, outside the camp and find Him to be all satisfy.

H2Go post: Cup of Cold Water

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Here’s a post I wrote for our church’s missions blog:

It’s our privilege to dispense Gospel Compassion to the world.  Our logo here gets at Jesus words…
“And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is My disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward!” Matthew 10:42 
Here’s what Spurgeon says on this…
Well, I can do as much as that. I can do a kind act toward the Lord’s servant. The Lord knows I love them all, and would count it an honor to wash their feet. For the sake of their Master — I love the disciples. 
How gracious of the Lord to mention so insignificant an action — even a cup of cold water! This I can do, however poor; this I may do, however lowly; this I will do cheerfully. This, which seems so little, the Lord notices — notices when done to the least of His followers. 
Evidently it is not the cost, nor the skill, nor the quantity, that He looks at — but the motive. That which we do to His disciple, because he is His disciple — the Lord observes, and recompenses. He does not reward us for the merit of what we do — but according to the riches of His grace. I give a cup of cold water — and He makes me to drink of living water. I give to one of His little ones — and He treats me as one of them. Jesus finds an apology for His liberality, in that which His grace has led me to do, and He says, “He will certainly not lose his reward!”
“I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine — you did for Me!” Matthew 25:40

Today, who are those that need to know the reaches of your Gospel Compassion?  Why not GO to them?

Will You Pray for Our Team?

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A team from our church is starting a week long ministry among the Navajo peoples at Immanuel Mission in NE Arizona this week.  The part of Arizona their in is called Sweetwater.  Our missions vision is fraught with water imagery.  We know God is at work in the midst of this.  We developed this guide to pray for them and distributed it this morning.  Will you join me in taking time to pray for our time.

Our Missions Committee’s Blog: CBCH2GO
Twitter: CBCH2GO
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