There are many dimensions to consider when one explores what it means to be a missionary. First of all I recognize that “missionary “ is a broad term. A missionary may serve in remote places or he may be your next door neighbor, ministering in the neighborhood. He may be a pastor, a teacher, a builder, a medical practitioner or a servant in some other capacity. The Protestant missionary movement of the 1800’s had a profound affect on the American…
In January 2018 I had the privilege of teaching a class titled “Building the Heart of a Missionary” to 58 young adult students at the Dunkard Brethren Bible School. The introductory paragraphs on the course description stated: “Many Christians have aspired to be a missionary in some capacity. Christ called his followers to go into all the world with the gospel. Unfortunately, one of the big hindrances to success on the mission field is the heart of the missionary himself….
…In Amos 8:2 the Lord asks Amos the prophet, “What seest thou?” The prophet replies, “A basket of summer fruit.” The natural harvest marked the end of the crop. The Lord was showing Amos that Israel had come to a time of judgement because of their disobedience. Does God ever prompt us by asking, “What do you see?” It is interesting that people who experience the same event or happenings in life come away from that experience with different viewpoints….
Faith is an expression of confidence. The Hebrew writer says that the person that comes to God must believe that He is – that God exists. It is a confidence that God not only exists, but a confidence that he responds to those who diligently seek Him. (Heb. 11:6) Christians are called “believers”. Repeatedly we encounter the concept of belief in the New Testament. When a new Christian is baptized we ask them, “Do you believe that Jesus Christ is…
A line from the gospel song enjoins us to, “count your blessings, name them one by one”. It is an encouragement to not forget how God has blessed us. It is easy to reduce this counting to the tangible things we experience day-by-day. Maybe things like a new job opportunity or a recovery from illness or the arrival of a new baby in our home. There are so many blessings we experience and usually we do have a sense of…
In the discipline of logical reasoning, there is the assertion that there exists logical fallacies. What people sometimes use as logical reasons for an argument or proposition are simply not valid or sound. I have been thinking about the slippery slope fallacy. A very simple way to describe this supposed fallacy is to describe it as an argument that suggests that if a small or minor action is taken it will lead to major consequences. In other words, if…
Cultures are fascinating. They are also powerful. Cultures develop almost anywhere there are human relationships. Ethnic groups develop their own culture. The things that might be unique to any given ethnic culture could be things like food, family and clan structures, religion, how they celebrate life’s joyful occasions, wedding traditions, how they deal with death, etc. Corporations and businesses develop a culture. Universities have a culture. Families have distinct cultural habits and beliefs. Churches also develop a culture. Culture is…
The Church Covenant The New Testament norm would seem to be that a new Christian would be received into a local assembly of believers. Does a new believer need to make any kind of commitment to the local congregation? In our world today, this commitment may be broader than to the local congregation. Many churches have some form of a statement or covenant that a candidate for membership must agree to before being received as a member. Church covenants…
Most Christians today embrace some level of approval of formal church membership, although this may be changing. Even though there is a general acceptance and approval of the concept of church membership, in practice there often exists a shallow understanding that results in a weak commitment to the church. It is important for Christians to turn again and again to the Word itself to discover the needed corrective truth that will open to us the fullness of the blessing…
We are called to walk in the light that is in Jesus Christ John 8:12- “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” Eph. 5:8-11- “8. For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of the light: 9. (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and…