A big thank you to any of you who may have stuck with me all the way through this entire series, which I broke up into smaller chunks in order to make it easier to digest. Now that all the posts are up, if anyone happens to want to read through the whole thing in order to get a better look at what I am saying in context, here is an index of all the links that will help you to do just that: Introduction Barrier #1: The Geographic Barrier Barrier #2: The Linguistic Barrier Barrier #3: The Cultural Barrier Barrier #4: The Social Barrier Barrier #5: The Spiritual Barrier Barrier #6: The … [Read more...] about Index to World Missions: Overcoming Barriers to the Great Commission
World Missions: Overcoming Barriers to the Fulfillment of the Great Commission (Sequencing the Seven Barriers/ Conclusion)
Sequencing the Seven Barriers Missiology is not an exact science. For every rule, there are undoubtedly many exceptions. It would be a crass oversimplification to attempt to reduce the missionary task to a series of “easy steps to success.” However, this does not negate the fact there are certain logical sequential patterns in which efforts to overcome the barriers to the fulfillment of the Great Commission normally take place. At times, failing to take into account or intentionally going against these natural patterns may produce unfavorable consequences for the advance of missionary work in … [Read more...] about World Missions: Overcoming Barriers to the Fulfillment of the Great Commission (Sequencing the Seven Barriers/ Conclusion)
The Priority of Baptism
Admission of members is…by one of the following actions: a) Upon profession of faith in Jesus Christ and acknowledgement of his Lordship, followed by baptism… ~ Constitution and Bylaws of the church I pastor Yet it takes time to manifest whether public professions of conversion are real. False professions are made most often by those who are sincere but wrong in their claim to follow Christ. Time—whether a few weeks or a few months—will allow the pastors and others in a congregation to watch and have their initial conclusions confirmed by the continuing discipleship of the one desiring … [Read more...] about The Priority of Baptism
On Earth As It Is in Heaven: Hungering and Thirsting for God’s Righteousness (Matthew 5:6)
I didn't have anything to post from my (disappointing - hint,hint) team of contributors, and I simply have not had time to write anything myself. So, I'm pulling out a sermon from a couple of weeks ago (part 1 of 2). I'm in a series on the Beatitudes. Do I even need to prove this assertion? This is a seriously messed up world. It is a world in which lies often seem to overwhelm the truth. The news is filled with stories that take our breath away, recounting acts of depravity that defy imagination. How can people do some of the things that they do? How can they walk into a movie theater or an … [Read more...] about On Earth As It Is in Heaven: Hungering and Thirsting for God’s Righteousness (Matthew 5:6)
World Missions: Overcoming Barriers to the Fulfillment of the Great Commission (Barrier #7: The Logistic Barrier)
The Logistic Barrier As stated above, in order to be truly effective, Christian discipleship should take place in a context of one-on-one or small group meetings. However, the enormity of the task before us, in terms of unevangelized and undiscipled peoples and individuals, makes a slow, plodding, one-by-one addition model of discipleship ultimately inadequate if we are to make disciples from among all the nations of the earth. Jesus said, in Luke 4:43, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” In order to truly be … [Read more...] about World Missions: Overcoming Barriers to the Fulfillment of the Great Commission (Barrier #7: The Logistic Barrier)
The Gospel’s Root Work & Axe Work
Apparently one is not supposed to plant a Magnolia tree close to the house. As first-time home buyers my wife and I were not aware of this tip. We liked looking out our bedroom window and seeing the beautiful flowering magnolias. That is until our basement wall started to crack. This past week—when I was supposed to be on vacation—I spent my evenings killing and uprooting a Magnolia tree. I decided to do this in a three stage process. Stage one is chopping down the tree and leaving a 3 foot stump*. Stage two is to dig a hole around the tree until I expose and then kill those dastardly … [Read more...] about The Gospel’s Root Work & Axe Work
The Future of the Baptist Association: Identity Crisis (by Joel Rainey)
Joel Rainey is the Director of Missions at Mid-Maryland Baptist Association, an adjunct professor at Capital Bible Seminary and blogs at Themelios. This post, the beginning of a series, was originally published at his site. This is the second in Joel' series about Baptist associations. Here is the introductory post. If you try to do everything, you end up doing nothing well. That principle is never more clearly observed than when examining the way so many denominational entities operate today. Last week, I spoke briefly about a number of issues that need to be addressed in the modern … [Read more...] about The Future of the Baptist Association: Identity Crisis (by Joel Rainey)
Against infanticide: Introducing Protecting Infants and the Remember Ashkelon blog (by Marty Duren)
Marty Duren blogs at Kingdom in the Midst. In the aftermath of the Kermit Gosnell “House of Horrors” Aussie theologian Michael Bird produced a provocative piece at Patheos.com. Entitled “Infanticide: The coming battle” Bird, a former military man, warned how this encroaching mindset was already in the academy. He notes, after postulating that euthanasia will be the next death culture domino to fall, Then as regards to, “what’s after that,” I am convinced it will be infanticide. Already we have seen a vast array of philosophical arguments put forward for it by Peter Singer. Last year there … [Read more...] about Against infanticide: Introducing Protecting Infants and the Remember Ashkelon blog (by Marty Duren)
World Missions: Overcoming Barriers to the Fulfillment of the Great Commission (Barrier #6: The Communicational Barrier)
The Communicational Barrier Efforts to overcome the sixth barrier are, in many ways, the very core of the missionary task. This is the challenge of effectively communicating the gospel. It is possible to successfully overcome all of the first five barriers and yet make no real progress toward the fulfillment of the Great Commission if one does not actually communicate the gospel to those people who are in need of a Savior. As Romans 10:14 says, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they … [Read more...] about World Missions: Overcoming Barriers to the Fulfillment of the Great Commission (Barrier #6: The Communicational Barrier)
God Desires Our Happiness
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” ~ Isaiah 52:7 I remember the first time I visited Africa to teach at the International Bible College of Zambia, a group of freshmen from neighboring Malawi arrived with smiles on their faces. They came to the college genuinely happy, after all they were going to spend the next four years learning the Bible and learning more about Jesus so they could take the gospel to their villages, cities, homes, … [Read more...] about God Desires Our Happiness