“Jesus still waits to receive the full reward of His suffering, His inheritance among all nations. (Ps 2:8) His table has been prepared, but there are seats that still remain unoccupied. (Matt. 22:9)”
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“The Kingdom of God has one King. In that sense, there is really only one leader -- Him. That perspective can help us keep things in order. Any other, and we are living and working out of step and in our own strength. A good follower can make a good leader, but a bad follower cannot.”
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“'Preach the Gospel at all times and if necessary, use words,' advised St. Francis of Assisi. Truly, there is power in our presence. How we share our presence with others allows the Holy Spirit to come close through our relationships. This is an essential element of the Good News and our testimony.”
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“Life is better viewed as a war, not a game. In this spiritual war it is possible to win a battle and yet lose your testimony. Our calling is first to 'be a witness' for Christ. It is our testimony that matters most. (Rev. 12:11) The winning or losing is left in God's hands, as the battle is the Lord's. (I Sam. 17:47)”
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“Leaving home and entering another language and culture requires humility. It also requires faith. Faith, to leave family, and faith, to be received by others. It's a vulnerable position, not knowing whether or not you will be received, but there is grace to draw upon through the Spirit of adoption.”
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“Apostolic refers to those who are sent for the sake of the Gospel. The apostolic person leaves home and builds a new support system where they are sent through the leading of the Holy Spirit. Leaving one's own family and creating a new one is a key aspect of the apostolic call that can result in adoption.”
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“Genesis 8:22 says God has marked the times and seasons. This means calendric celebrations were God's idea and evidence of the Creator will be found there. As God began highlighting this truth to us, we started seeing the 'shadow of Christ' among many different people groups.”
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“God has always been near to us. (Acts 17:22-30) This was the revelation spoken by the Apostle Paul that spread among the Greeks. Carrying this foundational truth in our hearts as we go and serve others is a comforting reminder that we are not taking God to the people, but rather joining Him in the work He has already started and is actively doing there.”
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“The Apostle Paul said he'd become all things to all people so that by all possible means he might save some. (1 Cor. 9:22) It takes humility and faith to lay down our opinions, our ways, our knowledge, in order to learn from and live like the local people.”
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“God's heart is passionate for the least, the last and the lost. His pursuit of them will not be stopped. Those He sends out with the Gospel are apostolic. They share His passion and express His heart in the earth. This is apostolic passion -- the very core of the mission of God.”
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“Abram received a promise from God: 'I will be your shield.' A battle was ensuing over the 'promised land,' and Abram needed protection. Until Satan is bound and thrown into the lake of fire, we will engage in spiritual warfare. We are God's warriors, and He is our shield.”
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“Symbols, like pictures, are worth a thousand words. When applied carefully and appropriately in a certain context, they can help reveal God, His nature and His plan of redemption.”
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“Art stirs our emotions and engages our hearts. It touches our five senses: sight, sound, touch, taste and smell -- all of which are powerful in deepening our relationship with God and others.”
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“Many talk about the distance between the head and the heart. This is what distinguished Jesus' approach from the Pharisees'. The Pharisees focused on the law and strict obedience. Jesus stirred hearts. True change comes when hearts are engaged.”
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“Each of us are fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God, but how did we get here? Our genealogy is a record of when and how our ancestors lived upon the earth. It is our own personal record of our place in the human story. It can also help us find our place within God's story.”
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“In a world with millions of people, nations and governments, for small people groups often their identity is grounded more in their unique history than in citizenship. Their genealogies serve as a compass in a constantly changing world.”
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“The Kingdom of God spreads throughout the earth like yeast in dough. This is because of relationships. He built all nations upon them. Through relational networks God’s Kingdom and the invincible spreading of His Good News can reach all nations. This is why even one relationship is significant.”
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“Just as fire burns up stubble, so God's presence consumes all that is not of Him within us. (I Cor. 3:13) Our God is called a 'consuming fire.' (Heb. 12:29; Deut. 4:24) His fire reveals what's inside us -- our roots, our motivations, our attitudes, and for whose glory we live. Fiery trials of circumstances often test the quality of our fruit. (I Peter 4:12) All that is pure will be refined, while all that is impure will suffer loss. (II Peter 1:6-7)”
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“Like a table with steaming food, so our life is to emit the fragrance of Christ. When it does, people are drawn to Christ in us. It is the attitude of humility that releases His fragrance. Jesus had all rights to God's power, yet He took on the nature of a servant (Phil. 2:5-11). How we use power, especially when relating to others, will either invite others to Christ or repel them.”
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“The Gospel message is relational at its core: God became one of us. This is the closest kind of relationship there is. Following in Christ's footsteps means drawing close to others. This is how we become living epistles, fleshing out the written Word of God before humankind. Our testimony -- the fruit of our changed life -- is what impacts others. (II Cor. 3:5) Missing the incarnation is to reduce the power of the Gospel.”
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