FROM: Banbury, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
ABOUT ME: Living the highs and lows of life in the adventurous pursuit of God Himself and of who I'm meant to be as the Bride of Christ.
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Tuesday, November 01, 2005,11:51 p.m.
(40 Days of Purpose)
40 DAYS OF PURPOSE
Chapter Thirty-Eight: Becoming a World-Class Christian
Main idea: We are all called to the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20).
Most impactful verse: "I don't think about what would be good for me but about what would be good for many people so that they might be saved. (1 Corinthians 10:33 GWT)"
Most impactful concept: We can (and probably should) pray and ask God how to witness and what things are holding someone back from knowing Him.
Other thoughts: I must admit that by the end of this chapter I was slightly disturbed to note that though the book talks about "mission" as being sharing our witness with non-believers, this chapter really only specifically equates that with cross-cultural missions. I would have to disagree that this is the only way to fulfill our God-given mission to evanglize the world. There are people in my own backyard - indeed, in each apartment next to mine - that need to know God in a personal way so as to be with Him for all eternity. I think there are times when people are frightened to go overseas, and therefore make excuses. I myself (I will be honest) have never wanted to go on cross-cultural missions, though if you asked me why, I might be hard-pressed to come up with a good answer, other than that it is completely unfamiliar territory for me, and therefore makes me nervous until I've actually done it. But regardless of my desire to not go to Africa at this time, I have a great desire to see people saved and see the name of God glorified in the process. I think we as the church must be careful to (a) not judge someone's motives for staying home, and (b) remember that even Canadians need to know Jesus. In fact, I believe that some of the third-world countries where we are sending missionaries contain a faster growing church than Canada itself (that's not hard, as we are in decline overall). Perhaps they'll soon see fit to send us some missionaries in fulfillment of their Great Commission. Until then, may God find us faithful to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth - even this end.
Chapter Thirty-Eight: Becoming a World-Class Christian
Main idea: We are all called to the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20).
Most impactful verse: "I don't think about what would be good for me but about what would be good for many people so that they might be saved. (1 Corinthians 10:33 GWT)"
Most impactful concept: We can (and probably should) pray and ask God how to witness and what things are holding someone back from knowing Him.
Other thoughts: I must admit that by the end of this chapter I was slightly disturbed to note that though the book talks about "mission" as being sharing our witness with non-believers, this chapter really only specifically equates that with cross-cultural missions. I would have to disagree that this is the only way to fulfill our God-given mission to evanglize the world. There are people in my own backyard - indeed, in each apartment next to mine - that need to know God in a personal way so as to be with Him for all eternity. I think there are times when people are frightened to go overseas, and therefore make excuses. I myself (I will be honest) have never wanted to go on cross-cultural missions, though if you asked me why, I might be hard-pressed to come up with a good answer, other than that it is completely unfamiliar territory for me, and therefore makes me nervous until I've actually done it. But regardless of my desire to not go to Africa at this time, I have a great desire to see people saved and see the name of God glorified in the process. I think we as the church must be careful to (a) not judge someone's motives for staying home, and (b) remember that even Canadians need to know Jesus. In fact, I believe that some of the third-world countries where we are sending missionaries contain a faster growing church than Canada itself (that's not hard, as we are in decline overall). Perhaps they'll soon see fit to send us some missionaries in fulfillment of their Great Commission. Until then, may God find us faithful to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth - even this end.
